The driver knows best
After yesterday's experiences with the driver, which on reflection I felt had gone reasonably well, I decided that today I would venture further afield. S had asked him to come to the house at 8.00am to take him to work. He was outside at 7.18am, engine running, pacing up and down beside the car. We did our best to ignore him and carry on as if he wasn't there, but it was terribly difficult - and at 7.45am S gave up and went to work.
I sat down with my Tourist Map of Shanghai and my City Guide. I wanted to do some real shopping - I'd had enough of supermarkets now, fascinating as the Chinese versions are. I came to the conclusion that Central Huaihai Road was the place to go. This is the road that runs through what used to be the French Concession - according to the guide book, the shops were excellent, the architecture fascinating, and there was also one of the best parks in Shanghai right there. It sounded perfect. At 10.00am the driver arrived, and I laid my map out on the boot of the car and pointed to Central Huaihai Road. He put his glasses on and peered at the map. "OK," he said, shaking his head and pointing to some other road about 2 inches south. He started talking excitedly in Chinese - there was only one word I could pick out - Xintiandi. This was a very touristy place that we had been to last week - it was nice but I didn't really want to go again today. I pointed again at Central Huaihai Road, less hopefully this time. "Xintiandi!" he said. "OK," I said. He's got me at it now.
But where he dropped me off was not Xintiandi, it was Old Shanghai. This is a very busy part of the city, quite near to the Bund, full of small shops, old and new - but the new ones are all designed in traditional Chinese style. Again, very touristy, but still very nice. We had been here before, but hadn't spent long here, so I was pleased after all that I could have some time to wander round at my leisure.
I wanted a bag. I stopped at a shop, picked one out, haggled the price down to 100RMB (sounds good, but you just type your price into a calculator, they say no no, type their price in, you say no no, and so it goes on...and on). She was putting my bag into a carrier bag, when she suddenly said, very confidentially, "You want purse?". Well, yes I did as it happens. She took me by the arm and led me across the narrow street to another shop selling scarves. A girl appeared from the back of the shop and motioned me to follow her. Through a door at the back of the shop, and we were in a dark alleyway. We went across the alleyway through another door into a very grey and dingy warehouse, past a woman chopping up vegetables in a grey and dingy sink, and through another door - I felt that I shouldn't be following, that it was a pretty stupid thing to do all on my own, but I couldn't help it - and then suddenly we were in a brightly lit room, a veritable Aladdin's Cave of Gucci, Prada, LV, Rolex - bags, purses, watches, pens - I couldn't believe it. There was already a Chinese man in there, the girl shut the door behind her. Thank god she didn't lock it. Feeling like a real underworld criminal, I picked out a lovely Gucci bag and matching purse, haggled the price down from 1300RMB to 550RMB (OK, I could have got it for less but I think I'd been brave enough), and then I was free to go.
In the sunlight once more, I took some pictures of the pretty Chinese buildings and went back to meet the driver in the pre-arranged spot. Would it have been such an experience if I'd gone to Central Huaihai Road? I doubt it.
I sat down with my Tourist Map of Shanghai and my City Guide. I wanted to do some real shopping - I'd had enough of supermarkets now, fascinating as the Chinese versions are. I came to the conclusion that Central Huaihai Road was the place to go. This is the road that runs through what used to be the French Concession - according to the guide book, the shops were excellent, the architecture fascinating, and there was also one of the best parks in Shanghai right there. It sounded perfect. At 10.00am the driver arrived, and I laid my map out on the boot of the car and pointed to Central Huaihai Road. He put his glasses on and peered at the map. "OK," he said, shaking his head and pointing to some other road about 2 inches south. He started talking excitedly in Chinese - there was only one word I could pick out - Xintiandi. This was a very touristy place that we had been to last week - it was nice but I didn't really want to go again today. I pointed again at Central Huaihai Road, less hopefully this time. "Xintiandi!" he said. "OK," I said. He's got me at it now.
But where he dropped me off was not Xintiandi, it was Old Shanghai. This is a very busy part of the city, quite near to the Bund, full of small shops, old and new - but the new ones are all designed in traditional Chinese style. Again, very touristy, but still very nice. We had been here before, but hadn't spent long here, so I was pleased after all that I could have some time to wander round at my leisure.
I wanted a bag. I stopped at a shop, picked one out, haggled the price down to 100RMB (sounds good, but you just type your price into a calculator, they say no no, type their price in, you say no no, and so it goes on...and on). She was putting my bag into a carrier bag, when she suddenly said, very confidentially, "You want purse?". Well, yes I did as it happens. She took me by the arm and led me across the narrow street to another shop selling scarves. A girl appeared from the back of the shop and motioned me to follow her. Through a door at the back of the shop, and we were in a dark alleyway. We went across the alleyway through another door into a very grey and dingy warehouse, past a woman chopping up vegetables in a grey and dingy sink, and through another door - I felt that I shouldn't be following, that it was a pretty stupid thing to do all on my own, but I couldn't help it - and then suddenly we were in a brightly lit room, a veritable Aladdin's Cave of Gucci, Prada, LV, Rolex - bags, purses, watches, pens - I couldn't believe it. There was already a Chinese man in there, the girl shut the door behind her. Thank god she didn't lock it. Feeling like a real underworld criminal, I picked out a lovely Gucci bag and matching purse, haggled the price down from 1300RMB to 550RMB (OK, I could have got it for less but I think I'd been brave enough), and then I was free to go.
In the sunlight once more, I took some pictures of the pretty Chinese buildings and went back to meet the driver in the pre-arranged spot. Would it have been such an experience if I'd gone to Central Huaihai Road? I doubt it.
posted by Linda at 3:55 PM
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