Nanning: More About It

A unique feature of Nanning (capital of Guangxi Province) is the divided main roads. As you can see from the photos below, motorcycles, scooters and bicycles travel on the right side of the islands, cars and trucks get the left side... safety no doubt the motivating factor there. You'll notice the cleanliness of the city right away, but that's true with most big cities in China (in Shanghai there are street cleaners with brooms and trash bags every other city block). Also, alot of beautiful palm trees in Nanning.

Chinese women do not like exposing their skin to the sun, so you'll see umbrellas everywhere. A striking thing about Nanning is the ever-present youth... in the many large parks, shops, or out at night. Seems like they dominate the city, in a good way. Other Nanning attractions: The Bird & Flower Market (Yuanhu Road / Zhonghua Road intersection), the Guangxi Provincial Museum (34 Minzu Dadao ~ check out the bronze drums), and the Convention & Exhibition Centre (near the east financial district).

Nanning: Zhong Shan Lu

Lu = Road in Chinese. Zhong Shan Lu is Nanning's always thriving after dark
"Food Street" ~ located one block behind the Yongjiang Hotel (where I stayed, 1st photo below, which has a great breakfast buffet, 2nd photo below) and diagonally opposite the Wan Da Plaza shopping center (in the background of the 3rd photo below, which features Nanning's motorcycle taxis... dirt cheap, noisy, and a helluva lot of fun to ride, especially at night!). Definitely spend an evening there and sample the foods of Guangxi, Guangdong, Hunan, and Yunnan Provinces.

Zhong Shan Lu is dormant during the day, but at night, every night, you'll know it's time to eat by the crowds packing the endless row of food stalls and grilling areas... place your order, find a seat, order a beer or two, and enjoy. Check out the metal cooking boxes that accompany the fish orders (2nd photo below ~ somewhere under all that good stuff is a tasty and tender whitefish). At the bottom inside are hot coals, so the food is still cooking, and keeps warm, right on your table! Oh, and fresh fruit smoothies, made to your specifications, are available for only $1 US.

Nanning: Zoo Plus

A stay in Nanning is not complete without a day at the zoo... however, you'll get far more than that, because in Nanning they know how to have fun. Along with the zoo you get a circus (with various daily performances), aquariums and an aqua theater (also with various daily performances), an amusement park (with state of the art ~
and some not-so state of the art ~ rides), and beautiful parks.

According to my friend, the alligator above had a 6 year old boy for lunch a few years back (the kid hopped over the guard rail so he could pet the beast, and it promptly dragged him into the lagoon and down to the bottom). One of the highlights of the zoo is the bird sanctuary, it's a mammoth exhibit, with many varieties I'd never seen before. And the children in fact do get safe and supervised interaction...

My favorite performance of the day was these acrobats (photo directly below). Unbelievable... as good as any Cirque Du Soleil I've seen in Las Vegas. At one point in the show they put black bags over their heads and kept faking that they were about to lose their balance and go tumbling to the ground. Of course, the audience (packed house as you can see) screamed every time. So great!

Nanning: Qingxiu Park

7 km southeast of Nanning city center is the expansive Qingxiu Scenic Area. The 15 yuan entrance fee buys you an entire day of exploration: 4 square kilometers of forests, trails, big colorful butterflies, pagodas and temples... huge. Bring a few bottles of your favorite cool beverage, some fruit, sunscreen, and you'll be good to go. At some point you'll arrive at the Tianchi and Yaochi Lakes, some great photo ops there, with a teahouse and a carp feeding area too.

From the lakes you'll see Longxiang Pagoda, on the top of Qingxiu Mountain nearby. It's the highest/largest pagoda in Guangxi Province, a 9-tiered octagonal exterior with dual spiral staircases inside... amazing 360 degree views from each level, well worth the climb. The day I was there I could see the fascinating construction of a major concrete bridge over the Yong River (north), flooding in the valleys (east), and construction of a sports stadium a few kilometers away (south).

to see this bridge completed, please visit this link: http://www.opacengineers.com/projects/Nanning

Wandering east you'll come to another mountain forest, and you might discover hundreds of steep stairs leading up to Guanyin Temple (under construction on my visit). Apparently those stairs are the back side entrance, because there's a road leading up on the opposite side, with bus and shuttles for those with tired legs. The architectural detailing and grand ornate interiors of the Chinese temples never cease to impress me. The large grapefruit (2nd photo below) give a sense of scale.

Shanghai: 8AM Luwan

The Luwan District, located directly south of People's Square, is part of the old French Concession area, one of the most prestigious sections of the city. The trees lining the main streets were imported from France over 100 years ago. The district includes the historical residences of Sun Yat-sen, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Mei Lanfang, among others. Here are some random photos from morning walks near my hotel...

Shanghai: Moganshan Art

If you like modern art, and like browsing galleries, 50 Moganshan Road is your destination... an area once home to factories and warehouses on the banks of Suzhou Creek has transformed into Shanghai's leading creative arts center, a labyrinth of workshops, studios, and galleries that will keep you busy for an entire afternoon. As you explore you'll find paintings, sculpture, photography, and artists galore... even a film viewing room or two, as filmmakers, architects, and graphic design firms have now taken root in this section of the city. When it's time to rest, there are a few nice cafes and teahouses in the area as well. I had a blueberry smoothie and pastry that totally hit the spot. There is no subway service nearby, so taxi is your best choice. Hint: bring a roll of t p as there might not be any remaining in the restrooms you locate.

Shanghai: Pudong Towers

Across the Huangpu River from the Bund is Pudong, Shanghai's new corporate development area, which provided me with an entire afternoon of memorable experiences and worthy photo ops. My taxi dropped me off at the Shanghai World Finance Center... at 492m it's the tallest skyscraper in China, 2nd tallest in the world, and possesses the world's highest observatory ~ with glass floors, so cool!

The journey to the top is a high-tech Disneyland-like experience, from the ticket buying, to the elevator waiting area (complete with attractive "flight attendants"), to the elevator design and ride itself, to the observation decks, lounges, and souvenir shop... it'll put a big wow into your day. And yes, the views are incredible. The highest viewing deck is 474m (1,555 ft) above ground level. Do you have vertigo? Yikes!

The Park Hyatt Shanghai occupies floors 79-93, the highest hotel in the world, surpassing only its next door neighbor in the architecturally decorative Jin Mao Tower, the Grand Hyatt Shanghai (floors 53-87). After a cool drink at the WFC lounge
I headed down and walked toward the Oriental Pearl Tower... there's a nice park along the way (seen in the lower right of the photo below).

The Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai's most recognized landmark, has 15 observation levels, restaurants, exhibits, gaming areas for kids, shopping, and ~ my favorite ~ the Shanghai Urban History Museum in the "basement"... a fascinating chain of revealing wax-museum type exhibits (skip the tower crowds and lines ~ trust me on that ~ and also have lunch at one of the fine restaurants beside the Huangpu River nearby).