Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Tour day 12 of 15. Shanghai with Tony. Weather at the start of today was 81 degrees Fahrenheit and scattered light showers, the forecast high was 90 and thunderstorms. On my way to the breakfast buffet at InterContinental Shanghai I took photos of the lobby areas. InterContinental Shanghai is truly a luxury hotel. In the lobby you can find excellent contemporary and ancient art, a live modern koi pond, a grand piano, silver nugget sculptures, stunning chandeliers, gigantic marble columns. Everywhere I look is luxurious, and I have to snap a photo every couple of steps and turns. At the buffet, because of a labelled item, I learn only now what Yangzhou fried rice is even though I have eaten it at various times since childhood. Jeremy and I watched field hockey on the television in the dining area. Highlights of the buffet include matcha muffin and cake, sesame black scallion cake, especially crisp hash browns, cinnamon brown sugar french toast, dried kiwi (as a topping for anything). As we rode in the bus, Tony told us that in Shanghai good advice for nearly everything is to drink more water. He pointed out the nearest grocery and convenience store and mentioned that Starbucks is everywhere. We passed the nearest McDonald's. An occasional light rain started to fall. He pointed out old homes that we had passed and explained how tap water faucets have either differently keyed fittings or they are locked so that individual units are metered correctly. He explained a Chinese saying that says a bed in the west is better than a house in the east. We passed a group of tall buildings all built after 2000. Tony mentioned that an urban planning museum exists here (but it is not on our agenda). Tony pointed out the Park Hotel, built in 1928, and which was the first hotel in the city with a revolving door. We passed through the Pu River Tunnel. Arriving at the Jin Mao Tower (aka J-Life), we saw across the street Shanghai Tower. We visited the 88th floor of the 1998 Jin Mao Tower. Jin Mao means golden prosperity. We took many photos of the terrific view, and there was also a harrowing view down the center of the tower to the ground floor. In the bus again. I learned that in Chinese nai means I'm still... or originally is... and that chung means middle or central or China. We lunched at Xian Qiang Fang aka Yong An Restaurant in the Yong An Building and shopping mall. The restaurant is richly and elaborately decorated in an old-school style reminiscent of 1930s Shanghai; I took many photos. Highlights of the meal include breaded fish with lemon sauce, lion's head meatballs, hot and sour soup, highball drinking glasses that are circular at the top and oval on the bottom, the background elevator music playlist with only one song, Budweiser, and, for dessert, sliced jicama, watermelon, and melon. In the bus we drove to Shanghai Museum, spending too little time—less than 2 hours. I rented and enjoyed using an audio device providing English descriptions of some of the items. We met on the floor 1 lobby at 3:15 pm then drove in the bus to the former French Concession aka Xin Tian Di aka Xintiandi aka XTD. Tony explained that this area was developed by the French after the 1843 opium war when Shanghai became a free port. I bought a green tea frappuccino at Starbucks. They lost my order so I had to wait a long time before I received it with an apology. We drove to the Bund, spending about 40 minutes observing the view. Back in the bus to a Chinese food dinner feast at Yuxin Sichuan Dish Restaurant. Highlights include tea-smoked duck (camphor tree aka zhāng) with buns, sauce, and trimmings; sauteed cauliflower with smoked pork on a hot burner; dandan noodles; sticky rice soup; garlic-herbed potato chips; black pepper beef; king oyster mushrooms; sweet and sour pork with honey melon. In the bus we drove to Shanghai Center and the Ritz-Carlton for a terrific performance of ballet-influenced acrobatics, magic, and other amusing misdirections. Weather at the end of today was 86 degrees Fahrenheit and clear. To bed.