From Shanghai to Busan

Well, I'm back in Korea and although I had a great trip to Shanghai was pleased to see the farmiliar surroundings of Busan and more specifically, my neighborhood, Jangsan.

Shanghai is truely a city of contrasts. I was staying along East Nanjing Road which is the glitzy tourism driven hub of downtown Shanghai. It reminded me of a more upscale version of Koasan Road in Bangkok. It's a street lined expensive department stores, cafes and boutiques, yet filled with scam artists, beggars and prostitutes. You can't sit down on East Nanjing Road for more than 20 seconds without someone trying to sell you something. When the male hawkers approach you (a male), their pitch starts with them attempting to sell you something and quickly slides downhill.

A typical pitch goes something like this: "Hey you want a Rolex? handbag? dvd? English dvd? t-shirt? Foot massage? Full-body massage? Sexy girl? Beer Bar? You want sexy China girl? You can have sexy China girl!"

I'm not exaggerating! I heard this at least 20 times a day. Mind you, one just has to walk a block or two off the beaten path and the glitz quickly disappears. I suppose you see the true Shanghai. There are no fat European tourists or young foreign professionals walking to the office; just poverty. I spent my last morning walking through Old Town with my friend Tom and we saw and smelled the poor side, the more fascinating side for sure.

Here I am in the most typical pic that everyone who goes to Shanghai must have. I'm standing on The Bund with the new Pudong International Economic Zone in the background. It looks like the set from The Jetsons!

Here is the same place lit up at night. It looks like this every night. This was taken from what was to be my evening base of operations. The Captain Bar which is a bar on the roof of the Captain Hostel. I didn't stay at the hostel, but loved their bar and the view.

Standing in an alleyway in Old Town. Everywhere you go there are clothes hanging out to dry. Just a short walk away, you can find a Ferrari and Mazorati car dealership.

Close to Renmin Park.

Filth in Old Town. Obviously, the streets around The Bund and other touristy areas are immaculate, but this isn't the case in the rest of Shanghai.

These were just a few people going about their daily lives. What to do on a Shanghai morning?

As everyone knows, I've been living in Asia for more than 4 years now. Wow, it's been a long time. I lived in Seoul and now Busan, Korea. There are many simialr things I noticed between China and Korea (many Koreans will disagree with that!) as well as many differences. Some of my observations are as follows:

1. There are garbage cans on the street in China!! Wow, what a concept. Korea could learn from this. If you put garbage cans on the street, people will throw their garbage in them and not on the road.

2. People in both countries spit on the streets a lot...a lot! The Chinese gov't has a public awarnesss campaign now. They are trying to get people to stop spitting. They want to improve their image for the upcoming Beijing Olympics and Shanghai Expo.

3. Crossing a street (at a crosswalk) is taking your life into your own hands in China.

4. There are no seatbelts in Shanghai taxis, at least in the back, so ride shotgun!

5. Tiger Beer!! It's so wonderful. Made in Singapore, but popular in China. Why don't they sell it in Korea??

6. Koreans always tell me that Chinese people are loud. I beg to differ. The people who tell me this should look in the mirror! Or voice-recorder!

7. The are NO RULES as far as traffic is concerned in Shanghai. In Korea they have 1 or 2.

8. Many Shanghai taxi drivers don't want to pick up a foreigner (my experience), reminded me of parts of Seoul.

9. Korean students have told me that Chinese people drink too much alcohol. Again, look in the mirror, Korea wins this battle.

10. Although traffic in Shanghai is more chaotic than in Seoul of Busan, there seem to be fewer accidents. I have no idea why this is....very mysterious!

11. Oh yeah.....evryone smokes in both China and Korea...well not everyone...I'm sure there are a few babies yet to take up the habit. It's sooooo nasty! Everywhere you go, somone's sucking on a cancer-stick.