Farewell China

Thursday, 22 May, 2014

Fairmont Peace Hotel, Shanghai

"I do"

The Bund

Someone

A memorial to something

How every well bred dog is coiffured

A lot of bull

The Bund

Final selfie

Maglev "track"

Maximum speed this trip

As we had an 8.00 pm flight, we were lucky to have most of the day free.  After consulting with the concierge regarding taxis, we set out for the market/bazaar near the Yu Gardens, having decided to return for a spot of last minute souvenir shopping.  We managed to find our way around this maze of laneways and shops; I even returned to a pearl shop we had been taken to by our guide when we were here a couple of days earlier – and bought the pearls I had been looking at for a much cheaper price!  Our sense of direction was working well and we found our way back to the main street just as an empty taxi stopped in front of us because of a red traffic light.  The taxis we used in China were very cheap compared to Australia, with a fifteen minute ride costing about $4, including a tip.  The worst thing about the taxis would be the lack of seat belts, considering the traffic and speed.

We were fortunate to have a late checkout of 2.00 pm, so had plenty of time to visit the Fairmont’s coffee shop for a western style lunch before packing our bags.  Although we were well within our weight limit, we were a little worried that one suitcase may have been over the individual bag limit, so once again the concierge was consulted.  We were directed to a small shop (and I mean, small) just around the corner, where there was a large selection of inexpensive bags.  We decided on a sturdy looking, “genuine” Nike sports bag, negotiated a price that we were all happy with, returned to the hotel, packed the bag and then one of the zips fell off!!!  Luckily, it was a double ended zip, so we were able to close the bag and use a cable tie to secure the end of the zip to a ring on the bag.  Plenty of duct tape also made sure the bag stayed closed.

As we still had a couple of hours before our escort arrived, after checking out we took the opportunity to finally have a long walk along the Bund.  With some sunshine and a nearly blue sky, many other people also decided on a walk along the Bund.  We also saw three different wedding groups having photos taken either alongside the river or with the beautiful flower walls as background.  There were a number of statues along the way, from a very friendly bull, to a mayor of Shanghai, what was obviously a statue to a revolutionary and a large memorial to something.  There were three large walls with Chinese characters surrounding this structure, but no English signage.

There were five of us travelling to the airport at the same time and a guide (with some degree of English but little deodorant) turned up at the appointed time to escort us to the Maglev train and then to our check-in points at Pudong Airport.  Much luggage was loaded somehow into the small eight seater van, with Ian and Joscelyn still unable to comprehend that the van would meet us at the airport with our luggage.  We were dropped at the Maglev station, given our individual tickets and taken to the platform to await the arrival of this special train.  Maglev is an abbreviation for magnetic levitation – this train operates on a concrete track, without rails, and does not have a driver.  The 33 kms to the airport takes 7 ½ minutes, reaching a speed of 301 km/h.  During peak hours, the train reaches a speed of 437 km/h.  After arriving at the airport, we had to go through explosives security to enter the terminal building, walk back out the other side and wait for our luggage to arrive, then back through explosives security to get back into the building to check in.  At this stage, we all went our separate ways, as we were travelling on different airlines.  Check in was a breeze, then it was through a bag x-ray before immigration, then it was a full security check, with our final pat-down in China.

Security in China has been very tight, especially at all airports and there has always been a very visible police presence.  Because of the conference in Shanghai, security around and in our hotel was exceptionally strong.

Our Qantas flight to Sydney was an hour late leaving and we were than given a choice of two Chinese dishes for dinner and a Chinese breakfast was served before landing.  We both managed about six hours of sleep on the plane, so felt quite good when we landed in Sydney.  With a few hours to spare before our flight to Melbourne, I tried my computer and discovered that everything was normal once again, so no need for IT support or a new computer.

When we arrived in Hobart, Shan and the boys were waiting for us and Jack managed to contain himself until we arrived home before asking if we had bought him a toy!  Shan had been very thoughtful and made a light dinner of chicken, salad and chips – very much appreciated.

Our thoughts and memories of China: a country which is very quickly developing with much construction happening, very good highways, clean roads and main streets, beautiful gardens and hedges along the roads, especially in the cities, so many, many people, , no graffiti, the constant smog, lots of men smoking but no women, very young children with split pants and bare bottoms, the vendors at all the tourist spots (we could easily have filled our suitcases with postcards!), squat toilets, always carrying toilet paper in one’s pocket, the beautiful hotels we stayed in and the excellent service, and last but definitely not least – the friendliness of everyone.

Unfortunately, Cat was unable to make contact with his mother or extended family …

 

We now have three weeks at home to prepare for our annual migration to Cairns and some warm weather.  We depart on the 16th June and the blog will recommence then.