I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Shanghai for work this past month (August). Most of it was in the
(not complaining) but I did manage to sneak in about 1.5 days to pack in as much sightseeing as I could. The 2 hour time difference worked in my favour as it meant I was up at 4am to tick off emails then drank a lot of coffee to power through the day and well into the evenings (yay for Starbucks being in my hotel).
I bid a farewell to 2 very sad-looking E's and had a small thrill when I literally ran into the current Australian Cricket Captain at the airport post check-in (I am such a klutz). Then came the 11.5 hours of sitting, on a day flight which meant I did not want to go to sleep otherwise I would be up all night once I arrived in Shanghai. So I watched a movie (eh), finished Once Upon a Time Season 1, and read most of my book… then we had to circle a few times and wait for our gate to open up. Finally, I arrived armed with my Lonely Planet guidebook (I know I could download it but there is something about having a guidebook that makes me happy) and a print out of several emails from a high school friend/ Shanghai ex-pat (thanks, Jenny!). Customs was very efficient but baggage claim and the taxi rank was not. When I made it up to my taxi, he didn't speak a word of English and I didn't speak a word of Mandarin. He couldn't read the name of the hotel (english and Chinese) that I actually had the foresight to have it written down to show him. So I got to pretend like I had US $1 Million on the line (I'm referencing The Amazing Race - best reality show ever) and scrambled to find anyone near me to translate. 3rd time lucky. Whew! And we were finally on the road… apparently he was racing for that $1 Million, as I held on for my dear life and tried not to look. Yes, memories of China are rushing back to me, literally. He did manage to grunt and point to my hotel once it was in the skyline (and boy, was it in the skyline).
On arrival, it was a long way to the lobby (38 stories) and then to my room (another 15 stories up). Room service and bed were in order.
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| Good morning Shanghai! |
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| The view from my room (level 53) |
Day 2: Reunited
Today was a day of reunions. After FaceTime with the kids (and yes, I had to show MissE my hotel room again), I met with Miss P for breakfast and an exploratory walk. It's been a year since she was in the Sydney office so we had quite a bit to catch-up on pre-event!
Miss P and I explored People's Square then (I swear it looked shorter on the map) the long walk down Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street (China's No. 1Street) to The Peace Hotel. We quickly became experts and crossing the road.
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| Reflection of my hotel from People's Square Park |
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| Laundry Day |
Just a few minutes late, I met with The Chen's! It had been years since we saw each other last (compared to spending most of my weekends with them in high school) so it was fantastic to meet again. Lovely Dee spent her day trekking all over Shanghai with me - we had lunch at No.1 Food Hall (Nanjing Road), re-visited the Jade Buddha, bargained for souvenirs (thank goodness for her!), checked out the Oriental Pearl Radio & TV Tower, ate dumplings at Din Tai Fung, and experienced a very packed Metro.
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| Panoramic of The Bund at night |
Day 3: Shanghai Mothership
Today I spent the day at our Shanghai office. I really enjoyed both the training there (I rarely get to actually sit in trainings as I'm usually running around making sure everything and everyone is where they need to be) and visiting a different countries' office.
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| View from our office in Shanghai versus Sydney |
I enjoyed their typical office lunch. And we laughed when the afternoon snack was a cucumber. Even better, I jokingly asked my colleague in Singapore if he wanted one, he laughed and said "There isn't even salt." What?!
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| BBQ Pork lunch box from the canteen |
This evening, we had a cocktail function inside the hotel at the World's Tallest Library. The views were incredible from the balcony. Followed by dinner at the JW California Grill.
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Guiness Book of World Records: The Highest Library in the World
(One flight up from Level 59) |
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The Highest Library in the World
Level 60 |
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Turn up the lights in here, Extra bright, I want y'all to see this
Turn up the lights… Want you to see everything,
Want you to see all of the lights - Kanye West |
Day 4: The Best Night Ever!
It was a long work day with rotating groups, product fairs, etc so when it started to thin out, we were excited to slip into casual clothes and sandals. Our foursome decided to forgo taxi's and Uber a car to the French Concession/ Xin Tian Di. My first Uber! App downloaded.
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| French Concession at night |
We had dinner at Ye Shanghai which was good and we loved the 1930's feel with the lounge singer. After dinner, we window-shopped the nightlife (what up, Chinese Coldplay and one of the night clubs banging Juicy J) but settled on foot massages instead. Oh, yes… just what we needed. Post- foot massage high, we hit up Haagen Dasz for the sweet-tooths (me) and it was "the best night ever".
Day 5: We're tired… really tired.
Last day of the event and we are tired but definitely not hungry, so much food! After pack down, we hustled to the markets and got it done in an hour. I wasn't going to buy anything but a purple Michael Kors tote was calling out to me. Darn, my handbag hoarding.
For dinner, we took the remaining delegates to Da Dong for Peking duck. When in China, right? This dinner was incredible - in both plating and taste of the food.
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| Peking duck |
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| Geoduck in a ice bowl |
As we were departing, the sky started to rumble and it absolutely bucketed! The shoes off while running for the bus kind.
The girls and I had a pyjama party with ice cream while packing up the final items for our last night together.
Day 6: Now, it's time to say "goodbye"…
As yesterday was winding down and I started to say "goodbye" to some of my new friends, I felt like I was at summer camp. It was hot enough! And today, I was saying "goodbye" to my besties during camp; there weren't enough hugs and "hope to see you soon's" even though I know it may be another year until we meet again. Boo!
I still had most of the day before my flight (thank you delayed flight) so I went to Zhujiajiao, the nearest water town, to get lost down the alleyways. Zhujiajiao was established 1,700 years ago in the Yuan dynasty, with artefacts dating back 5,000 years! The town has 36 bridges and numerous waterways which has earned it the name the "Venice of China". There are several tourist points, however I opted for visiting the garden and leisurely exploring down the alleyways.
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| Fangsheng Bridge & canal gondolas |
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| Down the many alleyways, food stalls a bit of everything! |
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| Caught from the river… lunch? |
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| Kezhi Yuan ("To Learn" "To plant") |
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| Feeding the fish inside the gardens |
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| Zhujiajiao life |
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I stumbled upon this beautiful house and garden. I am not sure what it is still
but the closest description is an ex-governor's house that has been
converted into a museum containing many stone tablets, Buddha's with it's
head and hands missing, and other art pieces. |
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Final stop before returning to Shanghai for my flight
My first fish cleaning experience… and free wifi for my work emails! |
Finally, after a quick shower back at the hotel (goodbye massage shower) and it was time to head to airport. My summer camp adventure was ending!
It was a great trip but my lungs were in serious revolt mode (read: I was coughing up sludge for a week plus). I am so grateful for the opportunities I have now, but it was nice to be home! Sometimes hashtags are the best way to express yourself: #blessed #jobsatisfaction #wandelust #homesweethome
