RadioRoryHere’s my first travel tip:
If you’re looking to beat the heat and avoid the cigarette smoke that pollutes downtown Shanghai, head to the subway!
No, really.
It’s got good air conditioning, it’s clean, and smoking isn’t allowed.
Not everybody here smokes, but the sense of shame that exists among America’s nicotine-addicted doesn’t exist. They’ll smoke in a doorway, puff away into your face (ok, my chest), and light up regardless of your presence or obvious look of disgust on my face. A Chinese person’s right to smoke doesn’t end at the tip of my nose, but rather deep in my lungs and in my clothes.
Smoking is just one of the many things I didn’t expect when I arrived in Shanghai. I was so focused on reuniting with close friends who live here that I never thought much about where I was going, or when. Summer is a less-than-ideal time to visit this country. It was near or above 100-degrees for the first few days of my trip and there is a persistent haze made worse by China’s notorious air pollution. Despite 20-years of living in Florida, I’m not built for that kind of heat.
When the summer haze did lift, I grabbed the chance to get to the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai’s iconic landmark since its opening in 1994.
It’s almost 1,500-feet tall but the highest point for us mere mortals is the “Space Module” at 1,150 feet. Protective booties are required in the all-white module and, to my surprise, they fit over my size 15 shoes.
Now I don’t do small spaces well. Jamming 20 or so people into a hot elevator for an 1,100-foot climb is the kind of thing that gives me night terrors. What I didn’t know is that it would take several trips to go up and down the full height of the tower. Each trip was preceded by a long, tightly-packed, slow-moving line that nearly sent me into full panic attack. Strangely enough, standing inside a giant radio and TV tower, there was no cell service so there was nothing to distract me from my dark thoughts.
And I swear I was getting seasick. That tower must sway just enough to throw off your balance. So let’s add it up: small space, tight crowds, lots of noise from screaming kids, elevators, excessive heat, and a touch of nausea.
And yet, it was great. There’s a museum downstairs that’s a fun walk through with some scale models of the city through the centuries.
When it was over, I retreated to the subway for a chance to catch my breath.