I always look forward to travelling and exploring the world. So the weeks leading up to Golden Week I have been looking forward to going to Shanghai. After 3 months I could finally see my good friend Aubry again and besides that explore one of the craziest cities in the world – sounds like a solid plan.
Tickets for me and my colleague Sandra for the 1^st of October were booked early and so the date was set. After arriving on Tuesday in the evening we decided to take a rest and get started the following day.

On Wednesday we began exploring the city. We went to a place called Thamestown which is built like an English village with small streets and typical English architecture, it was fun but very surreal! Afterwards we went to a big fake market. You can get everything there you have ever been looking for. But there is one ultimate skill required in this venue – knowing how to bargain. Thank God I know how to do that!

My friend and I got some nice tailor made shirts that look damn smart on us for a price that is too cheap to tell. Fake markets and tailors in Shanghai – definitely worth a visit!

We also did not forget to party. We tried several bars and clubs and my favorite has to be Club No. 88. If you like it the crazy Chinese way, do not miss it. It has a tremendous atmosphere, Russian dancers, Chinese live singers and the environment looks a bit like a video game. Craziness!

We also took a nice boat trip on the Pudong river at night. We ordered tickets that included a buffet but we should have thought about the fact that you do not order buffets in China… It was madness… When we got there it was no more a buffet than an ugly battlefield of food. As compensation we had a really nice view of the city.

An even nicer view we had was on our last evening when we visited the Flair bar above the Ritz & Carlton. It is on the 58^th floor of the HSBC building and the impression you get of that huge, vibrating city is hard to describe!

When we were heading back to Qingdao on Sunday we knew we made a memorable trip to Shanghai but were also happy to escape this big, noisy megacity. Right back to Qingdao, back to a more pleasant, comfortable lifestyle.

Qingdao is very close to Shnaghai. Would you like to join Stephan for travelling through China? Then apply now for an internship.