The first Chinese proverb I learnt was 'People Mountain People Sea' (人山人海, Ren Shan Ren Hai). Happily, I constantly overused this expression in my essays to describe the crowded scenes of a wet market or a huge department store sale.
But those crowds were nothing compared to Shanghai.
I don't think I've ever been around this many people in my life.
The best thing about a crowd? You don't need a map to get to popular tourist attractions. Just go along with the stream of people and it will eventually take you there.
Shanghai's skyline was stunning.
But the city was also so much more than the views from the Bund. It wasn't a mere concrete jungle... Well, I guess no city really is.
I found the carefree napping culture kind of cute. I couldn't help but giggle when one of the napping guys was practically using the bench as his bolster.
We went for fancy Dim Sum meals.
But the ones I remember most are those late night suppers by the roadside.
And who can forget that busy little restaurant we bumped into when we got lost. They couldn't understand us. Similarly, we couldn't understand them. We pointed, pretended we understood their questions, nodded, nodded some more, smiled and just waited to be surprised.
It turned out good. Really good.
I wish I had more time to explore.
Next time, Shanghai. I'll be back.
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