I think I managed to sleep until 6:00 AM. Success! By 7:00 we had to put our two suitcases outside of our door again to be collected for the airport.
We left the hotel by 8:00 when it was raining pretty hard.
We'd had good weather so far so it was OK to have a downpour while we were traveling.
I was glad I'd bitten the bullet and bought the rather pricey North Face raincoat in Hawaii. It would come in very handy during this trip!
Charlie #2 said Shanghai used to have AM and PM rush hours. Now it has 1 DAY rush hour.
That ball like structure is actually a TV station.
On the left side is an EXTRA fancy hotel.
Charlie #1 sent us in a few at a time to ahem... sing a song. (Use the facilities?)
Yes, there was a downpour on the Bund. The following is from Wikipedia:
Charlie #2 said in British colonial times there were hundreds of opium dens and brothels in the area. The communists came in and closed them in 1949.
After a lovely lunch at Fortune Restaurant we were taken to a Tea Shop.
This young woman taught us how the Chinese drink tea. I was surprised to learn that they throw out the first batch of tea to get rid of the impurities. She was then able to make three or four more small pots of tea with the leaves.
We got to try Ginseng/Oolong and Pu'erh tea.
These teas were pricey too so we only bought three small boxes.
We walked about this shopping district in the rain, but didn't buy much. I really HATE haggling and couldn't figure out what was good or bad quality or worth the price.
We were left to our own devices for a quick dinner so we went to Burger King. One of our dear tour friends (that would be you, Guy) was tired of Chinese food and wanted a quick fix of American cuisine.
At 7:30 we went to an acrobatic show which was a lot of fun. Some of those acrobats looked like kids!
We stayed this evening at the Swissotel Grand Shanghai. You can see that peek through window to the bathroom again. The room was very, very lovely, luxurious and huge. It's going to be hard to go back to Motel 6.
We left the hotel by 8:00 when it was raining pretty hard.
We'd had good weather so far so it was OK to have a downpour while we were traveling.
I was glad I'd bitten the bullet and bought the rather pricey North Face raincoat in Hawaii. It would come in very handy during this trip!
Charlie #2 said Shanghai used to have AM and PM rush hours. Now it has 1 DAY rush hour.
That ball like structure is actually a TV station.
On the left side is an EXTRA fancy hotel.
Charlie #1 sent us in a few at a time to ahem... sing a song. (Use the facilities?)
Yes, there was a downpour on the Bund. The following is from Wikipedia:
"The word "bund" means an embankment or an embanked quay. The word comes from the Persian word band, through Hindustani, meaning an embankment, levee or dam (a cognate of English terms "bind", "bond" and "band", and the German word "Bund", etc.). It is thus named after the bunds/levees in Baghdad along the Tigris, when the Baghdadi Jews such as the prominent Sassoon family settled their business in Shanghai in the 19th century and built heavily on the bund on the Huangpo."
Charlie #2 said in British colonial times there were hundreds of opium dens and brothels in the area. The communists came in and closed them in 1949.
This young woman taught us how the Chinese drink tea. I was surprised to learn that they throw out the first batch of tea to get rid of the impurities. She was then able to make three or four more small pots of tea with the leaves.
We got to try Ginseng/Oolong and Pu'erh tea.
These teas were pricey too so we only bought three small boxes.
We walked about this shopping district in the rain, but didn't buy much. I really HATE haggling and couldn't figure out what was good or bad quality or worth the price.
We were left to our own devices for a quick dinner so we went to Burger King. One of our dear tour friends (that would be you, Guy) was tired of Chinese food and wanted a quick fix of American cuisine.
At 7:30 we went to an acrobatic show which was a lot of fun. Some of those acrobats looked like kids!
We stayed this evening at the Swissotel Grand Shanghai. You can see that peek through window to the bathroom again. The room was very, very lovely, luxurious and huge. It's going to be hard to go back to Motel 6.
Another great day despite the rain. Travelling is so educational, at least through your eyes!
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely education for us!
DeleteMy hotel was very near the place pictured in your last set of four pictures. We walked to that area every morning and watched the people doing tai chi and dance for their morning exercise. I loved the pu-er tea and was given a huge block of it as a going away gift once. I lasted forever. :-)
ReplyDeleteGracious! That pu-erh tea was really expensive! You were given a wonderful gift.
DeleteBurger King "cuisine"--that's funny. I wonder what the thinking is behind the transparent bathrooms.
ReplyDeleteMore spaciousness? It was fun though.
DeleteOur last day in China was in Shanghai. We also had time on our own, and went to Pizza Hut for dinner :-)
ReplyDeleteI hope you chose better than we did.
DeleteI bet the rain cleared out the smoggy air...what a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteArt just mentioned that Beijing might have been the first and last place we actually saw so many blue skies. There really was smog just about everywhere we went.
DeleteSomehow I don't think of China and luxury in the same sentence but I suppose tourism is the same the world over. The paying guests must be looked after - and you certainly were. (But there's no place like home, right?)
ReplyDeleteIt truly is nice to be home. Sixteen days away was definitely just enough. We were all exhausted and wanting to be in our own beds.
DeleteYes, I have noted in the past that tours have preset places to take you. Often those shops pay to have tourists visit, and that's why the higher prices. I too hate haggling, but dear G loves it.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had G with us so he could do the haggling for me. Oh yes, all these tours have these preset places where I'm sure they get a cut of the purchases.
Deleteeven though a lot of people mock others for going to "American" restaurants in foreign places, their menu is more surprising than one would suspect.
ReplyDeleteWhen I (hope) visit Japan one day I might have to do that myself. I don't eat meat (including fish) so that limits a lot of my options.
There are lots of vegetarian options in Japan. I just saw a report that vegans live longer than anybody else. I'm starting to readjust my thinking on what our menu should be.
DeleteMost of your touring spots have big areas of ground paved. Guess they don't want to mow grass. Thanks for today's soggy tour. Walking in the rain without getting wet makes for nice armchair traveling. DrumMajor
ReplyDeleteThis is a big city that we were at so there are more paved areas. I'm sure we were being taken only to places that they wanted us to see.
DeleteI guess that's one of the reasons we don't bathe in luxury as much as possible (sounds counterintuitive doesn't it?) Otherwise the "diderot effect" will creep in and we'll spend more than we want to daily. You're just a good steward of money, Kay, not the same as being cheap. I'm pretty much that way and I understand that there is sometimes shame choosing down (again counterintuitive).
ReplyDeleteL...w
I guess I won't have to worry about that "diderot effect". :-) I do know a few loved ones who are exhibiting that though.
DeleteI have given Gregg your blog address so that he can look at all these posts you've made on China. I started reading him some of what you had written but then he asked me to send him the link so that he could read them himself. I know he's going to be as interested as I am. He has often said he would like us to visit China when he retires.
ReplyDeletePlease thank Gregg for his interest. I am very happily complimented. China is definitely an interesting country.
DeleteThis tour is amazing. How many days were you in China?
ReplyDeleteAlthough it's called a 16 day tour it's really three days of travel. Day #1 and #2 were travel from Hawaii to S. Korea to China with a time change. Day #16 is travel from Hong Kong back to Hawaii.
DeleteThe food looks good for a meal or two, but I think I would quickly tire of it also. I'm just too used to western food probably. I like tea, but I would not have been a gourmet about it. I have an unschooled palate in that regard.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoy reading about your trip but I have to wonder, a window in the bathroom? Why?
Maybe it makes the area look bigger? There are blinds on the windows so you can close them for privacy. It was a fun feature to the room though.
DeleteAh, there are blinds. Now it's easier to accept.
DeleteBathrooms are generally pretty claustrophobic so I like the window idea. I am like you and hate to haggle. I pay full price at yard sales. This has really been an educational trip for us stay-at-homes. You are doing a great job making us feel the atmosphere as well as seeing the sights.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a great trip to Shanghai. Looks like a lot of fun.
ReplyDelete