Trip Report!! ABD Enchanted China 6/4-15/2017 Update 8/11/18! Day 10 - Shanghai à la Carte

[sayhello]

Love the report!! Thank you.

Thank you! I'm so glad you're enjoying my report!

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[CaliforniaGirl09]

Thank you for bringing back all these fabulous memories. I was LOL'ing at the bathroom in the Hutong--I remember that VERY well. I couldn't believe how difficult the calligraphy was. I actually took calligraphy when I was young but none of those old skills came back DS Special Needs was NOT a fan of the "magic" toilets at the Ritz, LOL, but I loved them. It is funny how we got the Ritz and were like "this if fine." So spoiled by the hotels on this trip!

 

[sayhello]

Thank you for bringing back all these fabulous memories. I was LOL'ing at the bathroom in the Hutong--I remember that VERY well. I couldn't believe how difficult the calligraphy was. I actually took calligraphy when I was young but none of those old skills came back DS Special Needs was NOT a fan of the "magic" toilets at the Ritz, LOL, but I loved them. It is funny how we got the Ritz and were like "this if fine." So spoiled by the hotels on this trip!

You are welcome! Your calligraphy skills were better than mine, so there!

I can just see your DS not appreciating the "magic" toilets! I had enough problems with them myself. And I agree with how spoiled we were by the hotels on this trip! I have a feeling Iceland is going to be a rude awakening for me after China. The rooms really aren't any cheaper than China -- but totally not the quality. Supply and demand, and all! I'm amazed how much more expensive Iceland is compared to when I went just 2 years ago...

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[Cousin Orville]

You are welcome! Your calligraphy skills were better than mine, so there!

I can just see your DS not appreciating the "magic" toilets! I had enough problems with them myself. And I agree with how spoiled we were by the hotels on this trip! I have a feeling Iceland is going to be a rude awakening for me after China. The rooms really aren't any cheaper than China -- but totally not the quality. Supply and demand, and all! I'm amazed how much more expensive Iceland is compared to when I went just 2 years ago...

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I'm curious how you would rank the hotels in China. I loved the Ritz, but I know it wasn't as loved by others.
I would have ranked them Shanghai Peninsula, Chengdu Ritz, Guilin Shangri La, [Beijing Peninsula], and [Hong Kong Shangri La]. I was excited to hear they removed my 2 lowest (which were still ok) and added the Beijing Rosewood and HK Peninsula. Yeah, Iceland may be a rude awakening. At least the landscape will be spectacular.

 

[sayhello]

I'm curious how you would rank the hotels in China. I loved the Ritz, but I know it wasn't as loved by others.
I would have ranked them Shanghai Peninsula, Chengdu Ritz, Guilin Shangri La, [Beijing Peninsula], and [Hong Kong Shangri La]. I was excited to hear they removed my 2 lowest (which were still ok) and added the Beijing Rosewood and HK Peninsula. Yeah, Iceland may be a rude awakening. At least the landscape will be spectacular.

The best (#1) was definitely the Beijing Rosewood. Most everyone on our trip seemed to agree with that. The rooms were just beautiful, as was the whole hotel, and the service was wonderful. Next for me was the Hong Kong Peninsula (although I was not a fan of the iPad controls). Shanghai Peninsula was #3. Although it really should have been #2, I found the bedroom area to be worn & tired looking. It really needed an update to bring it up to the standards of the rest of the Suite. The rest of the Suite was spectacular, if a bit too spread out. #4 was the Chengdu Ritz Carlton. There was *nothing* wrong with it, and on any other trip, it would have been fabulous, but it was just a bit out-classed. #5 was the Shangri-La Guilin. The Shangri-La was actually a nice room, the best in Guilin, I'm sure, but it just wasn't up to the standards of the rest of the trip. Again, on any other trip, it would have been great.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of the Beijing Rosewood.

And you are correct. The landscape in Iceland is what you go for. I'll survive "utilitarian" hotels!

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[CaliforniaGirl09]

The best (#1) was definitely the Beijing Rosewood. Most everyone on our trip seemed to agree with that. The rooms were just beautiful, as was the whole hotel, and the service was wonderful. Next for me was the Hong Kong Peninsula (although I was not a fan of the iPad controls). Shanghai Peninsula was #3. Although it really should have been #2, I found the bedroom area to be worn & tired looking. It really needed an update to bring it up to the standards of the rest of the Suite. The rest of the Suite was spectacular, if a bit too spread out. #4 was the Chengdu Ritz Carlton. There was *nothing* wrong with it, and on any other trip, it would have been fabulous, but it was just a bit out-classed. #5 was the Shangri-La Guilin. The Shangri-La was actually a nice room, the best in Guilin, I'm sure, but it just wasn't up to the standards of the rest of the trip. Again, on any other trip, it would have been great.

I'm looking forward to hearing what you think of the Beijing Rosewood.

And you are correct. The landscape in Iceland is what you go for. I'll survive "utilitarian" hotels!

Sayhello

My rank is exactly the same! The first three were neck and neck for me, but there was just something about the rosewood that really hit it for me. Loved the HK Peninsula as well, and maybe it was because the the shanghai peninsula was oversold on the technology but I was disappointed with that aspect--I loved the iPads in the Hong Kong peninsula and though the shanghai was dated in comparison. I was also annoyed that we couldn't set our room to a specific temp at the shanghai. The service there was also a little on the pretentious edge of stuffy. The shangra la was just ok--the meh breakfast kind of killed it for me.

 

[CaliKris]

Our China ABD group rated the hotels differently. We went with #1 Hong Kong Peninsula, #2 Shanghai Peninsula, #3 Rosewood Beijing, #4 Chengdu Ritz Carlton and #5 Shangri-La Guilin. Maybe this speaks to the fact that the hotels are all really spectacular. I think our group liked the service and locations of the two Peninsulas. The rooms at the Rosewood were huge and amazing, but several of us had trouble getting coffee at breakfast and one older couple in our group encountered a rude concierge. I think this may have affected the rating of the Rosewood. Our guides felt they all had something special to offer:

HK Peninsula - best breakfast
Rosewood Beijing - best room
Chengdu Ritz - best toilet
Shangri-La Guilin - best view
Shanghai Peninsula - best bathroom

These hotels all are really fabulous and I am now forever spoiled!

 

[sayhello]

Our China ABD group rated the hotels differently. We went with #1 Hong Kong Peninsula, #2 Shanghai Peninsula, #3 Rosewood Beijing, #4 Chengdu Ritz Carlton and #5 Shangri-La Guilin. Maybe this speaks to the fact that the hotels are all really spectacular. I think our group liked the service and locations of the two Peninsulas. The rooms at the Rosewood were huge and amazing, but several of us had trouble getting coffee at breakfast and one older couple in our group encountered a rude concierge. I think this may have affected the rating of the Rosewood. Our guides felt they all had something special to offer:

HK Peninsula - best breakfast
Rosewood Beijing - best room
Chengdu Ritz - best toilet
Shangri-La Guilin - best view
Shanghai Peninsula - best bathroom

These hotels all are really fabulous and I am now forever spoiled!

I can't comment on the breakfast at the HK Peninsula, because I was still dealing with stomach issues, and couldn't really appreciate what they had. And I apparently got pretty ripped off in the view department at the Shangr-La Guilin. Couldn't tell until I woke up, but my room overlooked the inner courtyard, and didn't have much of a view. And yes, the bathroom at the Shanghai Peninsula was pretty impressive! Just the bathtub alone was amazing! Although, honestly, one of my favorite things about that hotel was the free VOIP calls to anywhere in the world! I called my friend in Las Vegas, and we had a great chat!

I'm surprised and saddened by your experience at the Rosewood.

I definitely agree that the hotels on the China trip are fantastic, and have really spoiled me!

Sayhello

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

Our China ABD group rated the hotels differently. We went with #1 Hong Kong Peninsula, #2 Shanghai Peninsula, #3 Rosewood Beijing, #4 Chengdu Ritz Carlton and #5 Shangri-La Guilin. Maybe this speaks to the fact that the hotels are all really spectacular. I think our group liked the service and locations of the two Peninsulas. The rooms at the Rosewood were huge and amazing, but several of us had trouble getting coffee at breakfast and one older couple in our group encountered a rude concierge. I think this may have affected the rating of the Rosewood. Our guides felt they all had something special to offer:

HK Peninsula - best breakfast
Rosewood Beijing - best room
Chengdu Ritz - best toilet
Shangri-La Guilin - best view
Shanghai Peninsula - best bathroom

These hotels all are really fabulous and I am now forever spoiled!

I agree completely. The fabulous hotels were a big part of what I loved so much about the trip. It really took the trip to another level for me (just like when the Balmoral was included in the Scotland itinerary). The HK, Shanghai and Rosewood in particular were all so outstanding that I can see any of them ending up as a top pick. I'm bummed to hear about the service issues at the Rosewood though. I loved my room there, but it was also the food that made it #1 for me. They had my favorite breakfast--the noodles were incredible--and the country kitchen might be my favorite hotel restaurant of all time

 

[CaliKris]

I agree completely. The fabulous hotels were a big part of what I loved so much about the trip. It really took the trip to another level for me (just like when the Balmoral was included in the Scotland itinerary). The HK, Shanghai and Rosewood in particular were all so outstanding that I can see any of them ending up as a top pick. I'm bummed to hear about the service issues at the Rosewood though. I loved my room there, but it was also the food that made it #1 for me. They had my favorite breakfast--the noodles were incredible--and the country kitchen might be my favorite hotel restaurant of all time

The restaurants at the Rosewood were amazing! We loved Country Kitchen and ate in the lobby one evening and were surprised by the quality of the sandwiches and delicious noodle soup. Unfortunately, I had a bit of Mao's revenge after Country Kitchen but everyone else was fine so who knows. Some of our group did not like the location of the Rosewood (being in a business district) and would have preferred the location of the Peninsula (which I understand is undergoing renovation). Anyway, I think this is one of the reasons why it rated #3 with our group.

 

[sayhello]

Day 7 – Chengdu Panda-monium

This day, we woke up to rain. It was not a heavy rain, in fact it was pretty light. But it rained on & off for most of the day, so this was the one day that a rain jacket, or at least an umbrella, was totally necessary. We had our local Guide for Chengdu with us. I have to admit, I’ve forgotten his name. Hopefully someone can remember his name!

We were met at the panda-shaped front gate of the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding by a person from the Panda Center who was going to be our docent once we were inside.





After some discussion of logistics, we headed inside to start our tour. Some folks who had not brought umbrellas got them from our docent.

There was a kind of funny moment once inside, because there was a statue of Kung-Fu Panda inside. The Guides didn’t take pictures there, well, because it’s not a Disney character. Besides, there was a great, large bronze statue of a Mama panda cuddling her baby panda that was just beyond there. The Guides got family shots there, getting the Moms who were there to wrap their arms around their “cubs” like the Mama panda was. It was very sweet!





We walked past some of the buildings of the research center, and then made it to the habitat for the red pandas. It had started raining again, so I have to admit, I didn’t get any really good pics of the red pandas. But they’re very cute, although they look more like a red raccoon than a red panda.



We then made it to the outdoor enclosures where the pandas were. There were several pandas, out in several different enclosures. Happily, they didn’t seem to mind the rain at all, and were out having a good time, eating, laying around, and playing with each other.





Previously, folks were allowed, for a large fee, to have their photos taken holding a Panda. This activity was not officially a part of the ABD, but was made available by the Panda Research center. Unfortunately, they don't do that any more. Apparently the pandas were catching human diseases, so they stopped the practice. We had to content ourselves with seeing these adorable, fascinating creatures. And that was more than enough!

We all had an amazing frenzy of picture-taking. The pandas were most cooperative, mostly just totally ignoring the presence of the throngs of people and their cameras, and just chilling out.





This is actually one of the Guides’ photo, but I thought it was just so hilarious, how she was just lounging there, chowing down, and obviously enjoying herself.



Continued in next post

 

[sayhello]

The pandas seemed to really enjoy their time up in the trees. It’s amazing that such a large animal seemed to have so little trouble both getting up into the trees, as well as hanging out there on what seemed to be relatively thin branches compared to them!



This was near the entrance to an area that had some indoor enclosures. As we went to enter the building this young man came out with a ton of what I though was food, but it turned out to be just a portion of the leftovers from what the pandas had eaten that day!



The few pandas in this enclosure were just hanging out the same as the ones outside. A few of us got to an area where there were some seats, and took advantage of the spot out of the rain & sat & waited for the rest of the group to catch up with us. Suddenly, we heard a commotion from the area we had just gone through, and someone came and told us “Babies!” We headed back to one of the enclosures that had previous been empty, and there was a baby panda, who was soon joined by its sibling! We were told this was a special treat, because they were just 45 days old, and this was their first day outside of their incubators! They were SO ADORABLE!! I mean, *seriously* adorable!





We watched the babies for a while, and took turns up front by the glass so that everyone could get a good look at them, and take some photos.

As we were waiting for everyone to finish looking at the baby pandas, and congregate together again, CG’s family became celebrities. They are all, especially Mr. CG, very tall, and it apparently was quite the novelty for some of the women there. They were quite giddy getting a photo with CG’s family.



When we got back out, the rain had pretty much stopped. It took a while to actually dry up, but at least we didn’t need our umbrellas any more. Considering how crowded it was around the enclosures, people were really, overall, pretty considerate with their umbrellas.

More treed pandas. They were really high up there. Amazing!







After we had seen all the enclosures, we hit the gift shop, which had a nice selection of panda goodies. I bought a small stuffed panda, and a small panda keychain to hang at work.

Outside the gift shop.





Once everyone was done shopping, we headed down to the bus to head to lunch. On our way out, we gave a ride to a friend of Ralph’s and he passed out our pins to us. He was a funny guy, and that’s all I’m going to say about that!

Continued in next post.

 

[sayhello]

Lunch was at a “Hot Pot” restaurant. Every table had a heating element for each person embedded in the table top. You choose what kind of broth base you want, heat it up, and then start cooking the array of vegetables and proteins placed on the lazy susan. You could also build you own sauce from various ingredients to dip your food in. It was pretty tasty, and did have the advantage of making you slow down in your eating. It was a really yummy lunch. I don’t remember there being anything *really* crazy on the menu…





After lunch, it was back to the hotel for some down time, dinner OYO, and getting ready for that evening’s event – The famed Szechwan Face Changing Opera. I also packed up most of my stuff, because we actually had to have our suitcases out in the hall before heading to bed this night, since we had SUCH an early flight the next morning, heading to Xi’an.

I’d seen some different travel shows about the Face Changing Opera, and was really looking forward to it! Our motorcoach took us to the opera house, and did some really crazy maneuvering to park in a parking lot that seemed way too small for such large buses!!

We walked across a square to get to the opera house, and passed some women in a dance class.



Ralph & Joe let us know about the traditional “Back Massages” and “Ear Picking”. I’d seen Anthony Bourdain do this on his show, and thought it sounded intriguing. So I signed up for both. For a small fee, you go to a chair off to the side, and they give you a short massage, and if you want, clean out your ears. They actually both felt really good!



The opera house has a stage and a seating area with very comfortable wicker chairs, and little tables where they serve you tea (some folks even ordered some munchies).



Ralph, Joe, and our Chengdu local guide. I still don't remember his name! Any help CG or Karen? [Mystery solved! @CaliKris remembered it was Kun!]



There was a bit of a gallery around the outside of the seating area, where they had some displays, and this place where you could have your photo taken in traditional costume & makeup. Apparently this is a thing at the facing changing opera. If we’d had time, I think this would have been a really cool thing to do!





Pretty amazing, aren't they?





Continued in the next post.

 

[sayhello]

Karen enjoying her ear cleaning!



The Face Changing Opera itself is sort of a variety show. There was a singer who paraded around with much pageantry and acrobats.





The Master of Ceremony in a positively *gorgeous* dress!



I’m not sure what this stringed instrument is called, but he was very good.



This woman was an amazing puppeteer.



This woman did fascinating shadow figures.



This was sort of a Fred-and-Ethel kind of a sitcom skit, where, I believe, the wife catches the husband doing something he shouldn’t, and he ends up trying to prove his innocence by performing a bunch of acrobatic tricks. It was cute, but it went on WAY TOO LONG. I found myself nodding off towards the end of the skit, so I got up to walk around the perimeter of the seating area to try & wake up.



Unfortunately, as I made my way back to my seat, the Face Changing part of the show started (actually, the fast clothes changing), so I missed the beginning of that. But I did see the Fire breathing and the Face changing part.



For the Face changing part, several performers wear masks, and as they wave their hands or their fans in front of their faces, the masks change seemingly instantaneously. It's really quite astounding, and fascinating to watch. Unfortunately, a couple of the performers weren't quite as good as this guy was (he was phenomenal) and you could sort of see how they were doing it. It was still very, very cool.



The *only* problem with this evening’s activity was that it was fairly late (hence the falling asleep) and we had a REALLY early morning the next day. CG & her family decided to stay at the hotel and rest. But I really wanted to see the Face Changing opera, and I’m glad I went.

Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel, I finished packing, except for what I’d need the next morning, and put my suitcases out in the hall. Then it was off to bed for like a 5am call – tomorrow was our marathon day to Xi’an, and then on to Guilin.

Next up: Terra-ific Xi’an

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I love reading along and reliving all these wonderful memories. I was bummed to miss the show but we all needed sleep desperately. It's fun to see what we missed though. Oh gosh, I can't remember his name either! I'm sure DD would but she's at Uni! I love that picture of my family with our new friends in the panda enclosure! You have to send that one to me. We are basically famous in China now . I may have to get my family t-shirts that day that for Christmas!

 

[sayhello]

I love reading along and reliving all these wonderful memories. I was bummed to miss the show but we all needed sleep desperately. It's fun to see what we missed though. Oh gosh, I can't remember his name either! I'm sure DD would but she's at Uni! I love that picture of my family with our new friends in the panda enclosure! You have to send that one to me. We are basically famous in China now . I may have to get my family t-shirts that day that for Christmas!

CG, so glad you're enjoying the report! It's fun for me, sifting through all my photos for the right ones. I'm glad I went to the show, but I was very jealous of you for the sleep you got! That next morning was *really* rough! (Although, again, totally worth it!) Check your email. I've sent the photo of you and your fans!!

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[CaliKris]

What a great report of a fabulous day! I love reliving the memories of our ABD China trip. I must say I am a bit jealous you got to see the baby pandas. Our group did not. We went to the face changing opera as well. Several of the families with younger children skipped it or had one parent go with the older children. We even had one little girl from our group get made up in the traditional make up and costume. Although we were definitely sleep deprived the next day, I think it was worth it. I found myself nodding off on every plane and bus ride the next day.

Oh, and the local guide's name was Kun, pronounced coon (like ra-coon). He was our youngest local guide and spoke excellent English. We thought he had lived in the US, but he said he had learned English at the university.

 

[sayhello]

What a great report of a fabulous day! I love reliving the memories of our ABD China trip. I must say I am a bit jealous you got to see the baby pandas. Our group did not. We went to the face changing opera as well. Several of the families with younger children skipped it or had one parent go with the older children. We even had one little girl from our group get made up in the traditional make up and costume. Although we were definitely sleep deprived the next day, I think it was worth it. I found myself nodding off on every plane and bus ride the next day.

Oh, and the local guide's name was Kun, pronounced coon (like ra-coon). He was our youngest local guide and spoke excellent English. We thought he had lived in the US, but he said he had learned English at the university.

Kun! Yay, thanks! I'm glad your memory is better than mine! I keep meaning to write things like the local guides' names down, but I never remember to do it!

We were really thrilled about seeing the babies! It really was a rare treat.

Thanks!
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[Cousin Orville]

Sorry to hear sitting with the Pandas had to end, but I'm glad they're ultimately doing what's in the Pandas' best interest. It was a crazy amount of money anyway. I really enjoyed the day in Chengdu including the opera. That was one of those activities I had no interest in before going on the ABD and it turned out to be great.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

CG, so glad you're enjoying the report! It's fun for me, sifting through all my photos for the right ones. I'm glad I went to the show, but I was very jealous of you for the sleep you got! That next morning was *really* rough! (Although, again, totally worth it!) Check your email. I've sent the photo of you and your fans!!

Sayhello

Got it! Thank you so much. That's a keeper!

Oh, and the local guide's name was Kun, pronounced coon (like ra-coon). He was our youngest local guide and spoke excellent English. We thought he had lived in the US, but he said he had learned English at the university.

Whoo hoo!! That's it. How could I have forgotten? He was wonderful--as were all the local guides.