On our last full day of the tour we managed to make it to the bus absolutely on time. The guides have been increasingly vocal, if good humored, about how long it takes us to do everything. I guess it's not surprising that a group of 30 opinionated people with an average age in the high 60's are not swift or nimble. This morning we made it to the Shanghai museum before opening, so we could be let in the VIP entrance (June, of course, has connections).
The museums are free here, and apparently lots of people come in to get out of the cold and to use the facilities. Sort of like public libraries at home. The assembled Chinese people in the regular line definitely gave us the hairy eyeball as we strolled in ahead of them.
I spent an hour looking at ancient (16th century BC!) bronzes
and the collection of costumes and artifacts of ethnic minorities (all collected in the 20th century).
After shopping the museum store (not to be missed!) I left the building, went down in the subway station under the adjacent People's Square and found a vast, sprawling shopping mall. (Wendy had clued me in.) I was on a quest for a cheap duffle bag, as my shopping has led the volume of my belongings to exceed the volume of my original bags. Ahem. The mall looked very much like one at home: lots of brightly colored clothing, kiosks with cosmetics and jewelry, pop music blaring in all the stores. And lots of young people in pairs and groups roaming around. All Chinese. This was noticeable to me because Shanghai is a very cosmopolitan city, especially in the neighborhood we've been parked in.
It was good to get out from under the thumb of the tour, to walk around and explore on my own (though one of my fellow travelers, Karen, accompanied me on my foray). We saw beggars, people picking through garbage cans, transit workers taking a break by sitting on the stairs down to the Metro and eating lunch, and lots of other scenes we missed being driven from Ming dynasty mansion to historic walled city to ancient temple. And I did get a bag, for very cheap. Made in China.
and the collection of costumes and artifacts of ethnic minorities (all collected in the 20th century).
After shopping the museum store (not to be missed!) I left the building, went down in the subway station under the adjacent People's Square and found a vast, sprawling shopping mall. (Wendy had clued me in.) I was on a quest for a cheap duffle bag, as my shopping has led the volume of my belongings to exceed the volume of my original bags. Ahem. The mall looked very much like one at home: lots of brightly colored clothing, kiosks with cosmetics and jewelry, pop music blaring in all the stores. And lots of young people in pairs and groups roaming around. All Chinese. This was noticeable to me because Shanghai is a very cosmopolitan city, especially in the neighborhood we've been parked in.
It was good to get out from under the thumb of the tour, to walk around and explore on my own (though one of my fellow travelers, Karen, accompanied me on my foray). We saw beggars, people picking through garbage cans, transit workers taking a break by sitting on the stairs down to the Metro and eating lunch, and lots of other scenes we missed being driven from Ming dynasty mansion to historic walled city to ancient temple. And I did get a bag, for very cheap. Made in China.
Our lunch was in a massive restaurant, "approved for tour groups" with traditional Shanghanese fare, including very very good fried rice, and boiled fresh water shrimp with a vinegar dipping sauce.
And tonight was the farewell banquet, at a very fancy residence that has been turned into a boutique hotel. With nearly the same food as lunch.
Speeches were made,
including repeated mentions that none of us will know what to do without Wendy giving us daily directions and planning ahead for us. She, when given the chance to speak, assured us that if we get home and can't find our suitcases, or if we have other issues, can still use her card and call her for assistance. If only that were true.
Speeches were made,
including repeated mentions that none of us will know what to do without Wendy giving us daily directions and planning ahead for us. She, when given the chance to speak, assured us that if we get home and can't find our suitcases, or if we have other issues, can still use her card and call her for assistance. If only that were true.
Also at dinner everyone who'd had tailor made jacket made modeled for us. I wonder how these pieces will fit into everyone's real lives back home?
And then we walked on the Bund in the freezing breeze. This is the river walk on the the Huangpu River, in the old British Concession. The other side of the river, now site of the tallest building in Asia, was a mere 15 years ago, all farmland. It hurts my brain to think of such rapid, extensive development. I can't image what it must be like for the residents of this city.
The building with the green roof in the next photo used to be the Peace Hotel, the only hotel for foreigners in Shanghai (my parents stayed there in the early 1980's when they visited). Twenty years ago it was the tallest building in Shanghai. Now it's not even the tallest building on the block!
(Sorry about the quality of the photos at the end of this post, I forgot my camera and all the ones from the evening were taken with my iPhone.)
The building with the green roof in the next photo used to be the Peace Hotel, the only hotel for foreigners in Shanghai (my parents stayed there in the early 1980's when they visited). Twenty years ago it was the tallest building in Shanghai. Now it's not even the tallest building on the block!
Another thing we saw all over China was beautiful lighting on all the bridges. This one, like most of them, changed color every few minutes, from blue to purple to green to red to orange and so on. Just lovely.
(Sorry about the quality of the photos at the end of this post, I forgot my camera and all the ones from the evening were taken with my iPhone.)
No comments:
Post a Comment