Shanghai, China. A night cruise to the Bund and back

In Shanghai at last, and off to a boat ride at night


There's not enough time to go to the hotel and come back to the wharf, the hotel being about an hour's drive in the opposite direction to the cruise boat so we go to the boat ride parking lot instead, and take a half-hour or so before boarding to get something to eat.

When we finally get back from having a coffee or tea at a non-Starbucks coffee house, we find at least 100 buses all lined up and parked, and literally thousands of Chinese and other Asians streaming through the turnstiles to get on another boat leaving earlier than ours.

Buses were just continually stopping near where we were standing and literally arriving one after the other with people were everywhere in what could only be described as organized chaos.

At that moment, and even later, I was not quite sure what the name of the boat was, but it had 3 decks and VIP rooms and it was huge, with marble staircases.



Who has marble staircases in a boat?

We're going out across the water as far as the Bund and then turn around and come back about 30 to 40 minutes.   Being first on the boat we got the pick of the seats on the second of three levels and by the time everyone was on board, there was no room left on the third level, nor at the end of the second level.  And no one wanted to pay the extra to go into the VIP lounge.

We were sitting by very large windows where it was warm enough watching the steady procession of the colored lights of other vessels, and outside the buildings.



It was quite spectacular, as were some of the other boats going out on the harbour.

All the buildings of the Bund were lit up



And along that part of the Bund was a number of old English style buildings made from sandstone, and very impressive to say the least.

 
On the other side of the harbour were the more modern buildings, including the communications tower, as rather impressive structure.


 
And, another view of that communications tower:


 
Then, somewhat tired after a long day, next was the ride to the hotel, about 50 minutes or so, giving us enough time to consider the possibility that this hotel might be better than the last, but knowing full well those hopes were about to be dashed.

Meijiawu Tea Village (Longjing Tea Plantation), Hangzhou, China

The Tea House at Meijiawu Tea Village

Our destination is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from downtown Hangzhou.

Meijiawu Tea Village is located in the west of the world-known West Lake and hailed as "ten miles Meiwu" for its vast area along the Meiling Road, is an ancient village with a history of 600 years.  It is the main production base and a protected area of the fragrant West Lake Dragon Well Tea.


The tea leaves from Meijiawu are beautiful in green color, graceful in shape, strong in fragrance and rich in flavor.

So, first, we get to look at the tea bushes, which are much larger than the bushes we've seen on the side of the road.  I'm not up for becoming a tea picker any time soon, so I'll leave it to the professionals.



All tea leaves are picked by women.  It takes about 8 hours to pick two kilos of leaves.



Tea leaves are still picked by hand three times a year, the first spring, by young girls about 15 or 16, the second, summer tea, picked by girls about 20 years old, and the autumn tea, called grandma tea, picked by older women.

Next, we go to the drying demonstration, three tubs with tea leaves, that have to be stirred by hand for a number of hours.



We then get the sales pitch, which extols the benefits of the green tea, which apparently good for everything.  So, now we have tea and supplement pills.



The teapot fountain in the gardens is a nice touch.

Still, we had a cup or two of tea discovered the right way to make it and had a stroll about the grounds.  And for that hour in the morning, it was very pleasant.

This is a about 1kg package of tea leaves.  Don't ask me how many cups of tea that will make!

A trip to China - Day 9 - A night cruise in Shanghai, and then to the hotel

In Shanghai at last, and off to a boat ride at night


There's not enough time to go to the hotel, probably an hour out of the city in the opposite direction to the boat so we go to the boat ride parking lot instead.

When we finally get back from having a coffee or tea at a non-Starbucks coffee house, we find at least 100 buses all lined up and parked, and literally thousands of Chinese and other Asians streaming through the turnstiles to get on another boat leaving earlier than ours.

Buses were just continually stopping near where we were standing and literally arriving one after the other with people were everywhere in what could only be described as organised chaos.

At that moment, and even later, I was not quite sure what the name of the boat was, but it had 3 decks and VIP rooms and it was huge, with marble staircases.



Who has marble staircases in a boat?

We're going out across the water as far as the Bund and then turn around and come back about 30 to 40 minutes.   Being first on the boat we got the pick of the seats on the second of three levels and by the time everyone was on board, there was no room left on the third level, nor at the end of the second level.  And no one wanted to pay the extra to go into the VIP lounge.

We were sitting by very large windows where it was warm enough watching the steady procession of the coloured lights of other vessels, and outside the buildings.



It was quite spectacular, as were some of the other boats going out on the harbour.

All the buildings of the Bund were lit up



And along that part of the Bund was a number of old English style buildings made from sandstone, and very impressive to say the least.

 
On the other side of the harbour were the more modern buildings, including the communications tower, as rather impressive structure.


 
And, another view of that communications tower:


 
Then, somewhat tired after a long day, next was the ride to the hotel, about 50 minutes or so, giving us enough time to consider the possibility that this hotel might be better than the last, but knowing full well those hopes were about to be dashed.


The Regal Plaza Hotel


Well, yet another grandiose exterior, and magnificent marble foyer.  Then, as always, the stars stop dropping off at the lifts, and then finally plunge when you get to the room.

Ours was designed by a blind man.

Picture this...

You open the door and it barely misses the end of the bed, there are two single beds in a room that would probably need an extra six inches if it was a king double.  You try to get past the end of the beds to what looks like an alcove but you walk into the TV, sticking about 8 inches out from the wall.
All in all, it's a bit of a disaster, but, again, it could be worse.

Just try complaining to the front desk.  That I'm sure would result in a visit to the nearest police station, and quite possibly an attitude readjustment.

This is, after all, China.

A trip to China - Day 9 - Meijiawu Tea Village (Longjing Tea Plantation)

Tea House at Meijiawu Tea Village

So, first, we get to look at the tea bushes, which are much larger than the bushes we've seen on the side of the road.  I'm not up for becoming a tea picker any time soon, so I'll leave it to the professionals.



All tea leaves are picked by women.  It takes about 8 hours to pick two kilos of leaves.



Tea leaves are still picked by hand three times a year, the first spring, by young girls about 15 or 16, the second, summer tea, picked by girls about 20 years old, and the autumn tea, called grandma tea, picked by older women.

Next, we go to the drying demonstration, three tubs with tea leaves, that have to be stirred by hand for a number of hours.



We then get the sales pitch, which extols the benefits of the green tea, which apparently good for everything.  So, now we have tea and supplement pills.



The teapot fountain in the gardens is a nice touch.

Still, we had a cup or two of tea discovered the right way to make it and had a stroll about the grounds.  And for that hour in the morning, it was very pleasant.

A trip to China - Day 9 - Of course, we have to get breakfast and leave the hotel

Day 9 - We are going to the Longjing Tea Plantation and West lake, but first...

The brochure says: Hangzhou is considered the tea capital of China, so a visit to the city just isn’t complete without a trip to a local tea house. Make a special visit to the Tea House at Meijiawu Tea Village located at the hinterland of West Lake Park which is considered one of the most important Longjing Tea productions in China. Enjoy the natural environment and beautiful village scenery while learning more about their special tea culture. At the Tea House, learn how to make the Longjing Tea including picking, frying and tasting the tea leaves. Then enjoy a small boat ride on the West Lake another UNESCO World Heritage Site, which reveals the ethereal beauty of Hangzhou's willow draped islands.

This morning starts off with a bang.

Yes, the question on everybody's lips, how do you fit 200 people into a room clearly designed to fit fifty comfortably?

The answer; pure mayhem, and a lot if people missing out on breakfast, or at the very least trying to eat in the awkwardest of positions, balancing on edges of chairs or just standing at the bar.
This is a zero out of ten for the tour company.

Seven plus tours all leaving at the same time and no possible way of fitting them in.  Good for the hotel if they charged you for breakfast, because at various times there was nothing to eat, and definitely no milk for coffee, of you could get coffee.

Still, it is what it is.

So...

We all pile into the bus and have to wait for the other seven to move off.  In the end, we reverse into the traffic and get underway.  I'm not sure what the other buses were going to do.

 

     
But, getting under the way is not quite as it might appear to be.  8:00 in the morning means peak hour traffic, and here peak hour traffic takes on a whole new meaning.

Four or five lanes completely full and at a standstill, and the odd daredevil thinking he can change lanes.  Oh, my mistake it can be done.  It just takes a little longer.