{"id":69,"date":"2011-04-28T04:36:19","date_gmt":"2011-04-27T16:36:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/?p=69"},"modified":"2011-04-28T04:36:30","modified_gmt":"2011-04-27T16:36:30","slug":"shanghai-was-a-wonderful-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/2011\/04\/28\/shanghai-was-a-wonderful-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Shanghai was a wonderful place"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shanghai \u2013 Saturday 23 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

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What a day but first I really should say a big thank you to Renee Olsen from the Flight Centre at Dukes Arcade.\u00a0\u00a0 She has done a great job of putting our trip together so if I mention Renee thought this blog that will be who I am talking about. We managed to sneak our way into the Koru Lounge in Auckland so a few snacks there as we went through some last minute briefs with Doug & Ngaire and gave them their documents.<\/p>\n

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The flight left on time and we were soon in the air.\u00a0 NZ480 bound for Shanghai.\u00a0 The realisation that we were on holiday finally starting to sink in. A pleasant fight but the screen on the in house entertainment system was crap and everything seemed to be happening at night.<\/p>\n

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Shanghai \u2013 Saturday 23 April<\/strong><\/p>\n

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We arrived at Shanghai early (7.30am Saturday) to a beautiful but smoggy day and found our way to the Maglev.\u00a0 This rocketed us into the edge of the city reaching a top speed of 431 km\/h.\u00a0 We thought we would catch the Metro from there but after standing in a queue that hadn\u2019t even got in the station door for a while we though we would grab a cab.\u00a0 We negotiated a price of 180RMB (around$45kiwi) for the trip amongst many taxi drivers vying for our custom.\u00a0 We managed to squeeze all our bags and us into this not so big cab and head off.\u00a0 He obviously did not know where he was taking us and we then had to talk to a call centre and explain where.\u00a0 An interesting time where we made our own lane down some of the roads. Constantly had horns blown at we think us and every now and then he took booth hands off the wheel to show us how big Shanghai was.\u00a0 The road in many places was set well above the ground level.\u00a0 We had a bit of heated discussion when we got to our hotel as he then wanted 300RMB and wanted the money before we got out of the car.\u00a0 We gave him 200 as that was what we had in notes, got out in the middle of the street and headed for the hotel.<\/p>\n

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It turned out we were at the wrong wing of the hotel but they stole us any way said they were giving us an upgrade and it wouldn\u2019t cost any more. \u00a0That\u2019s what we did so hope it all works out Renee.\u00a0 We got our room straight away dumped our gear and were ready to explore what promised to be a wonderful city.<\/p>\n

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Our closest station was Shanghai Railway Station so we headed off there. 4 minutes away.\u00a0 We got in this queue and after going down these raceway things found ourselves at the front of the station only to realise that everyone else had tickets and we didn\u2019t.\u00a0 We could then see there was another place next door for buying tickets but these raceway things only went one way.\u00a0\u00a0 After some stuffing around as we appeared to be locked in this corral area we found a gate that was not locked and we could head the other way down one of the chutes.\u00a0 Lined up in the room full of automatic ticket booths and were struggling our way thought that to find the main station and the Metro were too different places.\u00a0 So off to the Metro we go a few 100 metres back the way we had come.\u00a0 We found a nice lady in a booth and managed to convey to her that we wanted 4 tickets to Najini Nth Road Station.\u00a0 The fun had just begun,\u00a0 We need to get on Line 1 and into Peoples Square (3 stops) and change to \u00a0Line 2 and go 1 stop.\u00a0 After more fun with the machines and a long walk to No 2 line we were there. The trains were long and almost standing room only we shared odours with the locals as we got up close.<\/p>\n

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We emerged from the station to be greeted by a couple of locals that wanted to take us to their shop.\u00a0 We couldn\u2019t shake them as we headed down the road so eventually did end up in their shop.\u00a0 They didn\u2019t have what we wanted and we escaped although we could have brought an iPhone for about $NZ160.\u00a0 An impressive looking copy I am guessing. They recommended a restaurant across the road which didn\u2019t look much and nobody spoke English but turned out to be good.\u00a0 The Chinese beer was great and we have had it a few times since.\u00a0 We headed off down he Bund which was a very popular spot along the old town side of river.\u00a0 Hundreds of people walking along wedding photos but possibly the most popular event was a white guy with a long green spiked Mohawk.\u00a0 The Chinese loved having there photograph taken with him. The Huangpu River was a huge river with all sorts of shipping going past and on which Shanghai is built around. The Bund was touted as the spot where you can see the old and the new Shanghai. Across the river was the new and some really amazing and tall buildings.\u00a0 Unbelievably high.\u00a0 We found a tourist tunnel expecting to walk through and be able to see the river bottom but no we end up paying 100 RMB which did include a ticket to get in the Science & Technology Museum and we ended up in little pods which took us through a tunnel with noise and a laser light show.\u00a0 We emerged at the other side found a Metro station and headed to the Science & Technology museum.\u00a0 However after getting off the train we walked straight into the Fake Market where you could buy lots of gizmos clothes and allsorts of things.\u00a0 Doug brought shirts Margret shoes and Ngaire and I nothing.\u00a0 If it was the end of our trip and we had room in our cases we would have brought heaps.\u00a0 We headed up to the Museum,\u00a0 There was heaps in it, a fantastic building and a wee bit like Te Papa.\u00a0 We were all feeling very tired at this stage as it had been a enormous day, especially those that didn\u2019t sleep much on the plane.\u00a0 We headed back to the Metro and our hotel.\u00a0 It took us a while to find somewhere to eat as most places didn\u2019t have a menu.\u00a0 Eventually we found a Japanese restaurant and ended up with a really enjoyable meal.<\/p>\n

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Back to the hotel booked a tour of the water village for the next day and fell into our beds.\u00a0 All reported the best night sleep we had had for ages.<\/p>\n

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Sunday 24 April \u2013 Tour of Water Villages<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Woke up for a 7.30 breakfast as we were being collected at 8.40 for our tour.\u00a0 Jo our tour guide was waiting for us when we got down stairs.\u00a0 There were 8 of us on the tour, us four, a Nicaraguan couple now living in California.\u00a0 He worked for an electronics firm which had stuff built in Shanghai.\u00a0 And a Chinese couple.\u00a0 It was a good group and if the Chinese couple had been able to speak English we would have all had a great time.\u00a0 First stop was just over an hour out and was a garden in XXXXX.\u00a0 It was a garden built 500 years ago by a communications official that had nothing else to do and wanted something to pass on to the next generation.\u00a0 He must of got it right as thousands of people were still pouring through the gate 500 years later. It was a very nice tranquil place.\u00a0 We then headed off to the last bit of what was a walled city and up onto a high arched bridge.\u00a0 Made high to fit the Emperor\u2019s barge under with all his concubines. \u00a0We were then off for lunch before getting a look around the number one silk works in all of China (and the world).\u00a0 It was really interesting and we got to spread out a silk worm cocoon to help make a bedspread.\u00a0 We ended up buying a bedspread which is being shipped home.<\/p>\n

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It was then off to Zhouzhuang The number 1 Water Town of China, or the Oriental Venice made famous by a New York painter who painted the right angled bridges and sold the painting to an oil Baron who then presented it to the Chinese Premier.\u00a0 A fascinating smelly little town.\u00a0 We got punted around the cannels.\u00a0 Well not really punted but propelled by an oar out the back which was sort of twisted to get the forward motion. \u00a0They were also famous for their pork as the Premier liked it.\u00a0 Headed back to the hotel arriving around 6.30 and headed out to Mr Lee\u2019s for a meal.\u00a0 Really interesting with us all eating our noodle meals with chop sticks.\u00a0 Another early night.\u00a0 What I have learnt is that is tiring being on holiday.<\/p>\n

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Jo was a brilliant guide.\u00a0 Interesting, good English, a good general knowledge and a great sense of humour.<\/p>\n

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Monday 25th April<\/strong><\/p>\n

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We thought we would have a sleep in but were down for breakfast at 8.30.\u00a0 We weren\u2019t in a hurray as we wanted to travel outside the rush hour.\u00a0 After breakfast it was off to the Metro.\u00a0 We were becoming experts by now but were still having a bit of trouble with the ticket machines.\u00a0 Some were coins only, some gave no change and some just didn\u2019t seem to work.\u00a0 The only good thing was the locals seemed to have similar problems.\u00a0 We headed for The Peoples Square for no other reason than we had transferred through there on the Saturday and never got a chance to go up top and look.\u00a0 Well nothing much up top anyway.\u00a0 We were often accosted by young Chinese looking for someone to practice their English on.\u00a0 That was always a lot of fun.\u00a0 From the Peoples Square we just started walking and taking in the local culture.\u00a0 After a while we thought we would go looking for the Yu Gardens which were supposed to be part of the early Shanghai.\u00a0 We found where they were but couldn\u2019t find an entrance but did end up in some temple.\u00a0 While the girls were in some diamond centre Doug and I were sitting out side when I got suckered into buying a couple of Rolexes.\u00a0 I finally beat him down to 80 RMB but later found out the 20 RMB he had given me for change was probably monopoly money.\u00a0 Well it might as well have been.\u00a0 I count myself lucky as he tried to swap the 100 RMB note I had given him for another one as he claimed the one I gave him was ripped.\u00a0 I told him to get lost which was just as well as he would have been giving me a fake there as well.\u00a0 All good fun as 20 RMB was only $5 any way.\u00a0 Ngaire did even better she came out and got her two watches for 35 RMB.\u00a0 Fortunately the girls hadn\u2019t brought any diamonds.\u00a0 Well not that we know of.\u00a0 We mucked around in the area, had some lunch where Doug ordered these Durian cakes.\u00a0 Very vial tasting things.\u00a0 The waiter watched me eat the one I was forced into eating and laughed the whole time.\u00a0 Some more sightseeing and by the time we found the gardens it was too late to go in.\u00a0 Something for tomorrow.\u00a0 We went and explored another park and then home on the Metro.\u00a0 We found this really impressive restaurant not too far from our hotel and ate a really top notch meal before heading back to the hotel for another early night.<\/p>\n

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This touristy stuff is really tough.<\/p>\n

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Tuesday 26th \u2013 Our last day in Shanghai<\/strong><\/p>\n

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We headed off just after nine for the Yu gardens.\u00a0 We found a faster way than getting home the night before and were there shortly after 10.\u00a0 The gardens were lovely and we got to participate in a tea ceremony.\u00a0 We then headed back into the crowd and ended up at apparently the oldest Tea house in Shanghai, 185 years old for another tea ceremony.\u00a0 All these healthy teas should have fixed all our ailments.\u00a0 In spite of Doug\u2019s ribbing I went and brought a Man Bag I had seen the day before.\u00a0 I needed something more styley than the pack I had been carting around knocking people in the subway with.\u00a0 I am sure I got more attraction from the girls with my new bag.\u00a0 We wandered off towards the communications tower which towered about half a kilometre into the sky.\u00a0 It was always hard to see the top because of the pollution.\u00a0 We managed to find a ferry to cross the river.\u00a0 It cost 40cents NZ.\u00a0 We had a late lunch in a huge shopping mall with an amazing assortment of foods.\u00a0 We went to a bakery with some really nice bread and pastries.\u00a0 We headed for the tower but decided 150 RMB was more than we wanted to pay so gave it a miss.\u00a0 You probably couldn\u2019t see that far with the smog.<\/p>\n

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Somebody said the temperature was 31 Degrees today.\u00a0 We shot back into the mall and wandered around before catching the metro back to the hotel where we had left our bags. We grab a taxi to the airport so we could see different stuff to the trip in.\u00a0 Driving in Shanghai is always interesting, lane markings don\u2019t mean much and horns been blowen constantly, we saw heaps of very large apartment building.\u00a0 We joked that there were maybe more people in one of these than\u00a0 in Hastings.\u00a0 We got to the airport far too quickly, less than an hour and over 3 hours before we could start checking in.\u00a0 It gave me my first chance to really catch up on this Blog.\u00a0 However have been struggling to find wifi convenient to upload this.\u00a0 Heading for the plane and Athens with a two hour stop-off in Munich. Should be there in 18 hours.<\/p>\n

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Renee full marks for our Shanghai hotel.\u00a0 Apart from no free internet it was excellent.\u00a0 By the way a Taxi to the airport was 190 RMB less than $40 NZ.<\/p>\n

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Next stop Athens<\/p>\n

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Shanghai \u2013 Saturday 23 April   What a day but first I really should say a big thank you to Renee Olsen from the Flight Centre at Dukes Arcade.\u00a0\u00a0 She has done a great job of putting our trip together … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72,"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69\/revisions\/72"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hailes.co.nz\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}