Shanghai, China
Our last stay in China was it’s largest metropolis, global finance hub and center of international trade. Shanghai and its surrounding cities put centuries of foreign influence on display, with a dizzying mix of architecture.
Part 1: March 22-25 - Suzhou
Our first stop after flying from Chengdu was a 30-minute high speed train inland to Suzhou. We checked into a a cute two-story hotel in the ancient part of the city.
I’ve been studying Chinese with a tutor for a few years now, which definitely paid off for this trip. I was able to communicate well in most situations, had lots of small talk, and best of all, got a local guide to this charming city I otherwise wouldn't think to visit. The day we arrived, YuHan showed us around Ancient Suzhou’s network of canals. The area is bustling with vendors and girls dressed for photos in traditional outfits.
This area is home to one of the most famous classical gardens. Precisely designed for relaxed strolls in beautiful surroundings, the garden had trouble living up to its purpose due to the overwhelming crowds. We did enjoy a picnic lunch, steamed dumplings made by my tutor’s mother!
On our other day, we took the subway over to the high tech park where our guide lives. We walked her dog around the lake and admired the distant massive skyscrapers, including the Gate of the Orient, aka The Pants.
Suzhou’s cuisine leans sweet. YuHan took us to a local favorite for the city’s classic lightly sweet noodle soup one day. Another, we went out for another well known dish, fried fish that’s a little too sticky-sweet for my taste. Finally, we got to sample some delicious dumplings - a garden picnic of the steamed kind packed by YuHan’s mother, and some shallow-fried, Michelin-rated, perfectly juicy bao from a hole in the wall with a line around the block.
Part 2: March 25-April 2 - Shanghai
We were able to do some more of our own cooking again in Shanghai, where we stayed in a small apartment in a residential quarter nestled between two of the city’s major shopping streets.
The first thing we noticed were all the flower displays. Every little park and unbuilt patch of land seemed to be exploding with precisely manicured color. The cherry blossoms were starting to bloom, too.
Some of the areas near our home base put those eras of Eastern and Western architecture on display. The massive Jing’An temple is surrounded by glitzy shopping centers. In the former French Concession, Tudor houses and modern hotels share tree-lined streets.
The juxtaposition is strongest at The Bund, where the west bank of the Pu river looks straight out of 20th-Century Europe, shining in the light of the east side’s skyline. Incidentally, we saw the world’s second tallest building, after seeing the third tallest in Taiwan, and just missing the winner in Dubai.
A few areas of old Shanghai had been restored to resemble their original style. The Yu Garden district was quite well done, designed with fengshui principals and filled with traditional, if overpriced food stalls. You can also find all kinds of narrow alleys crisscrossing the city, from the traditional but touristy Tianzifang alley, to the random narrow lanes with amazing street food.
Speaking of street food, Shanghai had all my favorite snacks - every kind of dumpling, many featuring crab, and pancakes with both sweet and savory fillings. They also had some options we hadn’t found elsewhere in China, like croissants, cheese, and a legit coffee culture. For our last meal though, we went with the quintessential Chinese celebration meal - hot pot!
Part 3: Weekend trip to Nanjing
There was one more open weekend during our Shanghai stay, and we were advised to spend it visiting Nanjing. Two hours away by train, it seemed worth staying the night to make time for both city and nature. I’m so glad we did! We traveled with just small backpacks, so we were able to start exploring right off the train.
We began with a walk on the Ming-era city wall, which afforded views of the large Xuanwu lake and Purple Mountains in the distance. Here, the cherry blossoms were the main attraction, and it was fun to see them from above, before joining the enormous crowd of parkgoers taking photos with the blossoms from below. Nanjing is a Tier 3 city of just 9 million, all of whom seemed to be at the lake this Saturday!
We walked from the park to our hotel to check in, then took the subway down to the lively Qinhuai River district. Another night market food street, although I have to admit, Nanjing’s food didn’t impress as much as the other regions we visited in China. We tried their famous salted duck, some beef potstickers, and steamed nian gao cake - a New Year treat.
The real highlight was the lantern festival. This event has been going on for 1700 years and draws enormous crowds, probably some of the largest I’ve ever tried to navigate. The festival centered around the Confucious Temple, the resting place of the Chinese philosopher. We could see there were more lanterns inside the temple grounds, but decided not to buy a ticket.
The next morning was for hiking and enjoying the natural beauty of the Purple Mountains. This area is also home to some famous tombs. Sun Yat Sen’s Mausoleum is at the top of a seemingly never-ending staircase. A Ming Dynasty tomb is found at the end of a long path lined by pairs of stone animals.
While the food was a little bland, the city of Nanjing will remain one of my strongest and loveliest memories. The perfect weather, the timing of the cherry blossoms, the energy of the lantern festival made this the perfect last stop in China.
The end of an Era
We flew home from Shanghai on April 2. I can say ‘home’ because we are truly settling down in one place for the long haul now. I’ve opened my new office in San Francisco and needed to be there for my one employee who started during this China trip. N set to work finding a new job, we chose an apartment, and will be paying rent instead of Home Exchanging starting May 1. Wow, what an opportunity we’ve had these last two years. We’ve stayed in 44 homes across 16 countries, plus a few short hotel stays and some longer visits with friends and family in the US. Hard to believe my next trip will be normal vacation, bounded by available of days off work and budget for lodging. Maybe one day we’ll return to the nomad life. Until then, I’ll just be reliving the adventures through this blog.
