We arrived in Shanghai's newly completed Hong Qiao Railway Station located in the western suburb of the city. it was the biggest railway hub any one of has ever seen. we were greeted by our local tourist guide Sean. Half an hour later Rachel Hutt found out that she had lost her purse containing about $50 in cash plus her MN id cards. We reported this to the railway company staff but no one had turned it in when we went back to check in the afternoon. After this incident, we first drove to the Best Western Inn in Shanghai where we are scheduled to live from 7/9-11.
We checked in the big suitcases in the hotel so we did not have to bring them to Hangzhou. We had lunch by the Huangpu River at the Bund, after which we spent half an hour strolling the Bund area taking photos. it was breezy, not as hot as it had been reported just a few days earlier, it was quite tolerable. After this stop we went to the Yuyuan Garden surrounded by the real old town of Shanghai---not the newly-constructed replica of what it used to be like. We spent the next two hours scouting out the bustling streets swarmed with curious tourists and over-zealous vendors. Since the kids had just received their deposit, they went ahead to purchase a lot of trinkets some of which were deemed by the accompanying adults as completely worthless. This can be exemplified by Sam and Sean's purchase of two plastic chickens. Besides looking unbelivably ugly, the immature owners of these toys can make continuous loud and annoying sounds by simply applying pressure onto their yellowish bodies and no batteries are required. It was only after Mr. Yu had threatened to throw these chickens out of the window that these two boys reluctantly put them away on the bus.
We went back to the railway station in the afternoon to the 6:00 p.m. high speed train bound for Hangzhou. For this ride we only had soft seats like the airline seats but with more leg room. The top speed was recorded to be more 220 miles an hours. We arrived in Hangzhou in less than an hour which used to take 4 to 5 hours. After dinner we checked in the Best Western Inn in Hangzhou. It was quite nice. there was an exercise room on site. Some kids were observed to utilize the facilities to run and lift weights. Ben, Alec, and Maggie did some serious workouts while the others went for ice cream treats after five minutes of light work.
7/9 Saturday
The breakfast at the hotel was very good with various selections in both Chinese and western styles. At 9:00 a.m., we departed the hotel for today's tour. First we toured the West Lake, supposedly the most picturesque urban lake in China. We hiked through parts of the lakeshore area until we boarded a two-decker tourist cruise boat which transported us to the other side of the lake. The size of the lake is probably equal to that of Lake Minnetonka but with way more tourists, cruising boats, and vendors. The next stop is the Yellow Dragon Garden where a Romeo-Juliet type of story took place many years ago which eventually rendered this a tourist attraction. Then we had a typical tourist lunch. After a brief break we spent two hours in the Linyin Temple, or the Soul Recluse Temple in direct translation. Other than the Singzhanlin Temple in Shangrilla, this is by far the biggest and mist well-maintained and most crowded Buddhist temple we have visited. We had to climb quite a few steps before we got to the highest hall built along a mountain ridge. Next our guide took us to a tea farm after a short but beautiful drive through hills and valleys in suburban Hangzhou. We were treated to what conceived to be the best green tea in China called the Dragon Well Tea. As usual a few kids lost the battle of resisting the temptation to buy the best tea to please their parents because they have grossly over spent their budget. As I am typing we are all sitting in the railway station waiting for the train to depart for Shanghai. Our remaining item for today is to take the cruise along the Huangpu River to enjoy the brilliant night scene of Shanghai.
This will be the final report for the trip. Thank you again for your patience. Please remember to pick up your lovely child at the airport on July 12. Here is the flight information again:
American 609 Flight: Confirmed Chicago O’Hare, IL (ORD) Scheduled departure time: 8:30pm 12 Jul 2011 Minneapolis/St Paul, MN (MSP) Scheduled arrival time: 9:50pm 12 Jul 2011
If you are late, please proceed to the Lost and Found Department to claim your child.
Additional notes for July 9, Saturday
We did the night cruise on the river tonight. The weather was cooperating. It was cool and breezy. We enjoyed the show of neon lights during the one hour cruise. At the end of the cruise, James seemed to be absorbed in the beautiful night scene so much that he forgot to get off the boat at the end of the cruise. We were counting the heads at the pier when James was seem waving his hand frantically at us from the boat which was rapidly sailing away from the pier. Even though we notified the cruising company immediately,the harbor would not allow them to pull in the boat again for security and financial reasons. James was arranged to sit in the VIP lounge. When the boat arrived at its night pier 6 miles down the river, they arranged for a taxi to drive him to the hotel. So James' cruise lasted longer than that of everyone else'. This is the first time for Mr. Yu to lose a child on these excursions.
Sunday, July 10
Severa; kids went with Mr. Yu to look for Dimsum in Shanghai. First we went to to the Rainbow Seafood Restuarant, but we found that they did not offer dimsum at all. So we went to a nearby restuarant. We ordered tons of food and the cost is ¥55 apiece. The kids liked most of the food except the Stinking Tofu. Some kids went to the old market at various times of the day by taking the subway which costs ¥4 per ride. Zosha and Maggie reportedly missed the station near our hotel on the way back so they took a taxi back to the hotel at the cost of ¥12.
Tonight half of the kids went to see the acrobatics show. I am waiting in the lobby for them to remind them of the meeting time for tomorrow for our final shopping trip.
I am signing off unless something else comical happens tomorrow. So long!
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