The Giant Fishbowl-AKA Shanghai Ocean Aquarium
I love aquariums and if a city has one, I am there. So, I have been wanting to venture over to the Aquarium since we got here 4 months ago but just never made it. I tried to get Frank to go with me but it was 11am and he was sound asleep (snoring too). Another big plus is it is easy to get to on line 2 of the metro. You need to get off at Lujaizui and go towards exit 1. At the top of the metro exit, just look to the left and you will see it. Okay enough tour guide stuff, let’s visit the aquarium. Honestly, I thought it would be larger but it still rocked.
You start at the top which is the China/Asia area and some of the fish were………okay odd. I kept looking at what I thought was just a big, long rock but it actually was a Giant Salamander (no wonder the little girl was shoving me to move). It was easier to see it when I looked through the bottom of the exhibit. This is an extremely endangered animal and from what I was reading, not many left in the wild. Another crazy thing about this aquarium is the exhibit glass, plexiglass, or acrylic only goes half way up so the fish are subjected to the prying hands of the Chinese. Yes, there is a sign that says not to put your hands in the water but it says nothing about poking the fish between its eyes (it’s clever how they can get around things). There are two other signs in the aquarium, Do Not Use a Camera Flash and Do Not Tap the Glass. I know what you are thinking……..but it doesn’t say anything about using your fist to pound on the glass. Yes, that is the technique used to get the fish’s attention and it seems pretty effective or maybe it just stuns them for a moment. I don’t know which was more fun watching, the fish just blankly looking into space or the frustration on the faces of the Chinese pounding on the glass. Sorry, I got lost in the moment. The Layout of the Aquarium is simple, start at the top and go down. You travel through several different areas and end up in the Ocean. I didn’t like the moving sidewalk in the Ocean area because it seems to confuse the Chinese…….should I stay on it….no I need to get off….hold on let me back on…..move…..wait I didn’t get to see that fish…….move……..I need to get off……….move………I think you get the picture. Overall, I have to say this was a very fun day and I will definitely go back before leaving. Some things to look for when you visit, the super rare Nikon phone fish which was swimming next to the fake crocodile. Also check out the uhmmm…..slow bull shark with the buck teeth (yes I know the sharks teeth normally stick out but he had some dental issues) and big red eyeball. I tried to get some photos of these rare aquatic creatures but they didn’t want to stop swimming so I could take their picture. Two things you might want to consider when visiting the Aquarium, don’t go on the weekend (crowds) and take an IPod (extremely loud).