Shanghai

Shanghai Airport

A vast airport - we waited a long time for the hotel
 pick up   thatnever came - finally phoned and were directed outside to join several families of Indians on their way to the Punjab.
We were put in a separate bus, however, and only when the larger one was full did some of the other  passengers join us along with heaps of luggage.

Friendly Hotel staff Shanghai

 
We were all packed in - or rather, the staff and a few passengers were,  We had
seats.  The staff came to help
load and unload everything.






Shanghai Hotel Room


We looked out over the city of apartment blocks in all directions on a flat plain - a bit like Mississauga in density and homogeneity except
that the buildings were painted different colours and had varied roof shapes and arrangements of shingles but they were still in rows of blocks of apartments.  Very comfy bed and great shower.
A lot of haze.




View from window











Egg boiled in black spices

 



Roof-top restaurant

 Cold breakfast eggs - curious flavour - one might even think suspicious flavour...
A breakfast to remember but  -not necessarily seek to repeat - as well as the eggs, there were slices of pound cake, some chopped mixed canned veggies in mayo, some slices of very pink spam equivalent, cold noodles and a brown liquid labelled coffee.




View from the roof


We took the elevator to the top floor and were able to go into the closed rooftop restaurant to look around - gold satin covers on the chairs and the same fabric for the curtains but if the purpose was to enjoy the view, someone needed to clean the windows!

Vancouver airport



Walking to skytrain



We were up at 7am, scrambled eggs and a shower.  Sorted the apartment, a final pack & off before 9 to walk to the skytrain station at Davie & Pacific

Weather perfect -I wonder when we'll feel that delicious chill in the air again - the walk a great stretch in prep for our long day ahead.

Skytrain

$1.75 ride on the Canada line to VYR.  Smooth, silent and fast
 - my first time.


Check in







Checked in early & got good seats together - amazingly our one bag weighed only 11kg and we discovered the allowance is actually 23 kg each!

Fortified with a Starbucks coffee -

 Richard wants to hand me over to the computer and this blog process now that he has just about figured it all out.  He's a lot more patient with these things than I am!




 

Richard at the aquarium



The airport has been expanded hugely since I was last here - a visual feast of artwork and many temptations for the pocket.  The aquarium is home to dozens of pink anemones that are all open and waving their arms as well as local species of fish - I guess none of them eats the others!

What a struggle!

     I hope this process gets easier - right now it feels as if I am dealing with mischievous resident demons intent on thwarting my every step - the cursor jumps by itself, the text turns blue by itself and the whole thing suddenly disappears - perhaps this is the machine's way of controlling excessive verbiage. It is taking pity on you, dear reader!

Off tomorrow



On the bus from Horseshoe Bay




Vancouver




Saturday breakfast - stuff to pack on the table

 We are almost packed, have our tickets, passports, visas, money, etc, etc all ready.

We leave our Burnaby Street Apartment at 9 to go by skytrain to the airport by 10 so we can be their for early check-in and get our seat assignments.

The adventure starts....