If anyone tries to tell you that you need to be on a tour to see China, don’t believe them. We got our visa in Kuching which was straight forward and easy. All the transport centres like the airports and train stations had signs in English as well as Chinese. Added to this was a bit of forward planning on our part and the end result was a smooth three week trip.
First stop was the city of Shanghai, population of 14.5 million. And first on the tick list was to ride the Maglev train, which we did to get from the airport into downtown, hitting 431 kilometres an hour as its peak speed. Did it feel that fast? – yes it did.
Arriving on the Maglev.......................................City model at the Urban Planning Exhibition Hall
The Chinese sleep anytime, anywhere...................Police car
We were really pleased with our hotel choice which was in the thick of the downtown area, close to the Bund, Nanjing Rd and Yuyuan Garden and a 10 minute walk to the metro rail station. The city area made for easy walking, and walk we did!! The trains were the next easiest form of transport. I have never seen such long trains and they were coming through the stations every few minutes. It seemed a very efficient way to move huge volumes of people.
East Nanjing Rd
Our general impression was that the city was well planned, had beautiful architecture, easy footpaths and steps and lots of trees and parks. It is mind blowing to imagine how a city has developed so far in such a short time. While we were there the government announced that it intended to build 10 million more affordable homes in China in the coming year. The roading was impressive and on one spaghetti junction Daryl calculated our lane was equivalent to 14 stories high.
View from The Bund across to Pudong New Area
Shanghai night lights...........................................River cruise views
World Financal Centre with highest observation deck in the world - view at top
A highlight was going to watch the Shanghai Circus World Acrobatic Show. A world class show with amazing acrobatics. Some of the trapeze manoeuvres had me too anxious to even watch. And when they got up to eight motorbikes circling simultaneously in a cage I was certainly on the edge of my seat.
See the likeness?...................................................Shanghai's impressive museum
I came down with a ripper head cold so I took some sick leave and left Daryl to visit the Shanghai Maritime Museum alone. Just quietly, I was pleased I wasn't included in the two and a half hours each way to get there and back. Daryl, however, regarded the travel as a great cultural experience as he requested assistance each step of the way. This included finding locals that were walking in the same direction and following them, to the offer to hop on the back of a motorbike going the right way. Unbeknown to him the museum was soooo new it was still surrounded in dirt paddocks and had little public transport going anywhere near it. It also explained why so few people knew about it. Daryl thoroughly enjoyed the museum itself and was pleased he'd made the effort to get there.
We took a couple of day trips to outlying traditional water villages which were ‘working, living villages’ lovely, but pretty touristy.
Old compasses at Maritime Museum...................Kind man giving Daryl a ride to the bus stop
Life in Zhouzhoang Canal Village....................................View down the canal
Singing woman as she paddles the sampan.........Kebabs anyone?
Beautiful traditional paved area.........Sampan loaded with bamboo
Hand embroidery sold so cheaply in the markets....Artist at work in the village
Temple gardens at Zhouzhuang Village
Capturing the serenity of the temple gardens......Wandering in Tongli village
Tongli transport option........................................Narrow streets made for wandering
Beautiful gardens of yet another museum....................... Fisherman's birds
The birds above are used by the local fishermen for catching fish. The fishermen tie nylon through the throat of the birds. This prevents the bird from being able to swallow it's catch, which the fishermen can extract from the bird's mouth.
On the last day in Shanghai we taxied our way to the cruise ship terminal and boarded the Victoria Prince, our home for the next nine days....
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