Testing the senses in Shanghai to find China's best antitourism and off-beat secrets. Dry and sometimes funny observations from a fixed gear roller, food eater and photograph taker.

Save for the grubby looks I get when I admit it – Guangzhou is one of my favorite cities in China. The food is good, the weather always fine (except when it’s chucking it down) and the culture emerging. Maybe it’s just the super-smooth roads but explore a random hutong in Haizhu, particulary the area north and south of Jiangnan West Road and perhaps you’ll get a feel for what I mean.

Getting there from Hong Kong. Don’t book in advance, then miss your train and have to buy a new one. Just buy it when you get there – the train is massive.
Getting there from Shanghai. Wait until Q1 2011 when the world’s fastest train (or high-speed depending who’s commenting on this) will arrive 15 minutes before you left.

We took a dash around Shanghai on a fine Saturday afternoon with thanks to Nate over at H.A.L. (I will write something for them one day) for organizing.

Was good to see Chris Trees on his Holdsworth tandem rolling circles around us… and the sprint out to Fudan as the sun went down even put hairs on my Chest.

Was also good to be out on Ocean San after the last few weeks of commuting just 3k every day on the general. Nice to get over 20k/hour and not worry about becoming water-based in the heat.

Around the pond, “zaoshang hao” to the guards, across the pavement, through the roadworks, glide over freshly laid tarmac. Pause for the khaki traffic attendant, watch for the turning bus and the senseless pedestrians. Zig zag onto Xietu Lu, race the traffic for a few kilometres, along the road with no surface, dodge the manholes, the cranes and the rickshaws of shoes boxes. Around the shiny new metro station. Under the motorway bridge, over the dirt and against the traffic, pause for a pancake and onto the ferry.

Halfway there.

My daily commute to CEIBS: 35k, 95minutes, 1000cal, 2 outfits…