Ni How!
We arrived in Shanghai after a long (20 hour), yet plush & comfortable train ride in the soft sleeper section. We got off the train feeling ready to jump right in to our time in Shanghai. After finding our hotel (we decided to up the standards a bit after our cupboard-sized experience in Hong Kong) we were off to check out some of the sites. We taxied it down to The Bund, a popular tourist destination which at one time was the center of British Influence in Shanghai. There we took in the views of the misty river and the towering sights before turning around and making our way up Shanghai's most popular shopping area known as Nanjing Road. The street is full of shops, restaurants and tonnes and tonnes of people. We ate a quick dinner and avoided the touts who were calling us from every corner to look at “rolex” watches, brand name sunglasses, etc. Then we met some young Chinese students hanging around the museum and engaged in what we thought was friendly conversation. After some time they told us that they were heading to a tea house, and asked us if we wanted to tag along. It sounded like fun! We tried a dozen or so different teas of various, plants, fruits, herbs, spices and even a “flower-ball” tea which was a green ball that opened up to reveal a flower once immersed in water. We ended up having a really nice time, that is, until the bill came. While the prices were shown to us at the beginning of the ceremony we didn't fully understand the fact that those prices were per teeny tiny tea cup. We were definitely not prepared to shell out the kind of money that was required, but what could we do? We had already drunk the darn tea!! We thought that $40 a person was expensive for an hour's worth of a tea ceremony, however the Chinese university students seemed to not be startled by the bill. We went back to our hotel feeling that something just wasn't right. After a bit of investigating on the Internet, we learned that this tea house scam is one that is often used on tourists all over the country. They got us, (and they were darn good too!) but we were thankful that our bill wasn't as high as some of the others we read about (most who were paying over $300 a person for some stupid tea!)
The next day we were back at the train station, trying to arrange some tickets to our next destination. We were disappointed to learn that we would have to spend an additional three days in Shanghai, because all the train tickets to our next stop were sold out (as summer holidays are still not finished). We spent the rest of the day wondering around the city, eventually making it to the old town, where we were greeted with stunning antiques, food and souvenir markets every where we looked! We stopped for dinner and feasted on some local specialties, including Shanghai dumplings (delicious!!!) and some other tasty treats!
We spent the next two days enjoying some much deserved R&R. We lazed around our hotel, watched a few movies and enjoyed some more delicious food. We also made it out to the markets and the Bund a few more times but it was nothing that we hadn't already done. We visited the Oriental Pearl Tower, an architectural highlight in Shanghai and a symbol of the future for the Chinese people. And we even made it up the Grand Hyatt building (a huge towering hotel/office building which emerges like the tower of Orthanac {Lord of the Rings Reference} out of the night sky).
We enjoyed our time in Shanghai, even though we got scammed (big time!). So if you're ever in China and you're invited to a casual tea ceremony... find out exactly how much, and who's paying before you take your first sip!
Ni How!
We arrived in Shanghai after a long (20 hour), yet plush & comfortable train ride in the soft sleeper section. We got off the train feeling ready to jump right in to our time in Shanghai. After finding our hotel (we decided to up the standards a bit after our cupboard-sized experience in Hong Kong) we were off to check out some of the sites. We taxied it down to The Bund, a popular tourist destination which at one time was the center of British Influence in Shanghai. There we took in the views of the misty river and the towering sights before turning around and making our way up Shanghai's most popular shopping area known as Nanjing Road. The street is full of shops, restaurants and tonnes and tonnes of people. We ate a quick dinner and avoided the touts who were calling us from every corner to look at “rolex” watches, brand name sunglasses, etc. Then we met some young Chinese students hanging around the museum and engaged in what we thought was friendly conversation. After some time they told us that they were heading to a tea house, and asked us if we wanted to tag along. It sounded like fun! We tried a dozen or so different teas of various, plants, fruits, herbs, spices and even a “flower-ball” tea which was a green ball that opened up to reveal a flower once immersed in water. We ended up having a really nice time, that is, until the bill came. While the prices were shown to us at the beginning of the ceremony we didn't fully understand the fact that those prices were per teeny tiny tea cup. We were definitely not prepared to shell out the kind of money that was required, but what could we do? We had already drunk the darn tea!! We thought that $40 a person was expensive for an hour's worth of a tea ceremony, however the Chinese university students seemed to not be startled by the bill. We went back to our hotel feeling that something just wasn't right. After a bit of investigating on the Internet, we learned that this tea house scam is one that is often used on tourists all over the country. They got us, (and they were darn good too!) but we were thankful that our bill wasn't as high as some of the others we read about (most who were paying over $300 a person for some stupid tea!)
The next day we were back at the train station, trying to arrange some tickets to our next destination. We were disappointed to learn that we would have to spend an additional three days in Shanghai, because all the train tickets to our next stop were sold out (as summer holidays are still not finished). We spent the rest of the day wondering around the city, eventually making it to the old town, where we were greeted with stunning antiques, food and souvenir markets every where we looked! We stopped for dinner and feasted on some local specialties, including Shanghai dumplings (delicious!!!) and some other tasty treats!
We spent the next two days enjoying some much deserved R&R. We lazed around our hotel, watched a few movies and enjoyed some more delicious food. We also made it out to the markets and the Bund a few more times but it was nothing that we hadn't already done. We visited the Oriental Pearl Tower, an architectural highlight in Shanghai and a symbol of the future for the Chinese people. And we even made it up the Grand Hyatt building (a huge towering hotel/office building which emerges like the tower of Orthanac {Lord of the Rings Reference} out of the night sky).
We enjoyed our time in Shanghai, even though we got scammed (big time!). So if you're ever in China and you're invited to a casual tea ceremony... find out exactly how much, and who's paying before you take your first sip!
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