From Shanghai to Hangzhou

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The 19th was our last day in Shanghai and the first day in Hangzhou. The first half of the day, we spent our time at the Expo. This is the big expo that showcases Chinese culture. They say that this year is a ghost town compared to what it used to be. But that still means that there were a few thousand foreigners and Chinese alike waiting to see the Expo. We went through as fast as we could and it still took a long time. The wait was worth it though; the first room is of a painting that is animated. It was the coolest thing. Apparently it is the exhibit that many people flock from around the world to see. It was simply a projection onto a screen, but the way it was shown was extraordinary. There was night and day, and then there was many different people doing their daily job. The rest of the exhibit was full of various art shows and light displays, as well as many different things about where China is trying to go in the growing pollution crisis.

After leaving the Expo, it was time to have our final lunch in Shanghai. I have to say that I did not think that it was the best, but the food was definitely eaten. We cleaned more plates at this restaurant than at any other. Maybe it was because the food was served more slowly so we grabbed anything we could as fast as we could.

With the meal finished we departed for the train station to go to Hangzhou. The train station was absolutely gigantic. I mean huge like a sideways skyscraper. There were so many people waiting for trains and yet it was still the most efficient system-to-scale that I have seen. The train was also very nice. The top speed was over 350 km/h and the interior was very modern. The trip went smoothly and before we knew it we were in Hangzhou. The thing with Hangzhou is that it is 37C. That is damn close to 100F. We have been told that summer came early this year. It usually is not this hot until August. Wonderful. The rooms, we later discovered, were not well air-conditioned. Te beds are also rock-hard (I am not complaining because it feels fine for me but others are not able to agree). The shower pressure is also not all that great. My view is that this is China and the accommodations are a lot better than what the average person gets. That and I am in freaking China. I think I will suck it up. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures that night so I have nothing to show you and about then is when the day ended.

For breakfast I got the food from the cafeteria and then sat through orientation. After that we went to get cell phones. On the way back one of the guys was offered lunch from one of our Chinese guides in their cafeteria. He declined the offer, but I thought it would be a good idea to try to steal the offer from him. I know that it is Chinese custom to offer liked visitors into the home; I thought this was close to our guide’s home seeing as he is in college. Hopefully I did not step on a taboo by asking to go in the other guy’s place. But I went and had a big plate of dumplings with this spicy season on the side. Dumplings in China like wrinkly dumplings in America but filled with meat or other things that can substitute. It was so good. I feel bad because I ate the meal faster than my hosts. But I followed up the meal with an offer to take them to lunch as repayment for his kindness (the second step to the custom). I hope that this leads to a good friendship. After this the day slowed down.

Dinner was a startling experience. I went down to the cafeteria. Not one of the staff speaks English. It was terrifying to go in there alone. So I ran back up to the room for reinforcements. 3 others decided to then go down and get food. After what we agree to be some of the scariest moments of our life, everything was settled out. The food was very tasty, but I ordered expensive stuff. I hope that this is another experience I can learn from.

That about does it today. Hopefully I will get more to you tomorrow. My computer isn’t the one connected to the Internet, but oh well. I will work something out. Until next time…

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Photos

China Expo
The China pavilion in the Expo. It was absolutely humongous.

Train Station in Shanghai
This is the usual amount of daily traffic at the train station in Shanghai. I cannot imagine what it is like during holidays where over half of the urban population returns home to be with family.