Doormen in Kilts at the Astor House Hotel

Astor House Hotel, Shanghai, China

November 1, 2010

The Astor House Hotel, Shanghai

The Astor House Hotel was a bit of a splurge for this budget traveler, but compared with some of the other hotels in Shanghai it was a good value. Since I knew that I would be in Shanghai on the last two nights of my trip, I booked it in advance through Hotels.com, which I found to be easy and reliable. I paid $99.00 per night including taxes and fees, but disappointingly, not including breakfast. The hotel is conveniently located just a short walk across the bridge over Suzhou Creek near the northern end of the Bund.

Old World Charm

The place reeks of old world charm from the moment you spot its colonial architecture, to your greeting by doormen in kilts and on until you get to your room, which is big enough to quarter a small army. The bathrooms are correspondingly huge and completely modern. On the other hand, the floors and woodwork are all original and very old. Most rooms include an original fireplace. The front desk staff were friendly and helpful and the maid service was efficient and regular. Although they put out a sumptuous spread for the $11.00 buffet breakfast, it would have been worth it if only to sit in the spectacular domed dining room. I can highly recommend this elegant old hotel based on location, value and ambience and can easily understand why it was frequented by the celebrities of yore.

Update: November 2021

Sadly, it appears that the Astor House Hotel will be closing and is no longer available for accommodations.

TRAVEL TIP:

For independent travelers, booking hotels in advance can be risky, since your itinerary may change. If you are flying in and out of a gateway city, however, you know where you will be on the first few nights and the last few nights of your trip and booking in advance can ease some of the stress of traveling. Generally, at each end of your trip you will be in a big city that you will want to spend a few days exploring. At the beginning of your trip this enables you to refresh yourself after a long plane flight and at the end, it is a nice way to unlax after a busy trip.

The Astor House Hotel, Shanghai, China
Across the Lighted Bridge to the Astor House Hotel
My Room at the Astor House Hotel
Elegant Bathroom at the Astor House Hotel
Dining Room at the Astor House Hotel
Ceiling in the Dining Room of the Astor House Hotel

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Shanghai High

October 29, 2010

East Nanjing Road

How does one even begin to describe a city like Shanghai, China! With 14 million people it is one of the largest and most diverse cities in the world. Its combination of traditional Chinese buildings, European colonial architecture and modern skyscrapers is sure to dazzle you. I loved Shanghai and my two day visit was a spectacular way to bring my trip to China to a close. There is so much to see in Shanghai, but for a busy tourist with a limited amount of time the main action is along East Nanjing Road and following it east to the point where it intersects the northernmost end of the Bund. The Bund is a promenade running north-south along the Huangpu River and looking across the water one gets an unforgettable view of the fabulous skyline of Pudong, with its colorful new skyscrapers.

Starting at People’s Square and Renmin Park on the west end of East Nanjing Road it is an easy walk along this mostly pedestrianized boulevard heading toward the Bund on the river. Lined with fashionable shops it is crowded both day and night with businessmen, shoppers and hawkers, young families on an outing and lovers on a stroll. You will get a real treat when the lights come on at night giving it an almost Disneyland-like feel. There is much history along this road as well. The Peace Hotel with its trademark green dome was a frequent meeting place for the Gang of Four, which included Mao’s last wife. Here they plotted many of the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, for which they were all put on trial for treasonous crimes a month after Mao’s death in 1976.

My headquarters during my stay in Shanghai was the Astor House Hotel, which I will feature in a future posting. I only had time for a fleeting glance at the French Concession, Old Town and many other attractions in Shanghai, leaving plenty of reason to return to this beautiful city. Coming next, the Bund, Pudong and the World Exposition.

East Nanjing Road by Day and Night

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Suzhou and Tongli

1 Comment / October 22, 2010

Side Trip to Suzhou and Tongli

On my way from Nanjing back to Shanghai by train, I stopped in the small city of Suzhou. I had read about the ancient gardens of Suzhou, as well as the nearby canal town of Tongli and was hoping to get a glimpse of each before getting back to Shanghai later that evening. Well, this turned out to be the marathon day of my trip! Adding to the challenge, I had to carry my entire pack with me all day, since I was between hotels. I did manage to see much of what I set out to, but to be perfectly candid, it was a bit disappointing for all the effort I put into it. Suzhou is billed as the ‘Venice of the East’, but having been to the ‘Venice of the West’, I didn’t quite see the comparison. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful city and I’m glad I stopped for a look.

The Canal Town of Tongli, China

At the Suzhou train station I passed up the many hawkers trying to sell tours of the city, opting instead to hop on a pedicab for a harrowing ride to the bus station nearby. Within an hour I arrived at Tongli and got in another pedicab for the ride to the old town. The pedicab driver was a very enterprising fellow and sold me on a package deal that included the entrance fees and a guided tour on his pedicab through the maze of streets that lined the canals. Since time was of the essence, it turned out to be a good way to get an overview of the picturesque canals and all the major sights in a short time. The entrance fee included entry to museums, gardens and several old residences. There were some beautiful bridges crossing over the canals which actually were somewhat reminiscent of Venice and my guide seemed to know all the favorite photo spots and waited patiently for me while I explored a little on my own. Just as he promised, he had me back in plenty of time to catch the bus back to Suzhou.

Giggling Ladies on Tongli Canal Boats

The Gardens of Suzhou, China

It was mid-afternoon by the time I arrived in Suzhou and there was just enough time to take a taxi to one of the many gardens for which it is known. I visited the Garden of the Master of the Nets, which dates back to the 12^th century and is a beautifully laid out garden that is famous for fitting a lot into a small space. After a quick tour of the garden I returned to the main street to hail a taxi going back to the train station. I stood for a long time trying to wave down a taxi and wondered why so many empty taxis were passing me by. I was getting a little anxious, because my train was leaving in less than an hour. Finally a nice man going by on a bicycle went out of his way to stop just long enough to tell me that the taxis weren’t permitted to pick up passengers at the spot where I was standing and pointed to another place nearby where I should stand. The very next taxi picked me up and I was soon on the train to Shanghai.

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Sun Yatsen

October 20, 2010

Dr. Sun Yatsen

I knew that Dr. Sun was an important historical figure in China, but was not prepared for the prodigious memorial built to honor him, indicative of the supreme reverence with which he is regarded by all the people of China, both on the mainland and in Taiwan. He was a revolutionary who worked tirelessly to undermine the last ruling imperial dynasty in China around the turn of the twentieth century. Sun was an interesting figure who converted to Christianity, become a medical doctor and greatly admired Alexander Hamilton and Abraham Lincoln. In 1911, the Qing Dynasty abruptly ended and the Republic of China was born. Sun Yatsen became the first president and established the Kuomintang or Nationalist Party.

The Kuomintang Party

The Republic of China only lasted 40 years on the mainland and the history of China during the period that followed is complicated. Chiang Kaishek assumed command of the Kuomintang Party in 1928 and spent his remaining years competing with a radical librarian from Peking University named Mao Zedong for control of China. Mao eventually prevailed and Chiang Kaishek retreated with the remnants of the Republic of China to the island of Taiwan in 1949 to form Nationalist China. Dr. Sun Yatsen died of liver cancer in 1925 at the age of 58, but because of his leading role in the efforts to topple the last ruling dynasty he is considered the father of modern China. Despite the continued conflict between the People’s Republic of China (mainland China) and the Republic of China (Taiwan), Dr. Sun is held in extremely high regard by the Chinese people of both nations. Thus the lavish mausoleum where he is entombed.

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Nanjing and the Sun Yatsen Mausoleum

October 18, 2010

Nanjing, China

My first night in Shanghai was only a pit stop before heading out on an overnight excursion the next day to visit the Sun Yatsen Mausoleum in Nanjing a few hours to the north. Joining a rush of commuters I set out for the short train trip to Nanjing early in the morning and had no difficulty in finding a hotel straight away. I quickly set out on foot to find the mausoleum, only to discover that Nanjing is another huge city in China.

I try to walk as much as I can when I’m traveling, but after encountering several people along the way who said it was not possible to walk to the monument, I finally gave in and decided to take the bus. Figuring out which bus to take would be a challenge. Not wanting to waste any time, I decided to go into a bank and ask directions. An attractive young lady who worked there gave me directions in English and then literally took me by the hand and led me outside and down the large boulevard for nearly a block to a bus stop. There she pointed to a line on a sign with a confusing list of entries in Chinese characters, indicating the bus I should take. After thanking her I waited in a large crowd hoping I would know when my bus arrived. I needn’t have worried, because when it did arrive a woman in the crowd reached out and motioned for me that this was the bus I wanted. She had evidently heard the bank lady give me directions and was kind enough to point out the correct bus for me. Amazing people!

The Sun Yatsen Mausoleum

The Sun Yatsen Mausolum is set near the top of Zijin Mountain at the eastern side of Nanjing. The 392 steps to the top where the crypt is located were a good workout, but it was well worth the climb. There were crowds of people making the pilgrimage and it seemed to me almost more than those visiting Mao in Beijing. The crypt is located in the center of a huge rotunda and a continuous line of visitors wound solemnly and reverently around it. Emerging from the rotunda you get a beautiful view looking down from the mountain and are reminded of just how far you climbed to get there. Nearby were many interesting displays and photographs chronicling the history of modern China and Dr. Sun’s role in shaping it. The Ming Xiaoling Scenic Area which surrounds the mausoleum is a large park like area with many other sights to see, including temples and pagodas. All in all it was definitely worth the side trip to Nanjing to see this interesting spot.

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Night Train to Shanghai

October 11, 2010

(By Now You’re Beginning to See that I Love Trains!)

My peaceful interlude on the Yangtze cruise was coming to an end and I was about to be thrown back into the hectic pace of an independent traveler. I had been up at midnight the night before for the transit through the locks and then up early in the morning to tour the Three Gorges Dam and Visitor Center. After the tour we returned to the ship, said our ‘goodbyes’ and disembarked from the MV Dragon at the dock near Yichang around noon on Saturday, June 5. Jerry, the cruise director, who had done everything but pilot the ship (if I hadn’t met the Captain, I would not have been so sure!), had arranged for several of us to take a bus together to Wuhan.

What happened next was like something out of a Keystone Cops movie. Between Yichang and Wuhan we changed buses several times, each time being reunited with other passengers from the cruise, who we hadn’t expected to see again, only to be separated again during another transfer. At one point, I got separated from the family who I had planned to travel with to Wuhan and we were all surprised when we found ourselves back together on the same bus again after another transfer. I had shared a table in the ship’s dining room with this wonderful family and they had suggested that I try to get a room at the same hotel where they were planning to stay in Wuhan. We never did figure out what was going on with all the bus transfers, but after a lot of laughs our bus did eventually make it to Wuhan. The driver then proceeded to drop passengers off at requested locations until there were only a few of us left. He then abruptly decided he had had enough and parked the bus and motioned for everyone to get off.

Yichang to Shanghai by Bus and Train, June 2010

We weren’t anywhere near our hotel and no amount of haggling from the other passengers could change the bus driver’s mind. As it turned out, we were near the train station, so I made a quick decision to forgo my stay in Wuhan and instead try to catch a night train to Shanghai. The head of the family I had planned to stay with was traveling with his wife, sister-in-law, niece and three daughters. Even though he now had to scramble to find a way to get his large entourage to the hotel, this nice man took time to hook me up with another couple who were going to the train station. He explained to them in Chinese that I wanted to get a ticket to Shanghai that night and they took me by the hand, hailed a taxi and stood with me in the long line at the train station to make sure I got the right ticket.

This was the manner with which I was treated throughout my trip to China and one of my most outstanding memories of the trip will always be the kind, wonderful people I met everywhere I went. The train left at 8:30 PM for the 15 hour trip across China ($58.00 for Soft Sleeper). I shared my compartment with two young businessmen and a woman traveling alone and by now I wasn’t surprised that by morning we would all be friends. During the long trip I walked up and down the long train, shooting some video footage to document the variety of accommodations available. When I arrived in Shanghai, I got a hotel near the center of the city and arranged to take the train to Nanjing the next day to visit the Sun Yatsen Mausoleum.

Inside the Night Train to Shanghai, June 2010

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