29/01

Breakfast was in the same cafe as last nights affair but it was more satisfying with a huge choice of Western and Chinese options. I love dim sum and noodles for breakfast! But I'm glad we're not stuck there all day waiting for a midnight A380 to Shanghai.

Our promoter, Young, has organised the train tickets, and his driver Mr Hu arrived promptly to take us to the the station. We've know Mr Hu for about fifteen years, but just like the infamous doctor with the similar sounding name, we don't know his first name, and with no language in common probably never will. He propelled us across Beijing at an alarming rate somehow without incident to the Beijing South railway station. I've never driven in Beijing, but similarities to Bangkok where I have, are many. The basic rule is "there are no rules" and from there you just make it up as you go. Lanes are for wimps, indicators only used when gentle persuasion fails, and speed limits pointless because you either do 10 or 100 km/h depending on if there's any traffic. The pressure of traffic mostly means the former speed, but occasionally a gap appears, and it's pedal-to-the-metal time. Additionally the multi-lane roads mean cycles and mopeds just go the wrong way in the slow lane if they want to, because they can't easily cross. Airport to train station takes just about an hour.

We've never caught a train to or from Beijing so the whole station experience was uncharted - and what an experience. "Busy" doesn't really convey the density of people queuing everywhere but if you saw the recent programme about Mumbai station you will have an idea. We grab a quick and expensive coffee before stocking up on provisions for our journey and then join the scrum waiting at the gates above the train on platform 16, the semi-fast train to Shanghai. 

And pretty fast it is. Cruising speed is 300 km/h and watching the frozen countryside flash by is engaging. When we pass an oncoming train, it's 16 carriages go by in less than three seconds. Our first stop is Tianjin. I remember in 2000 doing this journey by coach and it took eight hours, today we do it in 35 minutes. Admittedly the weather was significantly colder than today's balmy -2 degrees, and the station is miles away from Tianjin centre too. At Tianjin the half-full carriage suddenly becomes a swarming mass of people. There's nowhere near enough luggage room, and like us people are sitting with bags at their feet as well as in the racks and isles. Spare children are plentiful, far more than spaces to put them. Good job we were on at the start to lay claim to space for our bags. 

Although we're only in economy, leg-room is good but the 2 + 3 seats are not wide enough for Western shoulders. My very adjacent neighbour explains that it's Chinese New Year hence the family mass transit. He works in Tianjin but is from a town on the route so is travelling back home to celebrate complete with sisters, nieces and mountains of parcels. 

Since last time we visited in 2014 Twitter has been unblocked and it's amusing to hear those familiar notes sing out in the carriage with persistent regularity. Facebook and blogs remain blocked however, and a lot of other sites too. Another regular intrusion is the various questionable smells emanating from food parcels. As I write the two aforementioned nieces are ripping apart the "biggest grapefruit ever" having removed all the peel and pith first. Each segment is almost as big as a banana and it's smell is the only pleasant one we've had - earlier they were on dried squid. Pot noodles are another regularly opened "delicacy" and each carriage has a hot water geyser for this. 

Arriving almost to the second (after 1200 km and almost six hours) we look for Young and jump on the subway back towards our hotel, which is located on a central square at the city end of Nanjing Rd, the shopping area. We quickly check in and unpack before walking to the theatre for hubby to see what's happening whilst I get a few photos. Gatsby is getting in well and all is running to plan, or so we thought. 

We then set a rapid pace to the Bund where we have reservations for Hakkasan, allegedly one of the worlds finest Chinese restaurants. It's not easy to find as it doesn't bother with signage but we're only three minutes late. After all our sagas we decided to treat ourselves to the New Year Monkey Banquet which was excellent, albeit a little extravagant - gold leaf on dim-sum, lobster and truffle sauce to mention just two. They still have a way to go to achieve their own marketing expectations but it was nonetheless a good meal. You'll have to fine my TA review for the full details.

Afterwards we walked further along the Bund looking for another well recommended restaurant and then walked back along the riverside walkway up to Nanjing Rd, and headed back towards our hotel. Despite the presence of many police video vans, we were offered drugs (once) girls (seven times) by pimps and approached directly by ladies of the night seven times also. Normally we would  nullify this situation by holding hands, but perhaps that's not the right approach here. 

I tried to get some photos and this blog uploaded but the technology (or specifically the interference) got the better of me.