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There is a fine line between being understanding and rolling with the punches when it comes to going on a “camping adventure to Tantou, Island in Ningbo” and feeling that you were “ripped-off” maybe not intentionally but because of the lack of organization and professionalism from a tour organizing group. Just so you don’t think this is written by a fussy Doll who is used to “5 star hotels and whatnots” (as one of the organizers Chris retorted when a traveler just asked if she could go eat somewhere else) let me tell you the story of our trip to the Island this last October holiday.

Based on their website, they post pictures of this Island to make you think it is so beautiful with white beaches and blue water when you finally get to the place you will see the sand is grey and the water is brown.  (See comparisons below) 

OK, Deal! Club's advertised photoReal life Tantou island (picture by the author)

But that was only the tip of the iceberg. Due to no prior ocular inspection, bus inspections or what not our supposedly 5 hour trip to Tantou Island became 12 hours which left us arriving to a pitch black island and queasy from a rough boat ride.  Also, in the email sent about accommodation pricing for 3 accommodation options (tent, hostel room and hotel with ac and bath) were not followed. In fact, on the island we had to pay more and watch the organizers try and negotiate with the screaming landlords over the price but we still ended up having to pay more than what we agreed on via email.

If you’re like me, one of the things you love most about living abroad is when people come to visit.  It’s a little taste of home without the hassle or expense of actually going there.  Plus, I love Shanghai, so I also love to show it off to friends and family who come to see me.

But here’s what I discovered after a recent visit by my parents: Shanghai is not Beijing.  In Beijing, you’ll never run out of historic, cultural, touristy things to do.  In Shanghai, well, not so much.  The things that I enjoy on a regular basis in Shanghai don’t really cut it when my parents come and want to experience “China.”  So here are some ideas of what to do with your parents if they visit that try to blend the old and new of China while still showing off the personality of Shanghai.

Yu Gardens

Beautiful, traditional Chinese gardens.  It’s a great place to wander around, take pictures, and people watch.  My best advice: make a day of it and head to the gardens early to beat the crowds, see the gardens, and then have a walk around the bazaar.  Take your parents to eat some traditional xiaolongbao at the famous Nanxiang Steamed Bun Restaurant (the takeaway queue is intimidating, but you’ll have better luck if you just go inside and sit down).

After lunch, have a walk around the old town area.  There’s the Chenxiangge Nunnery as well as the Temple of the Town God, both near Yu Gardens and worth a quick visit.  Fangbang Zhong Lu is a great street to wander along as it’s got lots of souvenir shopping as well as nice shops, tea houses and restaurants if you need a break.  Also on Fangbang Zhong Lu is the Shiliupu Fabric Market if your parents want to have any clothes made before returning home.  It’s a good idea to hit the fabric market early in your Shanghai visit, in case the clothes you order don’t get done on time or need more than one fitting.

Do NOT go to Yu Gardens at the weekend, unless your goal is to show your parents just how many people live in Shanghai.

People who know me understand that Buddhism, Yoga and Meditation are large part of my life in Shanghai.  I recently had a great experience that I wanted to share.  Over the May holiday weekend I got the opportunity to go to a Meditation and Yoga retreat in Shanghai.  The idea behind this retreat was to try and teach the students how to introduce some Meditation and Yoga into their lives on a daily basis.

It all started around 2pm on the Saturday when I went to meet the bus at a downtown Yoga centre.  I have been to these types of retreats before and the usual attendees are all Chinese with me being the token foreigner!  This time there was around 40 in attendance and to my surprise I was not the only foreigner…  There were three of us!  We jumped on the bus all eager to find out what was in store for us over this weekend with lots of excited voices and casual getting to know each other conversations.

Last October I decided to take myself off to Thailand for a holiday.  I know when people mention heading to Thailand we all conjure up images of cocktails at the beach and partying until the early hours of the morning.  That has to be the complete opposite of what my holiday was about!

A little background information before heading into the life-altering holiday that I went on.  When I arrived in Shanghai over three years ago my company shipped me off to humid Guangzhou and while I was there I got incredibly sick with salmonella poisoning!  Not a pleasant experience and I was then chronically ill for 10 months until I flew back to Australia to see my doctor.  Long story short there was an unusual strain of bacteria living inside me which needed an extremely strong course of two different types of antibiotics to kill them off.

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Shanghai – Hong Kong – Shanghai Train Schedule

This is the most annoyingly confusing thing I have found online in while. Like they intentionally wrote the website content to make everything unclear. You can find out about fares here but the advertised discounts are not available if your journey originates in Shanghai – no matter what the website tells you. The schedule varies but right now, trains leave Shanghai on even dates (not even days, Mr. Data Compiler). So don’t break your brain trying to figure out what an “even day” is, or if they count the first day of the week as Sunday or Monday. To get to Hong Kong you leave Shanghai at 18:24 on the 2nd, 4th, 6th, etc. of the month. Trains come back from Hong Kong on odd dates. Setting off from Hung Hom Station in Kowloon at about 15:30pm. The schedule is subject to seasonal changes, though, so departure and return dates alternate.