Ultra-modern Shanghai

Even though much of Shanghai is being built with little regard to site, there are spots of ingenuity within the city. One of these places is Xintiandi, an ambitious neighborhood redevelopment in the centre of the city. It is now fully developed, with the old apartments turned into luxury shops, Western-style restaurants, theatres, up-scale cafes, and high-end condominiums. On the surface, it presents itself as a unique example of how a slum can be turned into an exciting urban experiment. Alleyways become part of a network of pedestrian paths that join one 'piazza' to the next. Exquisite brick coursework, hidden nooks, narrow vistas all combine and recombine as you walk through the distinctly Oriental spaces. Time will tell though how the general public will embrace development like this- right now, it only seems to attract foreigners.

Tip #4: Don't let the taxi driver call the shots

I went to Hangzhou for a couple of days to escape from the big city. Little did I know that Hangzhou is ALSO a big city. However, as the tourist capital of China, it's a city bounded by water and mountains. The West Lake is a large expanse of green water with gondolas ferrying to and from the islands. Many of the islands are incredible micro-landscapes, each with stuff one dreams of when thinking of China: pavilions, reflecting pools, arched bridges. Lingyingsi Temple, out in the mountains, is a large Buddhist temple, with several stone-carved cliffs around the temple. At the Great Hall, monks were chanting prayers while locals were worshipping the large Buddha statue.

Hangzhou is also famous for its Longjing tea, grown just west of the lake. During a taxi ride towards the train station, the taxi driver said that it would be a shame if I didn't buy this tea before I left. With time to spare, I naturally took up the driver's offer to take me to a place to get this tea. Little did I know that he'd take me all the way to the farm that grows this stuff, heading 15 minutes in the other direction. In the tea shop, he was also kind enough to help me select the finest tea from one of the three sacks that an old woman had carried out. Sipping the tea, I had no idea what was good, and I was partly afraid that the tea might be spiked. After a few minutes of nervous debating and confusion over the price, it was I who came out on top. Apparently the tea I bought was quite expensive (like fine wine), and I had inadvertently paid half the price I should have. Let's say it was a happy accident. However, the taxi driver was happy too. I had given him fare for two rides.