Shanghai, China – 28-30 July 2023

Angela, Crystal and I leave work just before 5.30pm on Friday 28 July 2023. (I had flown up to Shanghai yesterday to spend 2 days with the team.) This morning Angela and I visited one of our Assets - a outlet shopping mall.

 

 

Angela and I had met in Sydney at the work seminar in October last year. She is from Palmerston North. Such a small world!

We head to a bouquet wine bar come fusion food place. It seats 23 all around the u shape bar. The food is a little too modern for my liking but we have fun eating, drinking and chatting.

One dish was chocolate covered morel mushrooms stuffed with chicken and pork mince with raw yams. Another dish was zucchini and beans with avocado and coconut puree with truffle shavings and dusted with coconut.

 

They put me in a taxi back to the hotel - the first time I’ve really been alone this trip. It’s a tad daunting given I don’t speak the language past hello, how are you and thank you and I wasn’t the one who booked the taxi. Thank goodness for google maps!

As soon as I get back to the hotel I head to my room to drop my bag. Walking out of the lift a strange smell hits me, very odd. Walking into my room it’s even worse. Sort of smells like someone has been cooking meat. Very very strange given I slept in this room last night and it wasn’t like this when I left this morning.

 

At reception I try to explain the situation and fail - in the end they decide to send a staff member with me to check it out. He thankfully agrees with me that there is a smell. I’m told they will send housekeeping to check and add an air purifier to the room.

Time for me to head to the bar.

Aah the sound of my Cosmo being made brings a smile.

When I return to my room the air purifier is in full swing.  

I’m woken by the rain on Saturday 29 July - I guess it won’t be a pool day today!! Such a shame. The typhoon has clearly followed me instead of remaining in Hong Kong.

I enjoy a relaxing breakfast. Somehow finding an article on CNN about a lady that threw in her job many years ago and travels the world….hmmmm something to think about 😊

 

Angela and I decide to meet up - all going well the rain will stop early afternoon. I’m sent the address where to meet in Chinese so am set.

When I arrive at the lobby I couldn’t see any staff members, right I’ve got this. How hard can it be??!!! I say Ni Hao (hello) to the driver then show him my phone, he motions me to get in. Within seconds we are off!

Traffic is as expected on a wet day! What should have been 20 minutes drive was more like 45 minutes.

As we get closer (thank you mapsme!) the driver starts to yell at me. I find google translate and show him “I don’t speak Chinese”. That doesn’t help. Thankfully a call to Angela helps and within seconds the taxi is stopping and I’m getting out. 

We head to Tianzifang, a renovated traditional residential area, on a few narrow alleyways, with a variety of small bouquet shops, arts and crafts, food stalls and cafes.

 

 

 

At one "intersection” we come to we realise we have been on all the alleyways. Time to leave.

We walk to the metro - super easy to buy me a ticket. We are off to Xintiandi.

Xintiandi is an upmarket area modelled on traditional alleyways. Part of the area is pedestrianised, the other is open to traffic during the week.

It’s humid! We wander around looking for a place to sit in the a/c.  A cold drink is needed!!

Feeling cool and refreshed we wander around Xintiandi.

 

 

 

Seeing all there is to see in and around Xintiandi we wander the streets. It’s great to see more of Shanghai and the mix of old and brand new.

Needing another dose of a/c we see a store that says Farmer Bob. We both look at each other and decide why not.

 

 

 

Leaving the store we still have zero idea what Farmer Bob is all about, other than it’s not for either of us! I’ll need to Bing / Google later on to find out what’s it all about.

Thankfully the breeze has picked up so it’s not feeling as humid anymore. We continue our wanderings.

 

We come across another area that Angela tells me has been turned from local housing to an upscale area, very similar to Xintiandi but a lot more upmarket! It’s filled with both high end and bouquet shops, cafes, bars and restaurants.

 

 

Back to wandering the streets - it’s so great having a local with me, I don’t need to pay any attention on where I am and where I’m going.

We turn off a side road and I immediately know where we are (well in relation to my hotel). I recognise a number of places from the drive to my hotel on Thursday.

We are both starting to fade so decide food, a/c and a sit down is needed.

It was an epic fail trying to find Din Tai Fung. It used to be in the same complex as my hotel, no not any more. Back onto the street we go and basically walk a block to another shopping center. After getting to the 4th floor it was nowhere to be seen. Angela asked someone and was told it’s no longer in the building. Right. We then decide to go to another Chinese restaurant - they seem to have everything apart from what we want which is Xiao Long Bao. Buggar!

As we are about to leave the building we notice a place - bingo they have something similar. Sitting down is needed after all our walking (over 14,000 steps so far) in the heat and humidity.

Once we had ordered Angela googles (well actually bing’s) where Din Tai Fung is in Shanghai and finds the majority globally have closed. Just our luck!

 

The food is tasty! And it’s nice to sit for more than a couple of minutes.

I wait with Angela to her taxi arrives then walk the one block back to my hotel.

As I enter the hotel complex I hear a live band so walk towards that. It’s at the Mexican restaurant. I find a seat, take in my surroundings and order a drink.

Sunday 30 July I wake just before 7am. Thankfully no rain! I’m in no rush so potter around.

Breakfast is the same, no rush.

Angela and I agree to meet at Jing’an Temple at 10.30am. It’s under 1 km from the hotel so I walk, trying where possible to be in the shade. It is definitely a lot hotter today.

When Angela arrives she needs to sign us in via a QR code. I’m unsure how I would be able to enter without her! Not something I need to worry about.

Jing’an Temple is a Buddhist Temple that dates back to AD 1216. It’s impressive!!!

We wander around the Temple, the cool breeze in places is heavenly.

 

 

 

It’s quite surreal to be experiencing a very old temple surrounded by skyscrapers and glitzy shopping malls.

 

Given yesterday’s fail on the Xiao Long Bao we decide to head to a restaurant in one of the shopping malls across from the Temple. Before sitting down we ask if they have them. First place we visit is a no. No problem, we head up one floor to try another one. Bingo, we are in.

Cold drinks, Xiao Long Bao and green vegetables are ordered.

 

YUM! A tasty mouthful of goodness.

Angela walks me back to my hotel before getting in a taxi home. It’s been wonderful to spend time with her!

I have time in the room to cool down before finishing packing and checking out. Thankfully that doesn’t take too long.

What takes time is trying to get a taxi. Not easy. Finally one agrees to take me. Traffic is as expected on a Sunday afternoon. It definitely takes longer to get to the Malgev station.

On arrival at the Malgev station I’m unable to pay by WeChat Pay. Bloody hell! I had gotten rid of all my cash at the hotel so this is going to be fun. I call Angela – after a while she is able to pay the driver for me. Thank goodness!!!

Weirdly enough I’m able to pay by WeChat pay for my train ticket. Who knows why it wasn’t accepting me scanning the driver’s details. Thank goodness for Angela!

We depart the station dead on 3pm, I had expected to be on an earlier train but the traffic had other ideas. All going well I’ll be at the check-in counters at 3.30pm.

It’s a super quick and easy 8 minute journey to Pudong Airport, even with the hassle of paying my taxi driver. I’m happy I decided to do this instead of taking a taxi the whole way from the hotel.

 

Once I’d figured out which line to go down for check-in it’s very easy. Not having a visa in my passport always throws people, but once I hand over my APEC card all is good.

Clearing immigration on the other hand isn’t as easy! I’m asked for a QR code - zero idea why or how you obtain it. With the number of people around I’m clearly not the only person who has no idea what this is all about. The “security” man shouts outside outside - I’m sooo confused! I ask someone what he is talking about, he tells me he is using the QR code that he entered the country with but doesn’t know if that’s right. Ok I’ll do the same. I sneak through and hope he doesn’t call after me. Thankfully he doesn’t!

The line for foreigners to depart the country is long. Thank you APEC card I get to go in a special lane!

Even better is I can use the first and business class lane for security clearance.

35 minutes after my train arrived at the airport I’m walking into the Cathay Pacific lounge. Amazing!

The first thing I notice on entering is that they have French champagne on offer, why not! A lovely end to my trip.

My time in Shanghai has come to an end - it’s been great to be back again! Who knows when I’ll be back again.

Xie Xie Shanghai!