cars, whisky & countryside

Asia » China » Shanghai
May 24th 2009

Published: May 24th 2009

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caroleinasia

some space outside the auto show

Oops, it’s been 3 weeks since my last blog. So, here’s a few things we’ve been getting up to in the past few weeks.

We went to the Shanghai motor show. Easy to get to - straight down line 2 on the metro, then follow the huge crowds of people. Unfortunately, we didn’t see the Ferrari, Maserati or Lamborghini due to the insane overcrowding… and we didn’t get to the cool concept cars because after 2 hours of said insane overcrowding I had to get out!!

A much more enjoyable and interactive event was Whisky Live, a little taste of home. It was just around the corner from where we live, so it’d be rude not to. It was quite bizarre seeing the saltire plastered everywhere and banners welcoming us to Scotland. We had wee nips of Highland Park, Bruicladdich, Bowmore, Balvenie, Aberfeldy and lots of others that I can’t remember now! No haggis though!

Last weekend a few of us escaped the megalopolis and took a train to Hangzhou, renown for its cultural heritage and natural beauty. Arriving at the train station it didn’t seem that promising, a bit grim really. After queuing for half an hour

crowds

for a taxi, we left the grey city behind and drove through the most greenery we’ve seen in ages. Our first stop was Lingyin Temple surrounded by forested hills, caves and Buddhist carvings. Thankfully it wasn’t too busy (relatively speaking) and by walking up and off the main path a bit we even managed to find ourselves completely alone. Next was a late buffet lunch at a huge teahouse and then a wander around one of China’s most famous lakes - West Lake. We decided to take a boat trip, even though Paul insisted it looked a ‘bit choppy’. He was proved right though; 5 minutes in and the captain declared we were going to capsize and beat a quick retreat back to the pier! Time to get back to the train station and there were no taxis to be found. Connie, aka Group Leader, managed to get us a lift in some random guy’s minivan for 50 quai (rmb). But first we had to wait while he completed his police report - he’d just been back-ended by a motorbike.

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