Shanghai: China for the Sheepish

If you're concerned about traveling too far out of your comfort zone but would like to visit Asia, I have a place for you and it's called Shanghai. Glitzy, modern, fresh and familiar, Shanghai is the place to go if you want to experience China but not feel too much like you're in the twilight zone. We arrived here yesterday and are staying in the Daning area of Shanghai. We are right across the street from a huge western influenced pedestrian shopping area. When I walk outside I feel like Im right back at home. Usually, I shy away from these kinds of places when we're on travel and enjoy fully immersing myself in the local culture of wherever we are. I have to say though, it's nice to have at least 2 days of home away from home before we head off for the more out of the way areas of Xi'an and Guilin.

Downtown Shanghai is reminiscent of London and New York with huge shopping areas, lots of skyscrapers and beautiful museums. If you took away the signs in Mandarin you wouldn't know you were in China. Shanghai boasts a whopping 6,000 skyscrapers as well as the famous strip known as The Bund. Heavily influenced by it's past ties with the English and French, Shanghai is a modern city with it's eye on the future. Despite being treated as a bit of a step child in 70s and 80s, it is making a resurgence as China's premiere city for foreign travelers.

Of course, all of this could possibly be influenced by my euphoria after getting the most amazing hour long foot massage downstairs in the spa for the horrifically low price of $30 USD. At least there's one place in the world where the dollar is worth something!