6:30am
Yes, the school across from me does blast music at all hours…
8:30
I was re-awoken by the cleaning lady, am I right in thinking
that 8:30 is too early for that? Despite me saying quite clearly (I think) in
Chinese that I didn’t want cleaning as I was getting changed, she came in
anyway and proceeded to tidy for a good 15 minutes while I sat there in just my
underwear. Xiexie.
Today’s weather is a lot clearer but not suitable for
visiting Yuyuan Garden this morning as I planned, for that I’ll hang on for a
sunnier day. So I think today I’ll check out some of the ancient shopping
streets and antique places that are about and maybe I’ll find the time to visit
some of the outer ancient towns!
12pm – The Deadly Souvenir
This morning I decided to start the day with a (what I thought
would be) short visit to an antique-y part of town called Dongtai lu. It was
going to be simple – just take a look around, try and bargain for something to
make for another addition to my shelf of souvenirs from around China; however
the morning mutated into something bizarre and rather stressful, but luckily
with a happy ending.
I was walking down this rather peculiarly decorated street
when a woman beckoned me to her stall. One thing caught my eye immediately. I
didn’t know what it was but it was made of wood and looked so intricately
carved with dragons and phoenixes. The woman wanted 850 kuai (about £85) but I didn’t
want to spend over 100 kuai (I’ve become a pro at haggling – the key is to make
yourself a stubborn cheapskate).
She took it down to around 450 but I still
refused and tried to walk away when she suddenly grabbed my arm. It was getting
rather scary, but she clearly was desperate for a sale. She wasn’t happy with
my offer of 150 kuai but as I began to walk off she grabbed me again and
accepted, however she was not pleased.
‘Hurrah!’ I thought as I skipped merrily to the subway
station and put my bag on the conveyor belt for security inspection. I picked
my bag up on the other end as usual, but this time the woman called me back.
She showed me the screen and what appeared to look like a knife, in my bag? I
gave her my purchase and she inspected it. Suddenly with a slight tug on one
side a blade appeared. WHAT.
Before you think I was stupid for not realising, I must
explain more about how this object looked – in NO WAY like a knife. For
starters, it was nearly as wide as it was long…
She refused to let me enter the metro. I paced the streets
for a while thinking how I can manage to get on a plane back to Guangzhou with
it in my possession, eventually realising that the best course of action was to
try and take it back to the shop.
After searching the incredibly long and monotonous street
stalls I eventually recognised the woman. I explained in basic Chinese what the
case was while showing her the blade, but as I expected, she refused to refund
(probably rather sour still). She did however let me choose another item from
her stall to exchange. Nothing caught my fancy until I saw what looked like a
pipe. It had similar carvings to the knife but was carved from bone. It looked
incredibly cool, and with a little more haggling and arm grabbing we settled on
an additional payment of 50 kuai – 200 in total. I personally think that’s a
bargain! At close inspection it looks legit, you can tell it’s hand carved and
not plastic or anything.
She told me that it’s very old, apparently late 19th century, but I’m not sure about that. It looks old, it may very well be old, but eitherway I think it looks pretty sweet – and all it took was 2 threats from a sales lady and 1 threat from a security officer…
She told me that it’s very old, apparently late 19th century, but I’m not sure about that. It looks old, it may very well be old, but eitherway I think it looks pretty sweet – and all it took was 2 threats from a sales lady and 1 threat from a security officer…
2pm – Qibao Ancient Town
On the outskirts of Shanghai are a series of traditional
water villages, the most famous of which I will visit this weekend. But in
closer proximity is Qibao Ancient Town.
It’s a great little area; it reminds me of ‘The Shambles’ and
Camden lock as if they were merged together with a dusting of oriental charm. There
was a lot of local food stalls, but I daren’t brave them without a guide – if
Yinzi was with me she could give me warnings as she knows my taste by now (and
she finds it boring, she may be right).
Walking around the area was fantastic as it really made me
feel immersed in China. However, after a pretty chaotic morning I could do with
a contrast against narrow streets and loud noises – so I’ll head on down to the
Jade Buddha Temple!
4pm – The Jade Buddha Temple
I came at just the right time; it’s nearly closing so most
of the people have left and I arrived just before a pretty awesome display by
the Taoist folk. They began a group chant which I hadn’t yet really experienced
fully – despite being in hundreds of temples by this point.
It was a great chance to just sit for a while with a mellower
soundtrack. The sun is close to setting and the sky is clearer now, so maybe it’s
time to check out the Bund again to get a clear shot of the city skyline!
5:30pm – A clear view!
Today's conclusion: Travelling by myself in China can be mighty difficult sometimes, but I find a way.
I have however learnt a valuable lesson - Before you buy anything, always check for concealed weapons.
Zai'jian!
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