Simon met us at the hotel, and we followed him to the vehicle waiting for our day’s tour. The driver greeted us warmly and offered us bottled water, a provision we had plentifully encountered throughout China. Our drivers continuously supplied us with bottles, which were always stocked in the car seatbacks, and our hotel rooms were generously filled with complimentary water. Later on, we encountered an American couple from Nevada, and the man expressed how incredible he found the free water to be, highlighting it as one of his favorite aspects of the trip. Given all this water provided to us, we never broached the topic of tap water quality with any of our guides, so I remained unaware if there was an issue. I usually carry reusable water bottles, hoping to refill them instead of contributing to plastic waste. I did learn an important lesson: Chinese water bottles are filled to the brim, which means some water inevitably spills out. If you open one next to your body, you end up getting wet. After a day or two, I remembered to open them at arm’s length, but this morning, I had not yet mastered the technique and ended up wet.
Simon informed us about our train time for the next day. That was good news, but I was surprised that I hadn't received a confirmation before. I had only been given tentative timings in our travel itinerary for our various train journeys and understood that the actual tickets would be released closer to our travel dates. I felt a bit uneasy that morning upon realizing I hadn’t seen the confirmation for our upcoming train. After Simon shared the details for the next day, I messaged April to request copies of all our future reservations. That turned out to be beneficial. Simon also mentioned that he wouldn’t be accompanying us to the station. Instead, our pleasant guide from our airport arrival would take us.
There wasn’t much opportunity to photograph due to the swift-moving traffic on the elevated highway. Instead, I wanted to test my Alipay after completing the verification the previous night. Simon suggested I send him a yuan. It went through successfully, and he sent one back to me, confirming that I was officially an Alipay user. Our short outing took us to Zhujiajiao, one of the many water towns in the Shanghai area, built around serene canals and lakes with ancient bridges connecting them. Zhujiajiao is one of the best-preserved towns and is easily accessible, which meant it was likely to be crowded with tourists. The town had a slight resemblance to Venice, with boats floating on the canals, and its history spans over 1,700 years.
Simon recommended visiting Kezhi Garden, a classical Chinese garden estate, for which we needed to pay a small entrance fee since it wasn’t included in our official itinerary. The garden spans about five acres and was originally established in the 18th century. It turned out to be the highlight of our visit to Zhujiajiao, especially since most tourists seemed to overlook it. The bridges were bustling with activity. I noticed a shop selling lattes, and Po purchased a crispy pastry. We then visited the Yuanjin Buddhist Temple, also known as the Temple of Goddess, constructed in 1341. Having always removed my shoes in temples during my trip to Bhutan, I was taken aback by the fact that we weren't asked to do so here. We climbed the stairs to the top and enjoyed the view.
Po had lost her knit cap (or toque, as we refer to them in Canada) in Vancouver and was searching for a replacement. Since it was now well into spring in Shanghai, I suggested that shops might have stored away their winter items. Shortly after, we encountered a woman selling knitted goods by the canal, and I made my first payment using Alipay. Naturally, she did not accept cash. We enjoyed a stroll along the canals and narrow streets, passing numerous shops and restaurants. Many historic riverside homes still stand, and there were several cat cafés. I did not try anything there.
The Fangsheng Bridge was initially built in 1571 and reconstructed in 1812. Simon led us to a restaurant by the canal where we had a local dish of beef cooked in lotus leaves. He chatted with an Australian couple at the next table, and when they mentioned they were from Bondi Beach, he seized the opportunity to mention that he had guided the Bondi Vet, a well-known Australian TV personality. Simon shared details about his primary job, which involved acting as a liaison for Chinese couples seeking to hire surrogate mothers, primarily from the U.S., as it is one of the few places where surrogacy is legal. He inquired about Georgia (the country) as it is also legal there. I shared that the country is beautiful and has quite good food, but I could not speak to the medical or legal situation there.
There was a notable contrast between the old and new when I paid the bill; the owner used an abacus to calculate,
Simon greeted us at the hotel, and we accompanied him to the vehicle waiting for our tour that day. The driver welcomed us warmly and offered us a bottled water, which was something we always had plenty of in China. Our drivers frequently provided us with bottles, and there were always fresh ones available in the car seatbacks, plus our hotel rooms were generously supplied with complimentary water.