Shanghai: Day 12, Part 1 – Flight to Wuhan

November 21, 2014 by Let's CUT the Crap! 91 Comments

We had a leisurely breakfast with nothing on the schedule for the morning. Although a five-star, our hotel was situated too far from the Bund and the waterfront attractions for wandering around on our own.

© All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of RJ, a member of English 8

© All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of RJ, a member of English 8

© All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of RJ, a member of English 8

Sue walked around the neighborhood and bought a pair of shoes. RJ and his wife went out and explored as well. Lots of real life to discover behind the scenes after all. I stayed behind, caught up on e-mail and repacked my suitcase, which had become heavier.

The poor live on one side of the street and the better off on the other:

© All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of RJ, a member of English 8

© All Rights Reserved. Used by permission of RJ, a member of English 8

As we traveled by bus to our lunch destination, I caught sight of a duo hanging off a skyscraper washing windows. You read that correctly: no scaffolding only a rope to secure them from falling as they swung in the wind. What kind of Health and Safety rules are there for workers I wondered?

Chinese saying:

Red lights are a suggestion; crosswalks are just a decoration.

Crosswalks and lights are ignored and no-one is ticketed for not stopping for pedestrians. Jaywalkers cross in the middle of traffic or at crosswalks, proceeding no matter what the suggestion or decoration. Two hundred people are killed a day in China due to traffic accidents.

Quick Facts:

• Population in China: 1.3 billion
• Beijing: 20 million (capital)
• Shanghai: 23 million

We arrived too early for lunch at a moored ship—Sea Palace Floating Restaurant—and were the only patrons. The waitress might have put on a less stern face. She led us to a table where we waited longer than usual for our meal. Until this occurrence, once seated the food arrived within minutes. I looked around, we chatted and took advantage of the Happy House.

© 2014 Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles

© 2014 Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles

All tables had seating for ten. Down the length of the ship, I counted 10 tables in each row, times four rows across. As we finished eating, I noticed the restaurant had begun to fill up in earnest.

Lunch:

• Baby bok choy
• Breaded white fish
• Chicken with green and red peppers
• Onions and pineapple
• Mystery soup
• Scrambled eggs
• Beef with red and green peppers and onions
• Sweet and sour chicken with red and green peppers
• Curried chicken and potatoes with red and green peppers White rice
• Watermelon slices

© 2014 Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles

© 2014 Tess @ How the Cookie Crumbles

When  food is left over, we wondered more than once what’s done with the remains. Were they thrown out like in North America? I’d always been under the impression that the Chinese wasted nothing.

After lunch we drove to Shanghai Pudong International Airport to catch China Southern, a domestic flight at 15:55. According to our trip schedule, this was supposed to have been a morning flight. Check-in was smooth this time. None in our group were pulled over for additional security check(s).

WiFi and a charging station stared at me at our boarding area. I tried to logon to the internet but couldn’t switch from Chinese to English, the only language greyed out in the list. I wanted to check if my daughter had answered the morning’s e-mail. This ticked me off a bit: handy but untouchable with 55 minutes to kill before boarding for a two-hour flight.

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A Special Treat:

 RJ continues to share photos. His wife Bonnie sent me this link. Prepare to be mesmerized. Make sure you have your heart medicine handy. Grab a drink and put your feet up.

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Next on November 28, Wuhan, Day 12, Part 2 – Cruise Ship

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© 2014 All Right Reserved TAK