Shanghai to Hong Kong first leg of homeward bound

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Geo: 22.33, 114.18

Last day on the mainland! We are certainly on the home stretch now. A leisurely breakfast buffet and then back to our day job...being a tourist. I have to say that checkout was very smooth...I am wondering if China is happy to see us go? No.....not possible...we have almost been a tourist attraction ourselves.

The Shanghai Museum was an absolute treasure trove. And there were thousands of people lined up on both sides of the building to get in. There is a security screening process prior to entry and this is what caused the bottle neck at the entries. But as usual, we were admitted via a side entrance and did not have to join the queue. Again, the guide thing...such a bonus.

For this venue, Miranda had organised an "audio phone" for us...you dial in the number of the display and listen to the commentary. It was a super idea. And so began our 3 hour exploration of Chinese coins and seals, calligraphy and painting, jade and jewels, costumes, furniture, ceramics and sculpture. It was fascinating - magnificently presented - and a perfect conclusion to our exploration of China. We were familiar with many of the stories that accompanied the pieces - recognised the emblems and understood much of the symbolism that adorned the exhibits. We wandered and marvelled and were suitably impressed with this prestigious collection of historical artefacts.

The presentation was perfect. Remember, the venue accommodates tens of thousands of visitors a day. Very spacious, stunning lighting, lots of information and a collection that ranges in time from the present to artefacts from civilisations BC. Many of the larger pieces are just "set" in the open. They have a white border on the floor around them...but they are not behind glass...you can really get up close and personal with them...as long as you don't touch.

It is definitely a place that you could spend days and weeks exploring.

But we had to move on and with a final few "let's be in everyone else's photos" by Mac the rock star, it was off to our final Shanghai lunch at Z-Dragon (Mac has renamed it for the Japanese clientele as Dragon Ball Z). This restaurant is for "foreigners" and was conveniently situated next to the Pearl and Jade Outlet. ALARM BELLS were clanging.

Oh dear, this was lunch nightmare in Shanghai part two. We couldn't believe it. Given what had happened the day before at lunch, there was no possible way we could be in another "foreigners' " lunch dungeon. But we were. And it was WORSE than the say before. With all of the choices on a Chinese menu can you believe we had cubes of chicken with cubes of potatoes AGAIN. The beef was different....slivers of miniscule shards of braised beef buried in a mound of sliced, grilled onion. All topped off with a sweet, slick bowl of tomato soup. Miranda didn't even go there...we were not asked for our opinion on this one....the untouched plates spoke for themselves!

And the single Western toilet was from a horror movie - so dirty in such a special way...I daren't describe it here for fear of turning your stomach!

We have had amazing food experiences in China...our two least favourite cities have been the set menus at Shanghai lunches and the set repeating menus of Guilin....selected and prepared for "Western tastes"....conveniently located near pearl and jade outlets.

The Bund was actually just like Southbank (as Mac had observed from the restaurant two nights before), but with our parochial Brisbane hats on, we'd have to say that our river walkway is better! The Bund surprised us - it was literally a very wide pedestrian strip that wanders along the side of the Huangpi River. The only "vendors" on the strip are the photographers and the drink salesmen (that was a bonus). No entertainment, no restaurants, nothing. What's the attraction? It seems to be the views. The iconic Shanghai shot from The Bund includes The Pearl TV Tower, the Bottle Opener and the new Shanghai Tower. So we strolled at a leisurely pace, admired the building that was our dinner venue with @PeterFoster, took lots of photos of the river and the skyline and chilled in the peace, beauty and solitude of The Bund....with 2 million others.

The river was constantly pumping barges and boats - filled with products or people. We could see the hordes of people milling over on the east bank and at the main entrances on The Bund side it was hard to get a little railing space to take a photo. But, tired of the spectacular cityscape, the locals continue to snap Mac sneakily or come up and ask for photos. And when business is slow, Mac creates his own opportunities and pops up in all sorts of settings...much to the amusement of many of the older ladies of Shanghai whose twittering laughter just encourages him to be more audacious. Hope I can settle him down before we get home - some Australian is likely to tell him what they think!

We said our good byes to Miranda and driver, Mr Fu, who have helped us discover the highlights of Shanghai. Miranda was waiting eagerly for the delivery of the obligatory feedback form. She scored a perfect 10 .... our comments concerning the food were directed at her manager. We are hoping that we have saved someone in the future from culinary death by chicken and potato cubes, sliced kabana and boiled cabbage.

Back to the airport via the international terminal and through immigration this time and onto our waiting Cathay-Pacific flight. First flight we have had that has been relatively empty. So like many others we swapped our seat allocation and sprawled across three seats and enjoyed a window view. Made in China Part 3 is well under way and we took in "The Monument Men" to pass the time. Added a bit of food, a couple of drinks and in the blink of an eye we had arrived at Hong Kong.

We were efficiently met by our Destination Asia driver and the Mercedes and started our 40 minute trip from the airport on Lantau Island to downtown Kowloon and the Nathan Road hotel. People EVERYWHERE, lights, cars, skyscrapers and English....accompanied by the usual NON smooth ride of braking and swerving that is Asia....but this time in a very swish vehicle with automatic doors and WiFi.

We checked in (by ourselves...first time in 30 days,) and made our way to 1501 and welcomed ourselves to a teeny, tiny, squishy, squeezy room...our home for the next three nights and four days. Oh well, it is bigger than the train berth to Kunming that we shared with two others.

It was time to hit the town. Had no idea where we were going but we just followed the people - found a supermarket and bought some fruit and juice - trolled the brand name shops, jostled through the bargains and finished up with an 11 pm dinner and drink at the hotel.....and not a care in the world except how we were both going to fit in the bed! It was so small we resorted to drawing straws to see who got to sprawl on their back first...the loser was the "log" clutching the edge.

And for those following along...it is safe to say that Sheeweena, my best friend in mainland China, has been appropriately disinfected and safely stowed. She served me well!

Pedometer Reading: 17 939
Temperature: Shanghai 19 C Hong Kong: 26 C

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Photos

Talking with the locals
You could get up really close to some of the exhibits...and NO I am not actually touching them...that would have set off a flurry of alarms and special attention by the gallery officers

Mixing up on The Bund
...can you see how Mac stands out in the crowd? So tall...by comparison!

No bull
Taking life by the horns...and checking out his credentials!
Loved the flower wall idea....the wall of The Bund is covered by a sea of flowers in artistic designs...each flower has its own little pot set in the wall.

Mac's favourite Shanghai building
Mac spotted this sign high on a building in the commercial precinct...must give all the Aussies a bit of a chuckle.

Comments

[Dot and the twins]

Try to get to the nunnery in uptown HK. My fav place in the big city. Also Disneyland is funny stuff. Ocean Terminal is mental for shopping. Have fun.