It was very smoggy in Xian on the day we were to leave. Charlie warned us to eat a good breakfast at the hotel because the airplane food to Shanghai would not be wonderful. We caught our bus to the airport at 8:30.
We were sad to say good bye to Catherine. She was a very sweet and charming young tour guide. They do that V for Victory sign in China just like they do in Japan.
Charlie was right. The airline food was just passable, but I liked those apple chips.
Landing in Shanghai we met another Charlie so he became Charlie #2. Sometimes you'd call Charlie and they'd both look at you.
Charlie #1 told us a joke that if a UFO landed anywhere else in China, people would wonder how they could turn it into a some kind of noodle to eat. If it landed in Shanghai they would wonder how they could sell it.
Shanghai air was not very good. It was extremely smoggy.
Charlie #2 had a wealth of information:
Charlie #2 took us from Shanghai to Suzhou which is known as Venice of the East.
We boarded a little boat and got to ride down the canal. Charlie #2 mentioned that at one time the canal was pretty gross. People used it for their bathroom, laundry, kitchen sink and whatever else that I'm forgetting. We could still see someone cleaning his pans in the canal waters.
The marketplace was fun and interesting. I remember being nervous in Hawaii about going into a Chinese marketplace, but once here none of us were concerned.
We saw frogs, eels, turtles, shrimps, etc. being sold for someone's dinner. These children were playing with a shrimp.
Dinner at Tanxiangshan Restaurant was great and more like the sort of food we get in Hawaii. We tried a little of Charlie #2's 50% proof moonshine and could barely get it down. I had to add a whole lot of Sprite to make it palatable and still felt a little dizzy.
The Holiday Inn in Suzhou was equally wonderful. I love how the Chinese stuff their comforters into duvet covers which are washed and sanitary. You can sit or lie on it without worrying about its cleanliness unlike the American hotels which usually have unwashed bedspreads.
I stayed in that evening to back up our photos onto the iPad and catch up on my trip journal. I was exhausted!
Art went out with the rest of the group to check out the Suzhou night life.
Tomorrow:
Silk Factory
Lingering Garden
Suzhou Museum
King's Palace
Charlie #1 told us all that we should be wearing comfortable gym shoes EVERYDAY because we'd be doing a lot of walking!
Charlie was right. The airline food was just passable, but I liked those apple chips.
Charlie #1 told us a joke that if a UFO landed anywhere else in China, people would wonder how they could turn it into a some kind of noodle to eat. If it landed in Shanghai they would wonder how they could sell it.
Shanghai air was not very good. It was extremely smoggy.
Charlie #2 had a wealth of information:
- Shanghai means to kidnap someone and hold them for ransom.
- A lot of Jewish people found sanctuary in Shanghai and began banking businesses from which the Chinese learned.
- There are lots of high rises in Shanghai where laundry is put out on balconies to dry.
- In 240 years, Shanghai is expected to be like Venice because it was built on coastal wetlands and the weight of all the skyscrapers is weighing the land down.
- The real name for China is Zhonguo which means Middle Kingdom. It is called China because of the porcelain it exported. Charlie #2 didn't like the name China because china is easily broken.
Charlie #2 took us from Shanghai to Suzhou which is known as Venice of the East.
We boarded a little boat and got to ride down the canal. Charlie #2 mentioned that at one time the canal was pretty gross. People used it for their bathroom, laundry, kitchen sink and whatever else that I'm forgetting. We could still see someone cleaning his pans in the canal waters.
The marketplace was fun and interesting. I remember being nervous in Hawaii about going into a Chinese marketplace, but once here none of us were concerned.
We saw frogs, eels, turtles, shrimps, etc. being sold for someone's dinner. These children were playing with a shrimp.
The Holiday Inn in Suzhou was equally wonderful. I love how the Chinese stuff their comforters into duvet covers which are washed and sanitary. You can sit or lie on it without worrying about its cleanliness unlike the American hotels which usually have unwashed bedspreads.
I stayed in that evening to back up our photos onto the iPad and catch up on my trip journal. I was exhausted!
Art went out with the rest of the group to check out the Suzhou night life.
Tomorrow:
Silk Factory
Lingering Garden
Suzhou Museum
King's Palace
Charlie #1 told us all that we should be wearing comfortable gym shoes EVERYDAY because we'd be doing a lot of walking!
Suzhou is the only place I haven't actually been in China that you have visited. But I too loved the duvet covers and the bed linen idea. I adopted it and do something similar to this day! :-)
ReplyDeleteIt really is more sanitary. Wow, DJan! You have really been around!
Deletevenice in china-amazing...I would be more than exhausted at this point. lol!
ReplyDeletelots of interesting facts Kay, it does look exhausting, you did so much.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that the hotel rooms in China (at least the ones we stayed in) had two twin beds.
ReplyDeleteActually they were two double beds and very comfortable.
DeleteGood for you for taking a quiet night at "home" to do homework, Kay.
ReplyDeleteWhat Charlie said, "In 240 years, Shanghai is expected to be like Venice because it was built on coastal wetlands and the weight of all the skyscrapers is weighing the land down." Seriously?! Is this for real?
It reminds me of how the Journal of Irreproduceable Results warned, tongue in cheek, that the earth's crust would eventually collapse from the weight of everyone's National Geographic magazines.
I looked it up and what Charlie #2 said appears to be correct:
Deletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/22/shanghai-sinking-bringing-it-down_n_1535787.html
"Shanghai’s skyline glitters with sleek financial skyscrapers and glossy residential towers, but below the city’s lustrous facade lies an enduring problem. Thanks to mass urban migration, soft soil and global warming, Shanghai is sinking, and has been for decades. Since 1921, China’s most populous city has descended more than 6 ft. Across China, land subsidence affects more than 50 cities, where 49,000 sq. mi. of land have dropped at least 8 in."
That article is very scary! I would not like to live in Shanghai. Good luck to them.
DeleteDon't think I'd want to mix the moonshine with the night tour! Looks like a continuing grand adventure! (My New Orleans hotel had a cover on the comforter, too.) DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteWe didn't want to hurt Charlie #2's feelings, but that moonshine tasted like rubbing alcohol (or what rubbing alcohol must taste like since we've never drunk rubbing alcohol). No kidding about the duvet cover in the U.S., hunh? That's great! I hope all the hotels adopt it. It's been a while since we've been in a U.S. motel or hotel.
DeleteZhonguo was one of my facts of the days once.
ReplyDeleteMatters not what is served on a plane, I refuse to eat it. I also do not drink anything and try not to even breath! A few years ago I came down with a horrible bacterial infection that nearly killed me and the only place we can figure it came from was the ice I used in a beverage on a plane from Portland to San Francisco. I learned that planes are some of the worst places for bacteria. (Or perhaps that should read "best," since they seem to be one large contagion.)
ReplyDeleteYIKES! I've got a bunch of plane trips coming up. No ice?
DeleteAbsolutely fascinating. Now I've got the motivation to visit that former student of min who lives and works in Xian...;)
ReplyDeleteIt is a fascinating country and truly worth visiting.
DeleteSo Awesome!!!!!!!!!!! Thank You
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
Comfort Spiral
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Wow, what interesting facts Charlie Two delivered. Kind of nice having guides with the same name. Makes it easy to remember.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I would want to do dishes in a formerly polluted canal. You would make a great travel guide. You have me really wanting to visit Zhonguo.
So very interesting Kay, and the high-rises making the land sink, that's a fascinating fact, as was the fact that they call China "China" because of its porcelain. Lot of great trivia here and your photos are wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that was why they called Zhonguo China. I never even wondered about it actually. Tsk. Wasn't it also called Cathay?
DeleteWell... Japan is actually supposed to be Nihon or Nippon. Wasn't it called Cipangu too?
It looks delightful. So glad there were thos canals and Charlie 2. You both seem delighted. :)
ReplyDeleteYour trip seems very well planned, guided, and you seem very well taken care of. How lovely to be able to just relax and let your guides do the thinking.
ReplyDeleteIt was so much more enjoyable because of Charlie and the rest of our wonderful tour group.
DeleteI am visiting from Cloudia's blog - and loved this. China is somewhere I have always wanted to go. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for visiting and your kind comment.
DeleteThank you for this interesting account of your journey in China! Charlie 2 must have a great sense of humour.China is very interesting.
ReplyDeleteFascinating information on China. I am enlightened!
ReplyDeleteI would love to see Shanghai. The canals are fascinating. I'm glad you were able to handle the markets. I love foreign markets.
ReplyDelete