Day 2, Shanghai China
Our first full day in China! Forget, the jet-lag, we were "get to go". Breakfast was the hotel buffet and this was our introduction to the fabulous world of Chinese food.
A bit of housekeeping here. There were approximately 150 people in total on the tour. We were divided into 7 busses and 2 "sections". The 2 halves were booked into different hotels and our tours were basically at different times, though we certainly did "bump" into them over the course of the trip. Once we got to the ship we were all together. The busses were exceptional, especially after some of the experiences we have had in underdeveloped countries. So .. our hotel in Shanghai held half the tour and our half had 3 busses. There were about 28 of us on each bus and these are the folk that we really got to know well. That is our math lesson ... now on to more important things.
Our bus contained people from Canada, US and Britain. A wonderful group of people who we got to know well. Our guide (who was with us right through Hong Kong) was Jimmy. We was in his mid-40's and spoke excellent English. He was from Beijing and had a wife and teenage daughter. His first task was to make it perfectly clear to all of us that we were his primary responsibility. He was our guide, interpreter, host, historian and doctor (!). Any concern we had, he was there and knew exactly what to do. He instilled confidence and security in us, which was important. We were told that under no circumstances were we to drink any water or ice in China or Hong Kong. There was an endless supply of bottled water for us and we needed it as it was hot and humid. Also, never brush our teeth with anything but bottled water. We were careful to abide by this rule and as a precautionary measure we had taken Dukoral before we left home and Pepto Bismo twice a day. Fortunately we never got into any trouble. We were each issued a set of earphones and a VOX box. This kept us in communication with Jimmy. If he could not see us, he could call us! This allowed him also to explain all the places and items. We kept it for the whole trip.
Our busses while in Shanghai
Our itinerary today included a tour through Old Shanghai on our way to the Yu Garden, tour of silk factory, lunch at a local restaurant, Shanghai Museum tour, dinner at a local restaurant and Chinese acrobat show. We were pleased that some of these stops were added on, not part of our itinerary. So much for spare time!
Old Shanghai and Yu Garden
What change from the busy, modern downtown! Our first encounter with the general Chinese population and it did not let us down. While we were disembarking the bus, the local were busy taking our pictures. Us "Westerners" must really fascinate them, especially us middle-aged+, white, slightly overweight, tall and grey haired tourists. We also got our taste of Chinese "closeness". There is no such thing as a personal bubble .... they are right "in your face" and fighting with both elbows. We had to walk from the bus, through a few streets in Old Shanghai to the Yu Gardens. We could have spent more time exploring the streets and shops, but never let Jimmy out of your sight!
Sample of the fabulous architecture
The "old" and the "new"
Lined up for Yu Gardens
Yu Gardens is one of the most beautiful in Shanghai, dating to the Ming Dynasty. It contains five acres of delicate pavilions and winding paths and its Grand Rockery boasts caves, grottoes and an artificial mountain nearly 46 feet high. Since it was holiday week, the place was over-crowded but absolutely stunning.
Everybody "photo bombs" in China
Bob and Francine were not shy though
Scenic photos from Yu Gardens
Our next destination was the silk factory and then lunch. Any of these factories and showrooms we toured were all owned by the government and they guaranteed their products to be 100% authentic.
What a fascinating place! Silk art is incredible, time consuming and expensive. We walked through the facility, learning the "art" of silk art. We were able to see carpets, wall hangings and "pictures" all created with silk. Of course we could purchase anything and it would be shipped free by DLR anywhere in the world. Having done similar tours in other countries we knew that the shopping time would be short, so Judi made a bee-line to the smaller less expensive items. We had a chuckle when we went into the carpet showroom as it brought back memories of Tangiers, Morocco where we toured a carpet factory and met the most aggressive sellers in the world. Seriously, we will never forget this place as it was incredibly beautiful. Many of the factories we toured had restaurants in the same building. Our food for the whole trip was guaranteed to be 100% safe. All were buffet and the food was excellent.
This lady would take a year to complete this carpet
The carpet is "cut" one it is woven ... a person would not want to make a mistake
We could not drink the water, but they always had local beer at the buffets. We were hot and thirsty enough to drink anything!
Our day was only half over ..... we then toured the Shanghai Museum. You have to remember that it was our first day, we all had jet-lag, had consumed a beautiful meal with beer and just wanted to sleep! Jimmy told us this was our only museum on the tour and it is always too long or too short. As usual, there was a 3 hour line-up but we were brought right to the entrance and got in immediately.
The museum really was overwhelming. It contained wonderful exhibits, including ancient bronzes, ceramics and sculptures. We had about an hour and a person could have spent a week. The Chinese have put a whole new meaning to "ancient".
We returned to our hotel for "free time" .... aka "sleep time". Dinner was at a local restaurant and once again a fabulous buffet. In the evening we attended an acrobat show performance featuring Shanghai's wonderfully talented acrobats. No photos were allowed as they would distract the performers. The final act involved a huge round metal cage where 8 motorcycles ended up "criss-crossing" in an incredible show. Eric and Judi both had a feeling they had seen this before and realized that they had seen this exact act at the annual International Military Tattoo in Halifax the summer before. Small world .......
See you tomorrow ....
No comments:
Post a Comment