Reflections of Mainland China - Now With More Thailand

[D Hulk]

We would have preferred more time to explore Yu Garden even then, but the group’s schedule meant it was time to move on. Next we took a quick metro transfer to the French Quarter, which historically had been a legally-mandated enclave for French expats and colonialists. Today it is a boutique brand neighborhood, a series of European alleyways under the shade of Chinese elms. There is a Gucci, a Zara, a Wolfgang Puck, heaps of luxury spas, and westerners aplenty.



This is easily the least Asian thing I’ve seen in China. Anna compared it directly to areas she knows all too well in London. The French Quarter simply wasn’t interesting from our group’s shared perspective as cultural tourists.

A short distance away, passing through immaculately maintained contemporary parks, we reached the People’s Square. This is Shanghai’s equivalent to Tiananmen Square, and the contrast couldn’t be more stark. People’s Square feels like a city park filled with lawns and old growth elms. It is soothing, not a chaotic miasma of shrieking tour groups.



We sat for a while and simply watched the birds play. Monumental symbols still dot the Square, from the Guggenheim-esque Shanghai Museum to a statue of communist revolutionaries presently under repair, but none overpowered the edenic calm with their propaganda.

At the distant end of People’s Square we found the mouth to Nanjing Road (sp?). This is Shanghai’s Times Square redone as a pedestrian shopping street. A wide boulevard flanked by blinking neon ads, populated by major global brands, all stretching in a straight line down the rows of skyscrapers back towards the Bund.



Our walking tour thus far has been incredibly taxing in this humidity. I was sweaty and chafing. The older group members all opted to take the nearby metro back to the hostel for a breather. The younger group decided to continue down Nanjing Street back towards the Bund, people watching along the way. The sun would be setting soon, thankfully, and the Bund’s skyline would soon transform into the world’s largest light show.

The six of us who continued down Nanjing separated amongst the teeming crowds and train-shaped trams. I held back with Corina, a Swiss native, who is traveling with her boyfriend Permin. This Chinese trip is simply the first leg of a year-long vacation they’ve just begun! They have a very rough itinerary, one which is still evolving. I discussed these plans with Corina, offering her advice for Hong Kong and further afield. Starting today (now that the group has separated), they’ll be slowly traveling south through China into Vietnam, then eventually to Australia. They’ll be revisiting the group’s Australian members there, and once May comes around they’ll likely be paying me a visit once they finally reach Los Angeles.



We reached Nanjing’s terminus at the Bund while the sun was setting. It still wasn’t dark enough for the highrises to truly shine - and the river overlook was ludicrously crowded besides - so we all took a well-deserved break in a nearby cafe for a few beers. For all the crowds outside, this place was shockingly empty (the Chinese don’t much do bars), making it all the more refreshing to just chat as a group while enjoying cheap pints of Tsingtao.



Eventually we exited and beheld the glowing, animated skyline. The masses hadn’t dispersed - they never will for decades into the foreseeable future - but this just added to the city’s electric pulse.

With more rest, Shanghai’s nightlife might have beckoned us further. As it was, having walked 10 miles for practically the sixth consecutive day, we just chose to return via metro to our hostel. There we vegged out for a while longer in the lounge, cooling under palm frond fans and sipping more gigantic cheap Chinese beers. I turned in around 11, which was actually later than most everyone else even though I’d still wake up first in the morning.

 

[belledream]

We were more than ready for a break after making this trek. Besides, no one had really eaten yet for the day. With mid-afternoon approaching, we took a late lunch in a restaurant founded by Bruce Lee hidden upstairs from a generic convenience store. It was another pot luck meal served on a Lazy Susan, satisfying and tasty as them all, yet most of this trip’s meals are blurring together in my mind.

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Following lunch we visited an older shopping area inland from the river. This felt more traditional with its confluence of curved Asian roof lines and its accumulation of detail, all aided by smaller traditional shops mixed in with modern brands. I wish I could recall this district’s name!

View attachment 315731

Given free time to explore, Anna and I ignored the stores and instead visited Yu Garden. This is found across a crisscrossing concrete bridge over lily ponds, all framing the most famous tea house in China perched on stilts and immaculately shaped.

View attachment 315732

The garden itself sits behind stone walls, accessed by circular moon gate. Having seen countless Chinese gardens in Beijing and beyond, this gets my vote as the most beautiful by far. It is built on a wildly intimate scale, an oasis of calm in the shadow of 21st-century edifices. The garden is divided into dozens of sub-spaces, a gentle maze of walls and river rocks and streams artfully revealing each new square in turn. Exploration reveals surprises, more than you would expect, combining into a remarkable landscaping masterpiece.

View attachment 315733

Anna was enchanted, admiring the tranquil calm from under a pagoda and declaring it deeply romantic. Though we have each other’s emails and whatnot now, I’m gonna miss her way off in London. We both knew such a brief vacation fling couldn’t last beyond the week, and its fleeting nature made moments like this all the more bittersweet.

View attachment 315734

Yuyuan, Huangpu District? I spent about a week in Shanghai a few years ago and also recall the traditional Chinese style architecture plopped in the middle of the concrete and glass jungle! I think we are Xiao Long Bao there. But I might be wrong. Anyways, Yu Garden look beautiful! Wish I had gone there! Though it was wintertime maybe not.

Just found this report and basically read through the whole thing in one sitting. What a fascinating adventure you’re on!

 

[spacemt354]

We were more than ready for a break after making this trek. Besides, no one had really eaten yet for the day. With mid-afternoon approaching, we took a late lunch in a restaurant founded by Bruce Lee hidden upstairs from a generic convenience store. It was another pot luck meal served on a Lazy Susan, satisfying and tasty as them all, yet most of this trip’s meals are blurring together in my mind.

View attachment 315730

Following lunch we visited an older shopping area inland from the river. This felt more traditional with its confluence of curved Asian roof lines and its accumulation of detail, all aided by smaller traditional shops mixed in with modern brands. I wish I could recall this district’s name!

View attachment 315731

Given free time to explore, Anna and I ignored the stores and instead visited Yu Garden. This is found across a crisscrossing concrete bridge over lily ponds, all framing the most famous tea house in China perched on stilts and immaculately shaped.

View attachment 315732

The garden itself sits behind stone walls, accessed by circular moon gate. Having seen countless Chinese gardens in Beijing and beyond, this gets my vote as the most beautiful by far. It is built on a wildly intimate scale, an oasis of calm in the shadow of 21st-century edifices. The garden is divided into dozens of sub-spaces, a gentle maze of walls and river rocks and streams artfully revealing each new square in turn. Exploration reveals surprises, more than you would expect, combining into a remarkable landscaping masterpiece.

View attachment 315733

Anna was enchanted, admiring the tranquil calm from under a pagoda and declaring it deeply romantic. Though we have each other’s emails and whatnot now, I’m gonna miss her way off in London. We both knew such a brief vacation fling couldn’t last beyond the week, and its fleeting nature made moments like this all the more bittersweet.

View attachment 315734

You make Shanghai look so enticing - I think this has been my favorite city aesthetically you've shown so far, it's really impressive.

Also I'm rooting for a 'Re'-United Kingdom trip report of you in London soon

 

[D Hulk]

@belledream, I looked up Yuyuan and that does seem to be the shopping district’s name. Quite a shock finding that after the Bund!

@spacemt354, Shanghai is an aggressively modern city with elements of traditional Chinese culture mixed in. Aesthetically I might prefer Hong Kong with its mountains and waterways, but Shanghai’s architecture might be unparalleled.

Love the Re-United Kingsom name. Or she might be coming out to L.A. sometime instead.

Thanks to all who’ve been reading and responding. Just two days to go now until Shanghai Disneyland!

 

[D Hulk]

Last Wednesday we left Shanghai for the second of our smaller side trips, much like the journey to the Great Wall. This time we were headed to the mythical, otherworldly mountain region of Huangshan.

Wednesday itself proved to be the most wasted day of the entire trip. We were up early, deposited our big bags for storage at the Shanghai hostel, and we were out on the road. The next 9 daytime hours were spent exclusively in transit. There was no time whatsoever for touristy activities along the way!



First we took a rush hour metro train to the Shanghai South Railway station. Next we took a public bus all the way out to Huangshan. This is the section which seemed the most pointless and downright unpleasant.

Even in the countryside, traffic in China rarely peaks above 40 mph, but the drivers compensate for their extreme lack of speed by being really weird about changing lanes. It’s a sort of free-for-all, with lorries and bicycles and tuk-tuks and Ferrari’s all randomly jostling across the center divider and into the ditch trying to pass each other. A big lumbering diesel bus is at a disadvantage in this vehicular Thunderdome, so our driver employed a “honk and ram” approach. This was his favorite technique once we got off the main westbound interstate and into the rural backroads. On the final two hours of the ride I counted 282 separate horn honks - that is my precise, factual count, and that’s just from when I was awake, and just from our own bus!



Watching the increasingly lush countryside during the drive helped pass the time. Tight assigned seating and local passengers mixed in meant our group was split up and conversation throughout the trek was basically impossible. Other than reading, I passed time tracking our progress towards the Yellow Mountains using a Chinese map app - an advantage of using a Chinese SIM card. The bus’ route for our group’s purposes was hugely circuitous, following a frustrating circular path around the mountain destination without every nearing it.

Finally around 3 we transferred at the main Huangshan city bus station to a private minibus which shuttled us the final 50 kilometers into the gorgeous bamboo forests and peaks.



The city of Huangshan is a generic mid-sized industrial town comparable to Fresno. Passing through it was interesting enough, in its way, to see a common Chinese city in all its hideous impersonal concrete sprawl.

But our end point for the day was a small alpine town at the foot of the Yellow Mountains. This town, another whose name I never caught, is there exclusively for the tourism trade. Wholly interchangeable shops and restaurants line the many miles of its one road. Now was the off-season and the town seemed mostly asleep, devoid of activities, leaving us curious how all the restaurants could sustain themselves.



In retrospect there was really no rush to get up here. We had nothing to do in town for the remainder of the day other than hang out in Mr. Wu’s Hotel while playing cards and drinking more rice wine. I’m grateful that the overall group dynamic was so convivial; Tony who has done other Intrepid treks says it’s not always so easy-going.

That mostly covers this entire day. But trust me that the following days’ activities - the Yellow Mountains, Hongcun Village, etc. - wholly justified this awkward detour.

 

[D Hulk]

On Thursday we hiked the Huangshan Mountains.



The entire greater region is also called Huangshan, so for simplicity’s sake I’ve been using their alternate name Yellow Mountains so far. Either way, this is a magnificent congestion of granite peaks rising vertically, improbably from the low-lying mists, water escaping from their cracks and hearty fir trees growing against the cliffs. In all regards this is the most beautiful place I’ve seen in China, if not elsewhere, a place that’s hard to accept as real.

Our guide Hu has never been to the Huangshan region before, so this was new for everybody. He anticipated a hike similar to the Great Wall, where we did 10 miles and over 280 floors. We wouldn’t do quite that much, but this would still be an active, exhausting day requiring our best hiking gear and personally pre-purchased meals.



We left somewhat early before 8, driven by our attentive innkeeper (and chef, and local guide, etc.) Mr. Wu up past the treeline. The town’s alpine resort feel grew more pronounced, more 4-Star, as we arrived at a large bus depot. Hundreds of other hikers were already here, for all our efforts to beat the crowds. All of them were taking the same shuttle buses further upslope. This was still the off-season, by the way, and Mr. Wu explained (via Hu) that during popular times the queue for the shuttle bus can be 7 hours! Those people only get a single hour atop the mountain, not an entire day like us!



The shuttle bus followed winding pine tree roads through a river-formed valley. From down here, the towering rockwork crags thousand of feet above reminded me of Yosemite, but they resembled nothing so comparatively prosaic once we’d reach their heights.

The hike to the peaks from here would be a whole day in itself, so happily there are cable lifts. It’s Doppelmayer, presumably the same model they’re installing at Disney World. We sat six to a car and rode for 10 minutes above low clouds and over fresh alpine creeks up high into the lush peaks. Alien rock formations grew more numerous and more elaborate, presaging what awaited further up.



The Huangshan Mountains are formed from natural water hot springs which have pushed the granite and earth vertically to the sky. Giant granite minarets are the main sight, with dozens upon dozens of them forming a freestyle dreamlike landscape.



Huangshan is a UNESCO World Herotage Site for good reason! Bamboo forests give way to pines and firs and a wider assortment of greenery, giving the slopes a wet, verdant, adundant feel. Waters under the rocks feed these jungle plants. Few animals are present, only occasional birds heard but not seen. Clouds generally float below the stone giants, this fabled Ocean of Clouds giving Huangshan a fying feeling which was almost certainly a major inspiration for Pandora at Animal Kingdom.

 

[D Hulk]

China has been proud of Huangshan for generations, and rightfully so. Their park service puts on a flawlessly professional presentation. There are no hiking trails so to speak, but instead paved walkways (when guests aren’t clambering directly over the granite formations). Many of these paths have been improbably build jutting out from the rock face, or carved into it, which is simply another alien sensation adding to all the other surreal beauty.



Unlike our isolated hike along the rural Great Wall, we never could escape the crowds on Huangshan. I suspect the popular section of Great Wall, a section we studiously avoided, is similar to this. These masses of people somewhat undercut Huangshan’s natural majesty. It was rare that I was able to walk in complete strides, my pace forever determined by those ahead. Large tour groups of Chinese citizens - a common sight in general throughout China - numbering 50 or more people, all oozing around chatting loudly at once, led by a guide wielding a flag and a clip-on speaker. The guides’ loud spiels echoed broadcast across mountain valleys, shattering moments of tranquility. Sometimes they even played pop music! Our smaller, quieter group made an effort to steer away from these caravans whenever possible.



Hiking Huangshan, even with the cable cars and the easy walkways, is not easy. We did 7.5 miles and 168 floors, frequently hiking up massive staircases built into the crags. Given this I am surprised (and impressed) at how many Chinese people were hiking these hills. Young children, the elderly, all were there! Only a select few were using the lazy way - sanpan litters carried by porters, like the emperors of old. These reminded me of Search & Rescue stretchers from California, with an Asian twist. The only passengers I saw were wealthier older ladies, ice-hearted Lady Tremaines, improbably dressed in Chanel and glowering contemptuously at us peasants as they were chauffeured past.



While there is something like a circle loop which traverses the whole of Huangshan, there are other routes branching off in all directions. We made our way along the mountains doing fun detours down these various paths, and for our trouble earning spectacular scenic viewpoints.

 

[D Hulk]

Eventually the trails all led to the Beihai Hotel complex in a flat, secluded valley. Here and elsewhere along the slopes, visitors may stay overnight in comparable luxury. Porters wielding bamboo sticks over their shoulders carry luggage and goods (they don’t earn nearly enough for this). Perhaps these inns help the older guests endure Huangshan’s physical challenges.



Certainly a majority of the crowds were already amassing around this complex, so we continued on down a side path to witness some unique rock formations like Monkey Observing the Ocean of Clouds, or Rhinocerous Staring at the Moon...and they sure looked like their names!



So far we had been very lucky weather-wise, as the mountain can sometimes attract days’ worth of lingering obscuring haze. But dark storm clouds were swiftly closing in, and with them the sound of thunder was growing ever louder. We all beat a retreat back down towards Beihai. We reached a restaurant’s patio overhang just in time to avoid torrential showers which violently ravaged the slopes. Streams formed in once-dry canals. We took this pause to eat our lunches. I had a big ugly disgusting packaged sausage and some steak-flavored Chinese Pringles. It restored energy for the hike, which is all it had to do.



Half an hour into the storm, the rains started to lighten. They never quite ceased entirely, but we set forth in the rainfall anyway to continue our journey. Mr. Wu, ever the hustler, sold dorky yellow raincoats to my buddies who had forgotten to bring decent rainwear.

 

[D Hulk]

So through drizzle and sprinkle we continued upwards towards one of the highest peaks, where a meteorological observatory doubles as another hotel. This route had fewer of those astounding rock formations, though the accumulating clouds could simply have been blocking the views. We were completely inside a cloud when we reached the granite peak. It was impossible to even see the edge of a large school group that had gathered up here to take a class photo.



Surely enough the monsoonal rains returned and we again took shelter, this time inside the observatory lobby. I actually wrote a previous recap while waiting this out. This was the day’s last severe rainfall, but once we went back outside the temperatures had dropped considerably, aided by a chilling, morning breeze.



More hiking was the best way to stay warm. We proceeded down through valleys and up over more crags, relishing the immediate physical journey now more than any sort of sightseeing thanks to the enveloping fog. And bless every one of my travel mates, no one ever complained about any of this - the trip was sold as physically demanding, so the group was self-selecting and awesome.



By now we had roughly followed a circle 3/4 around the peaks. We’d reached the backside opposite the intricate jagged minarets which first greeted us. The gigantic rocks on this side were more solid, more titanic, not cracked and worn intricacies. Here the comparison to Yosemite’s Half Dome or El Capitan became more accurate. Our trail descended down a tight ravine to the sheer rock face, the bottom of the valley far below obscured by the thick clouds. For a mile we continued entirely down a granite staircase made precariously slippery by the rainwaters now draining like rivers past our feet. Also by moss.

 

[D Hulk]

Hemmed in and slowed by crowds, the rest of our mountain journey was along these improbable cliff cantilevers. Every random crevice remained beautiful, though we were perhaps too fatigued and overwhelmed now to fully appreciate them all. It was very late in our hike when we reached a particularly iconic fir tree - the symbol of Huangshan and possible of China altogether - which for hundreds of years has grown away from a vertical cliff overlooking the maze of minarets. Without the gathered selfie crowds, and without Hu’s narration, I would’ve thought it no more noteworthy than any other astounding twisting gnarled tree found throughout the hills.





A separate Dopplemayr cable car carried us down from the mountains, back over rain-fed rivers to a different shuttle bus complex. Here the group separated. The older members continued to the hotel, while us youngsters continued on foot to a nearby hot springs spa for some well-earned pampering after a lengthy alpine schlepp. Hu led us (though he didn’t join in the comfort), getting us briefly lost in a humid bamboo jungle.


No more photos in the hot springs, sorry.

I had anticipated a natural hot spring - sitting directly in the sulfuric rocks seeking heat vents. This “spring” proved to be a manmade luxury resort. Still it was plenty comfortable, and truthfully more to the taste of Anna and my other travel buddies. I just have nostalgic memories of sneaking up fire roads to find remote forest hot springs, and I was jonesing for that.

Rather we all enjoyed a nice shower in advance, followed by a Chinese garden space packed full of pools and jacuzzis. Each had a different water temperature. Some had added effects like carnation perfume or even a pool of (watered down) red wine. I bought the group a round of drinks while we lounged.

After a while - quicker for me than the others - the tubs’ steaming effect took its toll. I grew more exhausted from the soaking hot immersion than I had from the mountaintop hike. When we all left as planned after nightfall, timed to reach Mr. Wu’s Hotel in town for dinner, I was very much fatigued and ready to move on. For her part, Anna would have stayed overnight in the springs if she could have, and I certainly enjoyed her relaxation vicariously. I gather she lives fairly luxuriously back in London.

It’s telling that when we parted ways yesterday morning, she went directly to a 5-Star Shanghai hotel for a full day of saunas and massages before flying home, and I traveled deeper inland for a 10-mile hike around a big old lake (that’s a future recap). These were our plans from well before meeting, and they reflect our travel styles pretty well.

Dinner at Mr. Wu’s was very refreshing. We followed it with more card games to while away the evening before bedtime. Most who’d gone to the hot springs were profoundly exhausted. With the exception of me and Anna, they all slept in until 11 AM the following morning. The rest of us enjoyed a peaceful, poetic side trip...

 

[MinnieM123]

My goodness, what an exciting hike! Fascinating scenery. The only drawback are the crowds--ugh. There are so many people living in China; it's almost overwhelming. You've done very well negotiating your way around. You're quite adaptable to whatever type of what situation you encounter. Not everyone can do that with your finesse.

I've been curious since the start of your TR--has any of the food you've eaten made you ill? Sometimes, when people travel to foreign lands, the food sometimes doesn't always agree with them. Haven't heard any specific complaints from you so far, though. What about the water? Do you drink bottled water over there, or do you drink water from the tap?

 

[D Hulk]

My goodness, what an exciting hike! Fascinating scenery. The only drawback are the crowds--ugh. There are so many people living in China; it's almost overwhelming. You've done very well negotiating your way around. You're quite adaptable to whatever type of what situation you encounter. Not everyone can do that with your finesse.

I've been curious since the start of your TR--has any of the food you've eaten made you ill? Sometimes, when people travel to foreign lands, the food sometimes doesn't always agree with them. Haven't heard any specific complaints from you so far, though. What about the water? Do you drink bottled water over there, or do you drink water from the tap?

Good questions!

Not even the locals drink the tap water. Instead they boil it first (explains all the tea), and I’ve been doing the same using kettles provided in every hotel room. No one else in the group figured out that trick; they bought cheap, plentiful bottled water (2.5 liters for $2), as did I.

None of us got sick from the food either. I’ll admit I’ve developed a decently iron stomach for foreign food. Results may vary.

And yes, China is ludicrously crowded! The past two days were easily the worst, thanks to a national holiday weekend.

There’s a lot I’d like to eventually discuss concerning the little daily differences (travel, cash, toilets, language, customs, etc.), but for a later time.

 

[D Hulk]

RECAP SERVICE UPDATE

I am about to board the train out of Suzhou which will start my journey to the Shanghai Disneyland Resort!

For the next few days, I will cease lengthier recaps of the trip to date and focus on shorter, more regular Disneyland observations (like hopefully after completing every attraction, time and WiFi permitting).

Seeya real soon!

 

[D Hulk]

I have arrived!





Just getting checked into the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel right now. Disney music is pumping in everywhere, which is a real system shock after wading hip deep through Chinese culture for over two weeks.



They’ve upgraded my double room to a king size for free! Awesome! Still gotta work out park tickets for tomorrow. More to come!

 

[MinnieM123]

I have arrived!

View attachment 316192

View attachment 316193

Just getting checked into the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel right now. Disney music is pumping in everywhere, which is a real system shock after wading hip deep through Chinese culture for over two weeks.

View attachment 316194

They’ve upgraded my double room to a king size for free! Awesome! Still gotta work out park tickets for tomorrow. More to come!

Woo hoo!! I'm sure it will be nice to have a comfy hotel room after sleeping in hostels, on trains, etc., recently! Let's hear it for creature comforts! Enjoy!

 

[D Hulk]

Woo hoo!! I'm sure it will be nice to have a comfy hotel room after sleeping in hostels, on trains, etc., recently! Let's hear it for creature comforts! Enjoy!

You said it! Here’s my room from two nights ago in Hangzhou:


Just outside of that window was a blinking neon sign.

And here’s my new room at SDL:



The window here looks out over Wishing Star Lake towards the park. I cannot see the castle (will be where I can for the 8:30 fireworks tonight), but I can see the Roaring Rapids mountain.

Got my park tickets and my extra FastPass per day. Tomorrow is for Soaring (it runs out early) and Thursday is for TRON. Hotel guests enjoy a special entrance but no early entry.

Gonna shower now, then head out to explore DisneyTown.

 

[D Hulk]

Huge kudos to the SDL Hotel staff!

I was having trouble creating an account on the SDL app. While in-country I’m using a SIM card with a Chinese phone number to avoid roaming, and it turns out this same number has already been used at Shanghai Disneyland. The staff, speaking really impressive English, tried tackling the situation. The big solution? I’m now signed into a cast member’s account to reserve FastPassea!



Been wandering DisneyTown since, which seems to be the expected upscale outdoor mall not unlike dozens in Orange County (either CA or FL).

Many Asian restaurants beckoned, but at long last after over two weeks the siren call of western cuisine was too strong. I am embarrassed to admit that I’m now shamefully seated in a Cheesecake Factory about eat a bacon cheeseburger.



First bite...OH THAT HITS THE SPOT!!!

 

[D Hulk]

After my first American food in weeks, I wandered DisneyTown and took the hotel guest shuttle back to the SDL Hotel terrace just in time to catch the fireworks. The Enchanted Storybook Castle must be nearly 1 mile away I estimate.



As a dessert I grabbed an egg tart from the hotel’s Ballet Cafe. This has a tasteful Fantasia theme, as does the totally empty Bacchus Lounge next door (the Chinese aren’t big drinkers).

While I would LOVE to see a whole Disney hotel done to Fantasia, the rest is catch all Disney characters incorporated into an Art Nouveau design - which is an unexpected nice surprise since I was anticipating the standard Mictorian style at TDL Hotel, HKDL Hotel, and Grand Floridian.



I’m still adjusting to suddenly being at a Disney Resort after spending today’s morning essentially “going native” in more ancient Chinese gardens in a chaotic, decaying city.

Shanghai Disney Resort feels like America!

That’s all for tonight. Full park day tomorrow!

 

[DisneyAndUniversalFan]

IM FREAKING OUT HECK YEA THIS IS WHAT I WAITED FOR.. D, SEND YOUR EXACT REACTIOM GETTING OFF PIRATES TO ME. I LOVE THIS

 

[spacemt354]

Huge kudos to the SDL Hotel staff!

I was having trouble creating an account on the SDL app. While in-country I’m using a SIM card with a Chinese phone number to avoid roaming, and it turns out this same number has already been used at Shanghai Disneyland. The staff, speaking really impressive English, tried tackling the situation. The big solution? I’m now signed into a cast member’s account to reserve FastPassea!

View attachment 316202

Been wandering DisneyTown since, which seems to be the expected upscale outdoor mall not unlike dozens in Orange County (either CA or FL).

Many Asian restaurants beckoned, but at long last after over two weeks the siren call of western cuisine was too strong. I am embarrassed to admit that I’m now shamefully seated in a Cheesecake Factory about eat a bacon cheeseburger.

View attachment 316203

First bite...OH THAT HITS THE SPOT!!!

I knew where you were just based on the table bread

Can't wait for the Shanghai Disneyland Recaps!