SHANGHAI, PRC — Mid-way through the week in Shanghai, after the second day of the Expo, my friend and roomie Ivette Figueroa needed to write up a story fast.
She heard about a ferry ride for Western tourists that went along the Huangpu River at night. So a bunch of us hopped on a bus and headed over there.
When we got there, we said good bye to our friends and proceeded onto the boat. All you could see in every chair was a Chinese person. This was not the right boat. Well, we made the best of it, got some nice photos and ended up going to the other side of the river.
We went around the area trying to find a subway station to no avail. Tried to ask a security guard from some restaurant; he spoke no English.
So we hopped on the ferry again to go back.
Coming back, I thought I knew where we were — the Bund. So obviously People’s Square had to be fairly close and that meant easy access to a subway.
Wrong.
Ivette and I were going the right direction, it’s just the Square was five more streets away. Oh yeah, it was bad. Though we trekked along, considering this was not the first time we got lost.
Days before, she and I were a block away from our apartment, told our classmates and professor we knew the way. Truth was we got further from the complex and did not know where to go. Luckily, Ivette’s photographic memory kick started.
And yet again, here we were: lost, confused and tired. Our feet ached from the hours spent at the Expo, especially Ivette, who wore high-heeled boots.
I don’t know how many blocks we walked. I just remember they were not main streets, but dark and shady.
Somehow, we got to the bright lights of People’s Square, found a subway station and rode all the way to our apartment.
Next time we get lost, I’m phoning a friend.
Happy travels everybody.
Contributed by Andrea Concepcion