Day 29 - Shanghai Morning then on to Hangzhou

After a good night in the comfortable fast train, I arrived in Shanghai. The stay in Shanghai was very short though as I did not intend to spend much time here but just to change trains for Hangzhou. Since my next train also left from Shanghai HongQiao station, which is very far out, most of my Shanghai stay was in the metro travelling there.

Once I arrived in Hangzhou, it immediately felt different than the other cities in China I have been to. It somehow felt quieter, more relaxed and most unusual cars (including taxis) actually stopped at pedestrian crossings and traffic lights. This was already a very good start to my stay here and I was already glad having decided to come here.

Having booked a hostel right in the main pedestrian area and not far from the West Lake, meant I could enjoy the sights without having to go far. Huangzhou kind of was what I expected/hoped Xi'an would be.

Walking around the Hefang Street, Wushan Square and then West Lake area was great, it was relaxing, no hassle but had a lot of character and there was a lot to see. I enjoyed a nice enough sunset by the lake before heading back to Wushan Square, where people were out again, having fun, dancing, flying kites and generally having a good time.
This is always nice to see and a big difference from what you can see in Europe, it is just so much more civilised with everyone having fun together.

I ended up walking around and taking pictures for quite a while, it was quite cool and I was looking forward to the next morning when I could walk around the lake and see more of Hangzhou.

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

GRD, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 640, JPG - Taken on 09/10/2006

Took this picture while on holiday in Shanghai. Although the horizon is not straight I can't crop it because it would riun the composition. Think a leveler would have been good in this situation. I did notice that I messed the horizon up and took a 2nd picture but the scene was not the same anymore, the big ship was in a different place and the people also moves slightly. Sometimes all you have is one chance to get the shot and it's better to get it by all means even if technically it's not perfect.

Sundy Coffee

GRD, f4.5, 1/10, ISO 200, RAW

A lazy Sunday afternoon and what better to do than go out and have a coffee. I like the picture and used a slow shutter speed to capture the steam rising.
The tite is not a typo but a reference to Sundy Coffee a rip-off bar in Shanghai where "students" try to take you and have you pay a lot of money for their drinks. While we did not go inside we managed to take a picture of the drinks menu and believe me it is very expensive. So if you're in Shanghai on Nanjing Road do not follow "students" to this place and take them to Starbucks instead, a lot more fun and cheaper ;).
You can see a picture of the menu here.