25/08/18 I woke up at 5.30am as my train leaves at 7 for Shanghai. I planned for an hour to reach Beijing South Railway station but I underestimated it considering that we also have luggage security check at every station, like I had in Russia. I made it to the ticket check at 6.59 but the checkin was already over so I actually missed the train. After 1/2h queue at the ticket office to get another ticket, I was well on time for the next train at 9.20, which stops a little further from my hostel but still takes me to Shanghai. It is also 2h longer, 6h total, so I hope to find some food when I get there.
I found so far that most Chinese are seriously lacking respect and consideration in public. They shout, make a lot of noise when they eat, spit, wake up or wait in public. They have loud ringtones, don’t wear earphones when watching something. They don’t look if anyone else might be affected by them at any time. They walk on your feet, put the blind down on your head, double you in the queues without remorse or apologies. They don’t wait for you to pick up your belongings, they push you to get theirs. They ignore traffic lights and white lines on the floor. They constantly stand in your way and in front of the doors.
26/08/18 I explored the old water town of Qibao. The weather is very hot (32 degrees feels like 37 as per the forecast), very humid (83%) and it is raining. But despite crowd, it is a special place to explore. I liked the nice white stone bridges.
27/08/18 My back feels ok so I went to the Bund to catch the skyscrapers view and walked to the Yu Yuan garden. Very busy as it is a touristy place with many souvenirs and crafts shops, but the buildings are authentic. There was also a painting gallery where beautiful traditional chinese art from students was exposed, and I found a postcard shop to do my monthly duty.
28/08/18 I stopped by the railway station to collect my next 2 train tickets to avoid the queue last minute.
In the evening I met with Mayfair, a Chinese tour guide for a night bike tour of Shanghai. Because of the heat, I wanted to rest a little before the start so I arrived at the meeting point very early. It turned out I was the only customer that night so I had my private guide for 4h. Riding in Shanghai can be overwhelming and frustrating as she explained. I could see she is used to scared customers as she was very protective and careful with me. She regularly asked if I was ok as Shanghainese people constantly honk and don’t respect any of the traffic signs or marks on the ground. But I found it easy, as once you understand you just need to be selfish and careless, you just go wherever you want. Ride on the left side if you feel like it, cross when it is red. Stop in the middle of the road. Make a U turn on a one way lane. The poor Mayfair got pushed off her bike by a car doing a U turn, luckily without pain or bike damage but the driver did not even apologise for it.
The tour was really nice as she took me through various suburbs of Shanghai. French concession with all the fancy boutiques, the English concession with all the old architecture buildings, the Japanese one where Japanese come for shopping. Many streets were boarded by trees. We rode along the Bund, popular tourist area where the past (old architecture buildings) meets the future (high skyscrapers in Pudong area) in one place. We cycled side by side most of the time so we could chat. She learned about European code of conduct, good manners and my private life. I learned about hers, her experience as a tour guide and Shanghai history. The temperature was very pleasant as the wind kept us fresh while riding. We stopped a few times for pictures so she could report the itinerary to her boss.
I asked where I could find some durian fruit in small portions, the famous thai smelling fruit, as I was hoping to try it without buying the whole fruit and we found a little shop who sold me half of it for 50 yuan. I carried it back to the hostel and I can tell you it was very smelly. I did not want to waste it so I offered the other guests to try it with me and found a table of people of 20 something who were keen to share with me. The fruit was nicer than expected, it is actually quite sweet. You need to brush your teeth afterwards but it was not too bad after all. Kelvin if you read this, thanks for the suggestion ?.
29/08/18 I had chocolate and banana waffles at the hostel before going to the railway station to catch the train to Xi’an.
I got lucky, I was the only one in my room on the train. It made a lot more noise than the Russian train, and the toilet was not of the western type. And in 20h travel, you can’t avoid it.
