We (Sally) and I are sitting in the lounge in HK with a glass of bubbles (me) and gin (Sal). Hope you are all sitting down.....there were no issues checking in or getting to the airport, long may that continue!!!
Quote from Sal - "I just want to stay in here and eat and drink". Its her first time in an airport lounge and I think she is hoping it won't be her last.
We had a good flight, although a tad bumpy at times. Its certainly a quick flight - around 2 hours.
We got straight through customs, with no line and collected our bag. Lovely priority bag tag made it out first :-) Walked through immigration (if you can call it that), to have no one to meet us :( The airport is huge, and super clean.
No line for a taxi, we were told it would be around 1 hour to the hotel - our driver drove like an flipping madman. About 5 minutes after speeding down the highway he decided to put on his white Michael Jackson gloves. Perhaps we are in an F1 race??? Dodging cars left right and centre. I swear we are in a race.
We believe there is no speed limit, although there were a few signs along the way. Driving at this speed for 1 hour will literally kill Sal and I, by the way seat belts are not useable as they are stuck behind the seats.
They drive on left hand side of the road, so I feel like I'm back in America although Americans certainly don't drive at this ridiculous travel speed. We will NOT be taking the taxi back to the airport! We hit (not literally) the outskirts of town so thankfully the driving speed decreased dramatically. Finally made it to the hotel in one piece :). Nice room but beds as hard as rock!!!!
Saturday started off with a nice buffet breakfast in the hotel. We then decided to venture out......the hotel concierge wasn't exactly helpful however we managed to locate the subway/mtr, buy our tickets and board the right subway as well as get off where we wanted too :)
Sally certainly was overwhelmed with the number of people around! As well as the heat, it was hot and humid! Worse than HK.
We wandered around the
pedestrian street with half the world as well as bikes, scooters, tricycles with carts and bike taxis! We certainly needed eyes in the back of our head. Went into a few shops/malls just for the a/c, its certainly hot here!!! Also did the bathroom search, however the first couple we went into weren't quite suitable for the us Kiwi's. Thank goodness we finally find one we are use to.We were hassled by someone every 2 minutes selling copy (fake) bags, watches, t-shirts, DVDs and I'm sure more. Very frustrating. There is only so many times you can say "no" nicely
Made our way to the Bund, which is on the Huangpu River. Did the Bund sightseeing tunnel which was a rather strange/interesting....hopefully some of the photos come out.
Saw a rather
distributing site as we were walking towards the Bund - a mother holding a 3-4 year old child up as she used the toilet. Not a pretty sight in the middle of a busy Shanghai street (let alone any street!), and surely something that should never happen!!!!Sat at the Bund having a late lunch. The river was super busy. Lots of different boats, barges, ships and tour boats going in all directions. Was thinking of leaving the restaurant then all of a sudden it started to absolutely bucket down with thunder and lightening. At times we couldn't see across the river. We'll be here for awhile! Thank goodness they have a bar.
The buildings along the Bund are amazing - mixture of modern and old with a variety of architectural styles.
We were ready to leave again when the heavens opened again. Major rain, hail, wind, thunder and lightening. We'll definitely be here for awhile longer!
After being in the restaurant for nearly 3 hours we decided we had to brave the weather. There was a small break so we run for it - the puddles where huge! I took my shoes off and just ran, of course everyone found that rather funny. It was better than ruining my shoes. Thankfully the rain has basically stopped when we got on the other side of the river, however the streets were very flooded.
We were on the subway back to the hotel and noticed two chicken feet sticking out of a mans shopping bag. Our cameras came out quick fast! Two Chinese woman then noticed and nearly threw up, they couldn't get away from the man quick enough which caused more laughing from us.
Chilled in the hotel room for awhile before heading down the bar for 2 for 1 drinks. It was really interesting watching the world go by. Everyone seemed to be rushing either in their car, bike or on the bus.
We choose a restaurant for dinner out of the trusty lonely planet China book which the hotel also recommended, and what a fantastic choice it was!! Only thing was we had to get a taxi there, thankfully we didn't have Michael Schumacher as our driver. Food was just amazing - Sal reckons its the best meals she's had since being in Asia. I will definitely be recommending it to everyone!!!
Of course when it was time to leave, the heavens had opened once again. There was water coming into the restaurant, and getting into the taxi was an exercise. Shoes came off!!!! Our feet got a wash for the third time today.
Was settling down for the night when we had a power cut in the room, up came the electrician man (speaking zero English) and within a few minutes it was on again. Then about 8 minutes later it went off again - we were not impressed. This time we had Tony the Guest Service Manager on the phone informing us we were moving rooms. Bear in mind this is now 11pm. So we pack up our room with a small touch and move down one floor, with our pjs, dressing gowns and hotel slippers on carrying all our luggage.
Sunday started off rather early, especially given our middle of the night move! I wanted us to get out if/before the rain started, thank goodness it was clear skies (if you can call them clear) when we got up.
Brunch in the hotel then subway in the direction of Yu Gardens. We then walked in the right direction, although how would you know as everything was in Chinese! We asked a few traffic wardens, they just pointed.
We had the pleasure of seeing a man shaving while standing outside his shop and a man biking along in his pj's.
Got to Yu Gardens without too much effort and only got hassled a handful of times. I'm sure more to come though! There are people for Africa here! Its certainly a tourist spot. Our kiwi shoulders got pushed around a lot, although we did some pushing as well. Walked over the famous nine-bend bridge, with the rest of the world. We were all trying to take a photo with no one else in it, not an easy task let me assure you. There are numerous large goldfish type fish under the bridge which people fed.
We entered the Yu Gardens, which were built between 1559 and 1577 and what a great escape from the crowds this was. Inside was a tranquil area, surrounded by water, traditional Chinese houses, rock sculptures and lots of greenery. It was definitely worth visiting.
We wandered around shops before leaving the area. We sure got hassled leaving! Saw a number of groups of men sitting around either playing cards or eating and drinking. Some groups had more chicken bones on the pavement than on their plates!
PJ's seem to be the outfit of the day - worn by both woman and men. Although we have seen a large number people (primarily woman) dressed to the nines.
Walking back towards the one subway station we know, we saw a scooter with man driving and a girl behind holding onto baby. Who knows how she was holding onto the driver or scooter. A scary site. Sal brought a copy bag from a semi decent shop. They certainly tried to get top dollar from us.
Stopped at a local restaurant for lunch and ordered what we thought sounded good. The chicken come out with bones.....and was very tough so we left it. Without the bones I'm sure it would have been good. The vege dish was yummo.
Managed to take the subway to the shanghai railway station, where we went straight to the Holiday Inn Hotel (for the bathrooms of course!). Took a taxi to the Jade Buddha Temple. Saw the 4pm prays with the monks, just hope the photos come out. Some seemed more keen on the prays than others.
From here walked back towards the city, having to watch where we were walking at all times. Noticed how much of a green city Shanghai is, plants and trees everywhere. Saw down a few little alleys which looked amazing, scary to think how many people live in such a small space.
We saw a number of stores for the locals, including lots and lots of shops with watermelons for Africa! It seems to be the 'in season' fruit.
I would assume the majority of the population has a bike, these bikes are not new bikes! Dad, there is nothing even close to your standard. I hope the photos can do them justice.
Took subway back to hotel, chilled for awhile before taking subway to the Grand Hyatt hotel. What a hotel this is! Its absolutely massive, I believe 90 stories high. We tried going to the "Cloud 9" bar on the 87th floor for a drink, however the seat options were not up to par and we were too close to the clouds/pollution. So we tried the lobby (on the 54th floor) and the drinks menu wasn't up to par (basically only had wine, tea/coffee and a couple of cocktails that didn't sound nice), so off we went to the Piano bar (53rd floor) and we had a winner. Amazing views of the city, of course if it wasn't warm and polluted you would be able to see for miles and miles.
Took a taxi to a bar and restaurant area we had read about, had a Michael Schumacher in training driver - around 15 years younger than Friday nights driver. Currently in a 40km zone but we are so not doing that, more like double!!! The dash lights are switched off (once again) so we're unable to see the speed. Sal informs me he has long fingernails. More later, feeling sick typing after my cocktail.
Picked a Turkish restaurant for dinner, which was delicious and made me want to go to Turkey even more.
We have noticed in our travels that Shanghai is full of construction sites, everywhere you look a new building is either going up or in the midst of going up. There are cranes, workman, and work trucks for Africa.
Monday started with the normal buffet breakfast before checking out of the hotel. First stop was the Jing'An temple, which was built in AD247. An interesting Buddhist temple, which has parts that still need to be repaired. Wandered around both the ground level and first floor.
From here walked towards what we thought was the right direction to the subway. Had a quick stop at the Hilton Hotel for postcards, bathrooms and directions.
Saw another local area, purely by accident as the sign for the subway was pointing in the wrong direction. Numerous hair dressers, fruit and vege stores, live fish in numerous plastic containers on the footpath, among other things. Heard an Irish lady talking so made a bee-line for her to get directions, we had missed the turnoff by a few streets. Once on the right track we were off. Took subway to St Ignatius Cathedral. As soon as I walked in the doors felt I was in Europe, not China. A very impressive Cathedral.
Made our way back to the hotel to collect our bags. We decided to give Michael Schumacher a miss going to the airport, and instead took the subway then Maglev (fast train) to the airport. What a speedy ride that was! It took 7 minutes and we got up to 431kms per hour. There are photos to prove it. Nothing like the 1 hour it took us on Friday night. It was definitely a great experience. I am in desperate need for a few strong drinks now!
A few things we noticed during our 3 days here - this city is huge!! There are millions and millions that live here. They talk extremely loud when on the phone but normal when speaking with friends/family. There are bikes everywhere. Subway announcements are in Chinese then English - easy to get around if you know what stop you're going to.
We have had an amazing weekend, experiencing a completely different cultural. I would recommend anyone to come here! Ended our weekend in the lounge with a few drinks to calm the nerves after the train ride of the century!
Am off to Morocco via London this Friday morning for 5 days, then 5 days in England.
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