Sublime Shanghai

A few random pics from my trip to Shanghai a couple of weeks back:

Gorgeous lighting at the reception desks of Le Royal Meridien Shanghai. I didn’t stay there but it looked pretty nice (although not on the same level as the Park Hyatt). Located very centrally at one end of Nanjing Road (the main shopping street).

I have a bit of a burger fixation which was blissfully fulfilled at New York Style Steak and Burger in Taikang Lu (田子坊). Pictured here is “The Big Bleu” which comprised blue cheese, caramelized shallot jam, crisp bacon and fried onions. Truly heaven in a bun.

Inside Land 274, a tiny bar in Taikang Lu also which was practically empty. Good lychee martinis for those who like their cocktails.

On Sunday I ventured out of the city centre to the “Happy Valley” theme park which is basically a Chinese clone of Disney Land. For a weekend it was surprisingly quiet to the point where there were even waiting times to find enough people to meet the minimum requirement for some rides.

The park features some impressive big rides, the best of which is a gigantic dive coaster which includes a 91° drop (beyond vertical). Check out the video below for a taster:

I have to say this is one of the best roller coasters I’ve ever ridden – it’s thrilling but at the same time very smooth and comfortable (unsurprising considering it’s Swiss-designed). Avoid the wooden coaster unless you want to get a splitting headache and bruised arms/legs.