Update: April 26th

After wandering around Shanghai for over a week, I'm finally getting the hang of it.  Met some really nice Expats who taught me to text names of places to this mysterious phone number (Guanxi) and out comes directions, specials and info on that place. 

I also went to check out M50, an industrial area renovated to become an art exhibit (kind of like the Distillery District in Toronto).  It was my little artistic santuary away from all the shopping and eating that Shanghai has to offer.

I then checked out a bar where one of the expats was playing some "hippie indie" music (definitely not the type of music you're supposed to dance to - but ppl did anyway).  All the expats are very helpful and very friendly.  Maybe it was just where I went but it seemed a lot of the ones I met were from Australia.  Their accent put some bittersweet memories in me.  Drinks are relatively cheap (10 RMB to 25 RMB).

Afterwards, I found out that the Metro stops really early (around 10pm) and so I took the cab home.  The taxis here are relatively inexpensive - normally 15-20 RMB within Shanghai.  The Metro is 3 RMB but if you cross over to PuDong then it's one more RMB.  The buses are 1 RMB.  Transportation is relatively cheap here.  The prices here are generally half of Hong Kong.  However, imports, like Campbell's Chunky Soup, are uber expensive (one can which goes for normally $1.50 CDN, goes for 36 RMB.)  I can't seem to find those "Aji Ichiban" dried mangoes that don't exist in Canada. 

A few more tips for those of you wanting to travel to Asia for the first time.  About half the public washrooms I've been to don't provide soap or toilet paper, so buy a few packs of packaged tissues and don't shake the locals hands without some Purell afterwards...=P    Also, the bigger the vehicle, the crazier they drive - so watch out for those buses!  There are little to no non-smoking areas in buildings, so people can smoke pretty much anywhere.  Don't drink the tap water.  The voltage for the plugs here are different, so buy a transformer.  And learn the mandarin basics (ie: road names, food names, and numbers) or bring someone who speaks the language.  Otherwise, it's just a lot of pointing and puzzled looks. 

I've added a few extra pics, and some photo captions.

Will be back in Toronto by Wednesday!...just when I was starting to have fun...

April 17th

On my first day here, got to have some of the best buns I've ever had here all for less than $2 Cdn.  My aunt took me to the main tourist attractions in the "bund".  I'll be on my own today. 

I've been told the people here are crooks.  (I don't think my uncle likes it here very much eh?)  That said, I'm supposed to dress like a bum so no one will mug me.  I don't know if I like the fact that motorcycles can go on the sidewalks and that cars don't have a problem running you over when they are turning right.  Cars have the right of way, so watch out if you come here. 

Guess the rain does stop after all. =)  Today was beautiful to do some more walking. 

I was on my own today and I went to West Nanjing Road Station and walked west.  Saw the hotel where the English speaking people hangout and it was really good to talk to people (even just for a picture - all the pictures below are from a different English speaking person).  I then walked south from Jing An Temple to ZhaojiaBang Rd.  There was a crazy amount of people at "XuJiaHui" - or where Metro City is. 

Ate some KFC which tasted different (definitely doesn't have all 21 herbs and spices =P).  Went to Digital Plaza and got a new headset for my cell and talked the price down almost half the price they wanted to charge me...my uncle calls it the 50% rule...no matter what price they give you, offer half the amount and look for their reaction.  It works.

Tomorrow, I'm going on a school field trip with my little cousin to Shanghai Sculpture Park.  So looking forward to more walking...and more pics =P