A Wander around Downtown Pudong
Once again, the train and ticketing system was easy to navigate. Unfortunately I hadn’t double-checked on the map exactly which station I needed, so I just made my best guess based on how far away they were and what stations sounded familiar lol! Turned out that I did pretty well, and picked Lujiazui Station, which is just on the Pudong side of the river, right in the middle of the tourist area. The train was crowded, but it wasn’t a problem. I just remembered reading about pickpockets on crowded trains and made sure I held my handbag where I could see it. I never had any problems.
It was quite a quick trip, and it was drizzling again when I exited Lujiazui Station. I took a few pictures of the grand finance building next to the station, which contrasted nicely with the Jetson-esque Oriental Pearl Tower, trying to protect my camera from the rain by staying undercover.
On such a cloudy, drizzly day, it didn’t seem worthwhile trying to get any views from the tower, so I gave that a miss and decided to find some more substantial food instead. Luckily for me, there was a dumpling restaurant directly across the road. After a fair amount of gesturing, I ended up with a selection of mixed dumplings. The next mission was to find a table, which seemed like an impossible task until some nice girl offered me a seat at their 4 seater table (there were only 2 of them). I was so hungry, I forgot to take a photo until I’d already devoured one delicious dumpling!
By the time I exited the restaurant, the city was starting to light up, and the rain was getting heavier again. I decided that I would have to bite the bullet and buy a cheap umbrella from the nearby 7-11.
Then, with my new trusty umbrella (which broke after about 5 minutes lol! – it was still usable though) I headed out for a wander towards the river. I ended up unintentionally doing a little block, past some viewing areas by the river and some park like bits, then back up the other side of the Oriental Pearl Tower. Again, I was surprised to see how few people there were around. I practically had the whole waterfront to myself!
On the other side of the river is 'The Bund'. This is pretty much the place to be according to all the guidebooks and travel websites I came across, and is where you get the iconic view of Shanghai's city skyline, which is actually the Pudong side. However, I was quite happy to wander on the Pudong side and view the Bund. I was certainly on the right side for the crowds (or lack thereof!). If I'd had more time and possibly if it wasn't dark yet or raining, I might have been tempted to see what all the fuss was about.
I got a decent view of some of the Pudong buildings on my way back from the waterfront.
Near the train station was a large landscaped roundabout with a raised pedestrian walkway all around it so that you didn't have to worry about traffic.
It had been a lovely little wander, and I'd felt safe on my own the whole time, despite the lack of crowds. Shanghai had surprised me!
Hopefully I'll be able to get at least a decent way through it before you leave for your trip!
I was a bit concerned with the language barrier that I wouldn't be able to communicate that's what I wanted, but obviously the CMs have been well trained and immediately offered it as an option when I said I was going to the other hotel.
