Hi back again – We are in Xian but just need to bring everyone up to date with what we have been up too.
We have been out and about and seen a heck of a lot. This particular trip has been jam packed with lots to see and lots of shopping. Everyone has loved the interaction between the tourist and the cultural heritage that we have enjoyed.
Day 2 we first headed off to visit the famous Shanghai Television tower. This tower was located on the river where the skyline of Shanghai sits. The town was still very busy with the National holidays occurring. It was fascinating seeing all the locals visiting this icon. Once again we were an attraction. Many of the group had photos with the local Police. It was a ‘dagg’ also because all the local vendors were pedalling their wears and many of the group brought Rolex watches, lighters, etc. Many got great deals-5 Rolex for $20 – cheap imitations of course! We entered the tower to a huge mall and museum entrance. We all then packed into the elevator to the viewing deck. It was on level 298 which was higher than the sky tower. As we emptied out of the elevator we were lucky we could see something. The haze and smog was horrific. The locals call it a haze as it is formed from the high humidity and dust. The haze stayed for a long time and whilst in Shanghai we did not see the blue sky.
The skyline from this perspective was still magnificent. The buildings are certainly a big thing in China. Mind you to house 23 million people is no feat and the tall buildings do this. Average height of a building was 40 stories. The use of underground malls and roads is an engineering feat. They can fit so much into such a small space.
Everyone was a buzz with the view and then went down to the glass floor. Like the Sky Tower was another treat with photos galore. Many little glass models of the Television tower were purchased and will be coming back to NZ.
A handful of people did not go up the tower and went to the Old Museum where they looked at old Shanghai. Once the viewing up the tower was completed the group came down and went through the museum too. Once again seeing the colonial influence on Shanghai was very distinct.
Once again everyone shopped. Chop sticks etc. Many of the boys found sword they brought as souvenirs. A couple had plastic dough characters made of themselves – very life like even down to the red uniform – brilliant.
Onto lunch – once again a great mixture of Chinese cuisine. Each meal had something different. We are a little concerned that not many students have been eating much or drinking a lot of water. This may mean dehydration because it is still quite warm and everyone is still recovering from jet lag. So adults encouraging the students to eat and drink.
On the bus and off to the Pearl factor. Here we were shown how the pearls were made and how to distinguish between a real pearl and a fake one. The real pearls are still gritty and when you rub them together they grind whereas fake ones are all the same size and smooth and do not grind. We were shown the difference between the river oyster pearls and the ocean oyster. Ocean oyster pearl only has one pearl inside whereas the river oyster can have up to 20 and they are a lot smaller. The colours are due to various environment factors. Colours seen were pink, black and the pearl colour. Sizes varied and the more perfect the pearl the more expensive. Once again we were let lose on the shop and the Yuan flowed freely from our pockets to the shop keepers. If you loved pearls then you would have been in heaven.
On the road again. We travelled across town to the Yu gardens in PuXi. This was a garden build early 17th Century. One of the aristocrats wanted to build a garden for his aging parents. Unfortunately it took 83 years to complete so in this time his parents had died. Where a pagoda stood was once the tallest place in Shanghai for a few centuries. The garden was nice peaceful place. Once we arrived inside you could not hear the ‘hustle’ and ‘bustle’ of the shopping streets outside. It was very peaceful and tranquil. After the garden where the students were fascinated by carp fish we were let loose on the shopping streets around the garden called the Yu markets. Bargains Bargains! Bargains! It was shoulder to shoulder shopping. Quite scary really.
Our resident musician brought a couple of instruments – everyone loved the bartering. Comparing notes around the bargains everyone got including the ‘rip-offs’ as well as the things everyone got. Once again the smells were sickening. The smell of the putrid oils and tofu being cooked send your stomach wild.
On entry to the Yu gardens the group was confronted by a armless china man who was begging for money. He had a friend who had twisted legs etc. He had no shirt on and the girls were ‘grossed out’ with what they saw. He was smiling and happy and was saying something to the students. The students went by him very quickly.
Once again went to a traditional Chinese dinner and then went to an Acrobat show. What a show!! We were treated with girls spinning eight plates on eight sticks then climbing and moving around each other; a magician, two muscle men completing acrobat strong men lifts, roller skating girls on a platform only big enough to roll around; bicycle acts, 5 motorcycles in a cage; girls stretching into unbendable positions. It was outstanding! We also ran into a Japanese school which were in China on a school exchange. Everyone was once again a buzz about what they saw. Back to the hotel and ready for the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment