Spatrachina Volume Six

A lazy Sunday in Shanghai. Today I was left alone to explore the charms of this great city. I took the subway to People's Square and began my journey of cityscape adventures. I didnt really have anything in mind for the day, and hopefully I will be able to chance upon something nice and interesting. People's Square station is home to Shanghai's equilvalent of our Esplanade. The Shanghai Theatre is a futuristic structure shaped like those ancient ingots. Behind the theatre is another futuristic tower housing the JW Marriot. People's Square was filled with people strolling and sitting around doing basically nothing. I guess the cool weather helped a lot.

Shanghai Theatre and JW Marriot in the backdrop

Sitting in the Park

District Map

After walking about 1km and past various skyscrapers, I chanced upon this interesting small lane jus a stone throw away from the bustling Nanjing Road. WuJing Street is definitely a food lover's heaven! I saw 2 rows of stores selling what they call 'xiao chi' or small snacks. The first stop for me was Xiao Yang Sheng Jian Mantou. I saw the long queue and couldnt resist being a Singaporean. So i joined in the queue and got myself a portion (of 4 buns) to eat. The fragrance of the seaseme seeds atop the freshly fried buns was jus the beginning of a wonderful tasting snack. The skin of the bun was paper thin on the top, but rather thick at the bottom. The thick bottom part, however, was fried to golden brown. I bite a small hold onto the paper thin top and then discovered that inside was not just the meat, but also bountiful delicious liquid! The soup was the surprise, but the star of the bun. I had a great time slurping up the soup before munching the meat bun. Definitely one of the best dish I had during my trip.

Scores of people queuing

ShenJian Mantou

Since it was a food street, how can I jus stop with the mantous? Upon woofing down the 4 hot buns, my nose detected a delectable smell. Gruesome to many but definitely heaven to me. Yes, it's the Stinky Toufu again! I followed my nose to an outlet 100m away. There it was: a snaking long queue behind this small counter. A box of 6 wonderfully crisped toufu for 3RMB. My 2nd serving of this aromatic stinky delight in 2 days. Shiok!

Stinky Toufu Store

My Great Stinky Treat!

After filling my tummy with all these snacks, I proceed to the financial hub of Shanghai. The Pudong district is really modern and new looking, with wide roads and glass and steel structures all around. It felt like walking in any other cities in the world though.

Modern Skyscrapers

Jinmao tower

Pearl of Orient Tower

After walking for about 1 hour, I finally found a place to rest. The place was just by the HuangPu River overlooking The Bund. I ordered a Hot Chocolate and a Green Tea Cheesecake from the Starbucks counter and enjoyed the view as the wind gently blew.

The Bund

My Hot Chocolate and Green Tea Cheesecake

My with the Pearl of Orient Tower

I realised I have not been so at peace for a very long time. Granted the sky was cloudy and greyish. But sitting there doing nothing was kinda comfortable. The consumption of the rich food might have helped, but I guess it was becos of the stressful lifestyle I had in Singapore that made me enjoyed that quiet solo moment, something I would never tot I would enjoy in the past. I finally finished my beverage and cake in 1 hr, and proceed to the nearby Super Brand Mall to shop a bit. On the way, I saw a group of teenagers playing soccer in an open field. While I was there in my jacket and scarf, these boys were shirtless and panting in sweat! Well, all I can say was I've yet to warm up to the cold climate.

Shirtless teens in cold wind

Sunset

On the way back to XuJiaHui to the apartment, I felt an uncomfortable tinkle in my throat. I was at the verge of illness. I felt this flaming hot sensation in my nostril and throat area as I popped in Vitamin C and antioxidants. Then, with nary a wink, I went to the nearby bathhouse for a local experience. The Garden Bathouse was a 3 stories establishment seperated into 2 genders. I went into the locker area, took off all my clothings and locked all my stuff in the provided locker. As I turned around stark naked, I was expecting to get a towel to cover my modesty. Instead, I saw the other patrons walking around as nude as they could to the bat area. Never had I been in such an awkard situation that I locked myself in the toilet for a full 5 minutes to neutralise my state of mind before stepping out in the buff to join the other patrons.

Once I got past the 'Naked Truth', I began to enjoy the various bath pools. There was the ginseng and herbal hot pool and this cold vinegar pool. A huge jacuzzi and sauna room completed the facilities of the bath house. As I stepped out of the pool and headed for the massage area, this attendant asked whether I wanted a back rub. At the price of 20RMB, I answered 'Why not?' It turned out to be an out of the world experience for me. The scrubbing area was partitioned from the bath area by a wall the height of 1m. I lay there on this hard bed naked and face up for all to see. The attendant then proceed to scrub every single parts of my body, face and all. It was very weird to be scrubbed in the sensitive area in a very public area. But I must say I did felt clean afterwards. I was gamed enuff to try the GuaSha, which involved using this wooden/ pocelain piece to scrub my back. It was said to remove the inner heat from my body. I was left with long rows of scars in my back (luckily they were healed in 3 days).

Scars on my back

I caught up with Yufei again at XuJiaHui area for dinner. Dinner was Japanese Buffet. At 150RMB per person for an arlacarte buffet, it was all worth every penny. The exotic meats and thick juicy sashimi were tantalising. The chicken soft bones were cruncy and savoury. It was a great dinner, cheap by Singapore's standard. However, by the end of the dinner, my throat was already flaming sore. I finally sccummded to the flu virus. I returned to the apartment and waited for my friend, Jeremy, to come from Singapore to join me in my 2nd leg. So sick, yet the 2nd leg consist of more strenuous activities. Hopefully everything would be better.

XuJiaHui Night

Thick salmon sashimi

Horsemeat sashimi