Shanghai

Nanjing to Shanghai

Sunday, September 28, 2008

We got up very early to settle our accounts and have our last breakfast on the ship.  We disembarked in Nanjing, a city of about 9 million and a former capitol (Nanjing means south capitol and Beijing means north capitol).  Yang told us about the history of Nanjing while on our bus trip through the city.  In 1937 the Japanese army was marching through China at the start of WWII.  Yang said that in Nanjing they had competitions to see who could kill the most Chinese.  Some residents were buried alive, others killed in other horrible ways.  What still angers the Chinese is that Japan denies these atrocities and has rewritten history.  We headed out on an eight-lane expressway toward the city of Suzhou.  We were delayed by an accident and watched as all the drivers got out of their cars to check things out.  At a rest stop along the way, some of the ladies in our group had their first chance to use an Eastern (squat) toilet as there were no Western ones.  It was not bad at all.  We arrived in Suzhou and had an early Chinese lunch in a local hotel.  Each meal seems to include dishes that we haven’t had before, so the food is interesting and tasty.  We visited the Garden of the Master of Nets, which is a residence and classical gardens that are about 900 years old.  Suzhou is known as the “Venice of the East” for its many canals, and is also famous for its silk production.  We visited a government-run silk factory and saw a demonstration of the process of making silk.  We had shopping time afterward and most bought garments, gifts or items for our homes.  Then back on the bus on the expressway to Shanghai.  It was too many hours on a cramped bus for one day, but Shanghai impressed all of us.  We checked into a Westin hotel that is even nicer than the one in Beijing.  After a buffet dinner that included lots of sushi and good food, Yang walked us to the Bund, a riverside promenade.  The lights of the city were just spectacular.  Many locals were hawking their goods and most of us are getting better at negotiating low prices.  Today was a tough travel day, and we were exhausted and turned in early.

© Jay 2020