Archives

All posts for the month April, 2015

I'll never tire of Pudong's city scape across from the rest of Shanghai

I’ll never tire of Pudong’s city scape across from the rest of Shanghai

As we were working our way east from Chonqing, the logical next stop after Hefei would have been Nanjing – a city we definitely wanted to see – before moving on to Shanghai. The way it worked out, though, hotels were a problem during those days in Nanjing so instead we just hightailed it to Shanghai and will backtrack to Nanjing before flying up to Xi’an.

Old Shanghai is quickly disappearing under tons of gleaming skyscrapers and new development, but every so often you pass one of these old streets

Old Shanghai is quickly disappearing under tons of gleaming skyscrapers and new development, but every so often you pass one of these old streets

And so we’re back in Shanghai, just to see it a little more leisurely than we did a few weeks ago with Al & the family. But it didn’t quite work that way. Mark’s knee is still bothering him, so he didn’t get out much. And I decided to deal with a problem I’ve been having with my iPhone and just camp out at the Apple Store as long as it took to get it fixed. Turns out I underestimated the meaning of “however long…”.

Without all the boring details, I spent hours in two different Apple Stores, working with half-a-dozen “experts”; ultimately no one could figure out what was causing the problem or how to fix it and the best we could do was just wipe my iPhone clean and start from scratch. But that was most of my time in Shanghai.

Most, but not all. I still took a couple hours to walk up to the Bund and stroll along the river, coming face to face with one of the big annoyances in the city, the Tea Ceremony scam. It works like this: A young, friendly local strikes up a conversation. You know, where are you from, where are you going, what do you like. That kind of stuff. In my case it was a young woman asking if I’d take a picture of her and her friend, then starting up the conversation. All innocent enough. Then she suggests we go to see a traditional tea ceremony. Fortunately I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck and quickly told her goodbye. I didn’t know what she was going for, but I knew it wasn’t good.

Not 10 minutes later, while walking along the Bund another young couple strikes up a conversation. All innocent and friendly, until he suggests we all go to see a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. OK, now I know something is up. And it is – a common scam to vastly overcharge unsuspecting tourists, or perhaps something worse.

The worst thing about it is that it makes you leery of starting a conversation with anyone. It happened to Mark when we were last in Shanghai – someone tried to get him to go to a tea ceremony; of course he didn’t go – and now he’s skeptical of anyone trying to be friendly. The next day I sat in a pretty park to read a little and an older guy sat down next to me, and started to chat in modest English. My first reaction was to try to go back to my book and not fall for whatever he was after. Instead I engaged him, and had a lovely talk with a 66-year-old retired English teacher. Born and raised in Shanghai, was a boy during Mao’s disastrous Great Leap Forward and a teenager during the equally awful Cultural Revolution. Limited to one child when he was having his family, and his one son also had only one son, so in his old age jokes about the big family he wanted. He’s seen it all and it was the kind of encounter you would never want to miss. But with scam artists swarming around, too, it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s what.

A highlight was drinks at the Long Bar in the Waldorf Astoria, an honest-to-God old world glamor experience. Built in 1911, at 110 feet long it was supposedly the longest bar in Asia. Here our bartender is pouring our genuinely perfect Perfect Manhattans.

A highlight was drinks at the Long Bar in the Waldorf Astoria, an honest-to-God old world glamor experience. Built in 1911, at 110 feet long it was supposedly the longest bar in Asia. Here our bartender is pouring our genuinely perfect Perfect Manhattans.

The other item taking up our time is trying to figure out where we’re going later in May. The plan has been to go to Yunan Province in southwestern China for a couple weeks, then work our way up into Tibet, down into Nepal, and over into Bhutan. That earthquake in Nepal, though, has pretty much tossed those plans out the window which is really unfortunate, given how hard Mark worked at putting the plans together. Tibet and Bhutan are both extremely difficult to get into and around in, requiring tons of planning and advance permission and all of that. So far we still don’t know what we’re going to do, but as Nepal was kind of in the middle of all of it, we’re going to have to scramble and do something else.

One other highlight was dinner at Sichuan Citizen. Along with a modest cucumber dish, we had a chicken dish that was at least 80 percent peppers, bullfrog in hot pepper sauce, and crispy jelly fish. Seriously.

One other highlight was dinner at Sichuan Citizen. Along with a modest cucumber dish, we had a chicken dish that was at least 80 percent peppers, bullfrog in hot pepper sauce, and crispy jelly fish. Seriously.

And here's Mark with his crispy jelly fish. To be honest, it wasn't crispy at all, but we're confident it was actually jelly fish.

And here’s Mark with his crispy jelly fish. To be honest, it wasn’t crispy at all, but we’re confident it was actually jelly fish.

Part of the Huancheng Parkway, the gem of Hefei

Part of the Huancheng Parkway, the gem of Hefei

From Wuhan it was an easy three-hour train ride to Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province. Basically, we’re working our way east back to Shanghai at a rather leisurely pace. From there we’ll backtrack a bit to Nanjing and then fly to Xian to see the Terracotta Warriors, among other sites.

All day, from early morning well into the evening, people are out enjoying the Greenway

All day, from early morning well into the evening, people are out enjoying the Greenway

Trains in China – and travel in general – are pretty impressive. The last few journeys we’ve taken have been on high-speed trains that are remarkably clean, comfortable, and fast; it’s just a great way to get between cities. The train stations themselves are a delight: sleek, shiny, vast, more like arriving at a new airport than the kind of rundown, dirty places usually associated with train stations. They leave right on time and get in on time and are a fraction of the cost you’d expect. I love them.

Similarly, the subway systems have been great, too, and so much easier to use than systems I’ve used in the U.S. or Europe. When we were living in Cambridge I often thought how impenetrable the T must seem to people with limited English skills. In contrast, every system we’ve been on in China has been multilingual with lots of signs and useful signals about what’s going on. And cheap – a 40-minute ride in Wuhan from our hotel to the train station, traveling 11 stops, cost about 35 cents each. Simply put, much of the transportation experience we’ve had in China makes the U.S. seem like a poor, developing country.

Map of the boutique Huancheng Greenway. Our hotel was just outside the southeast corner of the park system so we had great access to it.

Map of the boutique Huancheng Greenway. Our hotel was just outside the southeast corner of the park system so we had great access to it.

But, back to Hefei. This is the one big city we’ve been in without a subway system, but it’s under construction, scheduled to open next year. That didn’t cramp our style, though, as the main highlight of the city was the Huancheng Greenway, a “jade necklace” around the oldest part of the city. I was amused to see that the English description of the park system describes it as a “boutique” greenway. I suspect someone had studied in the U.S. recently and observed that “boutique” is a good thing in tourism, no matter what it means.

Whether it’s a boutique greenway or not, it was certainly beautiful with great opportunities for every kind of exercise you can imagine. At 6:30 AM when I’d go out for a run there were people of all imaginable ages strolling, walking, jogging, running, dancing, tai chi-ing, badminton-ing, stretching, clapping (older Chinese in particular have this thing about clapping while they walk, presumably to get their blood moving and heart pumping just a little more), and even swimming in water you might not trust. There are Chinese workers out sweeping the walkways all day to keep it clean, and at this time of the year the orange trees and roses are in full bloom. Sometimes you get the most amazing aromas as you’re walking or running past.

It's going to take some time to learn how to use it, but I'm already enjoying it...

It’s going to take some time to learn how to use it, but I’m already enjoying it…

Of course, I should mention the real highlight of Hefei: a random tech store that had the new Apple Watches available the first day they went on sale. We just assumed they were on display for pre-order or something, but when we asked and found the one person in the store who spoke (some) English, we were told that they had a few models available right then. So there we are, early afternoon in China the first day they’re available, with our two new Apple Watches. We had to pay cash, since the store didn’t take non-Chinese credit cards, but, because we’re 12 hours ahead of the East Coast, we’re pretty confident we had our Apple Watches before anyone else in the States did!

The downside? Two more devices to plug in and keep charged. Or, make that three, since I also bought wireless headphones so I can use the Watch to play music while I’m working out. If you’re keeping score, we now have wo iPads, two iPhones, two Apple Watches, and an iMac that need daily charges, plus two speakers (for stereo), two Kindles, a camera, and an electric toothbrush that need periodic charges. Hotels need more outlets!

Here are more pictures from the Huancheng Greenway.

Roses and azaleas (or something like azaleas) everywhere made for beautiful paths. The occasional orange blossoms added great smells.

Roses and azaleas (or something like azaleas) everywhere made for beautiful paths. The occasional orange blossoms added great smells.

Exercise included dancing ...

Exercise included dancing …

… and tai chi

… and tai chi

At one point I saw what looked like bee hives right next to the trail

At one point I saw what looked like bee hives right next to the trail

And on closer inspection, sure enough, swarming bees. Right along the trail. Strange, but they left me alone.

And on closer inspection, sure enough, swarming bees. Right along the trail. Strange, but they left me alone.

It was a beautiful late spring Saturday, and people were out enjoying the lake, with the cityscape as a lovely backdrop

It was a beautiful late spring Saturday, and people were out enjoying the lake, with the cityscape as a lovely backdrop

The food of Hefei was unremarkable, but that might have been because we were less adventurous than usual. We were excited about the cooked radish dish up at the top of the photo until we discovered it was loaded with sugar. Seems unnecessary.

The food of Hefei was unremarkable, but that might have been because we were less adventurous than usual. We were excited about the cooked radish dish up at the top of the photo until we discovered it was loaded with sugar. Seems unnecessary.

Bucolic beauty in the middle of a massive city - maybe that's why I liked Wuhan so much

Bucolic beauty in the middle of a massive city – maybe that’s why I liked Wuhan so much

From the outside looking in, there’s no reason to think I’d fall in love with Wuhan: another huge city of about seven million people (making it only the 11th largest city in China) in the middle of the country, the capital of Hubei Province, straddling the Yangtze River at it’s confluence with the Han River. But fall in love I did, changing a planned two-day stop over into a four-day visit.

Just one of almost innumerable sections of the park along the west side of the Yangtze

Just one of almost innumerable sections of the park along the west side of the Yangtze

One of the world's largest musical instruments, this five-ton set of 64 double-tone bronze bells is supposed to reproduce perfectly the sounds of nearly 2,500 years ago

One of the world’s largest musical instruments, this five-ton set of 64 double-tone bronze bells is supposed to reproduce perfectly the sounds of nearly 2,500 years ago

Maybe I'm weird, but I love communist art. This piece from the city's art museum shows how happy and well-fed Chinese workers were in the 1950s.

Maybe I’m weird, but I love communist art. This piece from the city’s art museum shows how happy and well-fed Chinese workers were in the 1950s.

Parasailing on huge East Lake

Parasailing on huge East Lake

I couldn't determine for certain what this was, but I think it's a theater. It's definitely interesting, though, whatever it is.

I couldn’t determine for certain what this was, but I think it’s a theater. It’s definitely interesting, though, whatever it is.

For me, the main draw in Wuhan is the enormous amount of parks and green space in the city, primarily along the Yangtze and around the enormous East Lake. (As an aside, I love the creative naming patterns we’ve encountered in China. Hangzhou’s biggest lake was West Lake, and here the biggest lake is East Lake. By way of comparison, Wuhan’s East Lake is six times the size of Hangzhou’s West Lake). I discovered miles of park and green space along both sides of the Yangtze, great for long walks, running, reading, and just watching Wuhan life go by.

Great as those parks are, they weren’t the only highlights in the city. The Hubei Provincial Museum, near East Lake was both free and fabulous. The museum includes hundreds of artifacts from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng (don’t worry, I’d never heard of him before either) from the 5th century BC, uncovered only in the late 1970s. Part of what makes the exhibit so interesting is that it documents some of the Chinese achievements in art, technology, and astronomy that far outstripped Western civilization at the time. Some of the items displayed are considered so important to China’s history that the national government prohibits them from being displayed abroad. So you gotta come here to see them!

The museum and especially the grounds around it are teeming with student groups, all happy and rambunctious. Part of what I might miss when we leave China – assuming we leave some day – is how excited kids are to see Westerners. I can’t count how many times kids, and groups of kids, stopped to ask if they could take a picture with me. Apparently I like being treated like a celebrity.

And then just across the street was a more modest but still fun (and still free!) art museum. We were there in an interregnum between major exhibits – one ended just before we got there and another opened the day after we left – but the permanent collection was still interesting, including a big display of Hubei art in the 20th century. I was surprised about how open they were in acknowledging the way Mao’s policies inhibited art for much of 1960s and 1970s, but still they told an interesting story about the role of Hubei art over the century.

The architecture in Wuhan is interesting, too, with an eclectic blend of old, new, classic, collapsing, and intriguing. Wandering around random neighborhoods you walk through a variety of experiences, sometimes feeling almost European, occasionally evoking 1920s Shanghai, more often complicated contemporary China.

There’s not as much to say about the food in Wuhan as we enjoyed in and around Sėchuan, but I did have one of the strangest experiences at lunch, on two consecutive days. It’s obvious I don’t speak Chinese and that I struggle with the menu and then sometimes with the food when it comes. Both afternoons when I was exploring on my own I ended up in stereotypically huge, bright Chinese restaurants. I managed to order OK, but at the end of the meal the server brought over a comment card he wanted me to fill out. It was entirely in Chinese, with various check boxes to indicate – presumably – what I liked and what I didn’t. Of course, I actually have no idea what the card said since I don’t speak Chinese and the servers didn’t speak English. Still they really, really wanted me to fill it out, showing me how to check boxes as though the problem were that I just didn’t know how to fill in a check box. I couldn’t get it through that if I did check the box it would be purely random and thus of pretty limited analytic value. And that happened twice!

Meanwhile, Mark is still recovering from knee surgery, spending more time in the hotel than he or I would like all else being equal. Realistically, though, going on five- or six-mile walks to enjoy all Wuhan has to offer probably wouldn’t be smart, so he’s laying low. From here it’s off to Hefei, just another Chinese city we have the opportunity to explore.

I love this shot of a kid playing with the abacus that's part of a statue. Oddly, the wise old guy in the statue looked strikingly like Morgan Freeman….

I love this shot of a kid playing with the abacus that’s part of a statue. Oddly, the wise old guy in the statue looked strikingly like Morgan Freeman….

Another exhibit at the Hubei Provincial Museum was the Venerable Master Hsing Yun's One-Stroke Calligraphy. Stunning.

Another exhibit at the Hubei Provincial Museum was the Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s One-Stroke Calligraphy. Stunning.

One section of the park along the Yangtze was a tribute to Hubei's Olympic champions. Badminton is popular here, so it's not surprising they're champs.

One section of the park along the Yangtze was a tribute to Hubei’s Olympic champions. Badminton is popular here, so it’s not surprising they’re champs.

And certainly not surprising they're Ping-Pong champs, too!

And certainly not surprising they’re Ping-Pong champs, too!

If you're in a park in China, there are going to be many, many bridal couples posing. It's pretty clear these are all pre-wedding pictures, making me wonder how many of the happy couples - who don't always look so happy during the work of posing - actually get to experience the wedding.

If you’re in a park in China, there are going to be many, many bridal couples posing. It’s pretty clear these are all pre-wedding pictures, making me wonder how many of the happy couples – who don’t always look so happy during the work of posing – actually get to experience the wedding.

They're everywhere

They’re everywhere

I loved this 1977 calendar showing a happy, healthy, wholesome family around Chairman Mao. I guess they didn't like the pictures of the millions who died of starvation during the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution.

I loved this 1977 calendar showing a happy, healthy, wholesome family around Chairman Mao. I guess they didn’t like the pictures of the millions who died of starvation during the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution.

Bizarre Communist-era architecture

Bizarre Communist-era architecture

Another view of a small section of East Lake. The row of trees in the distance is all parkland built on a man-made causeway, part of countless acres of beautiful parkway.

Another view of a small section of East Lake. The row of trees in the distance is all parkland built on a man-made causeway, part of countless acres of beautiful parkway.

And finally, one picture of a better-than-average beef dish with wine and tea, a great combination. As is usually the case, the restaurant is blazingly bright, enormous, and pretty much closed up by 9:00 PM, the time civilized people should be just getting to dinner.

And finally, one picture of a better-than-average beef dish with wine and tea, a great combination. As is usually the case, the restaurant is blazingly bright, enormous, and pretty much closed up by 9:00 PM, the time civilized people should be just getting to dinner.