On the 2nd to last day of our trip in Shanghai we took a two hour bus ride to the Yang Shan Port. This is a very impressive port because it is just so large. There are huge metal crates being moved around on trucks and being taken off transport ships. We walked up to a viewpoint where we could see everything moving around and it was something to see. It looked like a metal and concrete jungle inside of a beautiful landscape. I really wish the whole port wasn’t there because the island we went to would look beautiful. The rocks were a bright sand color and the shrubs and trees were a luscious dark green. I would have loved to hike around there if I had more time.
After visiting the port we visited a local shipping company that uses the Yang Shan port. This visit was extremely unimpressive. Unfortunately for us the speaker giving the presentation did not have good English skills so it was hard to understand her. What she talked about was not very well thought out and she was not capable of answering some questions about the company. We ate lunch at the company which was not a great meal, but I was able to try a new food, turtle. I had no idea that it was turtle, but it did not taste good. It was terribly chewy and salty and taking a bite out of the skin felt like taking a bite out of an old person with a bunch of wrinkles. I would not recommend turtle to anyone else.
We returned to the hotel at around 3 pm so we had a bunch of time to mess around in the city. I really wanted to go downtown to the Shanghai Tower, the tallest tower in Shanghai, and go up to the top. Unfortunately it was really cloudy for the next two days so I didn’t get a chance to go up. However, it was surreal seeing the tall Shanghai buildings climb up into the sky and disappear in the clouds. The bright lights looked like they went up to the heavens. After walking around the Bund a few friends and I went to a local mall to get dinner. I ate some beef noodles and dumplings which cost 70 yuan, around $10. The dinner I had the night before for 30 yuan was much better. There was more food, better meat and a more authentic atmosphere.
After dinner we went to the Starbucks Roastery which was a neat place. It was two floors of pleasant smells and delicious coffee. I thought it would be just a coffee store, but it was more like a bar because they served coffee drinks with alcohol. Even though it was expensive, the coffee was delicious. A friend bought two mugs that were expensive, but I’m sure it was worth it. It was sad to know that this was our last full day in Shanghai, but it was a day well spent.
