Taking the Train Home: Last Day in Shanghai

Had breakfast of toast, yoghurt and coffee in the hotel. OK and friendly service but nothing to get excited about. Took metro one stop to Yu Yuan and headed for the preserved part of the old city. So many people! Ticket to the garden was 30 Yuan. The garden is beautiful but suffers from just too many people. Reminded me of IKEA on a weekend. Crowds of people in a maze. And when you see kitchens for the third time you realise you are going round in circles. The problem is that one classical Chinese building with a pond in front of it looks much like another. But I knew there was only one exhibition of seal stones, a pleasant cool retreat from the hordes, but I confess that however intricate and beautiful the workmanship, I can't get very excited by seal stones so when I got to the entrance the third time I decided it was time to escape. There is a map at the entrance but none inside so I was beginning to worry that the 30 Yuan entrance fee might come with a 70 Yuan exit fee but eventually found the exit and looked round the rest of the preserved old quarter.

Yu Yuan Garden

Preserved Old Part of Shanghai

Preserved Old Part of Shanghai.
So many people!

Sadly most of it is devoted to tourist tat and the crowds detracted from what would otherwise be a delightful place to explore. Eventually managed to find the City God Temple which is located next to the City God Temple Snack Plaza but is not as well signposted. Impressive but fairly typical Chinese temple with lots of fearsome looking gods. Lots of people tying red ribbons onto small posts in front of an array of what, I assume, are minor gods. No different from. lighting candles for saints. But surprised how many genuine worshippers there were as distinct from tourists.

Door of City God Temple

After the temple, I got out of the preserved quarter, wandered round some local alleys and streets and eventually found my way back to the Metro station.

Back Street in Shanghai

Here I met the first definite tea house scam couple. Can you take our picture they asked. Where are you from? How long are you staying in Shanghai. I am studying in Shanghai and my cousin is visiting. I explained that I was planning to go to the museum in Peoples Square. It will be very crowded now. Why don't you come with us to a tea ceremony. I made my excuses and escaped into the Metro station but realised this Line wasn't going to take anywhere I wanted. Now realise the "nice" couple, I met yesterday were running the same scam.

Decided it would be quicker to walk to People's Square than try to take the Metro so set off with a view to finding somewhere to eat on the way. Then came across Tocks which claims to be a Montreal Deli.

http://www.tocksdeli.com.cn

Not sure how a Montreal deli differs from a New York Deli. Couldn't resist the Reuben sandwich and they even gave me a choice on the leanness of the beef. Turned out to be North American sized. Very good but more filling than I planned for. Continued to People's Square but overshot my left turn by a couple of blocks. By the time I reached the museum it was 1555 and the attendants were just putting up the barriers saying "Closed for the day"; I missed it by a minute. And officially last entrance is supposed to be at 1600. Feeling lazy, I decided to take the metro just one stop to near the hotel but by the time I found the metro station, queued at machine to buy ticket walked for ages to get to the Line 2 platform, just missed one train and couldn't get on the next because the stupid people on the platform surged into the doors stopping the people on the train from getting off, it would have been easier and quicker to walk. Time for a rest and a cup of tea.

Evening decided to eat locally, so found a place in Nanjing Road. Bit of a tourist trap but it has outside seats so I can watch the world, or at least Nanjing Road go by. It is heaving. Thousands of mostly young people. It is incredible how, in a couple of generations, China has brought a large part of its population from poverty to a middle class lifestyle. The black pepper beef and rice was quite good, washed down with an Erdinger Dunkel; makes a change from lager.

Nanjing Road

Erdinger Dunkel

My original plan was to have dinner, go back to the hotel, catch up on the blog and have an early night but the bad ideas bears got to me. How could I not go and have a last look at the Bund since it was so close? And it really did look fantastic despite the hoards of people. Walked north to a large monument reminiscent of the four chopsticks in Singapore. All the inscriptions are in Chinese so will have to look on the web to find out. And then I realised I was opposite the Peninsula Hotel so I really ought to go in and have a look around. And then I heard music which I followed downstairs to an amazing bar, "Salon de Ning".

http://shanghai.peninsula.com/en/fine-dining/salon-de-ning-lounge-bar

So it definitely warranted a drink or even two. The beer came with a good set of nibbles including lots of juicy olives. Not cheap at nearly 90 Yuan for a Heineken but the band was good. Two guitarists, keyboard, drums and two singers. But the star was the bar itself which was amazing. The walls were covered with artwork and the ceiling was hung with spirals of strings of marble sized glass beads. Off the main bar were four semi-private rooms each with a different theme. Movies, books in a library, one hung with dozens of miniature paintings in ornate metallic frames and the last had a 20 000 leagues under the sea theme. Clientele was mixed. Two young American guys, one black one, white, looking like they were here on business. Youngish Chinese man, casually dressed but probably rich, smoking cigars, with a beautiful long legged companion in a little black dress who was obviously enjoying herself and wanted everyone to know it. Lastly occupying, one of the alcoves, what I initially thought was a family but when they came out and started dancing they were a mixture of a Western man with teenage children and several Chinese. So in the end the bad ideas bears gave me a memorable last night in Shanghai.