My trip to Shanghai started (Sunday, December 28 2008) with me throwing things into my bag and running out the door to get to the airport. Definitely not the most organised of trips. Of course this is partly due to arriving back from Vietnam the day earlier.
I met Ruth and Alex at the arrivals hall (they flown in from London) then headed up to check-in for our flight. After clearing security etc we were at the lounge, although I was only able to take one person with me so Alex stayed downstairs playing on his PSP while Ruth and I went in. Ruth showered, while I had a glass of kiwi chardonnay which I don't get to do very often/ We had a quick bite to eat, got snacks for Alex then were out sitting with the common people :) Had the pleasure of sitting near a man smoking (in a no smoking airport.....) and 2 young boys crying and screaming. We did feel sorry for the Mother but had to move seats as it was getting totally out of hand and very loud.
7 minutes after we were suppose to take off the captain came on and said there was a technical defect and we should be departing in 30 minutes. Not the best start to our holiday. After taking off just over 1 hour late we were off, and less than 2 hours later arrived in wet Shanghai. We had managed to make up some time which was nice. No sooner had we landed than people around us had their seat belts off ready to jump up the second we stopped, which we did shortly after landing as there wasn't a gate quite ready for us. The few people that did get up (even though there was an announcement) were told to sit back down again. I'd warned Ruth and Alex what it was going to be like when we landed so they were prepared. Finally after lots of pushing and hurrying (not by us) we were off the plane and walking the length of Africa (ok not quite!) to get through customs then collect our bags. We decided to take the Maglev train into the centre, as it was after 5.30pm we only went 300 kms per hour instead of 430 kms. A very quick ride indeed. Getting off the train we could see our breaths, I was in for a shock! Took a taxi to the hotel. After checking into our large suite room we went to the lobby bar for a snack and the hotel's local beer. I must say not as good, or cheap, as the Vietnamese beer but not bad.
Monday morning we woke rather early then went back to sleep. Had a great breakfast in the hotel before leaving for the day. It certainly was cold, and for me a super shock to the system given 48 hours earlier I'd been in 30+ degrees in Vietnam. Not good for the body I'm sure to go from one extreme to the other.
We walked along East Nanjing Road, the pedestrianied street, towards People's Square on our way to Shanghai Museum. Here we spied 1 beggar boy with his mother, and I made a point of pointing him out to Ruth and Alex. As soon as we walked down the stairs he was all over us, and unfortunately for me was clinging onto me and as I found out a couple of minutes later took my woolly hat. We retraced our steps all the way back to the hotel on the very slight chance I may have dropped it somewhere, but alas no the beggar was responsible for that. So off we headed again to the Shanghai Museum, via a different route I must add.
We spent a few hours at the Shanghai Museum which possesses a collection of 120,000 works of art, with collections of ancient Chinese bronze, ceramics, coins, painting and calligraphy. We didn't visit all the eleven galleries, but did see quite a few. I particularly liked some of the ceramics (and could have brought a few pieces home!!) as well as the calligraphy. Seeing all the ancient coins was very interesting, some as small as your smallest nail with others quite big.
From the museum we went to the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall which paints the future evolution of Shanghai. We were all rather scared of what is going to happen and how much of the Chinese life is going to be dictated. Very much a life we would not want. There is a tennis court sized model of the city which was very interesting.
As we were walking back to the hotel we came across 2 beggar boys, 1 was clinging onto a local Chinese man. On the first look you perhaps could think it was his son, but alas no it was beggar. He wouldn't let go until he got some money. We were out of there pretty quickly, while holding onto our bags.
I definitely don't remember as many beggars when I was here about 6 months ago, you would think the cold and wet weather would keep them away not bring them all out.
We also encountered many touts, a tiny percentage of them went away on the first 'no thank you' however the majority continued to try to entice us to buy their goods - watches, bags, coats, shoes etc. In the end we learnt not to answer them at all, this usually did the trick of getting rid of them.
Back to the hotel for some warmth and high (afternoon) tea in the lobby bar which was included in our flight/hotel deal. Ruth and I had missed this point when making the reservation as we didn't remember it being included. Was nice to be inside and away from the beggars.
After we had warmed up and had some fuel we were off outside again, this time to walk along the Bund which is situated on the edge of the Huangpu River. We enjoyed seeing the city by night view, took some photos and were off. I'm sure if it wasn't so cold would have stayed there longer.
We had dinner on the way back to the hotel, Chinese of course, in a shopping mall near the hotel. Ruth's was very spicy, Alex's very messy and mine just vegetables (as I wasn't feeling that well).
Tuesday morning after having breakfast in the hotel we headed to the Shanghai train station via MTR (Subway/Tube) to purchase tickets to Hangzhou for tomorrow. After taking the wrong exit we were back on track and joined the English Speaking Line. All counters had long lines, the Chinese obviously travel around New Year time. Back onto the MTR, which is so easy to use, very clean and the trains come quickly, to the other side of the river. We are off to the Shanghai World Financial Centre, which is currently the tallest building in the world for both their observation deck and the top height of the building. The views are amazing, of course would be a million times better if its wasn't so foggy/polluted. We had a late lunch in the basement of SWFC and would highly recommend it. We're sure its a super busy place during the rush hours and when its not the holiday season.
We made our way, via MTR, to our side of the river. Ruth and Alex headed to the Yu Yuen gardens and I came back to the hotel to go to the gym.....was trying to get in once more before 2008 ended :) and I'd already visited the gardens during my last trip.
We went for a delicious dinner to 1221 Restaurant, where I'd been 6 months earlier with Sally. It was yummy yummy yummy (Ruth's words). We all thoroughly enjoyed. Alex said its the best Chinese he's ever eaten.
New Years Eve day (Wednesday) started early, we had breakfast in the hotel, checked out then headed out in the freezing temperature of 3 degrees to the Former French Concession area as well as the Xintiandia area. The Xiantiandia development area comprises of two blocks of renovated and rebuilt shikument (stone gatehouse) converted into an open-air mall, it was the first of its kind in China. There are paved and pedestrianised lanes, some narrow, that open out onto a central place that has restaurants, bars and shops. We went into the Shikumen Open House Museum, which has been reconstructed to a typical shikumen. I found it very interesting reading and seeing how things were done years ago. One quote jumped out at me "Xintiandi is a place where older people find it nostalgic, younger people find it trendy, foreigners find it Chinese and Chinese people find it foreign. Its a place where everybody finds something of his/her own".
The French Concession Area is a residential, retail, restaurant and bar district with tree-lined streets and Shanghai's old residential buildings and art deco apartment blocks. We walked through Fuxing Park where we saw people doing tai chi, many groups of men standing around and groups of people signing. I'm sure in the summer its a great park, full of colour and people.
Back to the hotel where we collected our bags and took a taxi to the South train station, which was more like a fancy space ship. After going through some kind of security we walked to the gate and boarded straight away, very painless indeed. Everyone had their own seats and we found it very clean. The train went up to 160km/hr at times for the 1 hour 30 minute journey, I don't think I could manage 1 hour at 300-420km/hr though!
As soon as we got off the train we could see our breaths, goodness its going to be cold here and its not even 4pm! After standing in the taxi line for at least 45 minutes we finally made it to the front of the line and thought we were off but alas no. Our driver couldn't speak English and us no Chinese. Thankfully there was a European in the line who could understand us then spoke to the driver telling him where we wanted to go.
We relaxed in the hotel for awhile, then Ruth and Alex walked to the lake. I wasn't at all well so stayed in the hotel, where I remained for the evening. They then had a late dinner in the hotel. Not a good way to welcome in the New Year. Ooh well there is always next year.
New Years Day started early for us, of course this is due to not being out the night before :) I was feeling ok and after a small breakfast felt good. We decided to hire bikes and bike around the West Lake (around 10kms) for the day. Alex hadn't been on a bike for at least 19 years so was rather rusty, he was also using a bike for a 10 year old so his knees were up by his chest. This of course caused him to be rather wobbly. All rather amusing for Ruth and I. Our first actual stop was Leifeng Pagoda, which was first built in 975 then again in 1924. We climbed to the top and got great views of the West Lake. We continued on our bikes, biking around people and at times using our bell to warn people we were there. Although we realised it was rather pointless as no one paid any attention. We biked over the Su Causeway where we stopped a couple of times for photos and many times to get around all the people. At the end of Su Causeway we got off our bikes and walked around the Winery Yard and Lotus Pool area, we didn't see any winery though. It was a very peaceful area and in the summer would be great to bring a book and/or picnic and spend the day. From here we continued, on our feet, to the Temple (Tomb) of General Yue Fei. General Yue Fei was a commander of the southern Song armies in the 12th century. Next stop was the Zhejiang Provincial Museum which houses pieces of cultural relics. It was great to be inside for a short time, although after awhile the pushing got to us and we left quicker than we arrived! We had a late lunch at a tea house overlooking the West Lake. When we discovered the state of the bathrooms we were off quick smart to return the bikes and get to the hotel.
We have a couple of hours relaxing in the hotel before heading off to an Italian restaurant for dinner. Yes I know its best to eat the food of the country you are in but given I was still not feeling great I wanted to eat something that I knew and was plain.
Friday morning we awoke early, had breakfast at the hotel, checked out then headed to get a taxi to a famous Temple. We were told by the hotel there was a traffic jam and the 3km ride would take about 40 minutes, so we passed on that plan and walked around part of the lake instead. Was nice to go places we couldn't yesterday when we were on our bikes.
It was super cold this morning, your could see your breath again. I definitely wasn't use to it! We walked along the lake, with quite a few others, taking in the lake and all it had to offer. We came across candy floss being made, in perfect circles on a stick, and ducks air drying upside down to get flavour or who knows what. A couple of things we had noticed about Hangzhou was there was no one hassling us, we were constantly being stared at and there was no where to buy postcards or other touristy things. We had read about a street selling these types of things so headed there. Unfortunately we were unable to locate the shops, we think they have moved, so came away with no memoriable of Hangzhou.
We had booked a 1.20pm bus to Suzhou, and after a 20 minute taxi ride we arrived at the bus station. After a brief wait we boarded the bus, where we were treated to loud Chinese music. Boy its going to be a long journey! After awhile a movie came on, not as loud as the music thank goodness, with English subtitles. We arrived into Suzhou less than 2 hours after we had left Hangzhou and were a little perplexed as we were told by a few different people it would be 3 hours. But we're not complaining the trip was shorter!! On getting off the bus we realised it was going to be hold onto your bags, walk tall and fast and don't speak to anyone. We went to the ticket booth to enquire about a bus to Shanghai tomorrow to make our plane, after being told it would take 3 hours we decided to pass on this option. Along the way we saw a few food carts; tiny bunny rabbits in small bird like cages and beggars. We were straight into a taxi thank goodness, no long lines like we encountered when arriving into Hangzhou.
Checking into the hotel was not an easy task, for some reason they couldn't find our reservation even though we had a print out confirming the room. In the end they made a new booking and sent us to our room just to get rid of us!!! Ruth had a couple of calls back to the UK to try to work out what was going on. The view though was very impressive - we are on the 36th floor.
After we had finally sorted out the room we took a taxi into the city to look at going on a boat tour around Suzhou. Unfortunately the 6.30pm boat was no longer working, so off we walked towards to centre. Waiting a good hour and a half in this freezing weather didn't at all appeal to us, so we headed off on a small walking tour of our own. We noticed we were at the only westerns around, the first time this holiday and were being constantly started at. We headed towards a pagoda, which unfortunately was closed, however found a cool looking bridge that had thin ramps on the sides for motorbikes/push bikes to get from one side of the river to the other.
We decided to head back to the Sheraton Hotel, which we had passed earlier, to warm up, use the bathroom and get a taxi to a restaurant for dinner. We got dropped off at an intersection with quite a few restaurants and just chose the one that seemed busy. After a short wait we were told to go to the 3rd floor, this restaurant was absolutely huge!!! Ordering the food and drinks was rather entertaining, lots of pointing at the menu and using Ruth's book to assist us. Thankfully the food we pointed out turned out to be very good! The tables around us were all smoking while eating and serving, definitely not a sight we have seen for a few years given we all live in non smoking in restaurants/bars cities. From the restaurant we went off to the train station to arrange our train back to Shanghai for tomorrow. After lots of discussion and walking off trying to locate the bus terminal we decided on a 12.30pm train, definitely not ideal but that was all there was.
Thankfully there were many taxis around so no waiting! Its so helpful having a hotel card with the details written in both English and Chinese. We headed back to the hotel and planned our morning.
Saturday morning we were up at 6am as we wanted to see as much as possible before our 12.30pm train back to Shanghai. We checked out of the hotel, had breakfast at vast cost then took a taxi to train station to leave our bags for the morning. The men looking after the bags could speak no English (other than hello, how are you) however laughter and smiles got us through!
First stop on our list was the Garden of the Master of the Nets. This is the smallest garden in Suzhou and considered one of the best preserved gardens in Suzhou. Given we arrived shortly after it opened there was only a handful of other people which was great. There was a small lake surrounded by rock which was very pretty.
We left Garden of the Master of the Nets and took a taxi to the pagoda, only because the silk museum (next stop) is not listed on the map. We saw trucks driving down the road washing the roads, I found it odd given there are so many places in the world that have limited water.
We walked past the North Temple Pagoda to the Silk Museum. Given our tight time frame there was no time to go in. But I can tell you its the tallest pagoda south of the Yangzi and I'm sure the views would be great.
The Silk Museum was interesting, it had detailed history of Suzhou's 4000 year old silk industry. We saw a couple of ladies silk weaving, and other machines set up but no one working. As it was winter we didn't see the silk worms at work.
From here we walked to the Suzhou Museum for a bathroom stop more than anything else. Along the way we saw ladies doing their washing on the side of the road. We did have a quick look around the museum, its housed in a very modern building, with a pond and zigzagged bridge. There were next to no English captions though which made it near impossible to work out the history of what we were looking at.
The Humble Administrator's Garden was the next stop. It's considered the largest garden, with an area of 5 hectares. Unlike the Garden of the Master of the Nets there were lots of people around so unfortunately the majority of our photos have someone in them. There are lots of zigzagging bridges, pavilions, bamboo groves and ponds. If it wasn't so cold, and we weren't to rushed for time, it would have been nice to slowly stroll around. A couple of times we were asked to be in people's photos, something I find very odd but have experienced before.
We took a taxi to train station, collected our bags with more smiles and laughter then headed to the right platform to wait for our train. The train ride was very quick, and within 30 minutes we were back in Shanghai. Managed to leave the train station without too much bother and headed to a hotel, I'd been to before, to take a taxi to the airport.
As we had taken a much earlier train than we had wanted we hoped to get on an earlier flight. On arrival at the check-in desk we were told it wasn't possible. To put it mildly Ruth and I were far from impressed and in the end went through security etc needing a very strong drink or 3! We now have around 4 hours waiting for our flight. Not the best way to end our holiday.
We made it back to HK safely and loved being in the warmer weather!
I hope this finds everyone well and happy. Best wishes for 2009.
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