Day 9 - May 18, 2009
Today we were leaving Xian to go to the next city, Shanghai, again via a China Eastern flight. However, the flight was delayed an hour because of a scare of H1N1 in Shanghai. Shanghai is the most populated city in China, with more than 20 million people living there.
When we arrived at the Shanghai Pudong airport, we bought tickets for the world famous Maglev train, a very impressive railway that used magnetic levitation to reach the maximum speed of 500 km/h. Our 8 minute “thrill” ride cost Mom Y40 each and was too smooth and short to feel the speed.
When we got off the Maglev, we lined up at the taxi queue to take a taxi (Y160) to another SPG hotel, the Four Points Sheraton Daning. The hotel was very nice and modern looking. It is located in a local shopping area with many stores and restaurants. After going for a swim at the hotel, we set out and found dinner near the hotel at a Korean BBQ restaurant which served OK food.
It was already night time so we set off to the historic Nanjinglu Shopping Street by subway (Yanchang station is 5 min walk from hotel). The Shanghai subway was clean and efficient, offering quick ticket purchasing by machines. However, we found the Beijing subway to be better where there were no street vendors blocking the entrances.Nanjinglu is one of the world’s busiest shopping streets. We walked around taking in the giant flashing neon lights as far as the eyes can see, ignoring the hawkers trying to show Mom catalogues of fake purses and watches. There were tons of people walking around, rows of fancy stores and even a wax model of Jackie Chan.
We then proceede
d towards the highly anticipated Bund Promenade and were not prepared for a big let down – CONSTRUCTION. The famous river walk along the Bund was blocked off totally by construction. Shanghai currently is a big construction site as the city was preparing for the 2010 Expo. So we only got to see the amazing Oriental Pearl Tower above the fencing, which is a famous TV Tower that is very oddly designed with an odd sci-fi look. We were constantly asked by street touts if we wanted to buy a boat tour on the Huangpu river. There were no good camera angles so we decided to take pictures another day.Very disappointed, we called it a night and took the subway back to enjoy our first sleep in Shanghai.
Day 10 - May 19, 2009
This morning we decided to take it easy and leisurely had breakfast outdoor at a nice little bakery called Paris Baguette. We sampled a variety of delicious croissants and meat buns while Mom and Dad enjoyed their cappuccino with a newspaper.
Eventually, we left and took the subway to the entertainment and shopping area Xintiandi, where common type of old Shanghai houses called Shikumen were converted to fashionable book stores, cafes and restaurants. We visited the historic house where the first conference of the Communist Party of China took place. The admission was free and the museum was overall, pretty boring with a lot of reading on the history of the Party.
Our next stop was t
o explore a recreated Shikumen house completely furnished with household objects. After that we went by taxi to the Old Shanghai area where the Yuyuan bazaar was located. This is Shanghai’s “Chinatown” with over 100 shops varying from teahouses to restaurants. We walked around being pushed around by tons of people and were lost in the spaghetti like alleyways of the bazaar. We bought a few cheap souvenirs and then stopped by the Yuyuan garden. The garden was the lavish creation of some rich mandarin official to honor his father. The garden was very nice and peaceful and we enjoyed the many ponds, buildings and rock garden design.
However, we grew tired fast and eventually left for lunch. We chose to eat at the famous Nanxiang Steamed Bun restaurant where there was a long line of people waiting to buy, what else, steamed buns. We went upstairs but still had to wait for about 15 minutes for a free table. The food was amazing offering delicious crab dumplings and a mysterious bun filled with crab juice. The meal was satisfying and we were ready to leave the bazaar.We took a taxi back to the next attraction, the People’s Square which was not too far but we were stuck in very busy traffic with construction sites everywhere. At the People’s square we rested and admired the modern landmarks around the square including the Shanghai Museum, the Shanghai Grand Theatre and the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. Since it was near closing time of the Shanghai Museum, we decided to visit it another day.
We then hopped on the convenient People’s Square subway station to return to the hotel and within an hour we set off to the Shanghai Circus World, located 5 min away, to catch the famous show “ERA: Intersection of Time”. We were absolutely amazed by the show. There were so many different and astounding acrobatics and tricks including an amazing finale with 8 motorcycles spinning in a metallic sphere simultaneously. A guy sitting in front of me stubbornly tried to record the show and was stopped by the security people.After the spectacular show, we were hungry for dinner and spotted the chain noodles restaurant called Ajisen Ramen. We sat down and experienced amazing ramen noodles and broth that we could not find back home. The night ended well with a nice show and dinner, followed by a good night sleep.
Day 11 - May 20, 2009
Today was a sad rainy day. The rain crippled most of our plans today so we decided to visit the Shanghai museum. But first Mom had to stop by the Shanghai Train Station (only 2 stops away) to buy train tickets for day trips to Suzhou and Tongli. Mom went to the self-service machines that were extremely crowded to purchase tickets. She left us outside with two Y10 umbrellas and the pouring rain.
We then headed to the People’s Square to explore the free admission Shanghai Museum located in the centre of the square. The museum is beautiful with four floors each filled with rows and rows of Chinese exquisite ancient art objects such as paintings, ceramics, sculptures, bronze and so on, reflecting the Chinese culture and philosophy. The furniture gallery displayed very fancy royal furniture designs with intricate carvings. Unfortunately, we were totally lost at the Calligraphy gallery. I was bored quickly and drudged through the exhibits in the next two hours.
When we finally escaped the museum, we walked into the drizzling rain and hailed a taxi to the Super Brand Mall on the Pudong side for dinner. Outside of the mall we had a close up view of the Oriental Pearl Tower. We managed to shoot a couple of pictures of the tower with its peak hidden in the misty rain and clouds. The Super Brand Mall is boring with many floors, rows of stores, similar to the Bramalea City Centre. We decided to try a fancy looking restaurant on the tenth floor called South Beauty which offered the view of the Huanpu River and the Bund. . The place had boring food and really rude service. Compared to Xi’an this place was really bad. The food took too long and expensive. The only food worth it was the sesame balls which had a black sesame fillings.
We grew tired of the rain so we chose to return home and had a nice, warm, dry sleep to prepare for our day trip to Suzhou tomorrow.
Day 12 - May 21, 2009 - Suzhou
Today, it was still cloudy and cool from yesterday rain. We skipped breakfast and took the rush hour subway which was really packed to go back to the Shanghai train station for a day trip to Suzhou. Suzhou – aka the Silk Capital - is known mainly for its history with the silk industry and its classical gardens.
We caught a D train (Y31) which was a Bullet Train that travelled up to 200 km/h. The train was very modern and supplied free water, polite attendants and a clean washroom. The ride was quick being a measly 40 minutes and it was dizzying watching the fields of China roll at top speeds.
As we exited the station, the taxi line was very long and we were kidnapped by a “private driver” touted for business at the station. Mom gave in too easily because she was too cold and wanted to buy a sweater. We reluctantly followed the lady to a mysterious van where her husband was waiting. We asked to find a shop for a sweater, but already she took us to a silk factory which we walked out from. She then tried to push for a canal boat ride instead of taking us to a restaurant as requested and we were starving. We were tired of the drivers who would not take our orders, so Mom gave the lady Y20 to end their service after they dropped us off at a small local restaurant.
Relieved from the “guide”, we hailed a taxi to visit the Suzhou Silk Museum. The museum was fairly interesting shedding light on Suzhou’s silk history, the silk making process and provided an exhibit where there were real silk worms on open display. There was also a store offering real Chinese silk, but in comparison to bootleg markets, the dresses were much too expensive (because they are real?).Our next destination, the Humble Administrator’s Garden, was within walking distance, so we chose to walk there, passing by the Beisi Pagoda. Along the way there were small stores, so Mom
bought herself a sweater but in no time the weather started to warm up. The Humble Administrator’s Garden is one of the four great Chinese gardens and is currently a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The garden was huge and supposed to be peaceful but actually it was very noisy and packed with Chinese tour groups. There were ponds, bridges, gazebos, bamboos and statues all beautifully placed throughout the garden. We explored the site until we were truly relaxed and eventually left.
We hailed another taxi and drove to the Twin Pagoda Temple which is simply a temple with two identical pagodas. Our train home was approaching so we went for dinner at the Guantian shopping street (similar to Wangfujing in Beijing but smaller). Mom checked out the pearl shops and bought several strands of pretty nice looking but small pearls.Back at the Suzhou train station, this time we found the quiet VIP lounge because of our first class tickets. We boarded the bullet train again and soon returned safely to Shanghai.
Day 13 - May 22, 2009 - Tongli
Today we were visiting the old water town Tongli. Tongli is a 1000 year old water town that made the UNESCO Heritage list for its beautiful canals and features of an ancient Chinese town.
We repeated the routine of taking the D train from the Shanghai train station to Suzhou. This time we were very cautious exiting the Suzhou station because we were afraid we were going to meet the evil lady again. We quietly slipped into the taxi line and after going through a line with beggars, I could breathe again when we got into the taxi. The taxi ride to Tongli cost Y90 and took about 50 minutes.
From the town entrance, rows of pedicabs were ready to latch on to us and we had to keep refusing. We sought shelter in the ticket office and we bought tickets to see the attractions. The whole town was connected by long canals spreading as far as you can walk. The town itself was historic with multiple ancient houses living right on the edge of the canal just waiting to drop. Every few meters, there would be a bridge, a garden, an old mansion or a museum which provided continuing fun things to explore as we toured through the histori
c town.
We toured for hours until we saw all the attractions. However, there was a Chinese Sex Culture Museum that really interested us (perhaps this is where the secret to the largest population in the world is kept?). Dad wouldn’t let us go in, saying it was inappropriate for my age. We peeked inside and giggled at a statue of a naked and “exaggerated” guy in the front yard.We stopped by a small restaurant to eat dinner, but Alex and I had tasty chicken burgers and bubble tea from a food stand next door. By now evening was falling so we returned back to the train station to return home. Today was a highlight of our Shanghai trip as we really enjoyed the beautiful water town that Tom Cruise ran through in Mission Impossible 3 and got to see a part of the heritage of ancient China.
We returned home with a sense of accomplishment but were sad that the end of our trip was nearing and tomorrow would be our last day in Shanghai.
Day 14 - May 23, 2009- Shanghai
We got up a bit late today and for breakfast, we had once again Ajisen Ramen. We enjoyed the same old noodles once again and knew we were going to miss it quite a bit.
Mom wanted to do her last minute shopping, so we took the subway to the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum station where there was a large market called the AP Plaza with rows and rows of stores with a variety of bootleg clothing, bags, and electronics. I was prepared for boredom and brought a book with me and found a spot to sit down and left Mom with her battle (which I think she enjoyed).
Eventually Mom got really tired after buying more unnecessary coats, shirts, scarves and bags and we exited the station into Century Square which is the largest open air square in Shanghai. The square looked very modern with the Science and Technology Museum and it offered a very peaceful and happy environment with dozens of people of various ages rollerblading around.
We relaxed for a while then grabbed a taxi to the River Promenade. We were dropped off in front of the Oriental Pearl Tower where Mom insisted that we hire a “professional” photographer to take family pictures with the Orient Pearl tower and the Jinmao tower in the background.
We then walked to the
River Promenade to see the Huangpu River again. Along the way we were continually offered a set of miniature Pearl Tower by street vendors for the unbelievably low price of Y15. We walked along the River Promenade for a while with tons of local couples and families enjoying themselves. We then sat down at a restaurant call “the Bund View” that offered great view of the Bund but served really lousy food (I guess you pay for the view, not the food).However, nightfall soon began and the river just lit up. The view was magnificent with boat cruises brightly lit and the historic Bund buildings lighting up the night. That was a memorable family moment where we discussed some of the best parts of our trip and were sad that it was almost time to leave China. I reported that my final spit count was 70 or on average of 5 per day which was not that bad.
Finally we had to return to the hotel for our last sleep in this vibrant city of Shanghai and pack up for our flight back to Toronto tomorrow.
Conclusion
We’ve had an adventurous trip the past 2 weeks and it has been super fun, most importantly because I got to spend time with my loving family. Sure, the cities were extremely crowded and some people push and spit . However, all these things are outweighed by the tremendous culture and history throughout the country.
We saw China’s history as we walked the Great Wall, explored the Forbidden City and were in awe of the Terracotta Army. We also saw modern China with the super fast Maglev train and the bullet trains. I personally really enjoyed this trip as it also provided amazing food.
I know that I will never forget my trip to the ancient country of China.
THE END
