Today marks 4 weeks since I arrive in HK. So much has happened! So much has been seen, experienced, felt. Yes, this is what I had hoped for.
I will meet W for dinner tonight, and I tell N that I want to have a more quiet and relaxing day. We agreed to go to lunch, and then to Peoples Park. She will meet me downstairs at about 12:00 noon. I walk over to Starbucks and get some coffee and a muffin and bring it back to the room. Another gorgeous autumn day in Shanghai. Is "Shanghai Autumn" a title of anything? It should be.
N arrives at the appointed time and we walk a couple blocks to a place that I had noticed earlier. As usual, there are two lovely young ladies near the door, and as we enter one of them motions us to go up the escalator to the 2nd floor. There we are met by third lovely young lady who escorts us to our table. The XXX is a nite club and restaurant with live music in the evening, but serves a buffet lunch at midday. The price is 48RMB each, less than $6. I am happy to eat someplace where I can see what I am getting before I take it! The buffet is limited in variety, but the quality is good, and our lunch is just right.
We take a taxi downtown to Peoples Park. However, when we exit the taxi I notice that there is a park just behind us. This is Peoples Square. There are some pretty flowers, and the Shanghai Museum is at the center of the park. The fresh breeze, the blue sky mixed with clouds, and the startling architecture really mix together well. As I look around I think of other places that I have lived--Chicago, the "City of Broad Shoulders"; Jacksonville, the "Bold New City of the South". I think that Shanghai is the "Bold New City of Asia", or perhaps "Asia's City of the New Millenium", or maybe "China's Space Age City". Many of the new buildings are either flying saucers, or rockets. I have never seen so much new architecture in one place, and there is much more being built right now.
We then walk a block north to Peoples Park. Here, as in most "parks", there is an admission charge of 2RMB (about 25 cents). And, like most "parks" here, the two bits is worth it! The entrance walkway into the park is tree lined and peaceful. There are flower gardens, water lily pond, childrens' kiddie-land, and lots of trees, grass, peace, quiet, and tranquility. At my request N takes me to where every Sunday there is "English corner", which seems to be near the NW corner of the park. I would have liked to go there on Sunday, but perhaps there is a similar place in Beijing.
We then take a taxi to Shanghai Old Street and Yuyuan Commercial Town (shopping area). I had been there on Sunday but it had been so crowded, and the time was so short, that I wasn't sure that I had really seen it. And yes, there were a few things I had missed, like the giant bottomless tea kettle, that appears to pour out tea forever. But soon the time has come to head back to the hotel. As I leave N in the taxi for her ride home, I tell her how much I have appreciated her time and guidance. She tells me that it was the first time she had been to some of these place also, and wishes me a good trip to Beijing.
At about 6:30 I meet W downstairs for dinner. She has made reservations at the Jade Garden Restaurant, which is adjacent to the hotel. It is a large and elegant restaurant. The hostess at the front door gestures us to the elevator. At the 2nd floor we are greeted by another hostess who leads us into the main dining room, and then upstairs to a balcony seating area and our table. The room is very nicely decorated and furnished, and soon a young lady begins playing soft music on the grand piano just below us. The menu is quite extensive (as usual), and I leave most of the ordering to W. We have some cold chicken strips and shredded cabbage as a appetizer (both good), and crab and tofu soup, braised fish in a sweet brown sauce (very good), broccoli (always good), steamed prawns (good), and rice. We also enjoy a light flower tea (very good). The service was very good, the presentation good, and the food good. It was the best meal I had in Shanghai.
W asks if I would like to go for a drink, but I decline, saying I need to get back to the room and start getting ready for tomorrow. W will be in Europe for 3 months beginning in late January, so we plan on meeting again when I get to Europe next year. But tonight it's back to the room to start packing.
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