Go Away Vacations

Traveling China- Shanghai

After arriving in Shanghai in the evening we are found by our guide and taken to our bus, where our driver Mr. Wu is waiting. We are taken to a beautiful hotel for our first night (just between you and I, I had thought that the five star hotel accreditation on our itinerary would probably be a little subjective and open to interpretation- I am happy to report that five star is really five star and all of the hotels we stayed at were opulent and worthy of the five star tag). We fall into bed and sleep the dreamless sleep of the exhausted.

The hotel breakfast was very well done with a balanced variety of western and eastern cuisine. From regular cereal, to omelets, pot stickers to fried noodles, fruit to baked goodies, we came out of there ready for our day. Our weather was not great on our first day but nevertheless we braved the elements to get our first official look at the famous Shanghai waterfront- The Bund. After procuring some umbrellas from the local vendors (bargain, bargain, bargain!!)  we were off. Across the way we could see the Pudong area shrouded in mist and fog, making it very picturesque. After lingering for a while, it was back to the bus and on to the People’s Square. Before the Communist government took over, the People’s Square used to be a part of the horse racing course of Shanghai.Once the new government took over, horse racing and gambling were banned and the race course’s use was discontinued. In the 1990s the Shanghai Museum was moved to the Square, and the Shanghai Grand Theater was built. The former race courses’ clubhouses became the Shanghai Art Museum while the People’s Park was created on part of the old racetrack.

Moving on to a silk carpet factory, we were given a very eye opening tour. The intricacies of the hand-made silk carpet is an art that has been handed down the centuries but is becoming a dying industry as the younger population does not have the patience to put in the time and work required to create one. An average 8′ X 10′ carpet takes roughly 18 months to make, so it is not hard to see why it would require patience. The carpets we did see were very beautiful and we appreciated the working ladies taking the time to show us their work.

Continuing on to Suzhou, we finished our busy day with an authentic Chinese dinner, pre-ordered by our guide, in a lovely sit-down restaurant. We dined on Lotus Leaf Wrapped Pork Fried Rice, Mandarin Fish, Sweet and Sour Pork, Chow Mein Noodles, Steamed Pork Buns, and many other incredible dishes. Arriving at our hotel late in the evening, we flopped into bed and slept the sleep of the dead.