A trip to China - Day 10 - A day in Shanghai, sort of - The Yu Gardens

The Yu Gardens



These gardens house a lot of buildings that seemed to be a perfect blend of the old and the new, and if it was up to me, I’d keep the old.  Both the building and the gardens they are set in are like an oasis in the middle of an industrial complex, and perhaps impractical for the number of people living in Shanghai.



All of the ponds had a lot of fish in them

 

It was a pleasant afternoon, for both a stroll through the gardens



In and out of the rockery on narrow pathways



And to look inside the buildings that were sparsely furnished

 


There was even an area set aside for entertainment.




 

A trip to China - Day 6 - The Pagoda Forest

The pagoda forest

After another exhausting walk, by now the heat was beginning to take its toll on everyone, we arrived at the pagoda forest.



No, it's not a forest with trees it's a collection of over 100 pagodas, each a tribute to a head monk at the temple and it goes back a long time.  The tribute can have one, three, five, or the maximum seven layers the significance of which I don't remember.



This is one of the more recently constructed pagodas

                                    

From there we get a ride back on the back of a large electric wagon



to the front entrance courtyard where drinks and ice creams can be bought, and a visit to the all-important happy place.



Then it's back to the hotel.

A trip to China - Day 6 - The Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Temple

So this is not a single building, that's not how the Chinese work.  It’s a whole host of buildings, the first of which is up some steps, through a gate, then along a tree-lined avenue with monument stones to some more steps, past a cauldron burning incense, and then to the temple.  There are several monks inside.

The front entrance:



Inside the entrance building, there are some large statues that I'm guessing are there to scare away the wrong sort of people



Once past these characters, you are on a walkway between pagodas where there are trees, and sculptures

                          

and through the next pagoda brings you to the first of the temples.  There are three doors and three buddas.  This is through the middle door



And no you can't go inside, you just stand on the outside looking in.

                               

In one part of the temple there were three monks, and, believe it or not, they were all on their mobile phones.

This is certainly not ancient times, so what did the monks do before mobile communications?

Up some more stairs to the next building,



And so on till we reach the one at the top.  Outside each is a cauldron burning incense, and that aroma hangs on the air everywhere you go in the compound.



Then it's a case of what goes up must come down, and strangely enough, it doesn't take as long to go back down, and in doing so we got to see and hear a bit of singing by the monks.

There was a story to go with the various buildings and other aspects but I didn't hear half of it, and couldn't understand our guide for the rest.

All in all, it was an interesting place, but still not worth the money we paid.

A trip to China - Day 6 - A Kung Fu School

Day 6 - Shaolin Kung Fu, Temple and Pagoda Forest

The brochure says: Today enjoy the day at leisure or take the opportunity to join an optional full-day Shaolin Kung Fu experience with lunch (not included). Visit the Shaolin Temple, nestled in the forested mountains of Henan, its the birthplace of Kung Fu and Zen Buddhism. The Shaolin Temple embraces many exciting attractions, such as the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tianwangdian), the Mahavira Hall (Daxiongbaodian), the Pagoda Forest, the Dharma Cave and the Shaolin Temple Martial Art Training Centre.

Then continue your visit to the Pagoda Forest, where hundreds of stone pagodas, memorials to past monks, are tightly grouped together in the forest. You may also have the chance to watch an amazing exciting Shaolin Kung Fu performance at the Martial Arts Hall and may follow the masters there to learn your Kung Fu here (subject to availability).

But before we leave, there’s more about the hotel.



Separate doors for shower and toilet, and on the other side of the passage, the wash basin



Feng Shui seems to have been forgotten when planning this room.

The next morning we discover that other rooms do have bathrooms but they're small.  Some have neither tissues or toilet paper, another has a faulty power socket and cannot recharge the phone, and I'm sure there are other problems.

All in all, it seemed very odd to have the toilet and shower on one side, and the washbasin on the other side of the passage.

We leave the hotel at 8:47 and are looking forward to an up to 2 hours drive.

The kung fu school

The thing you notice most about the kung fu school is it's size and then the number of buses which tells you that it is a popular tourist stop.

And with that size comes long distances between the car park and the venues we need to go to, the first of which is about half a km, and that's just to get to the ticket plaza.



But, it is pleasantly set out and is quite a large number of shops for both souvenirs and food



We pass by some of the students going through their paces



From there it's another long, long walk to the show arena, where we're supposed to see the king fu display and because there is limited seating we have to start lining at the head of the queue to get a seat.

But...

Everyone else has the same idea and we join the throng which then becomes a ride, and true to the Chinese they start finding ways to push in, even using the imaginary friend somewhere ahead in the queue.

The doors open and then it's open slather, with the hoards pushing from behind and sliding up the side to get in first.  We go with the tide, and manage to get in and find a seat though we were separated from three of our group.

It was an interesting show even though not one word of English was spoken, which from our point of view was a disappointment because we had no idea what was going on.



However...

It wasn’t hard to follow



What the performers were doing was relatively self-explanatory, and quite fascinating especially the guy who broke a sword over his head, and the guy who stopped two spears penetrating the neck, both examples of very disciplined men.



Boys gave a demonstration of kung fu moves, and intensity and age increased as this progressed to the end.

Next, we were taken in hand by an instructor in Tai chi or an equivalent, I was not quite sure what it was called, and went through the twelve or maybe more moves that constituted a morning or afternoon exercise session or it could be just for relaxation.  I lasted the first session but it was a little difficult to do with my sore limbs and a bad back.

Not that I could remember any of it now other than hands overhead, hands in front, bent knees and a few gentle kung fu hand moves.

Perhaps when I get home I might seek out someone to show me the moves.

Whilst the others were following their training instructor, I wandered about, finding a large statue

                                        
 
And some smaller statues

Lunch in the Zen Restaurant

After all that exercise it was time to have the lunch purportedly the same food as the king fu masters.
It's in the Zen restaurant, aptly named, and the food when it came, came thick and fast, but some of it wasn't very nice, meat with bones, tofu, a tasteless soup, but some good dishes like the vegetables and noodles with meat, without bones.

The only problem, nothing to drink except a pot of hot water.  No tea, no cold water, and if you wanted a cold drink you had to pay for it.  After paying 550 yuan why should we have to pay more for a drink when we have not had to so far.

But no cold water?  That was just not on, and when we brought this to that attention of the tour guide she just simply ignored us.  We just didn't get anything.

That basically tainted the whole experience.

After lunch, we went for another half kilometre walk to the Shaolin temple.  The walk was exhausting but only in the sense that we knew there would be more inside the temple, and then onto the pagoda forest which was according to the sign yet another half a kilometre.

Away for the holidays - Philadelphia - 2

The Philadelphia Bus Tour, what we did see

Big bus tour, Stops 1 to 8

Stop 1 was on the corner of Filbert and 5thStreets, not exactly where the map says to go, but it’s on 5^th street and you can see the busses, so it was not much of a problem.’

The problem was when we had to find our way there from the City Hall.  Having a handheld navigator, i.e. a mobile phone doesn’t necessarily make the task any easier, and I have been known to walk in the wrong direction.

At any rate, just up the way is Market street, and opposite the bus stop, is, you guessed it, a market.  Alas,, constrained for time, we didn’t get to visit it.

But...

There’s a bus waiting, and we’re on it.  New driver, different tour guide, an older person who may have a different slant on the history of the city.

It’s cold, gloomy, and not a dearth of people about, and that prolonged wait for more tourists to materialize has failed, and we’re off.

Stop 1

This is just a short hop, step, and jump from the Independence National Park where we could, if we had walked in that direction, seen the Liberty Bell, though I think the first tour guild had told us it was not the actual real bell.  I wasn’t quite sure what to make of that, because didn’t we come here to see the real deal?

Aside from the market, on our way along 5^th Street, and reaching Arch street, is the 5^th Street Burial Ground belonging to the Christ Church, and established in 1719, and where Benjamin Franklin was buried in 1790.

There are four other signers of the Declaration of Independence in the graveyard.

Further on there is the US Mint where free tours are available.  The original mint stood on this site from 1792 after the Coinage Act was passed, and build in Philadelphia because it was the nation's capital at the time.

I think I would have preferred to see the old building, not the new, and currently the fourth iteration of the mint.  The third had not been demolished and is now the Community College of Philadelphia.  Something to see on another day, perhaps.

Stop 2

After going around the block, and up some narrow streets, we finish up back in Arch Street, not exactly the widest of streets, and arrive at Betsy Ross house.

Of course, Betsy Ross was the maker of the first American flag, which is an interesting way to gain notoriety, and whom it seems may have been incorrectly credited because there is no archival evidence she was asked to make it.

She did, however, make flags for the Pennsylvania navy at the time of the American Revolution.

The house we get to see, albeit briefly from the bus, is purportedly where she made the flag.  The house sits several blocks from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

Stop 4

Still in Arch street, this has both the National Constitution Centre and the Independence Visitor Centre nearby.

The National Constitution Centre has just about everything about the US Constitution within its walls, including a hall with 42 bronze statues of the founding fathers.

Stop 5

Chinatown, what more needs to be said?

Stops 6 and 7

Bookends for City Hall, and Love Park, well, it might not be actually called Love Park but the sign certainly makes a statement.

Stop 8

This is us, right here.

The thing is, if we had more time, I would have probably seen more, even visited a few of the places along the way.

Maybe next time.

Away for the holidays - Philadelphia - 1

The Philadelphia Bus Tour, what we did see


To start with, we first joined this tour at stop number 6.

We had to find it first and that meant some pedestrian navigation, which took us first to the City Hall, a rather imposing structure, which we found later had a profound effect on Philadelphia sports teams.

According to the map, stop number 6 is Reading Terminal Market, Convention Centre, on 12th street on Filbert.  This was where we bought the tickets and boarded the bus that had a rather interesting guide aboard.

His favorite says was “And we’re good to go.”

Soon we would discover that his commentary was more orientated towards a younger audience, not that it bothered us.

Given the time restraints, we had, this was always going to be about looking and learning.


Stop number 7

City hall, Love Park.

This we had seen on our walk from where we left the car at the Free Library, near the Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Park, the landmark that Rebecca had remembered from her last visit to Philadelphia.  Of course, then, it was not quite so frozen.

Love park, of course, was only notable to us in that it had a sculpture in place with the word Love rather stylized.  Apart from that, you’d hardly know it as a park

The city hall, well, that was something else, and when we looked at it, before going on the tour, it was a rather magnificent stone edifice.

After, well the guide filled us in, tallest building, highest and largest monument on William Penn, you get the gist.  37 feet tall, when eclipsed, the Philly sports teams all suffered slumps of one kind or another, until the problem was rectified.  Interesting story.


Stop number 8

18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, or Logan Circle

This is the location of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul.  A place where the Pope decided to give an audience and sent the city into a spin.

The same church that has very high windows for the reason in the early days there was a problem with people wanting to throw Molotov cocktails through the windows.  A bit hard when they’re so high up.

Benjamin Franklin Parkway, of course, is interesting in itself as an avenue, not only for all of the flags of many nations of those who chose to live in Philadelphia.  We found ours, the one for Australia

This was also the stop where we needed to get off once the tour was finished, and time to head to the car, and go home, but that’s another story.


Stop number 10

Is that the stature of the Thinker, made famous, at least for me, from the old Dobie Gillis episodes, of God knows how many years ago?

Or, maybe it's just the Rodin Museum on Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

There's a whole story to go with that Statue and the fact it is one of many all over the world.

This one was made in France, cast in 1919 in Bronze, and is approximately 200cm x 130 cm by 140cm.


Stop number 11

Eastern State Penitentiary.  NW corner of 22nd Street and Fairmont Avenue.

This had a rather interesting story attached to it and had something to do with ghosts, but I wasn’t listening properly to the guide's monologue.

But, later research shows, the fact it was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world.  Many also think it is haunted and is a favorite for visiting paranormal visitors.

Built around 1829, it was the first prison to have separate cells for prisoners.  It held, at various times, the likes of Al Capone and Willie Sutt


Stop number 18

The Philadelphia Museum of art, where we stop for a few minutes and look at the steps which were immortalized in the movie Rocky, yes he ran god knows how far to end up on the top of these steps.

Sorry, but I’m not that fit that I would attempt walking up them.  The view is just fine from inside the bus.  Of course, they might consider cleaning the windows a little so the view was clearer, but because it’s basically Perspex and scratched so that might not be possible.


Stop number 17

Back at Logan Circle, or Square if you prefer, but on the other side, closer to the Franklin Institute.  Benjamin Franklin’s name is used a lot in this city.

After that, it’s a blur, the Academy of Music, the University of the Arts, Pennsylvania Hospital, South Street, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the USS Olympia, Penn’s Landing and past the National Liberty Museum.  I’m sure somewhere in that blur was the intention of seeing the Liberty Bell, but I think I heard that it was not on show, and only a replica could be seen.

So much for the getting as opportunity to see the real liberty bell, crack and all..

We get off and stop number 27, or Number 1, I was not quite sure.

What were we after?  The definitive Philly Cheese Steak.

Central Park, New York - Part 4

It's a place to go and spot the movie starts, or perhaps their dogs.

It's a place to go for long walks on idyllic spring or autumn days

It's a place to go to look at a zoo, though I didn't realize there was one until I made a wrong turn.

It's a place to go for a horse and carriage ride, although it does not last that long

It's a place to go to look at statues, fountains, architecture, and in winter, an ice skating rink

I'm sure there's a whole lot more there that I don't know about.

I have to say I've only visited in winter, and the first time there was snow, the second, none.

Both times it was cold, but this didn't seem to deter people.

But...

We decided to go visit another part of the park, this time walking to West 67th Street before crossing Central Park West and into the park where Sheep Meadow is.

Once upon a time sheep did graze on the meadow, but these days it is designated a quiet area inspiring calm and refreshing thoughts, except for a period in the 1960s where there was more than one counter culture protest, or love in, going on.

And, there's the sign to say it was Sheep Meadow,

and that's the meadow behind the sign,

Well, I don't see any sheep, but of course, that's not why the meadow is named or should there be any sheep on it.  That greenery that can be seen, restoring for the spring, was a very expensive addition to the park.

As a matter of fact, there is nothing was on it, because signs were up to say the meadow was closed for the winter, a new and interesting variation on the 'Don't Walk On The Grass' signs.

I'm sure I could climb the fence, or, maybe not.  I'm a bit old to be climbing fences.

So, unable to walk on the grass, we tossed an imaginary coin, should we go towards West 110th Street, or back to West 59th Street.

West 59th Street won.

and, just in case we had any strange ideas about walking on the grass, the fence was there to deter us.  Perhaps if we had more determination...

One positive aspect of the park is that you could never get lost, and the tall buildings surrounding the park are nearly always visible through the trees, more so in winter because there is no foliage, maybe less so later in the year.

There is also a lot of very large rocky type hills, or outcrops where people seem to stand on, king of the mountain style, or sit to have a picnic lunch, quickly before it freezes.

Yes, it is cold outside and seems more so in the park.

I wondered briefly if it ever got foggy, then this place would be very spooky, particularly after the sun goes down.

Away for the holidays - Central Park, New York - Part 3

It's a place to go and spot the movie starts, or perhaps their dogs.

It's a place to go for long walks on idyllic spring or autumn days

It's a place to go to look at a zoo, though I didn't realize there was one until I made a wrong turn.

It's a place to go for a horse and carriage ride, although it does not last that long

It's a place to go to look at statues, fountains, architecture, and in winter, an ice skating rink

I'm sure there's a whole lot more there that I don't know about.

I have to say I've only visited in winter, and the first time there was snow, the second, none.

Both times it was cold, but this didn't seem to deter people.

But...

We escaped, before the real cold set in, and made it back to the hotel.  We're going to return because there's more to see.

Like statues,

Sir Walter Scott, of Ivanhoe fame, a Scottish historical novelist, poet, playwright, and historian

Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and lyricist,  He is regarded as a pioneer of the Romantic movement

Christopher Columbus, hang on, how did he get in this collection?

Fitz-Greene Halleck was an American poet notable for his satires and sometimes called "the American Byron"

And someone who's not dead, and not likely to freeze in the cold air, a drummer, who was doing his best to entertain the few people who stopped to list.

And he wasn't all that bad, either.

Away for the holidays - Central Park, New York - Part 2

It's a place to go and spot the movie starts, or perhaps their dogs.

It's a place to go for long walks on idyllic spring or autumn days

It's a place to go to look at a zoo, though I didn't realize there was one until I made a wrong turn.

It's a place to go for a horse and carriage ride, although it does not last that long

It's a place to go to look at statues, fountains, architecture, and in winter, an ice skating rink

I'm sure there's a whole lot more there that I don't know about.

I have to say I've only visited in winter, and the first time there was snow, the second, none.

Both times it was cold, but this didn't seem to deter people.

But...

From various points in the park, you could see the Manhattan skyline.  It was hard for me to tell what I was looking at, but I was always hoping to get a look at the Upper West Side, a place, I know, I could never afford to live.

Still, whatever part it was, it looked good in the afternoon sun,

There are also a lot of bridges to walk under, some with carve-outs and statues, others empty, perhaps once having a statue.

If only I had some idea where I was.  The trick is, you keep walking towards the buildings because they're on the edge, and then head in the right direction.

Ah, this seems to be the right direction, hopefully leading back to Columbus Circle.

Perhaps we should ask for directions.

I'll let you know how we fared in the next post.