We arrived in Shanghai to a hotel near the bund. The morning I woke up I looked out my window to see senior ladies doing Tai-Chi in front of a Starbucks. When I saw this, I truly felt like I had arrived. We ventured into the area of Old Shanghai to explore the area. Old and new Shanghai came together there. Shanghai is a modern city and much of it reflects the last 25 years, but old Shanghai gave me a glimpse into what it was like before westernization and open markets…or so I thought. The buildings were persevered from back in the day, but there were western restaurants like McDonald’s, KFC, and Haagen-Dazs. Street vendors selling watches and other goods approached us in an attempt to sell their product. It wasn’t bad. I was attracted to the artisans selling hand made goods. It was a lot of Chinese restaurants and shops inside the old Chinese buildings. We eat at a KFC. I just wanted to compare how it differed from the U.S. By the way, if you ever go, get their mango ice cream. It will change your life. We went back to our hotel to shower and sleep after a long day.
