China, Korea and a little bit (of Japan) on the side

[Justinf]

Now that you are safely back, I can report that one time there was a stampede on the Bund....

2014 Shanghai stampede - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Geez. I could see how it would get out of hand too,
I’m a big bloke. 6’1” and 95kg, but a stampede can get anyone.

 

[moa999]

Been a while since I was in Shanghai, but two Western food areas that come to mind are Lao Wei Jie (literally Foreigner Street, near Hongquiao Airport) and Wulunqi Rd in the French Quarter area.

The Bund also has some great places but expensive.

 

[drron]

We were very fortunate to go in 2010. We thought it was crowded then as it was the World Expo we came for. But we were able to walk around the french Quarter with hardly any one else apart from those who lived there. The numbers on the Bund were probably a third of your pictures at the busiest times.

 

[rbjhan]

Geez. I could see how it would get out of hand too,
I’m a big bloke. 6’1” and 95kg, but a stampede can get anyone.

Well yes I'm a small woman so I try not to be in crowds at all!

Edit, Japan is the only place that I'm a relatively "tall" female. See, everything for a reason

 

[drron]

Though just about anywhere in Asia now that we go the younger generation are taller and bigger than my generation. Totally different to when we travelled in the 70s and 80s.
That said on one flight back in Y on CX from Kai Tak the Chinese basketball team were also in Y. They looked very uncomfortable.

 

[Pele]

Justin I am following your trip report and enjoying it greatly. I was in mainland China for the first time the past few weeks (Hainan and Guangdong provinces) and enjoyed it. With the the visa free travel, cheap airfares, and affordable food,.drinks, and hotels I will be back.

 

[Justinf]

Went to sleep at 9pm and woke at 5am.
Spent the entire night with the chills and was shaking.
This is not good.
Decided to head out in search of a pharmac_ so see if I could get something for my throat and I also thought it was wise to take a Covid test. Although if I am positive, I’m really not sure what I can do. I can’t stay here for five days. I’m heading to Seoul tomorrow and have things booked etc.
I reckon if I am positive I’ll wear a mask, stay away from people as best I can and I have already changed my seat on the Korean Airlines 787 to the very back row.
Is that selfish? I really don’t know what to do, but I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it.

 

[Justinf]

Headed out at 9am and the walking street was nowhere near as packed as yesterday although it’s only early I guess.


I found a pharmac_ and the pharmacist gave me some Chinese herbal medicine pills for my throat. I just wanted some lozenges, but ok.


Not content with that, I also got something else which I have never seen before.

You stick a tiny straw through the vial and drink it. It tastes disgusting. Seemed to work ok-ish.
Also got a Covid kit.

 

[Justinf]

Weather today is overcast and around 15 degrees with a bit of rain later.
Wandered around a bit and went to People’s Square.

 

[Justinf]

Although not feeling 100%, I was quite hungry at 10.30am and went to a giant food court.
I want to try soup dumplings, but I could only find pork ones, and I don’t do pork.
Grabbed some beef noodles and a coke and it was $9.
Some people were laughing at me and I don’t know why. Maybe my chopstick skills were funny or I wasn’t eating it right.

 

[Justinf]

Decided it was time to take the plunge and head back to the room to take the test.
I’m pleased to say it was negative.

 

[Justinf]

Had a nap and it’s been raining all afternoon.
Really wanted to get to The Bund again and it would have been perfect with no crowds.
I have a very good light rain jacket, but I just didn’t think it was wise to venture out in the wet.
Been holed up in my room.

 

[Justinf]

Still raining and my illness is really weird.
I’ll feel great for a couple of hours and then back to being blah.

 

[Justinf]

I know I sound very dramatic. I don’t do sickness well.
I tend to magnify things to the worst possible outcome.
It was just too wet to head out very far so I popped around the corner to the sports bar.

 

[Justinf]

My flight to Seoul Incheon is at 11.20am tomorrow.
I’m actually considering getting Maccas for the first time ever while on holidays in a foreign country.

 

[moa999]

considering getting Maccas for the first time ever while on holidays in a foreign country.

Nothing wrong with that imho, as long as you try some of the different menu items.

Assume flying from PVG.
Consider metro to Longyang Road, and then the Maglev.

Assuming you're at Crowne Plaza Snow World near People's Square would just be Metro 2 towards Pudong airport.

 

[Justinf]

Nothing wrong with that imho, as long as you try some of the different menu items.

Assume flying from PVG.
Consider metro to Longyang Road, and then the Maglev.

Assuming you're at Crowne Plaza Snow World near People's Square would just be Metro 2 towards Pudong airport.

Lmao

 

[Justinf]

Nothing wrong with that imho, as long as you try some of the different menu items.

Assume flying from PVG.
Consider metro to Longyang Road, and then the Maglev.

Assuming you're at Crowne Plaza Snow World near People's Square would just be Metro 2 towards Pudong airport.

I really should do the maglev. I’ll see how I wake up tomorrow and see how I’m feeling.
Didi or PT.

 

[JackMiles]

I really should do the maglev. I’ll see how I wake up tomorrow and see how I’m feeling.
Didi or PT.

FWIW, I thought the maglev was pretty great in a way, but also sorta underwhelming. Like, it was a smooth and comfortable ride but in fact that detracts from any feeling of speed, which I was hoping for. And the views, which as best as I recall, were not super great, and with distance from any major objects also meant I had no strong sense of speed from that aspect either. I was left with looking at the speedometer display and thinking, cool, we're going really fast (but it doesn't particularly feel like it). So to put it another way, its impressive that they've made a train that goes so fast without any real sensation that you're going that fast but, for me anyway, I friggin wanted to feel the speed! [cue Top Gun references...]

 

[Justinf]

Woke up a few times with my throat absolutey raging.
I can handle most things but a bad sore throat if not one of them.
As a kid I had repeat throat infections and was hospitalised several times
I remember drawing blood from between my fingernails due to holding onto something so hard when I had to swallow.
A few years a GP asked if I’d had my tonsils out. I haven’t. He said they had shrunk so much that I may as well not have any.
Those memories are vivid and any hint of a bad throat and my anxiety goes into overdrive.
Woke up around 7am and jumped in the shower and headed out around 7.45am.
DiDi fare to the airport was 114 yuan, which is way different to the 246 I paid to the corrupt cabbie coming in.
Traffic was light and was at the terminal at 8.45am.
As I was flying Y, there was no priority check in so I had to join the line.
Took ages.
Finally checked in, but the agent said there was something wrong with my bag and it had been diverted to the room next door and I had to go there and sort it out.
The woman in charge said it was something about a ‘letter’ which I later deduced they thought I had a cigarette lighter in my checked in.
Now, that is impossible but rifle through my bag she did. Keep saying ‘smoke lighter’ but I kept shaking my head saying ‘no’.
Eventually she gave up but here’s the catch.
I had to recheck my bag in again.
I was meant to rejoin the now even longer queue.
Well no thanks. I wasn’t doing that.
So I went straight to the enquiries counter and asked if I could check in there and then.
Success.
Was given BP and bag went through.
Then came immigration.
Lines were huge and eventually go through and then came security.
Security is MASSIVE in China.
This time I knew to take everything out of my carry on that might present a problem and I was through after another very intimate pat down.
The international terminal at Pudong is a bit soulless.
By now it was 9.45am so I had an hour to kill before boarding.