Today I felt as if I started in Taiwan, passed through New York, and ended back in Taiwan..but with a Shanghai flair. Let me explain.
TAIWAN
After waking up at 4:30am because of our jet lag, we decided to kick off our day at a cafe walking distance of our hotel. What's interesting is that the most popular cafe with the locals and foreigners is the Taiwanese cafe. The cafe, called 85degreeC, is also very popular throughout Taiwan. We had some of the most delicious and fresh Taiwan pastries that I've missed for so long now. For all of you who haven't been to Taiwan, Taiwan's bakeries are abundant, popular and remarkable. Unlike American bakeries, Taiwan bakeries have a vast selection of creative pastries similar to Panya, St. Germain, etc....but WAY better. Every bakery has its own creations, just as this 85degreeC cafe did. We selected 5 different pastries that either came right out of the oven or just caught our eyes, then ordered coffee and warm soymilk (for me). I really enjoyed the soymilk because it had the soy bean "pulp" in it which made it taste extremely fresh.
We walked through the city a little lost for a while, passing by endless blocks of skyscrapers covered with large screens and banners displaying advertisements. A little overwhelmed, we decided to ask someone to direct us to the subway. The underground subway was very similar to Taiwan's Metro (Jieyun) because it is relatively new and the ticket system is about the same.
NEW YORK
After a few stops, we left the Xujiahui stop to go to People's Square (Renming Guangchang) stop. We walked down the Nanjing Boardwalk (Nangjing Lu Buxing Jie) which reminded me of New York in the Good Morning America TV show I occasionally watch. Although it was just one wide boardwalk, a tall monument, mini mall, or hotel covered every space on your left and right. We were often bombarded with guys all trying to hand us pamphlets to a restaurant or to a tour group. Then there were all the guys who asked if we wanted to buy bags or watches. Every one of them seemed to have the same catalog selling the exact same thing but we didn't really bother to give them any attention.
...DISTINCTLY SHANGHAI...
We finally made our way to the famous view! We crossed the well known ZhongShan Nan Road and onto the waterfront area known as The Bund to foreigners, I believe. To the Chinese, it is called Waitan. This view across the Huangpu River to the very modern tall buildings is characteristic of Shanghai. There were many kiosks along the walkway in business to take professional photos for tourists and frame them for sale. The scenic photo shots I took were clouded by the light fog (or air pollution) that sat between us and the buildings. This seemed to be Shanghai's equivalent to Hawaii's sandy beaches...only in the sense that this is what people come to Shanghai to see. I counted six or seven brides and grooms taking their wedding pictures along The Bund.
We finally made it by taxi to Shanghai's XinTianDi. It's a famous shopping center with cute little cafes of various ethnic foods: Italian, Thai, French, etc. Random observation: the Shanghainese seem to be pretty fond of Haagen-Dazs because I spotted a few scattered during our stay here already. Anyhow, we ended up eating Shanghai's acclaimed Xiaolongbao, the steamed dumpling with a meat and soup filling. The fancy restaurant, Din Tai Fung, is one that I read about in the Shanghai must-experience places in Times. What's interesting is that it is a Taiwanese restaurant chain now all over the world (Taiwan, LA, Sydney, Beijing, Bankok, to name a few). Apparently, Taiwanese businesses do very well in Shanghai because they are known to give quality food and quality service. So far this is very true. In Din Tai Fung, there were special chair backing covers you can have put over your coat to prevent anything to spill or splatter on it. Also, when a waitress dropped a cup, she quickly turned to each disturbed customer and apologized with a respectful bow in each direction.
After we walked through XinTianDi and on the streets where the locals lived, I noticed the huge difference in the area we were living and this area. This was more of a residential area with real people in casual clothing. One of the highlights of the day was meeting the kind gentleman walking his adorable poodle. It all started with me spotting the dog and my parents telling me to run across the street to ask him if I could take a picture of the dog up close. The man was clearly a cultured man because he is one in a million with a dog so groomed and trained. Also, he had so much manners and seemed to know Shanghai very well. His poodle had a coat and little red boots. He urged me to hold up his dog and take a picture which made me so happy!
TAIWAN
The gentleman suggested we go to the little area called TianZi Fang. It reminded me of one of Taiwan's night markets, but a little more fancy. We shopped around a little and ended up needing to rest so we decided to grab dinner here. We somehow ended up at a restaurant called Fine Tasting of Taiwan. The food was very yummy and my parents said everything was just as good as in Taiwan, except the zhongzi (Rice pyramid wrapped in leaves). My grandma still makes the best zhongzi I've ever eaten. Xiexie ama! x)
*Woah I wrote a lot here and seem to be keeping you very updated. It's definitely because I have major jet lag and keep needing to kill time until the sun rises. I realize I won't be so consistent with my posts as I get adjusted to the time zone, get busier, and go to places without regular internet access. So enjoy while it lasts! hehe.
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