Shanghai surprise

The last time my family traveled together was some six or seven years ago. We went to Korea and undoubtedly, things were easier then. Our schedules were much more flexible. Being excused from school (if needed) was really not much of a problem.

A few weeks ago, my family decided to take a vacation to Shanghai. After months of preparations, decision-making sessions and occasional family meetings, we were ready to go. My brother Vince was not able to go with us because of work.

Our first stop was Hong Kong, then Shanghai via Dragon Air, a local airline. I have a condition called skin asthma so I cannot tolerate extreme heat or cold. I would have rashes and itch. Hence, I brought with me a considerable amount of moisturizers, creams, ointments and lotions, plus tons of thermal clothing, gloves, beanies — name it, I brought it! My mom nearly had a heart attack when she saw the amount of suitcases I packed.

We arrived in Shanghai on Dec. 27. You cannot imagine how many layers of clothes I had on. To save you the hassle, I might as well tell you — I was wearing four to five layers of clothes. I am not kidding. I even wore knee-length boots over my thermal underwear and socks under my jeans. I was clad in a turtleneck every single day and wore a scarf and gloves!

It was almost minus 3 degrees celsius outdoors and I was freeeziiiinggg!. Once indoors, I was warm.

In spite of the cold, Shanghai is a sight to behold. My mom described it as the Metropolis (think Superman, please). It actually is similar to your idea of the Metropolis. Imagine a commercial building looking like a globe, a Shanghainese version of the Eiffel Tower, among others. It was truly impressive.

Shanghai is very clean. Its streets are spic and span, like Manila’s during Holy Week. We stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel, which is the newest of Shanghai’s more than 15 five-star hotels. Barely a year old, the service, mind you, is nothing less than world-class.

Our hotel, we were informed, is 40 minutes to an hour from the airport. We never counted on the traffic though. It was just like Manila’s. Filipino drivers are not one-of-a-kind after all. Motorists, motorcyclists and bikers snaked in and out and often dangerously beat the red light. Just like home sweet home.

In such a short time, Shanghai has achieved modernization beyond recognition. The city bustles. My dad was in Shanghai in 1986 and he says the Shanghai he saw then was absolutely not the Shanghai of the new millennium. For starters, more people speak English. Even the directional signs are geared towards English-speaking tourists and visitors.

Located northeast of Hong Kong and southwest of Beijing, Shanghai has a population of 15 million. It is a four-hour plane ride from Manila and a two-hour plane ride from Hong Kong. West Shanghai, with its modern buildings is cosmopolitan while East Shanghai is more historic.

Based on the many conversations we had with the locals, they themselves are shocked with Shanghai’s fast-paced modernization which began with "the announcement of the open door policy, engineered largely by Deng Hsiao Ping some 20 years ago," says tourist brochures.

The brochure adds: "Shanghai has been regarded as the dazzling pearl in the center of the east coast, where the golden channel of the Yangtze River flows to the sea."

I cannot actually describe to you how progressive Shanghai is. In Pearl Tower (their version of the Eiffel Tower), the elevator moves at the rate of seven meters per second. When you reach the top of the tower, there is a panoramic view of the Bund (the boundary of West and East Shanghai), surrounding establishments, and buildings.

The first place we visited was the Li Yuan Garden where we finished a roll of film before we finished walking the length and breadth of the Garden. I am not exaggerating! In three days, we finished four rolls of film. The sights were just overwhelming. So much for being first-time visitors to Shanghai.

For those who love to shop, do not fret! Shopping in Shanghai is great. They have great antiques, cheap shoes and clothes. Haggling is the norm. Just be careful where you buy.

It’s just too bad that we went during winter because my legs were ice cold. There wasn’t much I could buy other than boots which I already have too many of, and coats which I don’t need, unless I wanted my mom to leave me there as excess baggage.