Monday, January 2, 2017

Day 3 was the 18th December 2016

Day 3 was the 18th December 2016 and this was our full day in Shanghai. We started the day with a full breakfast, which was unrecognizable to your average English man. With fish, fruit, garlic/spiced beans, hot soya milk and crab spring rolls. The chopsticks were once again the preferred tools!

We left the hotel and walked to the Jing'An temple via the local park and although it may sound a bit clichéd I loved the park as it was full of people doing Tai Chi, Wing Chun and/or Qi Gong. It was difficult to differentiate for the uninitiated but just looked beautiful.

Jing'An was very familiar in its makeup but did have a giant lucky jade stone that had to be rubbed. The architecture was amazing and the history deep, having been relocated and renovated. The great bells, gongs, drums and statues were all worth seeing and we lit some incense to pray for a safe stay in China. It is however quite incongruous to see the old in such close proximity to the new buildings that surround it.



We then took the tube across town to the Bund and the HuangPu Jiang. Having had some family photos taken we walked down to the ferry to cross the river. The smog was visible but we still managed to enjoy the views. The architecture was very European but a chiming clock played some very traditional Chinese music. Chris explained the South side of the river was considered the poorer and successful businesses were confined to the North. We enjoyed the South more as it was cleaner, greener and there were a few dogs being walked. Chris and I sat in a cafe and discussed orphanage stuff but the ladies braved the Oriental Pearl tower. I had been using Gū'ér yuàn for orphanage but Chris corrected me to use Fúlì yuàn or welfare institute.

We also saw the Jin Mao Tower and with the Yu Yuan or Yu Gardens and the Nine Bends Bridge or Jiu Qu Qiao, that we went to next, were all part of the Pimsleur language learning experience. I had been learning those names and the associated phrases for weeks and now I was actually looking at them.

We did not go into Yu Gardens as we had planned to look at formal gardens in SuZhou but we did walk Nine Bends Bridge, the devils do not follow you across as they are afraid of bends. We then went to the Dragon gate mall, for a little shopping, and some green tea. Chris was surprised at how much we paid for a cup of good green tea but as he came to learn tea is one of my vices. I also brought a tin of Dragon well tea and a few souvenirs were purchased, with some fierce haggling going on. The market was as described, 'crazy'! We walked back and passed two copulating dogs, unremarkable except one was wearing a superman t-shirt, and a poodle riding a scooter, or at least sitting on the seat.



Chris found a back street restaurant and we had Gong Bao Ji Ding, one of my favorites and one I have cooked on occasion. Chris was tired as we walked for most of the day, so we headed back to the hotel. Sleep came easier but the boy racers were back in town during the night.

Crossing the roads here was an art, we became fans of GuanYin quickly in the hope she would keep a watchful eye on us.

第3天 2016年12月18日,这是我们一整天在上海。我们丰盛的早餐开始新的一天,在这里早餐让人无法认出你是普通的英国人。有鱼、水果、大蒜/五香豆,热豆浆和蟹春卷。筷子再次是首选工具!

我们离开了酒店,经过当地的公园走到静安寺,我喜欢公园,虽然它听起来有点老套,因为那里有很多的人打太极,练咏春拳和练气功。很难区分出哪位是门外汉,但看起来很美。

静安寺在构造上非常熟悉,有一个巨大的幸运玉石,不得不揉搓一下。虽被搬迁和装修但建筑令人惊叹和历史深远,大钟、 锣、 鼓和雕像都值得一看,我们点了一些香,祈求在中国安全停留。然而它是极不协调,因为看到旧建筑被如此接近的新建筑物所围绕。

我们接着搭地铁穿过市区到外滩和黄浦江,走到渡船口过河,并拍了一些家人的照片。虽可见烟雾,但我们仍然可以欣赏这里的景色。建筑是非常欧化,但一个报时钟却播放一些非常传统的中国音乐。克里斯解释说,河的南边被认为是较贫穷的,成功的企业只限于北方。我们比较喜欢南边,因为南边较干净,较环保,有些人在那里遛狗散步。克里斯和我坐在一家咖啡馆,讨论孤儿院的事情,但我太太与女儿去爬东方明珠塔。我一直称呼孤儿院,但克里斯纠正我应该称呼福利院。

我们也一一参观金茂大厦,豫园和九曲桥,那些地方是我在皮姆斯勒语言学习经验得知的,我已经学习这些名称和相关的短语数周,现在我实际上看着他们。当我们已计划去看看苏州的正式园林后,我们并没有进入豫园,可是我们走了九曲桥,因为他们害怕弯曲,所以这样就不会被魔鬼们跟着。我们接着去了龙门商场,买了一点东西和一些绿茶。克里斯非常惊讶我们付多少钱在一杯好绿茶上,但他會越来越知道茶是我的癖好。经过一些激烈的讨价还价后我带了一罐龙井茶和几件纪念品,市场正如所描述的疯狂!我们走了回去,经过了两只正交配的狗,没人注意到那两只狗,除了注意到有只狗穿着超人的T恤,和一只贵宾狗(狮子狗)好像骑着摩托车,其实它是坐在座位上。

克里斯找到了一家后街的餐厅,我们点了宫宝鸡丁,我的最爱之一,有时候我也会做。我们走了一整天,克里斯也累了,因此我们回到酒店。很容易就睡着了,但那男赛车手在夜里又回到市区。

穿过这里的道路是一门艺术,我们很快地成为观音的粉丝,希望她会留意我们。

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