There is no airport in Yangshao, so we had to drive back to Guilin to catch a flight to Shanghai. We were in transit for most of the morning. I caught up on a lot of sleep.
As soon as we arrived in Shanghai, we did scenic cruise along the Huangpu River. I like the Lotus building in the middle of the photo.
Look! It's Haibao in the distance!
Nanjing Road is one of the world's busiest shopping streets. We held back and only bought a few things, knowing that we were going to Hong Kong and Shenzhen later on.
When we got to the hotel, the Quatchis helped me figure out a game plan for the next night. Q is pointing to where I was going to meet my friends for dinner and drinks. The Mins is pointing to our hotel.
The next morning, we visited a silk factory and the Shanghai Museum. We had to cut our visit short in order to cross something off of my mum's bucket list...
...afternoon tea at the Peace Hotel! The spread was really, really, really impressive - really.
Our next stop was Old Town. The best soup dumplings are from here. It is also a great place to buy souvenirs. I used my very preliminary Mandarin skills to ask around for a Chairman Mao teapot. My mum collects teapots and has been looking for one with Chairman Mao on it for a long time. Some stores had one kind, but it was way too big for us to bring home. Alas, our search for the Chairman Mao teapot continues!
Before meeting up with my friends, I walked along the Bund to enjoy the night view. The Oriental Pearl Tower is to the left. Like the CN Tower, it is a TV tower. It may be more flashy, but ours is taller!
After Shanghai, we flew to Guangzhou to meet up with my mum's siblings and my brother. We then drove a few hours to Nam Hoi to visit a memorial hall to my mum's great great grandfather.
The Quatchis adore my mum so they were glad to visit this place with her. The same great great grandfather used to write Chinese characters on small things, such as rice. Some of his stuff is at the Guangzhou Museum. Unfortunately, we couldn't check it out because they just changed the items on display a few months ago.
The building above is my mum's ancestral home. It is now a museum. It looks quite Western on the outside, but the decor is quite Asian inside.
The Quatchis at the ancestral home.
After our grand tour of China, we spent a week in Hong Kong to visit family and friends. The Quatchis have already been to Hong Kong so I didn't take very many pictures this time around. We escaped to Macau for a day with my aunt and a family friend.
We had a three hour lunch at the Dome au Robuchon (three Michelin stars!) at the Grand Lisboa. The Quatchis liked their appetizer - mini wagyu beef sliders. We were in foodie paradise!
We also went to the House of Dancing Water show at the Galaxy Resort. It's similar to Cirque du Soleil. We were sitting in the fourth row so we got a little bit wet. They gave us towels to block some of the splashing. Overall, it was a very entertaining show.
I can't believe I've been to Asia three years in a row! Q has joined me each time, and the Mins for the last two. We're hoping to do another big trip next year. Any suggestions?
Happy New Year, friends! We wish you the very best of everything in 2013!
What a beautiful recap of an inspiring trip. Visiting your ancestral home must have meant so much to you. What an incredible experience to stand and breathe where so many members of your family have before you. So moving. We are so happy that you had an amazing trip!
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