Walk out into velvet.
The following is taken from my China report written for the NZ Chinese Association.
CHINA: PART 3
At the end of the Guangzhou leg of the tour we bid farewell to our teachers who, although they had only been with us for about ten days, had become good friends (and drinking buddies!). We had a final yum char supper with them on the last night and like true Asians took hundreds of photos with them.
We flew to our next stop, the city of Hangzhou. I was so tired from the last few days that I slept through the entire flight, only waking as the plane was touching the tarmac - I thought I was caught in an episode of Lost! Hangzhou is a popular destination for tourists, and understandably so with its beautiful lake and temples. The West Lake is a sight to behold on a clear day, but even with the morning fog it has a certain ancient and mysterious charm. Our local guide Rachel was quite knowledgeable about all the myths and history behind all the attractions we visited, even if articulating them was a challenge. Being a relatively small tourist city, Hangzhou was a little more expensive than previous cities.
We enjoyed a tea tasting at the Dragon Well tea village - apparently it’s the best green tea in China, which prompted many of us to buy up large (green tea wasn’t in my trip budget but it didn’t stop me spending $NZ100 on it!). We learnt a lot about what goes into the cultivation of green tea and how to serve and drink it properly.
Our bar-seeking in Hangzhou landed us in a disco called S.O.S, a huge entertainment complex split into three sections. It was definitely the place to be judging by the horde of locals and tourists. Getting home was a little adventure as our taxi driver weaved in and out of lanes into oncoming traffic at door handle-gripping speeds.
Our stay in Hangzhou was a brief one, and before we knew it we were back on the road. On the way to Shanghai we stopped of at the ancient watertown of Wuzhen. This was a fascinating place to visit. It’s paved streets and original wooden buildings are all still intact and the people living there lead simple lives. There were a lot of things to see and do there, including historical Chinese artefacts, a Chinese coin collection, puppet shows and rice wine tasting (its biting smell reminded me of those ‘one too many’ nights). We were also given a glimpse into their art of indigo-dyed and printed calico. The natural dye is made in the village from herbs and the cloth hung our to dry in single serpentine sheets, which was an astounding sight. A trip to a watertown would not be complete with a boat ride, so instead of walking back to the entrance we got into rickety little boats and paddled down the river that splits the town in two halves.
We arrived in Shanghai later that day. In the few hours before we reconvened for dinner some of us went exploring, mostly to find a real (ie non-McDonald’s) burger. So desperate were we to find one that we stopped every Caucasian person on the street and asked for directions to the nearest burger joint. In hindsight this was a horrible exercise in stereotyping - Chinese people eat burgers too (but do they know where the good ones are?). We had to settle for grilled foccacia sandwiches from a tiny pizzeria, but in context of the rest of the food we had been eating up to then (Chinese, Chinese, and more Chinese) they were pretty damn delicious. After dinner we went on a little shopping excursion into the city to a department store called Parksons. Think Kirks only five times bigger and more expensive. It was a case of nice to look at, but don’t bother thinking about buying.
Our craving for a good bargain was fulfilled when we were introduced to the wonderful world of market shopping. The Shanghai markets were a short bus ride from our hotel, and on our free days many of us made return trips for Polo shirts, bags, shoes, business shirts, sunglasses…all designer labels, and all fake of course, but such bargains! Bargaining with the vendors was half the fun and integral to the market experience. Some of us started off not knowing what to do, but after a couple of days we were seasoned pros. Those of us that couldn’t deal just stuck with those that had developed a reputation for being feisty, stubborn bargainers. We were kicked out of stalls on more than one occasion! You have to be tough when it comes to bargaining, and be prepared to walk back and forth as the vendors reconsider your offer. Some of us had pretty dodgy experiences, like being lead into backrooms, or not getting exactly what we thought we were buying. I’m afraid that market shopping has probably corrupted my shopping habits, as everything in the shops now seems ridiculously overpriced, even when it isn’t.
Our visit to the silk factory was educational, but it was for sale that caught our eye. Of course we did not leave empty-handed. We were talked into buying silk duvets, ties, shirts and silk face cream. The trolley of duvets they wheeled out to our bus was quite ridiculous!
Shopping aside, Shanghai was a city full of tourist attractions that range from the historical, such as the Jade Buddha Temple and the Yu Gardens, to the contemporary, like the Pearl Tower where we got a dose of local history at the very extensive Shanghai History Museum. On the second night we went on a night cruise down the Huangpo River. Despite the freezing temperature (well below zero by this point) we were treated with a great view of Shanghai at night. If there’s one thing I miss about China it’s the lights - some may think it’s neon overkill, but we just don’t see cities lit up like that here in New Zealand - the colours and the giant LCD screens are incredible.
My brother Leighton celebrated his 21st while we were in Shanghai. Before the trip he was reluctant to celebrate such a momentous rite of passage away from his family and friends, but I think it will be his most memorable birthday ever. And besides, his birthday dinner was already planned for and with 37 new friends the party pretty much sorted itself out. All we needed was a bar…(surprise surprise). But before we get to that, we spent the day at the Jade Buddha Temple (I thought the Buddha itself was rather underwhelming), the Yu Gardens and Old Shanghai Town, so by late afternoon Leight’s 21st was already far more memorable than, say, my own. Dinner was fun, complete with tequila shots, and afterwards we went to see the Shanghai Acrobatic Show. The stunts and feats just blew us away - seven motorbikes racing around in a giant dome can really do your head in! Some of the other performances were a lot less manic, with acrobats swinging gracefully through the air on giant sheets of silk with no harnesses whatsoever. This astonishing extravaganza made the night even more special. We piled back onto our bus and our driver took us right to the door of the bar we had picked out the night before. I won’t go into details, but judging by reports the next day it seemed everyone had a fantastic time, especially the birthday boy (incriminating photographic evidence has surfaced on the internet). It was also the only time during the entire trip that all 40 of us went out to a bar (it didn’t even happen on the final night together).
Our last two days in Shanghai were free days which meant more shopping, though some of us had clearly had enough and ventured out for more cultural experiences. I don’t know if getting your hair done in ‘freshie’ Chinese styles is a cultural experience but it was fun to do something a little crazy while on holiday.
CHINA: PART 3
At the end of the Guangzhou leg of the tour we bid farewell to our teachers who, although they had only been with us for about ten days, had become good friends (and drinking buddies!). We had a final yum char supper with them on the last night and like true Asians took hundreds of photos with them.
We flew to our next stop, the city of Hangzhou. I was so tired from the last few days that I slept through the entire flight, only waking as the plane was touching the tarmac - I thought I was caught in an episode of Lost! Hangzhou is a popular destination for tourists, and understandably so with its beautiful lake and temples. The West Lake is a sight to behold on a clear day, but even with the morning fog it has a certain ancient and mysterious charm. Our local guide Rachel was quite knowledgeable about all the myths and history behind all the attractions we visited, even if articulating them was a challenge. Being a relatively small tourist city, Hangzhou was a little more expensive than previous cities.
We enjoyed a tea tasting at the Dragon Well tea village - apparently it’s the best green tea in China, which prompted many of us to buy up large (green tea wasn’t in my trip budget but it didn’t stop me spending $NZ100 on it!). We learnt a lot about what goes into the cultivation of green tea and how to serve and drink it properly.
Our bar-seeking in Hangzhou landed us in a disco called S.O.S, a huge entertainment complex split into three sections. It was definitely the place to be judging by the horde of locals and tourists. Getting home was a little adventure as our taxi driver weaved in and out of lanes into oncoming traffic at door handle-gripping speeds.
Our stay in Hangzhou was a brief one, and before we knew it we were back on the road. On the way to Shanghai we stopped of at the ancient watertown of Wuzhen. This was a fascinating place to visit. It’s paved streets and original wooden buildings are all still intact and the people living there lead simple lives. There were a lot of things to see and do there, including historical Chinese artefacts, a Chinese coin collection, puppet shows and rice wine tasting (its biting smell reminded me of those ‘one too many’ nights). We were also given a glimpse into their art of indigo-dyed and printed calico. The natural dye is made in the village from herbs and the cloth hung our to dry in single serpentine sheets, which was an astounding sight. A trip to a watertown would not be complete with a boat ride, so instead of walking back to the entrance we got into rickety little boats and paddled down the river that splits the town in two halves.
We arrived in Shanghai later that day. In the few hours before we reconvened for dinner some of us went exploring, mostly to find a real (ie non-McDonald’s) burger. So desperate were we to find one that we stopped every Caucasian person on the street and asked for directions to the nearest burger joint. In hindsight this was a horrible exercise in stereotyping - Chinese people eat burgers too (but do they know where the good ones are?). We had to settle for grilled foccacia sandwiches from a tiny pizzeria, but in context of the rest of the food we had been eating up to then (Chinese, Chinese, and more Chinese) they were pretty damn delicious. After dinner we went on a little shopping excursion into the city to a department store called Parksons. Think Kirks only five times bigger and more expensive. It was a case of nice to look at, but don’t bother thinking about buying.
Our craving for a good bargain was fulfilled when we were introduced to the wonderful world of market shopping. The Shanghai markets were a short bus ride from our hotel, and on our free days many of us made return trips for Polo shirts, bags, shoes, business shirts, sunglasses…all designer labels, and all fake of course, but such bargains! Bargaining with the vendors was half the fun and integral to the market experience. Some of us started off not knowing what to do, but after a couple of days we were seasoned pros. Those of us that couldn’t deal just stuck with those that had developed a reputation for being feisty, stubborn bargainers. We were kicked out of stalls on more than one occasion! You have to be tough when it comes to bargaining, and be prepared to walk back and forth as the vendors reconsider your offer. Some of us had pretty dodgy experiences, like being lead into backrooms, or not getting exactly what we thought we were buying. I’m afraid that market shopping has probably corrupted my shopping habits, as everything in the shops now seems ridiculously overpriced, even when it isn’t.
Our visit to the silk factory was educational, but it was for sale that caught our eye. Of course we did not leave empty-handed. We were talked into buying silk duvets, ties, shirts and silk face cream. The trolley of duvets they wheeled out to our bus was quite ridiculous!
Shopping aside, Shanghai was a city full of tourist attractions that range from the historical, such as the Jade Buddha Temple and the Yu Gardens, to the contemporary, like the Pearl Tower where we got a dose of local history at the very extensive Shanghai History Museum. On the second night we went on a night cruise down the Huangpo River. Despite the freezing temperature (well below zero by this point) we were treated with a great view of Shanghai at night. If there’s one thing I miss about China it’s the lights - some may think it’s neon overkill, but we just don’t see cities lit up like that here in New Zealand - the colours and the giant LCD screens are incredible.
My brother Leighton celebrated his 21st while we were in Shanghai. Before the trip he was reluctant to celebrate such a momentous rite of passage away from his family and friends, but I think it will be his most memorable birthday ever. And besides, his birthday dinner was already planned for and with 37 new friends the party pretty much sorted itself out. All we needed was a bar…(surprise surprise). But before we get to that, we spent the day at the Jade Buddha Temple (I thought the Buddha itself was rather underwhelming), the Yu Gardens and Old Shanghai Town, so by late afternoon Leight’s 21st was already far more memorable than, say, my own. Dinner was fun, complete with tequila shots, and afterwards we went to see the Shanghai Acrobatic Show. The stunts and feats just blew us away - seven motorbikes racing around in a giant dome can really do your head in! Some of the other performances were a lot less manic, with acrobats swinging gracefully through the air on giant sheets of silk with no harnesses whatsoever. This astonishing extravaganza made the night even more special. We piled back onto our bus and our driver took us right to the door of the bar we had picked out the night before. I won’t go into details, but judging by reports the next day it seemed everyone had a fantastic time, especially the birthday boy (incriminating photographic evidence has surfaced on the internet). It was also the only time during the entire trip that all 40 of us went out to a bar (it didn’t even happen on the final night together).
Our last two days in Shanghai were free days which meant more shopping, though some of us had clearly had enough and ventured out for more cultural experiences. I don’t know if getting your hair done in ‘freshie’ Chinese styles is a cultural experience but it was fun to do something a little crazy while on holiday.