Although I was only in Shanghai 5 days, I've already decided that I will most definitely be heading back for another trip at some point. I only have great things to say about the city! But, it was so big that I feel as though I merely scratched the surface of what it had to offer.
One of my absolute highlights was my last full day in Shanghai, where we lived what I like to call 'the hai life'.
My day began with a lovely little gift given to me by a girl called Donna who was staying in my hostel dorm room. Sometimes Chinese people get a bit of a reputation as being stand-offish or rude but for the most part, I can say that they don't adhere to this stereotype. Case in point would be the girls I met in my dorm room. Once we got to understanding that I couldn't actually speak Chinese, we exchanged attempted conversation in broken Chinese and English. Despite knowing we couldn't really communicate, Donna and her friend (who didn't have an English name), were determined to get my WeChat details before we all departed from Shanghai. On my last morning in the hostel, Donna approached my bunk just as I woke up to tell me that she'd been to a local snack shop and bought me some treats to share with my friends. It was the best way to wake up!
(Donna, what a babe!)
Having ticked off experiencing some culture off my Shanghai to do list, the only thing left to do was see Shanghai from above. I was determined to head up at least one of the crazy tall skyscrapers. I wasn't particularly fussed about which one, it just had to be one of them.
(Spoilt for choice with the Shanghai Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center and Jin Mao Tower)
After a bit of um-ing and ah-ing, we decided we were happy to pay the pricey entrance fee to get up to the observation deck of the Oriental Pearl Tower. However, when we were hit with the news that the queue to get in was two hours long, we were suddenly less keen.
Some of us had read that there was a bar as part of the Grand Hyatt Hotel which was at the top of Jin Mao Tower. It seemed like a good deal to try get to the bar and bypass any kind of entrance fee. I'd actually done a very similar thing when I was in Tokyo in the summer. So for anyone looking to see big cities from a height, I recommend hunting down your closest Hyatt chain hotel and heading to the bar for a great view and a drink.
The interior of Jin Mao Tower was absolutely insane. You could look directly down the centre of the tower from 87 floors up. I'm not really that afraid of heights but even I had to admit that looking down made me quite nervous. See here for the full effect.
We had to go through a bit of a maze to get to Cloud 9 bar on the top floor. There was a minimum spend at the bar and the cocktails were pricey but I still contend that it was completely worth it. We got there just before sunset so it was pretty amazing to watch the sun go down on Shanghai and see all the city lights come up one by one. With a strong long island ice tea in my hand and some great company, it was a great way to spend my final evening in Shanghai!
(Oriental Pearl Tower light show)
I had an early flight back to Tianjin to catch the following morning, but it didn't stop me partying just one more time with everyone and staying up until silly o'clock. That night, we headed to Kartel rooftop bar which was pretty nice from what I remember. They had a free flow beer wristband deal which was, in hindsight, perhaps not the best decision I could have made considering my early flight. In the end, I headed to the airport with Tom running on just an hours sleep and getting on the plane genuinely felt like a hallucination. Needless to say, I got some well earned rest when I got back to Tianjin, ready to start my 6 back-to-back lessons day of teaching the following day. Still, I had absolutely no regrets - I had a blast!
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