Our last evening in China, we were taken on a boat cruise along the Bund in Shanghai. We had reserved tables on the 4th level and their was a band/singer during the ride. It was great to see Shanghai this way because actually walking on the streets in the evening is a little terrifying. We saw very little begging anywhere else in China, but in Shanghai there was a lot of it. The girls were getting alarmed because they will come right up to you and block your way.
The next morning (the day we left), was even worse. We were brought to a market area near the Bund that was very crowded and hot. There were lots of gardens here like we saw in Zhouzhuang the day before, but there was also a lot of shops and stores. It was really not the way to end our trip, but we did get a little more shopping done which was good. There was a lot of street vendors and begging in this area, so I was completely stressed out by the time we got back to the bus at 11:30. We had all our luggage on the bus since we were going straight to the airport, but I was worried about losing my purse which had our passports in it. I usually left them in the hotel safe on days we went sight-seeing, so I was very nervous the whole time. Plus, I was terrified I was going to lose Avery in the crowds of people, I was holding her hand very tightly!
After we'd waited in line for 1.5 hours to check in at the airport, we were advised that our flight was delayed for 8 hours. Apparently a passenger saw a crack in the wing of our plane, so we had to wait for another flight that was arriving at 9:30 pm. 10 hours at the Shanghai airport was not my idea of fun - but we had a couple of meals and did some shopping so it worked out OK. Here's a picture of a baby also waiting for the flight to Toronto. She really helped to keep the girls entertained during the long wait!
The flight took off around 11 pm and we arrived in Toronto around 1 am. Once we got through the hassle of checking our passports on the plane, we got through customs fairly quickly (I guess there are not many flights landing at 1 am). We found all our luggage and managed to get an airport limo home. The kids sang all the way home - they were very excited to be getting back to Newmarket. But it also meant that they were too wired to go to sleep at 3 am when we got home and it took me until 5 am to finally get them to bed.
So, after our wonderful adventure in our childrens' homeland, we are finally home. The trip was truly amazing. We all had so much fun exploring the history and culture of China and learning about the girls first few months. They had a fantastic time in China and Tom and I really enjoyed the relaxed nature of our third trip to this fascinating country. Thank you to everyone who followed along with us and who posted comments along the way. It was so nice knowing you were thinking of us on our journey.
And so, we say good-bye to China for now... until we return again in a few years.
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