Friday was Shanghai Disney day. We were not sure if we were going to be able to shoehorn this trip into our itinerary, but mom always seems to work the magic.
When the dust settled, we had survived and managed to have and enjoyable time; but we were completely exhausted. Yin…Yang.
Our driver showed up at our hotel promptly on time, and ferried us efficiently to the front gate of Shanghai Disneyland. From there it seemed like about a half mile walk to the ticket booth, and another few hundred yards to the front gate. The grounds and the facilities were still very new.
There was a sizable crowd even considering it was a Friday during the school year. The vast majority of visitors were Chinese/Asian however we did see some Americans and some Europeans.
The feel of the park or similar to Florida and California, but with this think my Chinese flavor. Main Street was much smaller and the Castle much larger. Just inside the front gate, we had character pictures taken with Goofy, Pluto, and Minnie. It was very early so the lines were very small. Tyler did not seem to be afraid of the characters, and Ryan certainly was not either. Ryan is especially fond of Mickey Mouse and all of the characters. The Disney characters were prominent in his orphanage.
The park had a Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Gardens of Imagination, Disneytown, Adventure Isle, and Treasure Cove. We made good progress and hitting most of the big rides that we wanted to. The Tron ride was one of our favorites. It was a roller coaster where you leaned over and rode like a motorcyclist. It was a unique roller coaster experience. We also made our way to the Pirates of the Caribbean. The longest wait we had was about one hour.
The crowds and lines for manageable. Although while Ryan, Ashley, Tyler and I are waiting in line on the carousel there was almost a fistfight. Apparently two ladies were fighting over the same prized horse. Soon the husbands were involved and fisticuffs almost ensued. Had there been a fight, it surely would’ve made it to YouTube, based on the number of people in line who were capturing video of the live action! But seriously…the CAROUSEL?!?!?
We happened to be in the right place at the right time to watch the parade in the afternoon. Tyler was on dad’s shoulders and really seemed to have a good time watching all of the action. He was clapping and singing along and having a great time. He was waving to everyone, and many of them waved back to him. It was as animated as we have seen him.
We also got to see the Marvel characters attraction. The kids got some fun pictures with Spiderman.
Dinner was Mickey shaped pizzas, noodle bowls, and rice bowls. We kept dinner short to keep everything on schedule!
At the end of the evening, while we were waiting for Mom, Kyle, and Dylan, Ashley, Ryan, Tyler and I rode Bud Light year four times in a row. We didn’t even have to leave the interior of the ride they just let us to shuffle through one of the access doors to get back on the ride. Tyler seemed to enjoy all of the lights and sounds and action, but never really got the hang of shooting at targets. Just watching the gun light up was good enough for him!
By the end of the night our biggest challenges were that Tyler always wanted to be carried around (and let EVERYONE KNOW IT!); and the constant fights over who would push the stroller. It is nice to know that the older kids want to take care of Tyler, but it was getting out of hand. But we survived – though we’re probably in some other people’s videos considering the handful of stroller-related full nuclear meltdowns we had!!
We had a nice comfortable walk out of the park (we left just as the end of daywear started) and we were able to watch the fireworks display over the castle over our shoulders as we walked out. We made it to the exact pick up point shortly before 9:00. And our driver found us exactly at 9 PM. He had gotten a great parking spot, so we had a good exit out of the parking lot. And we were soon on our way back to the hotel ahead of the traffic.
All in all a good day.
To recover, Saturday was a day of rest, comparatively speaking.
We took a morning walk to the Shanghai Jing An Sculpture Park, not too far from the hotel, down Beijing Road.
The gardens were very nice and the people generally friendly. There were lots of children playing on some of the bronze sculptures of large Bulls on one of the manicured lawns. Every now and then a police man would come along and blow the whistle a few times to get the children off. Then, children would scurry. But, as soon as the policeman wandered away, the children all came back. It was sort of like a game.
We got lots of photos and also saw several more cats (strays presumably) as we wandered the park. We saw the Shanghai Museum of Natural History, but we didn’t go in – just took some photos.
By the time we got back to the hotel, we were all still a bit wiped out after Disney. Afternoon Bed Rest was ordered for all, yet only some complied!
On Saturday evening, we walked down Nanjing road toward the Bund. The crowds were crazy, and it was difficult to maneuver the stroller. It was a mashup of Times Square, Hollywood & Vine, the Vegas Strip, Navy Pier and South Street – except with way more people.
Dinner was at Pizza Hut after we tried to find an Italian restaurant. MapQuest showed an Italian restaurant at one of the area hotels, but when I asked the concierge he had never heard of it. He suggested another Italian place back UP toward the hotel, but out of range for us. (We won’t miss Chinese Pizza Huts – not like the states at all – full menu with LOTS of local flavor.)
We made it down onto the Bund, along with thousands of other tourists. There was much carrying on with Tyler insisting on riding on Dad’s shoulders almost the entire evening. We didn’t want to invite trouble, so Dad took one for the team… And up he went.
We arrived at the Bund at about 6:40 PM, and the building light up started at 7 PM. At 7:02, we had to leave because of the constant screaming and commotion. The entire walk home to the hotel from the Bund was a struggle. Lots of noise and screaming, means lots of stares. During some of the quiet times during the walk, some of the older native Chinese would smile and wave.
Despite the commotion, we were able to make it took some pictures, but had to cut things a bit short…
We finally got everyone to sleep, and Dad even got a chance to run out to the Starbucks near the Hotel to grab a few blended fruit iced teas for Mom & Dad. The 30 minutes of silence with our feet propped up on the couch and desk, respectively, as we drank these (as the younger kids snored away!) was worth the wait! We were starting to ponder the windup of our adventure and our upcoming journey home… It was a nice way to end our “day of rest.”
Now for Today’s (Sunday’s) Adventure…
Timecheck…
Right now it’s Sunday evening at about 10:30 PM as I hammer this into my iPhone. I usually rely on a collection of snippets and notes that Lisa and I capture throughout the day. Most times I write or dictate and she provides edit & spellcheck. Right now, I have my IPhone, 2 cameras, Lisa’s iPad, and her cell phone all at arm’s length as raw materials for this post. We’ll be forgoing the edits tonite as she just passed out.
Today we went on an arranged tour to Zhujiajiao, an Ancient Water Village. Our very capable guide was David, who was knowledgeable and provided a full day of information for us during our van rides and at the town.
The weather was overcast and a bit rainy, but we packed our rain jackets so we were prepared. The ride was only about an hour, thanks to Sunday traffic. The village was walkable but the streets were narrow and uneven – the town is 1,000 years old! We saw and toured several large homes and their gardens and perused the goods of the endless array of shops and stores. From pickles (for which the town is apparently very famous), to pig’s feet & Pork knuckle, to Hairy Crab, to stinky Tofu (trust us, it really does), to jade and pearls, to live fish, turtles, and frogs – we saw it all today.
There were several ancient (600 years old for the oldest) bridges the connected the village across the canals and rivers. The natives were selling fish & turtles so that we could go to the top of the bridges and set them free – very good luck – you are saving a life…
That is until the fish that you just set “free” is once again caught and packaged for sale in a clear plastic bag – to be sold to the next group of tourists!
There was a constant stream of canal boats ferrying tourists about. The streets were fairly crowded, with lots of languages and cultures represented.
We toured a Buddhist Temple as well as a Taoist Temple. Both were very active with prayers ceremonies happening in both. In one, we found a “wishing tree”, with hundreds of red wishes hanging in it. For 10 yuan (about a buck and a half), I hung my own wish for the success of our children…”so I’ve got that goin’ for me.”
I didn’t see a wish that I could buy for exasperated parents…probably couldn’t afford it anyway!!
Tyler spent most of the day on Dad’s shoulders…I can’t wait til we get him home on our turf. He’ll be able to feel comfortable, learn our routines and rules and find his place in our gang.
On the way out of the village we saw a “2Yuan” store – the Chinese equivalent to a Dollar Store” in the US – except that 2 Yuan = about $0.30! Seemed like a lot of the same stuff in both!!
David said that this is one of the few ancient preserved cities remaining near Shanghai. It survived the many wars in the area thanks to its insignificance. It apparently wasn’t worth the effort to invade or occupy since it had not strategic military value. He said that younger Chinese people are losing touch with how their ancestors lived and it was difficult for him to see this.
David actually lived near the ancient village when he was growing up, but never realized it since the village is so insular and self sufficient.
On the way back to the hotel, we hit a lot of afternoon traffic- allowing us to quiz David a bit. Shanghai has approx 24 million residents. The city is circled by s set of 3 elevated highways (Outer Ring Road, Middle Ring Road, and of course, Inner Ring Road.)
10 million people live within the outer ring. 9,000,000 people use the 400-mile-long Subway system on a typical day!
As the city creeps outward, the light rail line is under construction that would link Shanghai and the Zhujiajiao area. There are already high rise apartment nearly complete to house those who would brave the 1 hour+ commute.
We saw a group of upscale new single family homes – these were apparently purchased by wealthy Shanghai residents as vacation/ summer homes since they were located near the largest lake in Shanghai .
We passed a prison. David explained that this prison was mostly for petty crimes- the real prisons were in the mountains – hard labor camps for serious crimes. He told us crime was not a big problem owing to China’s use if capital punishment (executions) and swift adjudication.
He also told us that the Shanghai police have only recently need armed – to to combat typical street crime, but to deter and counter possible terrorism.
Shanghai’s development has been incredible I. The 30 of so years since foreign investment has been permitted. Population has doubled in this time, and 30 years ago there were NO elevated highways and few high rises.
On a typical day, 800,000 people walk the pedestrian portion of Nanjing Road. Most are Chinese Tourists. Nanjing Road actually stretches 3 miles starting at a Buddhist Temple and ending at the Bund.
Car traffic is a major issue, so during the week only cars registered In Shanghai are able to use the streets. The license plates are coded based on the city and province of the owner. If a car enters a forbidden zone on he wrong day, a series of ever-present cameras snaps a photo of the license plate and s ticket is mailed out!
The city only grants 9,000 new plates per year, based on auction pricing. Last year these went for US$12,000 each!! That just the plate not the car and not the parking!
Finally he shared a saying about life in the cities of China…
Love in Suzhou (the dialect is pleasant to the ears, so even an argument with your spouse is nice to hear!)
Live in Hangzhou (one of the most beautiful cities in China)
Eat in Guangzhou (Cantonese food is considered exceptional here)
Die in Liuzhou (home of strong woods for solid coffins)
And so the curtain is closing on our trip – this Trip of a Lifetime for our Tyler.
In a few hours, we’ll be departing Shanghai for Detroit, then onto our home.
We’ve had some unforgettable experiences. We have gained a son and brother. His world is still spinning, with Hotel life as all he’s known with us.
Soon he’ll be HOME. In Our House…forever to share in our life as a family of Seven.
I never in a million years thought that I’d be saying that. Seven..
But at this peaceful moment, 30 minutes past midnight, as I survey the tops of everyone’s heads as they burrow under their comforters for one final hotel night, I realize that this is how it was always supposed to be, it just took me a little while to catch on.
I do feel a bit of relief. Some people are burdened with never quite finding their answer to “Why am I here?”
I, on the other hand, am not.
Thanks for joining us on our trip and following along. The adventure continues tomorrow, when we make our way home. Please check in periodically here and on FB (for the pictures!!) for updates and future posts.
Over & out…
Dad