Turtles on the Bund … Part 2

On our last night in Shanghai, we went to go throw more coins at the turtles. Wait, we went to watch other people throw coins at the turtles. When we got there, the turtles were gone but our friend was there. This time he was actually collecting the coins that were thrown during the day.

Haagen Dazs

After the shaved ice and beans, we decided we needed a real desert. We stopped at the Haagen Dazs on Nanjing Lu. The ice cream was good, however the ice cream was not the interesting detail. The price was the interesting detail. After accounting for the currency conversion, we were paying US prices for ice cream in China. Another interesting detail, the place was busy with locals. So, there are some people in China who can afford to pay US prices for items.

MegaByte

This was an odd place. Imagine a combination of a Morrison’s cafeteria, subway payments, and Chinese food.

When we walked in, we thought it would be like a cafeteria. Easy, no problem, just point at what you want, and all will be good. Wrong. You need to purchase a food card which is debited with each thing you get. So, we bought another type of IC card.

We would not recommend MegaByte. The food was weak. Connor’s meal had bones in it. We thought we might do well with dessert. We were wrong again.

Dessert was shaved ice with ice cream and bean sauce. Yes, that is correct, bean sauce. As we were watching the dessert be made, I told Connor, “She just poured beans over a perfectly good stack of shaved ice.”

You have to experiment on trips like this. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not.

The Oriental Pearl Tower … Part 2

If you look at the river from the Oriental Pearl Tower, you begin to realize how busy China’s economy really is. The pictures do NOT do this justice. The river is full of ship carrying freight from one place to another. We have never seen such a busy waterway.

The Oriental Pearl Tower … Part 1

The Oriental Pearl Tower is the landmark you see when you see images of the Shanghai skyline. There are several tall buildings you can go to the top of. Why not go to the top of the one you will see over and over again.

The Super Brand Mall

What is this? This is a world class mall on par with anything else we have seen. It is 6 or more stories tall. There are lots of name brands to buy. The mall is beautiful, clean, and very familiar. There was not a single bootleg or back room to be found.

We had breakfast at Element Fresh. The meal was wonderful. However, everything about the Super Brand mall reminded us of the United States. This is not why we are in Shanghai. It is time to leave the mall.

The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel

It is time for us to cross the river. One way to get to the other side is to take the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. We thought this was going to be an underground walkway. We were wrong.

The tunnel is a full tourist attraction. You pay to cross. You ride in a glass car to the other side. During the ride, there is lots of neon, blow up figures, and commentary.

In the end, we made it to the other side of the river.