To China and back ...

After a break of more than two months I realised that there's no point in taking more than 6000 photos in the past month without putting at least a few of them on the blog.

On 23 March we took the bus to Sydney and booked into a hotel near the airport in readiness for our morning flight to Shanghai.  With a free night in Sydney, what better to do than have dinner at our favourite Asian restaurant, the Marigold, in George Street, followed by a much anticipated visit to the Capitol Theatre to see 'Love Never Dies'.  Great show, beautiful singing and amazing staging.  Do see it if you can.

Our flight to Shanghai was direct and very smooth, and even arrived on time.  Found our way through the airport, made much easier by the English signage, and then prepared to look for our car driver bearing a sign with some derivation of our name.  However, the most delightful surprise was to see Tanya, Geoff and Arlo waiting for us.  They had planned the trip from their home in Suzhou to Shanghai to meet us but kept it a secret.

It was dark by the time we loaded all our luggage into the van that Geoff had arranged for us - with a driver, as no-one in their right mind drives a car in China .... lol - so our two hour trip home was like a cavalcade of neon lights and signs.  I was told that there are as many neon signs in Shanghai as in the whole of Australia.

The following photos are a few from our very first outing in China, a walk from their apartment to a nearby lake, the name of which escapes me.  It was a lovely day and we enjoyed the walk and our lunch at a Taiwanese restaurant, but it was all still rather surreal for me.

Setting out.

Geoff, Arlo and Richard who quickly became Papa.

Rather formerly dressed parents and children enjoying kite-flying.

High-rise apartments soon became a very familiar sight.

Blowing bubbles always delights children, both young and old.

The ladies of the family enjoying being together again.

Silent bicycles and electric scooters duck and weave amongst the walkers.  Eyes in the back of one's head would be handy.

More bubbles...

.... and more buildings.

 

Bicycles for hire.

No load limits here.

I had been forewarned about the traffic and crossing the road was my constant nightmare, although I was beginning to get the hang of it four weeks later!

Back home again!