Me and Yu in Shanghai

China: 15-17th October

I am proud to say I did not waste the day! I may have only got in at 7am but you can bet your bottom dollar I made it to our Chinese lesson!! Three hours sleep no problem; I’ve got this! Man was it a struggle, only Erika and I made it, the others all decided to skip the lesson and after last night can’t say I blame them. To be honest I don’t really remember anything from any of the Chinese lessons we have had so far, I really am a typical Englishman – rubbish with other languages. Although waking up early wasn’t a complete lose; after the lesson, Paulina and Ricardo were awake and had decided to leave Shanghai early. I was sad to see them go but then Ricardo gave me his key card. In other words your boy got a free upgrade for the next two nights! A room to myself, a shower just for me not the whole floor – oh heaven.

However, before I could enjoy this newly acquired room we had a city tour to go on. After seeing Paulina and Ricardo off, David took me and Erika on a walking tour of Shanghai. Tom decided to spend the day in bed working on his hangover. Before the tour started properly David took Erika and me for some lunch and we got some soup dumplings; they were great, best dumplings I’ve had so far, even if I did make a bit of a mess – again! Once filled we went for a city walk along the river front seeing many old British colonial buildings including the old Custom House and first ever Shanghai branch of HSBC. After the river front we visit the Yu Garden, built in 1559 during the Ming dynasty by Pan Yunduan to please his father, minister Pan En, in his old age. Now it is a beautiful escape from the industrial and built up city around it. As David didn’t join us inside, Erika and I weren’t aware of any more of the history of the garden, nonetheless it was a wonderful garden to see. Exiting the garden we met up with David again to explore the old Yuyuan bazaar, which to me seemed pretty modern and commercialised, but the old style architecture was still a nice contrast to the modern sky-rises that Shanghai is known for. After our leisurely tour of the city we head back to the hostel and I spent the rest of the day enjoying having my own room for the first time since getting to China, and heading to bed early to make up for some lost sleep.

Erika and me at The Bund, Shanghai

Catching up on my sleep made it a late start to the next day. The group meets for lunch and we are getting a local breakfast type dish from a hole in the wall kinda place. It is a sort of omlettey pancake type meal with lots of filling. Having not eaten since the noodles the day before I order every filling there is apart from the devilled eggs and impress David immensely as I munch it down – delicious!! With our bellies full we head over to the French Concession an area of central Shanghai dominated by European architecture; a sign of France’s previous colonial power here. The area is now home to many consulates and we pass the American and Iranian consulate on the same road – a proximity that David, our guide, finds rather funny. After quickly whizzing through the Concession we head to Jin Mao tower across the river, this massive building has a viewing floor that David, Tom and I go up while Erika opts to wait at the bottom and get a bubble tea. The views are amazing even though it is a foggy day and we can see for miles! After enjoying the views we head back down and David walks us along the water front to a boat terminal where he ditches us to meet up with his girlfriend. The reason we are here is because we are waiting for the evening boat tour of the harbour but have an hour and a half to kill before the whole city turns on its light show. Once on the crowded boat we opt to stay on the bottom floor to avoid the masses and get some great views of both sides of the river front, it is an impressive show of lights although about half of them are just adverts for whichever company owns that particular skyscraper. After the tour we make our way back and it is another early night at the hostel. We all want to make the most of our new double rooms. Upon hearing about Erika and I getting Paulina and Ricardo’s rooms, Tom decides to upgrade himself – can’t say I blame him.

Oriental Pearl TV Tower

After what was another lovely evening and a great nights sleep it is another late start. The group meets up at noon and we head out for a noodle lunch, Surprise, surprise, I get noodle soup. After the lunch we take the metro to the other side of Shanghai to visit Zhujiajiaozhen a beautiful water village on the Dianpuhe river with canals running through it and small winding streets with lots of shops and cafes. After a short gondola ride along the canals David treats the group to an ice cream and asks what our plan is. We aren’t too sure, so end up stopping for a tea and watching the world go by for an hour or so. After our relaxing day at the village we head back to the hostel. Tom and I decide to go for a very traditional dinner at KFC. I have to say there has been a surprising lack of chicken in the food we have had in China so, although not the healthiest, it is a welcome treat! Once back at the hostel I am supposed to be going back to my shared room but decide to treat myself and upgrade as it is our final night in Shanghai and a early start tomorrow morning, so I want a good night’s sleep!

Huxinting Teahouse, Yu Garden

HSBC, The Bund – first ever Shanghai branch

Dragon Wall, Yu Garden

Kuailou Pavilion and Baoyun Rock at Yu Garden

Old Yuyuan bazaar

Breakfast