Gettin' Shanghai-ed!!

A couple months ago George and I went on the Shanghai Tunnel tour in downtown Portland. We went with a couple friends to discover the mysterious and supposedly haunted underground tunnels. The tunnel tour was only about 2x2 blocks in area, which I was expecting it to be a lot larger, but apparently there are more tunnels leading to the harbor near Waterfront Park. These tunnels were used to sell people back in the day of slavery and cheap labor. We met at a restaurant for the orientation which included warnings of claustrophobia and potential heart problems. From there we went through a trap door in the sidewalk that led us 'down under'... very interesting!

the trap door

There was an opium den where prisioners underground chilled out and got high. It was creepy to see the bunk beds and know that people were stuck in the small room for days at a time without day light. In most cases the tour guide told us that people were in the dark, as lighting was limited.

the den

As the tour led on, George and I, nor our friends did NOT see any ghosts or anything that was spooky. We did see a few things down under that were odd... kind of like this picture of us posing next to an Indian chief. Of all things, there was a chief there...

I recommend the Shanghai Tunnels, it was a fun activity and we learned a little bit of interesting history. If was all made up, I wouldn't be surprised, but it also could have been real, and the facts that we were told were not bogus. I guess we will never know!