Where oh where is the KFC?!

Money – check
Street map – check
PB&J – check
Umbrella – check
Book – check
Magazine – check
Camera – check
Ipod – check

Once I double checked that all of the things listed above were safely stored in my backpack I headed out for an adventure. My goal was to walk my running route but to go further than I have run. I had to find the 4 mile marker as I have an 8 mile run this weekend and I didn’t want to get lost. Conveniently, the 4 mile marker is at a KFC.

As I walked out of my hotel I slipped on my backpack, turned on my ipod and started down the familiar roads. I enjoyed walking my normal running route as I had time to take pictures of the highlights including the food section, the blue wall, Best Buy (a.k.a. 2.5 mile marker). Unfortunately I didn’t get a shot of the folks doing their morning Tai Chi – by the time I got to this point they were already done for the day.

I walked past the three mile marker and based on my neighbors advice I headed straight on. A few blocks later I began to anxiously look around for the KFC. Thankfully, it was easy enough to find – it is at a point where the road comes to a T-intersection. At that point I kept on walking. I figured I’d head into town and make my way to The Bund.

The Bund is on the Puxi (west) side of Shanghai; it is an area along the river that supposedly features a lot of cool architecture. I have never explored it on foot. I have only been through the area by taxi and can say that the construction sites that seem to dominate the landscape are not that impressive.

As I made my way down Nanjing Road I realized that the crowds were growing larger and that my pace was being slowed. I ducked into an underground crosswalk (tunnel) and as I walked up the stairs on the other side I was amazed at what I saw.

I was at the start of the pedestrian section of Nanjing Road and it was wall to wall people. All I could see for blocks was a sea of people - most of whom looked nothing like me; all I could hear was the sound of rapid fire Chinese being spoken. The chaos surrounding me assaulted my senses. I turned right, walking away from the crowds and Nanjing Road.

I quickly headed to the side of the road and held out my hand to wave down a taxi. The Bund would have to wait; I simply did not have the energy to push my way through the crowds to get to it.

I settled back into the taxi and instructed the driver to take me to Shanghai (shopping) Center. I exited the taxi and quickly made my way to Starbucks. After drinking a cup of coffee and eating my PB&J I was in a much better state of mind.

I still opted to forgo my trip to the Bund and instead wasted some time browsing through an English bookstore. I will wait to visit the Bund until after the national holiday is over. There are simply too many people off of work or visiting from out of town to deal with.

As I write this I find myself craving the streets of Chicago. Where even at its most congested is much calmer than Shanghai. I’d love to be out walking the lakefront or even down Halsted to North Avenue (of course with a stop off at Feet Fleet and Borders Books).

Tomorrow I will think about where my next adventure will take me. I have to go into work for the day due to month’s end and some upcoming deadlines (unfortunately, the rest of the region/world doesn’t have this week as a holiday). I can guarantee that no matter where I head on Friday it will NOT be towards the city center and Nanjing Rd.


Check back soon for a link to view pictures from my running route: http://picasaweb.google.com/esjohnson80/RunningRoute#