Shanghai - Hangzhou

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Shanghai, the largest city in China, has a very different feel from the rest of China I have experienced so far. I could almost imagine that I was no longer in China. Of course, there were plenty of things that constantly reminded me that I was still in the Orient. I arrived in the middle of the day on a 20 hour overnight train from Xian. After looking around the station for a while, I managed to locate the ticket office so I could book my next major train trip - from Hangzhou, my next destination, to Guilin. There are a variety of automated ticket machines, all with an english mode, but apparently you need a Chinese ID to use them, which makes them pretty much useless. The main ticket office was located across the street, where you wouldn't suspect it if you didn't notice a couple small signs directing you there. I did manage to get a sleeper berth to Guilin, another nearly 20 hour overnight journey. I was going to Hangzhou in a few days, but I decided to buy that ticket later - it is only an hour away and there are trains every hour.

Once that was squared away, I hopped on the subway and made my way towards the Bund, where my hostel was located. The Bund is an area along the river with a variety of impressive examples of classical western architecture. It was an international district in the early 20th century housing many important western banks, trading houses, and other important establishments. I was staying at a place only a few blocks from the river for 3 nights, after which I would go to Hangzhou. Once I checked in, it was nearing sunset and I walked over to the river. A large, crowded promenade went along the river. The view across there was quite stunning. East, across the river from the historic buildings of the Bund is the very modern Pudong district, where dozens of skyscrapers house Shanghai's many financial institutions. The air was very clear with the sun getting low in the west creating a spectacular view. The skyline was bounded by iconic Oriental Pearl Tower on the left, with the Jin Mao Building and the World Financial Center (which looks like a giant bottle opener) on the right. In between were a variety of other skyscrapers. I'm sure it is one of the more beautiful skylines in the world. And turning around gave you a great view of the Bund's historic buildings. It was an interesting contrast - the modern with the old, separated by the river.

It was beginning to get dark, so I started towards Shanghai's main shopping street - Nanjing Road. It is easy to see that Shanghai is a very new city - only growing into the major city it is now in the last century. One of the most telling points for me is that all the streets are named after other cities or provinces in China - Beijing Road, Nanjing Road, Shanxi Road, etc. The subway station I had exited from was at the end of the pedestrian area of Nanjing Road, so I decided to go back and check out more of it. On the way there I grabbed a couple of snacks at a shop - I would describe it as street food, even though it was attached to a shop. I decided to try both of the pastry/buns that were there - one was more bready with an egg-roll like filling, while the other was a flaky, greasy pastry with a pork filling. I liked the pork the best, but both were good. I continued another block and I was back at the shopping street. It was still pretty busy, even though it was getting dark and it didn't seem like there were too many interesting things or food to buy at night. The street had a mix of the usual variety of name brand stores, some big Chinese stores selling a variety of foods, a couple of clothes shopping centers, and some restaurants. I noticed at least 3 Mcdonald's and 3 KFC's on the stretch, about one every couple blocks. I did a quick walk up and down the street to see if it was worth coming back to. I didn't see much that interested me, but I figured I'd be back one of the next days anyways. After a little wandering, I made it back to the hostel. Even though I had a good nights sleep on the train, I was still tired, so I didn't stay up especially late. There was a bar/cafe in the lobby (like every other chinese hostel so far), but it wasn't especially interesting, like all the others. I decided that I would spend the next day walking to a variety of places - the French Concession, Yuyuan Gardens and back to the river.

In the morning I looked at the map and decided my general route. First I would walk to the river and go south towards the Yuyuan gardens, specifically the bazaar that is outside, then I would go west to the French Concession. After that I would make my way back to the river. The day was nice and sunny, but when I got to the river the visibility wasn't as good as the evening before - there was a bit of a haze. The walk along the Bund was still very nice and once I reached a certain point I turned away from the river and went towards the gardens. Somewhere along the way I got my order mixed up and ended up going towards the French concession first. It didn't really matter though, since I would be walking back that way later. The city still had a very western feel to it along the entire walk. Along each block, there were about 3 or 4 alleys that led into the center of the block. These alleys were narrow, a little dirty, and had a distinctly Chinese feel. It was difficult to tell exactly when I entered the French concession area. The French Concession is an area where the French were given land during the colonial days of Shanghai. As a result it was developed in a very European manner. My first destination was a quiet, pleasant park. The park was a good size with plenty of trees and grass, lots of benches, tables filled with Chinese people drinking tea or playing card games, a pond and a statue of Marx and Engels. There were a few people writing on the paths with water. I don't know what they were writing, but it was fun to watch them work. The result looked very nice and stayed legible until someone stepped on it (inevitable since it was a fairly busy place) or started to evaporate. A few people were doing exercises around the park, but most simply seemed to be enjoying the nice weather. After taking my time there I walked through a few streets. I wasn't especially impressed with the area. It was nice, with some tree-lined streets, but I didn't come across any especially beautiful or interesting streets. It is a very large area, and walking it all would take too much time, so I just walked a small area. I made my way back east towards the river. On the way I passed a pedestrian street that was very developed into a cafe street. There were at least a dozen large cafes there, all pretty pricey. The food looked fine, but it was much more than I would want to spend. I continued towards the Yuyuan gardens and ran across another street that I was planning on visiting at some point - an "antique" street. I spent some time walking and inspecting the various stalls along the 3 or 4 blocks. There was mostly the same stuff I'd seen everywhere else. I decided to buy a communist style cap with a metal star on it and got a decent price. I didn't buy anything else, although I inquired on a few prices. A few blocks farther I turned down a small street that seemed interesting and went in the general direction I needed to go. A little ways in the street turned into a crowded area with lots of food carts and stands. At the end of this, it intersected with another street with a variety of shops. I got a few lamb skewers (3 for 5yuan) that were good (not as good as in Xian), a melon slice on a stick and a milk tea. That was enough to keep me going. I never actually saw where the garden was, but I was satisfied enough to keep going. It was only a short walk to the river. This part was much quieter, almost empty. There were a few docks with river cruise ships and an empty underground shopping/eating area. It was a nice change from the overcrowded promenade near the Bund. The view across the river was just as good here. I walked north along the river until I again was among the crowds of people. I was worn out from walking all day, so I went back to the hostel to get some rest. It was still light out when I was walking back, but it wouldn't last too much longer. After a while I started getting hungry, so I went out in search of something nearby. I was just going to get some instant noodles at a convenience store, but saw a guy selling potstickers from his 3-wheeled bicycle at a corner, so I got a pack of those and bought a drink from the familymart across the street. There seemed to be a mix of vegetable and pork potstickers, all of which were good.

I was going to take my last day in Shanghai slow. I still needed to buy my ticket to Hangzhou, so I started at the train station. The ticket was kind of expensive for such a short journey. I next went to the Shanghai Museum, in the People's Square. The museum was free, always a bonus. They had a variety of exhibits of art and artefacts. There was a large collection of bronze, mostly various food containers, wine containers and things of that nature. They also had a hall with beautiful examples of Chinese pottery, a hall of calligraphy and paintings, statues (mostly buddhist) and some others. It was a nice way to spend an hour or two. I had looked online for a good bookstore with english books the other day and came up with a couple options. There was a small used bookstore and the foreign language bookstore very close to each other on the way back from the museum. Along the way I walked down Nanjing Road, and decided to get lunch. Since there wasn't much of interest there I just went to one of the Mcdonalds and ordered a big mac, which tasted exactly the same as at home. I checked out the used bookstore first. It was a small place, but they had a few shelves of english books at good prices, so I bought a couple. I went to the large foreign language bookstore, just because it was so close, but didn't get anything there. I didn't feel like doing much else, so I just went and spent the afternoon at the hostel. I had to book a hostel for the next two nights in Hangzhou, but had trouble booking the one I wanted online, so I just decided to show up without a reservation - there seemed like plenty of spaces open in the dorms.

My train was at 11:00am, and since I had to get across the city to one of the train stations (not the central one) I had to be packed and ready around 9:30. The guy at the reception told me it would take about 50 minutes to get there, but it really only took half an hour, so I had plenty of time to wait. I hadn't eaten yet so I grabbed a quick bite at the only real option, which was a KFC (I think there was a mcdonalds at the opposite end). The station had one huge waiting room with about 20 or so different gates to the train platforms below. The train was pretty comfortable - the second class car had a 3-2 seat arrangement and I was in the aisle seat of the 3. It would have been nice to be at a window, but it didn't really matter. The train was a direct one between Shanghai and Hangzhou and made the trip in less than an hour, at times getting up to 300km/h. We arrived in Hangzhou at noon, and I had to find the bus to take me to the hostel. The directions were rather vague, so when I got off the bus I didn't really know where I was. I walked in the general direction of the lake and found one of the public bicycle racks which had an interactive display with a map. I sort of knew where the hostel was, so I walked in what I thought was the right direction. I crossed a small canal and was in an old-fashioned area. A short walk and I was at a drum tower, which I was apparently supposed to get off at. I think I got on the bus going the wrong direction, but it seemed like the right one at the time. I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for a drum tower though. Just past it is the historic street with a variety of shops and stalls. I kept walking past it a bit, before eventually finding a tourist info booth where I was pointed in the right direction. I walked back through that same area and eventually found my hostel.

I was a bit tired from walking around with my bag trying to find the hostel. I was able to get a bed in the dorm at the online price, which was cheaper than the walk-in price. After a brief rest there, I walked towards the lake. The neighborhood was nice with lots of shops that I would check out later. For now I just walked by them. About 15-20 minutes of walking later I was at the entrance to one of the many parks around the lake. The West Lake is Hangzhou's most famous attraction. West Lake is a large beautiful lake with a few islands and surrounded by parks and public spaces. I was considering renting a bicycle one of the next two days and doing a loop around it. For now I was content just walking around the park for a little while. It was very nice - there were lots of little boats for hire that would take you either on a pleasure cruise around the lake or ferry you to one of the islands or other docks. After a short walk, I headed back to the hostel. I was hungry so back in the neighborhood, I went looking for some food. I found a small side street with a variety of booths. It was like street food, but there was a permanence to the booths that made it feel more like a bunch of tiny restaurants. I got a bowl of stick rice that was ok - the little bits of corn and peas were kind of bland and the pork kind of tasted like candy. I also got some chicken skewers that were also kind of dull. They were bright orange so I expected at least some flavor, but was somewhat disappointed. It wasn't great, but it was filling and cheap so I was satisfied. I did a short walk up and down the main street. I read about a night market, so I went in search of that. It was supposedly about 15 minutes from the hostel, but I never found anything that I would consider a night market. There was a clothing market area, but it didn't seem like what I was looking for so I just went back and spent the rest of the evening at the hostel.

The next day I went to the Longjing tea fields. It was an easy enough bus ride - one transfer and about an hour on the bus. The tea fields are not far west from the lake. I got off at the stop the guy at the hostel wrote down for me, but there was nothing there. The whole area is on the side of a hill, so I just walked downhill along the road until I found something. I came across the village first with a variety of teahouses, but I wasn't really interested in that. I kept walking and found the small temple and the well that the village was named for (Longjing means "Dragon Well"). I kept walking downhill and came to a small collection of houses with a few signs pointing to a few sights. I checked out a few of those but it was kind of uninspiring. Up on the slopes of the hill were a few small tea fields, but I wanted to see some up close. I decided to keep walking along the road and finally found what I was looking for. The first tea field was fairly small, but nice. I walked through some of the plants along a path. I kept going and went along a side path which led through a larger field. They were both beautiful and in great locations. At the end of the path was an area with a few large fields, where I imagine most of the production occurs. It was nice, but not as beautiful as the area I just walked through. It was pretty much just a collection of large flat fields. I went back the way I came and stopped in one of the small tea houses to buy some tea. It was not cheap, but I bought the cheapest one available - 100yuan for a 125g tin. I was satisfied and went back to find the bus. Once I was back in the neighborhood of my hostel, I was hungry again, but didn't really have any interest in the street I ate at before, so I just grabbed another easy lunch at a mcdonalds. The rest of the afternoon I dedicated to walking around the neighborhood. I looked in some of the stores. There were plenty of tea shops selling Longjing tea, among others. I bought a small tin of the cheapest to drink on the road and a small tin of jasmine tea. I found a shop where they had a couple tables full of stuff for 5yuan so I had to look. There was a pile of various pieces of jewelry and a few other random things. I bought a couple things that looked ok, and at that price I had no problem with it. While I was wandering I went into the bird and flower market nearby. It was disappointing. There were two floors of flowers, a floor with chinese traditional medicine which was interesting to look at. In one corner by one of the medicine shops was a small area with birds and a few other animals. There was a variety of birds, many that you would find in a pet store at home - lots of finches, lovebirds, cockatiels, a couple parrots. There about a dozen cages of some kind of blackbird. The cages were overcrowded and kind of dirty. It didn't seem like the friendliest place. In the basement were more pets - mostly fish, turtles and rabbits. There were lots of rabbits, a few chipmunks and squirrels too. The squirrels didn't seem too happy to be in cages. A little more wandering back outside and it was getting close to dinnertime. I asked at the hostel for a recommendation and they gave me the name of a place where I could get cheap dumplings. They didn't have pork ones apparently, so I left and found somewhere else to eat. I ended up at a muslim restaurant. It was more expensive that I would eat everyday (still cheap by western standards), but it was really good and filling. I had a lamb rice and a lamb and cheese "quesadilla" is the best way I can think of to describe it. I did another walk around the area and went back to the hostel.

I had most of the day until my train at 6:30pm. I decided to spend most of it walking around the lake. I went to where I was the other day and walked south a ways. After a while I turned around and walked to near the northenmost point, near downtown. The whole walk was very nice, peaceful and beautiful. There were the same variety of boats cruising around the lake. I decided not to rent a bicycle and just walk. There were a few places where a groups of people, mostly older men and women, were playing a variety of games - cards, mahjong, chess, etc. There were lots of people reading, talking, walking around or just sitting. Once I reached the northern end I turned around and walked through some of the streets and looked for food. I ended up in the area I was at before looking for the night market, and started walking back towards the hostel. I remembered seeing some supermarkets along the way before and a bunch of restaurants. I did some detours along side streets to see what else there was. In China, there are a lot of small shops with all sorts of services - various repair shops, tools, appliances, etc. It is quite interesting to see, especially since these kinds of places often spill out into the sidewalks with the owners working away at something with a grinder or welder or some other tool. I had lunch at a Chinese chain, Master Kong's, where they served a variety of beef noodle dishes. It was pretty good, but nothing special. At the supermarket I stocked up on snacks for the upcoming train. I still had a few hours to kill, so I just waited around in the hostel and went out for one final walk around. I would not have been opposed to spending another day in Hangzhou, it is a very nice city, but I couldn't really change my train. At about 5, I walked over to the bus station where after a little waiting caught the bus to the train station. I was leaving from a different one than the one I arrived at. This station was on the east side of the city (named Hangzhou South station for some reason). It took nearly an hour to get there by bus and was dark when we arrived. The train was delayed a few minutes getting in. I had no trouble finding my bed - I was in a middle berth at one end of a car. I read for a while, ate some snacks before finally falling asleep. Since it was dark, there was not much to see outside the windows. I didn't get a very good sleep on the train this time. Maybe we stopped more. The bed felt a little narrower this time, but I'm not sure if it actually was. I woke up and read some more to pass the time. I had brought some oranges for breakfast which I ate along with whatever else I had in my bag. The train was about an hour behind schedule it seemed, so I ate the bowl of instant noodles I brought on for lunch. The view was nice - lots of small farms with rice and other fields. It seemed to take forever, but eventually we arrived at Guilin.

I will be spending the remainder of my time in China in the area around Guilin. I've been here a couple nights now, but I will save that until the next entry. Tomorrow I will be going to the Longji rice terraces and spending the night at a hostel there. After that I will come back to Guilin and then do a couple days at each of two villages downriver before coming back and then heading off to Vietnam.

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