the night belongs to me, and i relish the moment.
tonight was my final night here in shanghai, and its cause for a celebration. a befitting end to an amazing journey here in the financial heart of red china, with a group of people i enjoyed great camaraderie with. the american expedition of delegates, as i like to call them.
and tonight we celebrate each others company for the last time before we make our separate ways back home, over a invitingly sumptuous chinese dinner in an opulent and distinctively oriental ambiance. we had planned months before to have dinner at one of the more famous eating establishments in the city, and everything was confirmed, all i needed to do was show up.
looking as debonair as possible. and i did, by the way.
( im allowed to indulge in a little self gloating every once in a while on my own blog, i figure )
and as i took a taxi to my destination, i pass by a heart warming reminder why i was here to begin with. a lot of memories to cherish, visually ignited by a flashing glance.
and this was the spot.
an grandiose oriental palace of curving dark grey roofs, of solid deep red walls, of intricate black and white embellishments, and luminous linings of gold, streaking across the entire pompous complex.
this was the eminent yu yuan restaurant in the older part of shanghai surrounded by rows of old shoplots. a mixture of both the colonial and the local, and as soon as i entered, i felt i had walked back into the past of a more decadent and lavish but bygone era.
i figured this was how the shanghai of the roaring twenties and thirties must have appeared to be, with rows of glaring street lights lit up as far as the eye can see, where people seemed to be rushing at every turn, where trade and commerce never stops even for a breather and where the traffic was insane and incessant with maddening sounds from every corner.
no exaggeration there, i assure you.
i walked in, and i realise, i was late, but fashionably so. the crowd didn't mind though, and i had arrived right at the moment dinner was being served. the dishes were brough in one by one, customarily so, and each morsel was tastier than the last. we had polite dinner conversations of warm glasses of chinese tea, served traditionally as well, as expected, and we each took turns to regale the audience on how we felt about the whole excursion.
of course, telling your side of the story and how enjoyable it was, was a matter of being gracious, and i had begun my story by saying of course it had been a fantastic experience from the time we met at the hotel lobby, till throughout the 2 days at the expo and of course, culminating till this moment. i had ended by asking everyone on whether they had seen the movie "the joy luck club" and immediately the response was, "we're not that old!". everyone giggled ( though i'm not sure why ) but i stressed after that comment, that this gathering felt like a scene from that movie, and i think they kinda understood where i was coming from.
and just so you know, this was what the movie was about, and it was excellent, poignant viewing. highly recommended.
after dinner was over, we decided the night wouldn't have been complete without a group shot of everyone and so we took turns to take a few photographs before proceeding to the second part of the evening.at this point i thought that the dinner was over, and it was time to leave soon, but a surprise was just around the corner. literally.
it seems there was a cabaret style performance tonight to be mesmerized by, and we all needed to go upstairs to attend the show as part of the agenda of the night. so lets see ... i get to see a bunch of shanghai lovelies, decked in feathers and sequined sprinkled traditional outfits in a burlesque style song and dance routine, looking seductively resplendent on stage?
sure!
and as i proceed to the hall, i pass by a verandah on my way up and admire the stupefying views of the night that catch my eye instantly. how spectacular the skyline of modern shanghai looks at night, and even more impressive to be here in the older part of the city looking literally at the future.
and once i arrived at the hall, this was where it got exciting!
these were the dancers who go around in groups talking and taking shots with the audience members before any show begins.their PR skills were put to full use, thats for sure. one of the ladies in my expedition asked me on whether i'd like to take a shot with these beautiful girls, and i said, without any hesitation whatsoever, "oh God, yes!"
and the show goes on!
once everything was over, and it was time to say goodbye, we took a few last shots and bid each other safe journey. i was headed back to seoul in the morning and these guys were probably going to stay on for another day or two before heading back to the US. before going back to the hotel, i decided to walk around for a while to take as many shots as i could of the complex and its surrounding areas, specifically of the building and marketplace itself. other than a restaurant, this complex also contained a prominent marketplace, selling things and trinkets that mostly tourists would appreciate to take back home. i did my fair share of window shopping too. it was still early at the time, about 10pm, so i decided to spend the last few hours simply walking around to look at much as i could and take as many shots as i could for posterity.
it was after all a beautiful collection of buildings lovingly restored and lighted up like colossal paper lanterns, drawing the eye to every conceivable wall, roof, door and window, and everything else in between, and it seemed like a good way to end the festivities of the evening, to be in my own company, walking aimlessly in nameless alleys indulging in one of my favourite ways to spend time, admiring architectural splendour.
as you can see, it was time well spent.
the area truly was very well preserved and glorified for the benefit of the tourist dollar undoubtedly, but it was a joy to walk around and trying to observe the many wonderful bits and pieces this publicly displayed and highlighted piece of history had to offer ...
like this illuminated piece of neon art showing a traditional landscape with temples and clouds ...
or this solid bronze tortoise, with a beautiful shell on its back and oddly, with a dragon-like head ...
or this poor run - down stone lion, sadly neglected and seemingly desperate to be noticed.
and this was my last shot for the night, before proceeding to get back to the hotel.
and i approach one of the city's numerous urban arteries, taking me from the older part of the city to the new, back to the five star establishment i had been slumbering in luxury these past five days.
the views were striking, as i crossed the link.
and i enter the shimmering halls of the main entrance of the hotel.
welcomed by glows of seductive golden light.
making my way on the impeccably polished floors of the lobby.
yup, i was back, and pretty soon too.
it was close to midnight at the time, when i was informing the receptionists at the hotel lobby that i would be leaving the following morning and i wondered on whether they would be kind enough to take a shot with me just for the fun of it. of course, they obliged, and with that last shot, ladies and gentleman, my time in this illustrious metropolis had come a memorable end. the very reason this journey to the east took place to visit the world expo had come to its fulfillment, and it was time to head back to seoul.
these five days in shanghai, from the city to the world expo, have been nothing less than incomparably spectacular, and i felt truly blessed to have experienced these past few days with some of the kindest people i have ever had the privilege of meeting. i can only hope i would be blessed with similar circumstances in the future especially at the next world expo in yeosu, korea in 2012.
for now however, good night, shanghai. tomorrow, seoul beckons.
sweet, sweet seoul.
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