TRAVEL:CHONGMING ISLAND CHINA

SUNDAY 6^TH September Chongming island

On the Sunday met Parham, Nhi and Ti, getting the bus near shanghai science and technology museum line 2 to Chongming Island. An hour long journey, it’s a large island just off the coast of pudong in shanghai. Much better climate with forests and wetlands, the island is the 3^rd biggest of china over 20km in length.

Unfortunately it started to rain when we finally got there (the heat had been oppressive for days) Nhi and Tuan’s (or T as he will from now be referred as)  umbrella top dramatically and hilariously blew off leaving them huddling beside the handle. We haggled with a Chinese driver to take us to the wetland park for 40RMB. He had a radio walkie talkie and we danced and sang to Xiao pingguo using this as a speaker, with the driver dancing along too. The lanes here are beautiful. Tree lined avenues, and clear blue skies – something that disappeared as soon as I stepped of the plane in shanghai due to the smog. He got to the vast empty area where the wetlands began; paying in 30RMB for a student ticket we then rented 2person bicycles - 2 hours 30rmb with 200 deposit. I’d never been on one, and I think it is in far more difficult that it looks, harder than riding yourself that is for sure! The lanes are long and flat, and we were very disappointed to find that for once in our live in china there was no food or drinks available! Of course the one time we need it! The place was quite empty and peaceful, huge white herons in the distance, smaller birds flitting in and out of the reeds of the marsh areas, with simplistic rustic wooden buildings with exhibitions of the birds (some lovely taxidermy of course and dead fish and shellfish in jars of water, my favourite!) the rain had stopped and the sun was hot in between the clouds.

 The air was fresh and we raced each other. I tried ringing in front and found it so much harder, I am not good with driving – there is a reason I have not taking my driving test or lessons in years clearly! We then went back along the lane and went to the fields full of the end of season sunflowers, mostly wilted but some still out in bloom, the yellows and greens a beautiful contrast to the blue sky above. It was so quiet and peaceful, cycling fast we had the wind in the hair, and made like the Chinese and used the umbrella as a sun parasol. We found the locals farmers, stopped our bicycles and got out in the fields to see what they were doing and to make small chat – they were super friendly. We went into one of the sunflower fields getting bitten by mosquitos and jumping around like 6 year olds trying to convince each other we saw a snake near their feet. A chilled and beautiful place – relaxing and refreshing, not like shanghai at all, you wouldn’t believe it if you didn’t experience it for yourself. On the other side we visited the small lake areas, some full of lily pads, all so picturesque.

Tired we made our way back to meet out driver who stopped at the super market for us to finally get food and drinks; luckily there was dumplings too at the shop beside it 包子.  We bought fruit we needed to wash and went behind the stores to one of the locals houses chatting to them and getting photos, friendly and happy, it was just adding to the overall pleasant chilled experience of the day – nothing like this would ever happen in Europe, life is just so different here. On the journey back as soon as we started crossing the long ass bridge back to shanghai the clouds turned grey the sky lost is lustres’ blue and the rain fell heavy, the others fell asleep, exhausted from the heat, cycling and excitement of it all. A really nice day. I would definitely return!