Shanghai - Monday 9th April

So, our final day in Shanghai was here. Was it really only two days since we had arrived?  We had intended to chat with Joe the previous night about visiting an alternative to our itinerary today. After all we had already been to Jin Mao Tower and we had already walked along the Nanjing road. When Joe arrived the first thing we did was to ask about his colleague. Joe was visibly distressed when he advised us that his colleague had died and the driver was in hospital.

Huge bronze water buffalo on Bund recalling the days before
this area was commercialised

Our schedule would take us the The Bund area and, whilst en route, we broached the subject of changing the remainder of our morning. There is apparently a good Aquarium in Shanghai but, we would have been happy to return to Yuyuan  Market to browse the shops and visit the Temple of the Town God.  Joe was not really listening. He was obviously distracted by his distress. The promenade along the Bund was quite chilly with wind blowing and rain threatening. Despite that there were a number of people strolling, several practising Tai Chi and some attempting to fly kites despite the weather. In days gone by this area had been the heart of this bustling port and in earlier times had been farmland. The huge statue of the water buffalo is a reminder of those days.

The male lion with mouth open, roaring.

Joe took us across the road to enter a branch of the Bank of Shanghai. This building dates back to the 1920's and was originally the headquarters of HSBC.  The entrance is guarded by two large bronze lions. One male and one female. These are intended to guard and protect the wealth within.

The benign female lion with mouth closed.

Inside the lobby, just below the ceiling, there are a series of huge murals depicting major capitals of the era. These are stunning but we were told that no photography is allowed. Whilst we stood, with necks tilted backwards gazing at these murals, a party of suited orientals were being ushered through the lobby by a suited bank official. Obviously the same rules did not apply as they passed snap, snap, snapping as they went. Inside the main hall of the bank there are enormous marble columns, absolutely stunning. The whole building really is a magnificent sight. So sad that I cannot share it with you.

From here we took a short walk to the Fairmont Peace Hotel. On entering, past the uniformed doorman who smiles a pleasant greeting,  the Art Deco magnificence of the lobby becomes apparent. I happen to love Art Deco and it was a pleasure to spend a few minutes in the lobby area here. Walking on into the second, circular, lobby area there are magnificent murals in relief  'white metal' depicting Shanghai in the early twentieth century.  A popular feature at this hotel is the 1920's style Jazz Bar. The hotel had been built in the 1920's by Sir Victor Sassoon, a British Jew with  Iraqi  origins  whose family had major businesses in  Asia and India. When the hotel was built it was the first 'sky scraper' in Shanghai.

These vehicles, often very colourful, can be seen all over China. Many have motors but others are purely peddle power. Most are used as a taxi service but some are used to transport a variety of goods.

Mr Dai met us once again with his very comfortable  'people mover' and we were off once again.  We travelled for ten minutes or so and we were not at all happy when we arrived at our destination. This was the Shanghai Silk Museum. Once again, an excuse for a Government Retail Outlet - quality guaranteed.  The reason that I was so annoyed about this was that it had been a suggestion on the original itinerary suggested by Andy. I had this visit removed as we simply did not want to be told how silk is produced. We possibly know as much about silk production as the young lady that was telling us all about it. This part of France used to be a major silk producing area. During periods of religious persecution Huguenot silk weavers fled to England. So, we have been to many museums both in UK and here in France. Been there, heard the lecture, bought the T-shirt etc. So, we tried to smile sweetly while the young lady gave us her rehearsed speech. During this speech she produced leaves,  'These are very special and very important in China.'  'Yes' we said, 'Mulberry leaves.'  She seemed surprised that we recognised the leaves but she looked completely confused when we said that we had two mulberry trees in our garden at home.


Then, of course, we were forced to mount the stairs to visit the official shop. Not a soul there except for the hoards of bored looking staff. Yes, there were many lovely items there but we did not want them. I was not tempted to buy a scarf that would have lived for the next twenty years in my drawer, unworn. Silk quilts were being thrust at us with the offer that 'You don't need to carry it. We can ship to USA'.   My sarcasm was lost on them when I replied 'Well, you can if you like but we don't live there'. So many of the Chinese  seem to assume that every Westerner is an American.

There was yet another discussion between Joe and a member of staff before we left. No doubt complaining about the fact that we had failed to buy anything.

So, back we went for the unwanted walk down Nanjing Road and on to lunch. Suddenly we realised that we were approaching our hotel. Imagine our delighted surprise when entered the Merrylin. It was full of extremely well dressed business people and looked very posh.

The thousands of suspended lights change colour
throughout the meal.

Our table was on the right. The last one in the row towards the rear.

Joe said that he would order some local specialities for us. He ordered a veritable banquet. The soup was absolutely delicious. A slightly glutinous consomme style containing tiny noodle style dumplings. There was a slight hint of sweetness. We were presented with a huge terrine of soup and although we had several portions there still seemed to be a lot wasted.  Then a variety of dishes were served. Joe had ordered a crisp stuffed pancake, seen on the left, that he jokingly referred to as Shanghai pizza and crab dumplings with dipping sauce. Those crab dumplings in the bamboo basket were delicious.

The main dishes of our meal.

There was also a spicy beef dish and green beans with garlic that  was heavenly. On top of the green beans were what appeared to be fried garlic flowers that seemed to open and close with heat of the beans. We shared a large bottle of beer but Joe later said that he had ordered two bottles. 'I'll get it for you now'. 'Oh, no thank you we are leaving in a minute aren't we?' 'I know that the English can drink beer quickly'.  'Maybe, but we have to sit on a plane for two hours this afternoon'. Joe had certainly redeemed himself a little with this meal.

As Mr Dai pulled away from the restaurant the forecast rain began. No matter.  How nice of it to hold off until now. 

We should have been flying with China Airline but there had been a change although departure would be at the same time. Now we would travel by Xiamen. As we had never heard of that airline we wondered what the experience would be like. There was a small hiccup at check in desk when we were told that our suitcases had been diverted to be opened. Joe looked a little worried and asked if we had packed something forbidden. It turned out to be my suitcase that the officer wanted to check. She pointed to my make up bag. 'What is that?'  I indicated my face and was about open the bag for inspection when she waved me away. 'No need, thank you'.  I wonder what they thought was in there.

When we had arrived on Saturday we had some impression of the size of the airport but not much else. Now, we were struck by the vast open spaces that appeared to be comparatively empty of passengers. Yet, the arrival and departure boards listed an enormous number of international and internal flights. We mentioned this to Joe and he said that it was the policy of the Government to 'build for the future'. After all, China is anticipating that tourist numbers will rise considerably in the forthcoming years. Now it was time to say farewell and we passed through security to air side.

We passed through huge empty halls on the way to our departure gate. There was a vast selection of stores, cafes and restaurants. There had also been plenty to choose from on land side. There were plenty of  toilet facilities at frequent intervals and an enormous number of public seating provided, many in areas with TV screens playing. In addition there were exclusive lounges for the up market passengers. There were also plenty of water dispensers providing both hot and cold drinking water. Cleaning staff were everywhere and included several women with cloths and sprays whose sole purpose seemed to be to find and instantly remove any small dirty spots on the carpet.

As we watched flights being called it appeared that most flights would be full. It seemed that the airport only looked empty because it was so huge.

Our flight was called on time and the small aircraft was surprisingly comfortable - and full. We might have been the only western passengers on this flight. We departed at 4:30 and would arrive in two hours. Shortly after take off we were served with a pleasant hot meal and a soft drink. I don't think that any of the internal flights in China have any alcohol on board.

It had been raining quite heavily when we took off and there was considerable turbulence during the flight. We landed at the smallish rural airport of Yichang  where we were met by our guide and driver to be escorted to the cruise ship. I must apologise that I cannot remember the name of this guide but we were only in his company for the forty minute drive to the ship. He seemed very relieved to meet us and explained that he had been worried that the airport would be closed whilst we were in flight. The airport is surrounded by mountains and so is closed if a storm hits. Our guide had been closely watching the skies whilst we had been experiencing the turbulence.

We arrived in darkness and, almost before they had been unloaded from the car, a porter had loaded our cases onto a pole that he slung across his shoulder and was off down the hill in a flash. We were expecting to pay him the usual 10 RMB per case but, he had already unloaded them on board and disappeared by the time we ourselves boarded. As we boarded there a few local traders offering to sell wine, beer, snacks and souvenirs with the advice that everything was 'Cheaper! Cheaper!'.

We were guided into the dining room, where we were immediately served with tea, whilst our guide went to collect our cabin information after which he bid us goodbye. Some sort of introduction was being given to a group of Germans. We hoped that there would be other native English speakers on board with us. Before he left our guide had told us that our cases were already being taken to our cabin and we could go up when we were ready.

Our comfortable cabin with balcony

Our cabin was just as we had imagined. Small but with everything we needed including a neat shower room  and a balcony just large enough to sit out. We were a little surprised to find twin beds as we had been assured that a double king size had been booked. So, before we did anything else Mick popped down to reception to query that. Almost before he had returned himself, two members of housekeeping staff had arrived to move the furniture to create a double, with appropriate double sized bed linen. We were impressed by the speed of the service.

The Observation Lounge and Bar taken early in the morning

No meal would be provided on board until breakfast the following morning and so we were grateful for the large lunch that Joe had ordered for us and the in flight meal. We were certainly not hungry but, I had a secret store of KitKat bars for emergencies.  After a quick freshen up and change of clothes we joined the other passengers in the lounge bar for a briefing from Howard, the Cruise Manager. Complimentary nibbles were provided with the beers that we ordered. The obligatory safety procedures were explained and then some general information about the cruise schedule and activities. It turned out that everything required to be spoken in English, German and Chinese. In fact, we were a little surprised at just how many Chinese tourists there were on board. The following morning we would depart at 7am. It was suggested that we might like to view the departure from the deck before breakfast. The cruise fee included several onshore tours but we were invited to book an additional tour in the morning to Dragon Valley. This was a newly created tourist area recreating the older, traditional style of life in the region. A video of this had been playing in our cabins and the price seemed reasonable so we decided to book. After all, we were here to see things not just sit in our cabin.

After chatting with a few of our fellow passengers whilst enjoying a beer.....or two, we retired to our cabin where we slept like contented babes. It had been a long day and our river adventure would have an early start the following morning.