Imperial China Day 6

OAT Day 1-06 - Wednesday, April 9, 2008 - Explore Yuyuan Garden and Shanghai Museum - Flight to Beijing, China

We woke up to another cool and cloudy day in Shanghai. Today we did not leave the hotel until late morning so we had lots of time to chat at breakfast.

Our pre-trip companions have been so delightful; it is fun to compare books, travels, and family experiences. There were many more Chinese and European business people at breakfast this morning. They were all in a hurry and all very serious!

After breakfast we returned to the room to pack for our flight to Beijing this evening. We had to check out of our hotel by 10:15 and take our luggage to the front lobby. Mr. Wang loaded our items in the bus while we had one more day of site seeing in Shanghai.

We met Matt at 10:30 for our final day together. He has been very knowledgeable and a wonderful ambassador for his city and this part of China.

As we left the hotel it was 68 degrees and 73% humidity so many of the locals had heavy jackets on today. We got off of the bus and then walked to one of the oldest and well preserved areas of the city. We began with a stroll through the Yuan Old Street Market, also known as the #1 Commercial Tourist City. International visitors as well as Shanghainese all come here for great food and a fun day.

We entered the Yuyuan (or "Yu") Gardens. Along with the Bund, this area, located at the northeastern side of the Old City, is as justifiably famous for its serenity as the rest of the city is for its feverish pace.

Founded by the Pan family in 1557, the Yu Gardens took 18 years to create. They consist of three main sections: traditional Chinese teahouses, sparkling goldfish ponds, and beautifully manicured pavilions.

Gardens were originally designed to help the people commune with nature. The elements of all Chinese traditional gardens are: rocks, water, natural plants, and man made beauties such as the traditional bridge, pavilions, and corridors.

The gardens are built like a maze to help make the small area appear much larger. This garden had three types of treasures: two bronze lions, a magnificent piece of jade, and five immense dragon walls. This garden was quiet and peaceful. It was hard to believe we were surrounded by a bustling mega-city.

We all had a great time taking photographs of each other and being invited by several local Chinese people to not only take their pictures but also to be in their pictures. We made our way back to the bus at 12:15 and drove another 40 minutes across the city for lunch.

We ate at the Merrylin Cafeteria where we had a specialty meal of seven different kinds of dim sum. These are Cantonese dumplings stuffed with pork, various vegetables, rice, and other delectables we had no idea what they were!

After lunch we went all the way back to the center of the city near our hotel to discover the treasures and trades of the Shanghai Museum. Built in 1994, it reflects a new approach to viewing ancient artifacts.

The galleries are vast and airy and the exterior of the museum is just as impressive as the collections housed within. We started with the Bronze Gallery and then went on to the sculpture collections. As we had less than two hours we knew we could not stop and read all the descriptions or listen to the narratives on the Whispers that Matt had provided for us.

We especially enjoyed the display of the indigenous people of China, showing the tools, dress, and head wear. We also saw rare coins, exquisite Chinese paintings, and beautifully sculpted ceramics.

Matt met us at the main entrance to the museum at 3:55 and we left for the domestic airport. We went slowly as the Friday afternoon rush hour traffic in Shanghai is a nightmare.

Hong Qiao is the airport used for internal flights in China. Matt bought our tickets and gave us our boarding passes. We went through the group line to check our bags. As the bags went through the x-ray machine they noted my binoculars and made me open my bag and went through all of my belongings.

They also opened Gennie’s big bag to check her curling iron and two water bottles she brought from the hotel. Then they opened her cosmetic bag and smelled all of the bottles of shampoo and other liquids. This was in checked baggage!

Once we made it through the check-in, we said goodbye to Matt and thanked him for a great pre-trip, our 4 days in Shanghai. We spent another 45 minutes waiting in line to go through flight security.

Each person that went through the metal detectors set off the alarms. Even though we had our small containers of eye drops, lotion, etc., in a zip lock bag, they opened and smelled each bottle!

Finally we all cleared security and we found our way to Gate A-6. As Marvin came back from the Happy Room, he noticed that our flight had been changed on the board to A-5. So we packed up our carry-ons and got to the new gate just as they were boarding.

The flight was very full and our group had seats clustered together. Service on the Hainan Airlines was very good. We were scheduled to leave at 5:50 PM but we left the jet way at 6:20 and still did not get off the ground until 6:40.

Our brief 90 minute flight landed in Beijing and it took until 9 PM to get our bags and then meet our new OAT Tour Director, also named Matt (Dong). He introduced himself and told us a bit about our day tomorrow. He also described a few of the changes that Beijing is going through to prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.

Our trip to the hotel in the city took 40 minutes as we traveled on the #1 Highway. We arrived at our hotel and settled in, organized the room, took showers, and wrote the journal.

Accommodations: Shang Yuan Hotel - - - Meal: B, L, D

If you wish to travel with OAT Click Here.

To receive $50 per person off your first reservation with OAT, mention the following information when reserving your Overseas Adventure Travel Trip: Mr. Victor Garcia Customer #673062

Sounds like a long day-- but better to be secure than not secure!

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