Shanghai and Hong Kong Disneyland March 17 – Day 7 Complete in Hong Kong Proper; 12/04

[PrincessInOz]

After reading your report I am dubious about visiting Shanghai unless we can arrange transportation where there is a guy at baggage claim (or customs) with a little sign with our name on it. Or I guess they use iPads now.

I do not do well with scammers and certainly not in a foreign language!

I'm glad you and your mom made it safely to your hotel, sounds like it was quite an adventure to get there. The train sounds interesting. I also enjoyed Magdalene's commentary on the subject.

There were plenty of guys with signs outside the arrival hall with names on them. So, it is more than possible to do so without being hassled by the scammers.

I would imagine that you would be organising everything and your own guide for Shanghai. It is very doable and a good city to visit on your way to Disneyland.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I think this is the most substantial snack I have ever seen.

The food was great.

That sounds like a definite bonus.

It was good and bad depending on where we were.

It is amazing what length some people go to. Well done for not falling for this.

I was definitely on scammer alert at all entry points into China.

That looks amazing.


That is good to know.

The public transport in Shanghai was truly amazing.

That would be plenty fast enough for me.

Corinna

 

[PrincessInOz]

Thank you!

Those are pretty much the 3 that we are deciding among. Luzhi is the other one.

I've been reaching out to private guides on Viator, so we'll see where that goes.

Good luck with it!

Like Flossbolna, I'll be interested to see how you go with the Viator guides.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Yay, I have found your TR. I have been thinking about you the last few days, wondering if I would see any of your talented photography from this trip online and checked the Aussie section to no avail. It took me a few days to notice that all I had to do was go into Other Lands and scroll down.

Anyway, I'm coming out of Disboard retirement and will be catching up and following on.

After my travel hiatus, I even have a trip of my own in the works. So I may even create a post or two of my own.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Good on you for working out that they were scammers. It's stuff like that that can end up putting a large damper on ones holiday, but you had your wits about you and stayed positive.
Cathay Pacific looks like a great airline and the hotel looks lovely. Looking forward to reading the rest.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Yay, I have found your TR. I have been thinking about you the last few days, wondering if I would see any of your talented photography from this trip online and checked the Aussie section to no avail. It took me a few days to notice that all I had to do was go into Other Lands and scroll down.

Anyway, I'm coming out of Disboard retirement and will be catching up and following on.

YAY! Awesome news.

Glad to see you back on the boards!

After my travel hiatus, I even have a trip of my own in the works. So I may even create a post or two of my own.

Ooh! That sounds very exciting!!! Where are you head to?
(I'm so pleased for you. )

 

[PrincessInOz]

Good on you for working out that they were scammers. It's stuff like that that can end up putting a large damper on ones holiday, but you had your wits about you and stayed positive.
Cathay Pacific looks like a great airline and the hotel looks lovely. Looking forward to reading the rest.

I was totally prepared for the scammers and went with an open mind.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Wrong turns lead to Snacks


My original sightseeing plan for arrival day was to head towards the French Concession area of Shanghai. After we had unpacked and freshened up in our room, we headed down to the hotel concierge to find out how to get there.

The person that helped us wasn’t very helpful. He told us to head to the People’s Square train station and waved us in a general direction towards the back of the hotel. As far as he was concerned, that was all we needed to know.

I made sure we grabbed some maps on our way out.


We then headed out the back of the hotel and got totally lost from that point. His waving indicated we needed to turn left out of the back of the hotel, which is what we did. It took us all of 5 minutes to realise that left was the wrong way to go. By this stage, we had walked some way down Hankou Road to the Shanxi cross-Road and a quick check of the map showed that we were closer towards the Nanjing East Road train station than the People’s Square Train station.





More importantly, walking this way, gave me a glimpse at Shanghai life away from the tourist mecca of Nanjing Road. Hidden amoungst the skyscrapers, we would find the occasional “longtang” alleyway. Narrow alleys like this one used to dominate Shanghai city living.





We also found a number of silk stores and I spent some time browsing in one. The silk shops in Shanghai were just astounding with a wide array of scarves in every colour (but the blue or red colour combination that I wanted), tops and dresses of various styles. The shops ranged from small hole-in-the-wall spaces to double story buildings along Nanjing Road. In the end, I didn’t buy any silk because I didn’t see anything in the right colours.

We also found the Japanese departmental store, Daimaru and poked our head in there. Gob-smackingly deliciously decked out with merchandise.





But we didn't spend long in there. Next time, I'll have to build in some shopping time into the itinerary!


By this stage, I had abandoned the French Concession plans. It was just as much fun taking the left fork and getting a little lost.

We eventually made our way back to Nanjing Road and decided to take another left to complete the square and make sure we could find our way back to the hotel. It was relatively easy to do so and I found another street to get a little lost in. It was about 4 pm at this stage and the plane food seemed a long way away.


Shi-tan Long (Lu) completely tickled my senses. (Note - I had to truncate the name so that it could show on the Dis. And if there are any mods reading, I'm not meaning to put up a banned word or wanting to incur any points....it really is the name of the street!! )





There were a few eating establishments down this street.





There was a shop that sold all sorts of meat cuts. I just stuck with taking a picture of the chicken feet. But there were all kinds of sweatbread available for purchase!





But it was the smaller shops that attracted me. They were filled with snacks and I was in the snacking mood! I could appreciate the smells coming from this store.





The makings of savoury cheese Tako-Yaki.






I walked by again 10 minutes later to get a shot of the finished product.





There was a cookie/sweet store. I had every intention of getting back here to try one of these but ran out of time.





They also sold the sweet rice cakes….large Mochi balls. We did get one of these to try. Assuming that my mother got the translation right, the filling is apparently sweet potato. I somehow suspect that it might be taro.





This one was my favourite. Green tea and red bean paste. I love this combination.




The mochi balls are a little larger than a squash ball (remember this sport??) and a little smaller than a tennis ball. They cost about 7 (or it might have been 9) Yuan each. That’s less than $2 in my money.



One of the shops down this street sold the Hokkaido style cheese tarts. The Hokkaido Cheese Tart franchise has recently opened in Melbourne and these tarts are exquisite. Short, crispy, sweet pastry crust with a light-as-air delicate cheese flavoured filling. I expect that the ones sold here would have been pretty similar.





What I did not expect was the other flavours on offer. This one is the green tea and blueberry version.






It came down to a choice between the cheese tarts or the Portuguese tarts. No contest really. I love Portuguese tarts and at 6 for 20 Yuan, this was the clear winner.





The Po-tarts were nice but not as good as the ones you will find in Macau or Hong Kong. But these were really good value for money compared to what you can get in Macau or HK.




Oh! And for the record…..there is a touristy longtang off Nanjing Road, near Shi-tan Long. We were dragged in there by one of the shopkeepers in here. She tried to sell me leather bags.





I stayed long enough to enjoy the streetscape and made my e-scape as quickly as I could.

 

[PrincessInOz]

No Dogs or Chinese Admitted


There is a story that my dad tells about The Peace Hotel along The Bund in Shanghai. In the days where the American and English held this concessional area, they put up a sign on the Hotel “No Dogs or Chinese Admitted”. I have tried to do some googling and aside from the reference in the Jackie Chan Fist of Fury movie, there seems to be no record of a similar sign being placed outside the hotel. But there is a reference of a sign being placed outside a park. Without conclusive evidence, I do not know whether the story is true or not, but without a doubt, the sign has definitely become part of folklore of The Bund.


The Bund, reputed as An Exhibition of International Buildings, is located on the west bank of the Huangpo River. 52 buildings make up the Bund and it stretches from Waibaidu Bridge on the North End to Yanan Road. In total, it’s about 1.5 km, or about 1 mile, long.






Having taken a wrong turn from the Hotel, we decided that it would probably be better for us to check out the Bund instead. Afterall, going to Shanghai and not seeing the Bund is a little like going to Beijing and not see the Great Wall or the Forbidden City.


The name “Bund” in Anglo-Indian term means “the embankment of a muddy waterfront”. Before the 1840s, Shanghai was a small seaside town and the Bund was once a muddy towpath for boats along Huangpu River. After the First Opium War in 1842, Shanghai began to be an open port and there was land or concessions made to the foreigners. The Bund is, in essence, the first settlement of Great Britain combined with the settlement for America. Later as the other foreign powers entered Shanghai, the Bund took on a more international flavour as trading houses from the Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Belgium built Western style banks and trading houses here.

In the later of 19th Century and 20th Century, Shanghai grew into Asia’s leading city, a cosmopolitan and thriving commercial and financial center. The Bund is now also known as “Oriental Wall Street”.


We made it to the Bund promenade as the sun was setting.





Take a look at the other side of the Huangpo River at the Pudong skyline. A mass of skyscrapers! The tower over there is the Pearl Orient Tower. I had plans of going up but never did. Something for next time.





The architecture on this side? Distinctively European! This could be a scene from any European city.





With such a setting, it seems so incongruent to think that any signs such as "No Dogs or Chinese Admitted" could ever be placed up!




We kept walking down the Promenade. I did have a specific destination in mind.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Ooh! That sounds very exciting!!! Where are you head to?
(I'm so pleased for you. )

A mix of the USA and Central America - however I'm still quite undecided on some options. In saying that, I don't want to hijack your post with discussions about my own travels, so I'll create a new post on the Australia section. I am keen to gauge people's thoughts and have a general discussion with people who enjoy travel.

Really enjoying your pics of Shanghai. The ones of the Bund are great. I put them up side by side with pics I took about 10 years ago, and the number of buildings has pretty much doubled.
It sounds like getting lost worked in your favour. I remember, even early in the Century, how Shanghai felt very developed. I think it's great that you got to see a less touristy area.

The Chinese Egg Tarts look delicious, I'm not quite so convinced though by those Mochi balls.

 

[dhorner233]

Hey Thanks for the heads up on the Where in the World thread!

There are about 100 or so popular websites (including Facebook, Twitter, Google, gmail, Instagram) that are currently blocked in what is effectively the Great Firewall of China.

Wow! Interesting. You are so brave and smart to travel internationally like you do! I will have to live vicariously through your trip reports!

Love your photos and the history of the area is interesting too!

 

[xlsm]

I stumbled upon this report tonight and I'm so glad I did! I read the whole things in one sitting, and it's so interesting to read about everything that's involved in making a trip to Shanghai, and such good info on dealing with the taxi scammers and the airport guy! I think that one in particular would have thrown me off a bit. The worst I've had to deal with has been in New Orleans, Louisiana or in Hollywood here in the US, and they were speaking English, LOL! It makes me wonder if I'd have an easier or harder time ignoring someone in a different language??

I'm excited to follow along and see the rest of your China adventures!

 

[zanzibar138]

Good start to the trip! We are flying Cathay - glad you gave them a good review!

I have flown Cathay on a few occasions and have found them to be consistently good.

 

[zanzibar138]

Afterall, going to Shanghai and not seeing the Bund is a little like going to Beijing and not see the Great Wall or the Forbidden City

Now I feel a little bad for having been to Shanghai twice and still not having seen the Bund lol!

I have definitely made some of my best travel discoveries by getting lost. It certainly is the best way to see the real side of a city.

Looks like you at least started and ended your time in Shanghai with beautiful blue skies

 

[darrenf67]

No Dogs or Chinese Admitted


There is a story that my dad tells about The Peace Hotel along The Bund in Shanghai. In the days where the American and English held this concessional area, they put up a sign on the Hotel “No Dogs or Chinese Admitted”. I have tried to do some googling and aside from the reference in the Jackie Chan Fist of Fury movie, there seems to be no record of a similar sign being placed outside the hotel. But there is a reference of a sign being placed outside a park. Without conclusive evidence, I do not know whether the story is true or not, but without a doubt, the sign has definitely become part of folklore of The Bund.


The Bund, reputed as An Exhibition of International Buildings, is located on the west bank of the Huangpo River. 52 buildings make up the Bund and it stretches from Waibaidu Bridge on the North End to Yanan Road. In total, it’s about 1.5 km, or about 1 mile, long.






Having taken a wrong turn from the Hotel, we decided that it would probably be better for us to check out the Bund instead. Afterall, going to Shanghai and not seeing the Bund is a little like going to Beijing and not see the Great Wall or the Forbidden City.


The name “Bund” in Anglo-Indian term means “the embankment of a muddy waterfront”. Before the 1840s, Shanghai was a small seaside town and the Bund was once a muddy towpath for boats along Huangpu River. After the First Opium War in 1842, Shanghai began to be an open port and there was land or concessions made to the foreigners. The Bund is, in essence, the first settlement of Great Britain combined with the settlement for America. Later as the other foreign powers entered Shanghai, the Bund took on a more international flavour as trading houses from the Italy, Russia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Belgium built Western style banks and trading houses here.

In the later of 19th Century and 20th Century, Shanghai grew into Asia’s leading city, a cosmopolitan and thriving commercial and financial center. The Bund is now also known as “Oriental Wall Street”.


We made it to the Bund promenade as the sun was setting.





Take a look at the other side of the Huangpo River at the Pudong skyline. A mass of skyscrapers! The tower over there is the Pearl Orient Tower. I had plans of going up but never did. Something for next time.





The architecture on this side? Distinctively European! This could be a scene from any European city.





With such a setting, it seems so incongruent to think that any signs such as "No Dogs or Chinese Admitted" could ever be placed up!




We kept walking down the Promenade. I did have a specific destination in mind.

Looks amazing!

 

[franandaj]

I need to hire you as my travel guide!

I've had Takoyaki, not a huge fan, but I did eat it. Not sure how much I would enjoy so many of the other things you showed. I'm sure the Bund would be an interesting spot to visit. If Fran and I became independtly wealthy we would hire you along as a travel guide. I'm sure you wouldn't mind too much. We stay at decent places and eat good meals!

 

[dgbg100106]

PIO - everything looks beautiful, and exciting. I am enjoying the follow along, and good bit of jealous, maybe one of these days I will get to go.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Hi Bret. Long time no chat on the Dis. Hope everything is going as well as possible with you and the family.

It has been really crazy lately since I barely get on the boards with everything going on from work and my family. I have an upcoming trip this Thursday to Sunday to the DLR and can't wait to leave. I am looking forward to the DCA F&W Festival again which is bigger over last years.

Nice to see that you and your mom both got to Shanghai safely. I would have enjoyed riding the Maglev train.

Shanghai looks so amazing and going down to all those different shops which the sweets looks good. Looking forward to reading more when I get back.

 

[Fairy Floss]

Oh I have to add my tuppence halfpenny here having experienced it and PrincessInOz will supplement on her return. In our Beijing hotel our Aussie plugs and an older double adapter we had worked fine. In Shanghai city hotel our Aussie plugs looked like they should fit - and didn't. They got half way in and seemed to get stuck. Our older double adapter did fit though (but looked little different plug wise that we could tell, to the ones that didn't) so while that meant only charging 2 camera batteries or 2 phones at any one time we could manage. In the Disney hotels the same story. Most of the disers on this trip experienced major issues in Shanghai with their plugs. PrincesInOz mum had a standard power board (but I think older not new) with her and it plugged in but none of their other Aussie plugs did. One Diser had to go out and buy an adapter as none of hers worked but I think she was able to buy it at the Disneyland Hotel. I think the Aussie 2 pin plugs didn't work but neither did the newer of our 3 pin ones. At the older airport hotel we stayed in for a few hours before our flight home, none of our Aussie plugs worked but our old UK adapter plug did. Research suggested that Aussie plugs should work but some older hotels might only fit the UK plug which was why we brought it. Be warned, taking an assortment of plugs might be the answer. Just taking a powerboard may or may not work. I have no idea if a universal adapter will fit. We haven't worked out the whys and wherefores really.

Just adding a little here (very late to the party!)
I checked the adapter I bought at the hotel gift shop against my Aus 3 pin plug and it's bottom 'stick' is longer
This must allow the other prongs to go in

 

[dolphingirl47]

Looks like that enforced detour turned out to be a real blessing. What a shame that you never found any silk you liked. The snacks looked amazing. I loved he contrast in the buildings on the opposite side of the river. I have to admit though that I was drawn more to the skyscrapers.

Corinna