Leaving Shanghai: The Double Decker

There’s a leaving season in Shanghai.

It coincides with plum rain season; the whole month of June is awash with rain and leaving parties and many declarations of friend love and promises to return to the ‘Hai.

This, coupled with the already event-heavy nightlife scene in Shanghai, meant I didn’t throw a leaving party my last weekend in China. I knew there’d be too much going on — and as luck would have it, three of my closest friend groups all had parties that weekend (one birthday and two leaving).

I was more than happy to tag along, especially when one of the leaving dos was on a double-decker party bus. Shanghai parties can already be pretty outrageous just as they are (there used to be a club in town with burlesque midgets) so when you leave, you have to crank that last party up just a little bit higher.

(Plus, I love bus parties: Joe’s best friend threw one when he left Paris and we drank through 18 bottles of champagne in the first half hour.)

Who cares about plum rains when you have friends, drinks, a DJ on the second floor of a moving bus, and a superhero theme party while driving along Shanghai’s dynamic highways and the Bund?

This particular leaving party was for a friend who is relocating to Singapore to CURE CANCER. He’s a scientist with a biotech startup who is literally making meds to cure. cancer. You meet the most unexpected, crazy, wonderful characters in China.

People brought wigs, spare wigs, those flashy twirly yo-yo things, hula-hoops, ponchos, and many many bottles (I brought none of those things, just a flask of Zacapa and my DSLR). A couple stowaways sneaked onboard somewhere in the first hour and, when caught, were forced to hand over their shirts and party in the rain sans ponchos.

We had four hours total with the bus, so halfway through we took a short break at a bar in Cool Docks, a redeveloped leisure area just south of the Bund. As soon as we had started to dry we were off on the bus again, this time driving around Pudong (the other side of the river), until we reached the Nanpu Bridge and circled back towards the French Concession again.

My camera died shortly after this, but after we returned the bus at midnight, the party continued on till morning.

Shanghai, you are ridiculous and beautiful, I love you, and promise to return.

Practical info: We all chipped in for the bus and it cost 150 rmb (24 USD) per person for 50 people. I don’t know the bus guy myself but feel free to get in touch if you want his contact details.

Have you ever been on a rockin’ bus party?