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Wale&Me's first days in Shanghai are shaped by canceled flights and an unsettled itinerary. They walk through neighborhoods, eat vegan food at a temple restaurant and notice the mix of older buildings and a modern skyline. They discuss warm water served with meals, translation and payment apps, and how calm the streets felt during their nighttime walks. A budget room tour and their reflections close this part of the visit. They plan to continue to Hunan by a 22-hour train ride. Their Shanghai days also include walks through older neighborhoods and rides on public transport.
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An unplanned start in Shanghai
Wale&Me's first China trip begins with last-minute packing, canceled flights and uncertainty about what to do next. The disruption leaves them without a settled itinerary, so they work out destinations and transport as they go. They explore on foot rather than relying on a detailed plan, moving through Shanghai's neighborhoods and seeing the contrast between older buildings and the city's modern skyline. They also talk about navigating unfamiliar apps and using translation tools when communicating.
The couple's most memorable meal is vegan food at a restaurant in a temple. They enjoy both the dishes and the peaceful setting. Their visits to temples become a favorite part of the stay, offering a quiet contrast with the surrounding city. They also encounter local restaurant customs, including warm water served with meals, which they understand is believed to aid digestion. Their experience includes conversations about trying local ways of doing things and carrying a reusable water bottle to reduce waste.
Neighborhood discoveries and practical details
Wale&Me explore beyond the main tourist areas and look at older Shanghai neighborhoods, including boarded-up houses that suggest redevelopment may be coming. They describe one hipster area as more like a souvenir shop than the authentic local experience they hoped for. Walking through quieter neighborhoods at night, including less developed areas, feels calm to them. They say many vehicles are electric and that the city felt quieter and safer than expected for its size. These are their impressions from the trip, not a guarantee for every visitor or area.
Practical travel questions come up throughout the visit. They recommend downloading Alipay because cash is less commonly accepted, and describe how some temple restaurants use self-service payment through the app. They also advise checking the payment method before leaving a restaurant. For getting around, they use public transportation such as buses to reach areas outside the main tourist zones. They caution that apps and maps may work differently from those travelers know, so planning destinations and transportation can take extra effort.
The vlog includes a look at their budget room and their first thoughts about the city. After the initial confusion of canceled connections and last-minute decisions, the couple find food, temples, local streets and interactions that shape the trip.
They also talk about how an unplanned visit affects ordinary decisions. Choosing where to eat, which streets to walk and how to reach the next area takes time when the itinerary is still being made. Translation apps help with communication, while research and transport planning remain important because local apps and maps may differ from those travelers already know. They use buses to get beyond the main tourist areas and see neighborhoods on foot. Their advice includes carrying a reusable bottle, checking whether a restaurant uses Alipay self-service payment and confirming the payment method before leaving. They do not present the city as uniformly quiet or every area as risk-free; their comments describe the calm streets and sense of safety they experienced during this visit. The budget room tour and final reflections complete their first days before the planned long train journey.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What was the hardest thing about traveling unprepared?
- A: They say figuring out where to go next and planning an itinerary at the last minute was stressful. Canceled flights and last-minute packing contributed to their uncertain start.
- Q: What was the best food you had?
- A: They especially liked the vegan food at a restaurant in a temple. They enjoyed both the meal and its peaceful setting, and visiting temples became a favorite part of their Shanghai stay.
- Q: What surprised you the most about Shanghai?
- A: They found the city quieter and calmer than expected for its size and felt at ease walking in quiet neighborhoods at night. They also noticed many electric vehicles; these are their impressions from this trip.
- Q: What was your favorite part of Shanghai?
- A: They say they both especially enjoyed visiting the temples. The buildings were striking to them, and the atmosphere felt peaceful compared with the surrounding city.
- Q: What's your advice for other travelers going to China?
- A: They recommend downloading Alipay and preparing to use translation apps. They also suggest exploring beyond main tourist areas, where they found neighborhoods and a temple restaurant.