October 09, 2005
October 07, 2005
My Travels - Shanghai, 2005
Three cities in two weeks, late summer 2005---Shanghai, Taipei, Hong Kong. Unmistake-ably Chinese, yet different in many ways. Three modern cities forming a triangle over the Taiwan Strait can't be more different. But that goes for a lot of cities between US coasts, I guess, so I'll let it be.
(Three logs in a series...starting with Shanghai)
(Three logs in a series...starting with Shanghai)
A tourist would profess to seeing a strong Western influence in Shanghai. I tried to stay away, checked-in outside of downtown, at the western side around the Changning district where my morning jogs sporting my bulging 40GB iPod brick marked me as a non-local. Because nobody jogs in the morning. And, yeah, because they prefer nano music players. Not the Apple Nano, but nanotech--nanopackage, nanostorage, nanoweight, nanoprice.
Visited one of the many high-rise homes that dot the city map. Imagine 20+ story buildings not for commerce but for dwelling. And lots of them. I guess in our US cities, a lot of us have suburbs we drive home to. Shanghai, and Beijing, which I also visited last year, people's commutes include an elevator to go back up home.
God bless the sun. Its free drying for laundry. You can't miss it in Shanghai as each home unit is plush with colored banners of clothing. Up to the 25th floor.
Staying off the beaten path has its benefits. Dinner didn't reach US$5.00 per person. Dynasty, an exclusive chain that exemplifies grandeur (royal facade, ballroom dining, multi-level venues, and yeah, good food) wouldn't choke me with a US$30 bill per seat. To compare: Ever been to a Chinese banquet, like for a wedding reception? Take that same feast but three times less. I won't forget Ajisen Ramen with all the noodle variety and bistro dining.
Haircut, shampoo, head massage, styling and pampering = US$5.00. No tipping needed, apparently, but I only learned afterwards. Do bathe at the hotel but leave shampoo and styling for the salon. Daily, if preferred, since you can afford it.
Venturing in...Gubei Road offered higher prices. Main Nanjing Road mirrors California shopping and prices. Southward, Huai Hai Lu (Road) offers an alternative to shopping and dining. And cheap goods galore at Xiang Yang public market where I got my dollar DVDs last year. Get your "cheap" North Face gear, Nike Shox, LV purses and the like, but I already got my 'cease and desist' warning before I even hit Customs. Pack skillfully. But 2 blocks off Huai Hai Lu, into Xin Tian Di, is California dining! One restaurant (I can't say "Chinese food." Its just "food" around there) was up to NorCal prices. Clientele markedly business elite subsidized by cost-conscious motherships back home.
Afternoon tea at the Grand Hyatt Cafe up 54 floors of the Jin Mao Tower. Fifth highest in the world up to its 88th floor. Overlooking the HuangPu River. Add the Oriental Pearl TV Tower to complete the Shanghai skyline.
The subway and taxis make the city accessible. But do have your hotel information when taking the cab. You might find wallet-size hotel business cards with the Concierge.
Had my PSP with me just so that I am linked wirelessly (wire-less-ly is such a noobie word). Turns out there's not a lot of free networks, yet. ChinaTel offers wide public wireless coverage but requires some amount of commitment, and it seems longer than a week. Perhaps a monthly subscription? I wasn't able to confirm. Starbucks obviously doesn't have T-Mobile's service. No luck at the airport either. But I enjoyed an hour at a cafe for US$2.00. Free at the Grand Hyatt.
Overall, a 9.
I'd like to thank my friend who grew up in Shanghai for the backroads experience.
October 06, 2005
My Travels - Taipei, 2005
(Second in a three-part series)
Approaching a major city provides an entertaining clip, for me personally, as the flat horizon surrenders to suburbs, taller and taller structures, welcome signs, the inevitable toll booth crossing, the neon-works and gentlemen's clubs' weekend guest stars in bright lights.
From Taipei's International Airport, you get a 40-minute transition from paddies to pavement (well, not too rural, really). But early, when a semblance of a city looms ahead, you'd wish it wasn't Taipei just yet. 'Cause it's un-inviting to the city tourist. No imposing skyline.
Well, you're not there yet.
When one finally spots the city, two landmarks jut up from afar with a vast even-ness in-between. Two lone monuments defining a backdrop where towering structures ought to be. Are we really there yet? Uh...yes. To the right, the Topview Taipei Observatory. To the left, further in, the tallest building in the world (2005), Taipei 101. Between them, was my hope for a nice time.
Its not a tourist hotspot like San Francisco or Paris (shopping, yes). The highlights of Taiwan extend out of Taipei. My short stay allowed no such countryside trip and I stayed within:
While Shanghai streets were busy with pedal-bikes, I found it an upgrade being swarmed by motorscooters, which, with the power difference, allowed them to share the street lanes with four-wheel traffic, along with taxi drivers cruising to a slower beat, unlike Shanghai. And while Shanghai had foreign names for car models, Taiwan sported mostly the same US names as Corollas, Civics and 330's and A4's.
It had to be the city of people with the best looking hair. Upon further observation, every block seems to have three salons. That's just street level. Look up higher and you find one or two more. And that's just for those who's names you can read in English.
Les Suites - Taipei, the little hotel that could. Only about 50 rooms and an alley for a front entrance, I got the luxury I wanted: full Western and Oriental breakfast, internet access with at least 8 personal laptops, wireless access up the floors, a trio of cardio-equipment, and elegant living.
Taipei 101 towers like Chinese take-out gift boxes stacked one over the other, up to that box of the last shrimp in your banquet table that everyone humbly declined. The first 5 floors was a mall with a grand atrium. Found 'Page One' better than the biggest Borders bookstore around. The 89th, an observatory. They'd shoot you up for a 32-second ride for US$8, free headache and all. The 88th floor would have been free, same view, but I'd have to walk up.
Branded and expensive, 101's district isn't the only highlight of Taipei shopping. A subway ride west of the city finds Ximen Ding and the youth of Taiwan, driven by trendsetting stores from Japan, HK, Korea and the US. A one-stop shop landmark for everything Sony, Sanrio, Nike, Shiseido, Pizza Hut, Giordano, an afternoon salon appointment, boba lai cha, squid-on-a-stick, a minor recording contract---that being: Taiwan Idol, TRL-style, second floor glass-walled studio, karaoke scream-fest, overlooking revellers below, perhaps hoping for a music exec in the crowd).
At the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial...
Approaching a major city provides an entertaining clip, for me personally, as the flat horizon surrenders to suburbs, taller and taller structures, welcome signs, the inevitable toll booth crossing, the neon-works and gentlemen's clubs' weekend guest stars in bright lights.
From Taipei's International Airport, you get a 40-minute transition from paddies to pavement (well, not too rural, really). But early, when a semblance of a city looms ahead, you'd wish it wasn't Taipei just yet. 'Cause it's un-inviting to the city tourist. No imposing skyline.
Well, you're not there yet.
When one finally spots the city, two landmarks jut up from afar with a vast even-ness in-between. Two lone monuments defining a backdrop where towering structures ought to be. Are we really there yet? Uh...yes. To the right, the Topview Taipei Observatory. To the left, further in, the tallest building in the world (2005), Taipei 101. Between them, was my hope for a nice time.
Its not a tourist hotspot like San Francisco or Paris (shopping, yes). The highlights of Taiwan extend out of Taipei. My short stay allowed no such countryside trip and I stayed within:
While Shanghai streets were busy with pedal-bikes, I found it an upgrade being swarmed by motorscooters, which, with the power difference, allowed them to share the street lanes with four-wheel traffic, along with taxi drivers cruising to a slower beat, unlike Shanghai. And while Shanghai had foreign names for car models, Taiwan sported mostly the same US names as Corollas, Civics and 330's and A4's.
It had to be the city of people with the best looking hair. Upon further observation, every block seems to have three salons. That's just street level. Look up higher and you find one or two more. And that's just for those who's names you can read in English.
Les Suites - Taipei, the little hotel that could. Only about 50 rooms and an alley for a front entrance, I got the luxury I wanted: full Western and Oriental breakfast, internet access with at least 8 personal laptops, wireless access up the floors, a trio of cardio-equipment, and elegant living.
Taipei 101 towers like Chinese take-out gift boxes stacked one over the other, up to that box of the last shrimp in your banquet table that everyone humbly declined. The first 5 floors was a mall with a grand atrium. Found 'Page One' better than the biggest Borders bookstore around. The 89th, an observatory. They'd shoot you up for a 32-second ride for US$8, free headache and all. The 88th floor would have been free, same view, but I'd have to walk up.
Branded and expensive, 101's district isn't the only highlight of Taipei shopping. A subway ride west of the city finds Ximen Ding and the youth of Taiwan, driven by trendsetting stores from Japan, HK, Korea and the US. A one-stop shop landmark for everything Sony, Sanrio, Nike, Shiseido, Pizza Hut, Giordano, an afternoon salon appointment, boba lai cha, squid-on-a-stick, a minor recording contract---that being: Taiwan Idol, TRL-style, second floor glass-walled studio, karaoke scream-fest, overlooking revellers below, perhaps hoping for a music exec in the crowd).
At the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial...
...I remembered.
Again, a disappointing shortage of access points for my wireless PSP.
October 05, 2005
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