China – October 25, 2017

Hello Everyone…

Well we arrived safely and have had a busy couple of days. We had a good flight, albeit long at almost 14 hours. It was a couple of hours clearing customs solely based on the volume of flights arriving at the same time. Our first memory is just sleeping to adjust to the 12-hour time change. 

We are traveling with Nexus Travel. So far, the organization of the trip has been stellar. It’s precise, everything they stated and well-organized. Our first couple of sleeps at our first hotel, the Wassim Hotel in Shanghai was terrific. They do not disappoint when they state that the accommodations are 5-star. Beautiful interior architecture and comfort is a high priority for travelers.

Our first day out in Shanghai was intended to be full to ensure that everyone would sleep well at the end of the day. I will state that Dave and I are truly the “youngest” of our group but admittedly we have been put to the test keeping up with the 80+ year olds. A terrific group of people who seem well traveled and are an absolute delight to be around. 

Our first stop was at an outdoor market in old town. Lots of shops and vendors selling items. It’s not really our thing but we enjoyed our experience none the less. We feel like mild celebrities as many of the locals are staring and taking pictures of us, some outwardly ask and we oblige, others we witness “sneaking” pics and then smiling to their group of friends. According to our phenomenal tour guide, Maggie (real name Meow Dan…yes, first name, ‘Meow’ like a kitty and last name, ‘Dan’ like me) she explained that they want pictures as it’s still somewhat new for China to have tourism and we look different. “Your white skin, blue eyes are an attraction of curiosity…and you all have big noses!”  It’s a pleasant experience for sure.

Following the Market, we had lunch that consists of traditional Chinese food. Now, no sweet and sour chicken balls or North American Chow Mein, more so, lots of things that I can’t really explain (yet) so we’ll keep you informed as we learn more about it. And to clarify, we’re not eating chicken feet or anything like that, just dishes with full flavour that we are pretty sure contains beef, pork or chicken. As Maggie states, “We Chinese eat everything, we not afraid to try anything, but I promise you no rabbit, cat or dog!”  To clarify, they do not eat cat or dog but pretty much anything else can be on the list, just none of that will make its way to our plates.

The architecture is truly magnificent. The buildings and structures are a mixture of new contemporary designs along with odes to more traditional, Chinese culture. Shanghai is home to 23 million people and is the largest geographical city in China reaching approximately 6,700 square kilometers. It is separated by the Huangpu River. 

We visited the Shanghai Museum. Four levels of historical relevance to China’s vast history including art, furniture and jade. Very enriching and fulfilling as we both enjoy learning as much as we can from the countries we’re privileged to visit. 

We had 1.5 hours there and were quickly shuttled to the Shanghai Old City God Temple area. Because it was such a beautiful, clear day, we accepted a last-minute offer to go up the SWFC(Shanghai World Financial Centre) tower. One hundred floors up gave us a remarkable view of Shanghai. Pic attached which shows a small glimpse of one angle of the city. 

Following this we were shuttled to the famous Bund, a mile-long stretch along the Huangpu River, lined by colonial architectures and European design. We followed this by a night cruise on the river. Interestingly, on one side of the river there is the Bund. Western-style grandiose buildings dating back to the early 19th century. On the other side is the view of modern Shanghai. Truly spectacular in every sense. We arrived back to the hotel close to 10pm and literally “fell” into bed. They weren’t kidding on wanting to tucker you out for a good night’s rest!

We were up early this morning and traveled to the Shanghai-Suzhou area. Much of China is sectioned off into regions where each area is rich with history. Suzhou is also known as the “Garden City” due to its many classical gardens renowned for its charming beauty and harmonious construction. We visited the “Lingering Garden” which is claimed to be one of the finest gardens in China. As a large area of the city is covered by water, Suzhou is known as the “Venice of the East.”  We took in a short cruise along the Grand Canal to view life along China’s “Grand Waterway” which about 300 years ago, was the paradise for all merchants in the south region of the Yangtze River. Following that, we visited a Silk Spinning Mill and museum viewing some overly spectacular pieces that took years to create. There were apprentices there that have been working on pieces for a number of years. Dave and I loved one piece (no pics allowed unfortunately) that was so realistic words cannot describe. We could easily purchase the one we loved, a deal at 48K Canadian. Yes, seems like a tremendous amount of money but considering it took someone over 3 years, working 9-5, Mon-Fri with a 20 min break every hour, you can imagine the appreciation for such a piece solely hand-stitched from silk made from mulberry-munching silkworms.

Also today there was an opportunity to take a ride on the Shanghai Maglev Train. This magnetic levitation train is unmanned and travels from downtown Shanghai to the airport, 31 km’s that takes about 6-minutes. The most exciting thing aside from riding a levitating train is that it travels at 430kph!  No joke, the testosterone in our blood runneth over!  LOL. We literally got on, rode to the airport and rode back and it was exhilarating. The only train like it in the world so we couldn’t pass up the chance. 

We arrived at our hotel for the night, the Suzhou QingShan located on the side of a mountain. Pic attached of the exceptional design and details to comfort. A phenomenal view from our own balcony. Tomorrow we will travel to the Suzhou-Wuxi area, one of the oldest cities in China with history dating back more than 3,000 years.

The weather forecast is for sunny skies and around 22 so we’re grateful to have the comfortable weather where a light sweater or t-shirt is welcomed. 

We wish everyone our very best and will write again in a couple of days. 

Shanghai