Day two in Shanghai brought cooler temperatures in the low 40's and little sun. There seemed to be a thin fog in the air making the visibility only one mile. When the wind blew, the chill cut to the bone. Since all aboard was 4:30pm, and the last shuttle would leave The Bund area at 3pm, we felt it wise to leave the ship earlier today.
We forgot to mention the tours available here. Yesterday there was an overnight excursion that would tour Shanghai's Yuyuan Garden and nearby Old Town. Then the group would board a train for a 1 ½ hour ride to Hangzhou, spending the evening at a hotel. The next day would include a boat ride on West Lake and a visit to a temple. Last was a spin through the Chinese Medicine Museum before taking the train back to Shanghai. This excursion was $1000 per person.
The other overland was 4 days and three nights and took in a flight to Xian to see the Terra Cotta Warrior Museum, the Big Wild Goose Pagoda and Jade Factory. A drive to the City Wall, a concert, and dinner at a palace theater followed on day two. The third day began with another museum visit then a flight to Guilin. The last day took in a cruise on the Li River and a visit to Yangshuo. Then they will fly to Hong Kong and rejoin the ship. This adventure set them back $2900 per person.
A few years back, we did an 8 day overland independently and saw all of these sights as well as stopping in Chengdu for a visit to the panda facility. Then after the Li River tour, we went to an evening performance of dancers and singers right on the river. It was over-the-top fabulous. Then we flew back to Hong Kong and re-joined the ship. We had stayed in the best hotels, which were beyond opulent. Sure glad we did that tour, but we do not feel the need to repeat it. The same goes for the visit to the Great Wall and Ming Tombs, which we did in 2002 while on the Volendam. A wonderful overnight adventure, we doubt we would ever go back.
Shorter tours took in sight-seeing in Shanghai for $140, or a trip to the countryside to Suzhou. That was $150. Been there, done that. Also did the mag-lev high speed train and a ride up to the top of the Shanghai Tower, which ran $100.
Today we boarded the shuttle to town at 10am. The bus was full today. It appeared there were four full size coaches to transport us for the one hour drive. Coming out of the tourist info complex, we turned left and followed the road to a tree-studded area called Gucheng Park. Getting deeper into the garden, we heard music and went to see where it was coming from. We found a square of people dancing to country western tunes of all things. Some were doing a line dance, while the older ladies and their partners were doing a two-step. Just simply having fun, and we had fun watching them.
This garden led to the Yuyuan Garden, a 5 acre garden with quiet landscapes, ponds, rockeries, and pavilions. It was begun in 1577 and re-constructed over the years. Walking past the gardens, we came upon what is known as Old Shanghai and the most authentic-looking China Town we have seen. This area is called Huabao Lou and is a large-scale shopping mall. But it is far from typical- modern as it is like stepping back into the old days with the exotic Chinese buildings. Figurines of lion-dogs were placed before every large store, and the roofs were covered with gargoyles and dragons. What we liked were the silk-like fish mobiles hanging overhead. The colors were brilliant. Food in cafes was being prepared in front of the shops, and people were lining up to buy it.
Besides eateries, there were many expensive jewelry stores and clothing shops. Along with the typical souvenir shops were young ladies promoting higher end stores. None of them were shy in approaching us to sell their products. They did take a "no thanks" as a no and went on to the next potential customer. With three cruise ships in port, they had plenty of potential customers. One thing for sure, this place was like candy for the eyes. So many photo ops. Time was ticking, so we followed a map and made our way to Nanjing Road, and the pedestrian walkway. It was quite a walk using side streets, but they were all crowded today too. On the way, we passed by the building with the lotus leaves on the top. It turned out to be the Westin Hotel, so we went inside to check it out. It was very nicely decorated and might have been a good place to look for lunch. The time we had left did not allow it.
When we finally found this series of malls, it turned out to be one gigantic shopping district with every high end store you can imagine. The main street was closed off to cross traffic for blocks. We discovered that Nanjing Road led all the way to People's Park, another big attraction with museums and the like. We hiked up one side and down the other, also checking out the side streets that were selling trinkets and more food-to-go. This part of town was getting more crowded by the minute, since it was lunchtime. Our time was so limited today, we did not have time to eat out.
Making our way back to the Bund was easy. We had paralleled it coming this way. It was far less crowded on the raised walkway, and made better time getting back to the bus stop. Once we navigated our way down under, we boarded the bus and it left on the top of the hour. By the time we got back to the terminal at 3pm, we were glad we did not wait until the last shuttle. This time the bus driver stayed on the side streets avoiding the freeway for a while. Obviously, since it was Friday, the roads had become clogged with traffic. This was nice for all of us because we got to see more of the town on the way back. We all got a kick at how many people hang their clothing, blankets and sheets outside to dry. Doesn't matter how high up you live, the stuff goes out the window.
The weather seemed to get worse as the afternoon wore on. It did get colder, and by the time we left the terminal, it was freezing outside. We have a day at sea, thank goodness, to arrive to Dalian, China. We do not think we have been there before this. Perhaps Kimberly's lecture tomorrow will jog our memories.
Dinnertime was properly labeled "Chinatown Dinner" with many items that we saw being cooked in the real Chinatown we saw today. Appetizers were a Chinese dumpling soup, small BBQ ribs, and one veggie tempura with noodles plate. Our mains were General Tsao chicken with jasmine rice and a type of chow mien with ramen noodles and beef strips. It was fun to try something different for a change, and one of us could rest assured there were no additives that might have been a problem. Desserts were pineapple slices and a two-layer chocolate cake with ice cream to share on the side. Some folks that dine near us had gone on the 4 day overland, so it will be quieter for a few days.
The unique comedy of Mike Robinson was the entertainment tonight, although most everyone in the dining room seemed to finish early and head out well before 9pm. Two days of intense touring had taken a toll and turning in early sounded like a great plan.
Bill & Mary Ann
