Sight seeing in Seoul—Palaces, Museums, Gardens, Shopping, Traditional Village

Friday, August 24, 2018

Seoul, South Korea

After a very good night in our Seoul hotel, we decided to go outside and explore Myeongdong while looking for breakfast. We ended up at a place called You Are Here Cafe for Americano coffees and a ham and Cheese Pastry that they warmed for us to make into a very tasty and filling breakfast. 

A Long and Tiring Hike to Igwansu Temple

Then, because we were basically free until 12.30 when lunch would be served at the conference, we dipped into Lonely Planet to look for suggestions on what we could do. We chose a walk around what was referred to as a number of little-known Buddhist temples. But boy, what a harrowing hike it turned out to be. Following instructions, we took the subway and got off where we were told. Then, following the directions on the walk, we found a small winding alley that led up a steep mountain in what seemed like a posh residential area as the place was filled with high-rise apartment buildings.  A man stopped to ask if he could help us as we plainly looked lost. We told him we were looking for the Shaminist Temple at the top of a mountain. He looked at us as if we were nuts and strongly discouraged us from going up there—There is nothing there, he said. 

However, we decided to press on. The weather was much cooler than it had been in China and we quite enjoyed being en plain air enjoying a new city and going off the beaten tourist track. Well, we climbed and climbed and climbed.  Higher and higher and higher. We huffed and puffed our way past lovely residential buildings and eventually saw the entrance to what looked like a Buddhist temple.  The outside walls were covered with fresh Buddhist paintings. We then saw a historical marker which confirmed that we had arrived at the holy site of the Igwansu Temple. Just looking at where the walk would take us, we felt daunted.  It was a steep and very challenging climb--and honestly, we’d had enough climbing after scaling the Great Wall of China.  But having come so far, we decided to soldier on and taking a deep deep breath, we launched upon our hike. We found ourselves then in an area that left the residential blocks behind and took us into what seemed like mountain wilderness. We passed a pagoda structure that housed a gigantic bronze Buddhist prayer bell—very similar to the large numbers of such bells that we had seen in Japan. We saw a small Buddhist temple but on attempting to enter it, we were shooed off by a monk who seemed to resent the intrusion on his privacy. 

At this stage in the walk, we had climbed high enough that we had superb views of Seoul from different vantage points. Besides, the entire area was shrouded in fine mist-which made it even more evocative. The walk talked to us about Zen-like rocks which we could access by a flight of steps cut into rocks and without batting an eyelid, we began on that spurt of the hike. These huge Zen-rocks are said to resemble a mother cradling her baby (we looked at it from different angles but did not find it). However, the site has become a shrine and the rocks a fertility symbol for couples looking to conceive.  The site is indeed very isolated—so I could see why it would develop into a shrine. Still higher, one could climb towards a rock face that was supposedly carved with the face of the Buddha. But by then, we were really winded and we decided to start the trek downhill. 

The downhill trek turned out to be even more challenging because the hill was so steep that there was a chance we could slip down completely. Still, in about half an hour, we were down and ready to get to the subway station again—from where we found our way back to the hotel. It had been one of the most bizarre excursions we have ever made and we laughed at ourselves for succumbing to the temptation of going out in search of the road not taken.

Box Lunch at the Conference:

Llew decided to go to the hotel to relax and freshen up while I returned to the Lotte Hotel for lunch.  It was announced as a Box Lunch in the Program and I could see that most delegates expected to get a small cardboard box filled with a few sandwiches.  Imagine our shock when we discovered that it was probably the most sophisticated Bento Box we had ever seen.  Each of us was seated at well-covered tables and presented with an exquisite lacquered box with a lid. When we opened it up, we found it divided into multiple compartments, each of which held a tantalizingly tasty morsel. I sat down besides a Buddhist monk to eat—he could barely speak any English, which made the meal an exercise in trying to communicate. Anyway, the food was great. There was salmon and shellfish (shrimp and scallops), a portion of beef steak (very tasty), what looked to me like a bit of couscous and all sorts of tasty tidbits that ended with sponge cake in chocolate sauce. I was so stuffed by the end of it and had to hurry through my meal as I had left myself only about twenty minutes to eat it. Still, all said, it was a culinary experience and I enjoyed it. 

A Sightseeing Tour of Seoul:

        A few minutes later, I met Llew together with all the other assembled delegates who were off for an afternoon of sightseeing.  This tour was included in the registration fee for our conference but I did pay $50 separately for Llew to join us as well. The lot of us were asked to choose between three possible tours and we had chosen to see Historic Seoul. Three or four coaches were devoted to people interested in this tour. We were then introduced to the female guide who would lead us to the places that were included on this tour and that we had not seen on our own.

Sadly, weather-wise, it was a dreadful afternoon.  Typhoon Solick had passed the Korean Peninsula by, but it was dumping a lot of rain on the city of Seoul. It was possibly the worst kind of weather to take on a walking tour. But, we were pleased that they had not cancelled the tour—which had looked like a distinct possibility.

Exploring Gyeongbokgung Palce: 

We started at the Gyeongbokgung Palace which is in the midst of the city, surrounded by low walls. It is the biggest and best-known of the many royal temples that are sprinkled around the city of Seoul. We toured each of the courtyards that led to Halls including the Hall devoted to the royal Thrones—what one might call the Throne Room. These beautiful grounds are landscaped magically to create a space that showcased the unique architecture of South Korea. There were wooden structures with pagoda-like roof lines that were painted in bright and vivid colors and included the Buddhist iconography that has special significance to Koreans. In another corner, we saw the grand Banqueting Hall used by the royal family to entertain their guests.  This was placed besides a reflecting pool. 

The National Folk Museum of Korea:

Adjoining the Palace is the National Museum of Korea—so it makes a handy spot to shelter in, if one is caught in a rainstorm—as we were.  That said, the National Museum of Korea which tells the history of the country from prehistoric to contemporary times, is a much better place to enter if one wants an initiation into Korea history and culture.  The Museum to which we were taken told the story of the common people—their customs, traditions and cultural practices. The guide gave us 45 minutes to wander about on our own, if we chose to do so or to follow her on her own tour which included commentary on the items.

She led us first to the gallery that showcased marriage rituals and practices as well as death and mortuary customs. It started off with a look at a traditional Korea marriage that is placed on the floor. Modernity has also brought Westernization to the country but, in this Museum, we saw how people would have lived a century ago. There was a colorful marriage bed and mattress, there were vignettes of cute Korean children at play. We saw an entire traditional Korean wedding ceremony (marriages used to be arranged—and still occasionally are). This was created using life size wax models. Individuals dressed in traditional robes made a very colorful tableau. 

From there, we moved on to a look at death palanquins, graveyard customs (Koreans bury their dead), royal customs and pageantry—all beautifully laid out and curated. It was quite an interesting look at a culture that was unique and that was deeply influenced y many years under Japanese occupation.

Wearing Hanbok:

What was interesting was that we saw a lot of Korean girls and young couples wearing the traditional robes of the country called Hanbok. Visitors to Korea could rent these garments for an hour or two and then walk around the city with them.  Most of these rental places are located close to historical monuments so that the wearers can pose for pictures besides these architectural monuments—they bring, I would imagine, an authentic historic era look to the pictures. Llew said that had it not been raining, he would have been glad to fall in line with the tradition and have us walk around the city wearing those roles. Me? I was not so sure...

After we had spent a while admiring the paintings, the landscaped gardens with their statuary, stone work, lined pathways, pagoda-tiered temples, etc. we left the Palace to move on to the next spot—Insa-dong.

Venturing Into Insa-Dong:

Insa-Dong is a good place to go to if one has a lot of time. We did not.  The guide gave us about 45 minutes tot walk down a street that was lined with shops selling all sorts of Korean trinkets to take home as souvenirs as well as upmarket arts and crafts in the form of ceramics, oil paintings, etc. We looked for a magnet of Seoul and a postcard for our collections and for a few small gifts to take for family members. Deeper into the market, the better shops would be found; but we stuck to the initial reaches of the outdoor market and really found nothing much to write home about.

Namsangol Hanock Village:

The third place we were taken to was called the Namsangol Hanock Village and was basically a replicated ancient Korean Village at the foot of the mountain (Namsan) on which Seoul Tower is located. The rain continued in intermittent spurts. When the drizzle was light, we managed to traverse the area and to peek into the traditional wooden houses that reminded us very much of the ones we had seen repeatedly in Japan. They are basically wooden houses (Hanock)  with mats and thin walls and lanterns hanging from the door posts. We walked through gravel-filled gardens and then made our way into the main garden that was thickly planted with local species of plants and trees. It was in this area that the Koreans celebrated the 600th anniversary of the founding of their country by burying a time capsule at the base of a hill in a rounded sculptural structure. Various sister cities have contributed items that were part of the capsule.  This capsule will be opened in 400 years when Korea celebrates the millennial anniversary of its founding. Llew took some pictures of the capsule by climbing a short hill where a pagoda was placed.

There was no time for us to go to the fourth item on our agenda—Seoul Tower. But since the day was rainy and the weather so wretched, visibility would have been nil and the guide suggested that we get there the following day.  Llew and I decided to spend tomorrow morning at this venue. 

A Cocktail Party Hosted by the University of Hawai’i:

The coach then took us back to our hotel where we were invited to a reception hosted by the President of the University of Hawai’I of which I am an alumnus having completed an NEH Summer Course on Modern India there about 15 years ago. This too was fun—it included a cash bar from where we purchased drinks and then we tucked into the very generous buffet that offered a vast variety of finger foods.  A large number of people had turned up and I had the chance to say hello to Peter Hershock who had lectured to us when I had taken the course at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. We visited for a few minutes. I also met Jessica Sheetz-Nyugen who is one of the volunteers slated to receive a special award tomorrow. 

Then, when we had eaten our fill and socialized some more, we decided to return to our hotel so that we could relax completely and enjoy some English television. 

It had been a lovely day in Seoul and we had enjoyed it completely. The city was so civilized and so orderly that I truly felt as if I could easily live there.

Until tomorrow...      

Journey from Shanghai to Seoul and Settling Into our Hotel

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Shanghai, China—Seoul, South Korea

A Long Journey from Shanghai and Settling into our Hotel in Seoul

It was a very early start to the day. Our alarms went off at 5.30 am and at 6.00 am, we were in the lobby of our hotel where we had arranged for a cabbie to pick us up and take us to Pudong International Airport for our flight to Seoul, South Korea. He was right on track and waiting for us as we checked out.  All we had to do was pile our cases into his cab and shoot out into the city to get to Pudong.  It was a long ride and it took us exactly an hour. 

Check-in was pretty painless and with our baggage checked in, we picked up breakfast from McDonald’s before boarding our flight to Seoul, South Korea, where we reached after a mere two hour flight. We felt fortunate that a huge typhoon called Solick that was expected to hit Japan and the Korean Peninsula had not delayed or disrupted our flight schedule.

Arrival in Seoul:

At Seoul airport, Llew headed to the internet kiosks to see if we could buy a data package for the next five days to keep us connected. While he worked on that, I made my way to the Information Desk to get a map and obtain directions on how to get to our hotel in Myeongdong in the heart of the city. A bit hungry by then, we opted for delicious dark chocolate covered croissants from a place called Creme de Marrons, a French bakery in the Arrivals concourse. They were absolutely scrumptious. 

With our internet package purchased and directions obtained, we looked for the Airport Express train that ran from Incheon airport (where we had alighted) to Seoul Station. This train is similar to the Heathrow Express that runs from Heathrow to Piccadilly. From Seoul Station, we were told to take a Subway train to get to our hotel.  It was a huge relief to find information personnel who could speak very good English—indeed, we soon discovered that almost every one in South Korea has a smattering of English. This made it much less of a challenge to get ourselves understood and to obtain travel information. Our days of linguistic struggle were over!

Following directions, we did get to Seoul Station but the subway connections were a pain in the butt as they involved hauling our cases through long connecting corridors. (On our way back, we would take the Airport Shuttle which was a far more comfortable deal for the exact same price we had paid for the train! Live and Learn!) We were also told to get off at the wrong subway station and ended up taking a cab from there to our hotel—the Lotte City Hotel in Myeongdong. But once at the hotel, we loved it. Our room was on the 21st floor and we had stunning views of the skyscrapers around us.  

Such a Big Disappointment:

However, we had one terrible disappointment when we were finally connected by WiFi at the hotel. As a result of Typhoon Solick, our conducted tour to the Demilitarized Zone (the DMZ) had been cancelled.  I had gone through hell and high water when still in the States trying to set this tour up on a day that would work for us. And after all the trouble I took, I simply could not believe that nature had stepped in to ruin our plans. I guess we were simply not destined to get there! Or maybe we are intended to return to Seoul some day!

We then asked for directions to find our way to the other Lotte Hotel in which the conference sessions were being held. It was a mere ten minute walk from one hotel to the next and we did it quite easily indeed. We found out that there was a huge department store attached to the hotel and we walked through to get to the hotel.  My first impression of Seoul was that it was very similar to Tokyo in Japan. And it was an impression that stayed with me throughout our four-day stay in the city. Seoul manifested the same level of affluence, cultural knowhow and modern proficiency that we had found in Japan where everything worked like magic. The result is that Seoul is also very expensive and prices were comparable with those in Japan or the US.

Korean Cultural Show and Dinner:

In the hotel, at the Registration desk, I picked up my conference kit, my badge, etc. and made our way into one of the vast halls for the cultural show which was presented with a cash bar. A show of ribbon twirling accompanied by drummers and dancers was followed by a couple of speeches and a sit-down dinner was served. There was a lovely butternut squash soup, a number of pickled condiments offered, great steamed fish with a tomato-chili sauce, a beef stew that was extremely tasty, bowls of rice, salad with a tangy lime-ginger dressing and desert of fresh fruit over pudding. Everything was superbly served by attentive waiters who moved soundlessly between courses. After the long journey we’d had from Shanghai and the tiring ride from the airport to our hotel, it was a sheer pleasure to be pampered with such a fancy meal and we thoroughly enjoyed being spoiled in this fashion.

We walked back to our hotel in fairly heavy rain—thankfully our rain ponchos came to our rescue again. Back in our hotel, we watched some TV and heard with sadness about John McCain’s decision to stop treatment for brain cancer. Then, quite wrung out, physically and emotionally, we went to bed.

Until tomorrow...       

Last Day of Shanghai Conference, Shopping in Underground Mall and Indian Dinner Near the French Concession

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Last Day of Conference at NYU-Shanghai, Shopping in Underground Mall and Indian Dinner near the French Concession:

Another comfortable night was followed by another humongous brekkie in the company of other delegates with whom I had made friends. Then, the short walk to the campus of NYU, a morning’s session of panel presentations—all of which were interesting and widely varied and  lunch was served: it was Cajun this time and I had shrimp etoufee in the company of delegates whose papers are a sheer joy to discuss. 

My colleague and friend at NYU in New York, Tim, had done a cyber introduction between me and his friend Diane Geng, now in-charge of course scheduling at NYU-Shanghai, as he thought the two of us would enjoy meeting. Accordingly, Diane invited me to her office at 1.00 pm and we spent the next 20 minutes together having a most enjoyable chat. Like Tansen, she too suggested that I get to Shanghai to give a course on South Asian Studies during J-Term and I have to say that the idea had begun to appeal more and more to me. It was a real pleasure meeting her and I am so glad that Tim brought us together. 

Then, I left the conference to meet Llew in our hotel from whose Receptionists we took directions to get to the underground mall near the Museum of Science and Technology where the merchandise is apparently well priced.  We reached there after a 20 minute walk and much deliberation about exactly where it might be located. Once there, we were in an underground maze of kiosks that resembled those at Bandra’s Elco Arcade. There were silk ties that Llew was keen on buying and silk scarves that I wanted to see. After much fun haggling, we left with some goodies that excited the two of us and I made my way back to campus for the last session of the conference. 

Overall, it had been a most exciting time and I was absolutely pleased by the reception to my research, the interesting scholars that I met from varied parts of the world whose work resembled mine and yet differed enormously and the environment of scholarly inquiry that has been fostered by the Luce Grant that NYU received to be shared by three campuses—New York, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi.  It was announced that the next conference will be in Abu Dhabi in April of next year (when I shall still technically be a Fulbright Fellow in India), but I am keen to attend it and hope I will have some new research to showcase based on the work I hope to produce on Bombay.  Let us see...

Dinner in an Indian Restaurant:

With just half an hour at our disposal to get ready for dinner on the town, we packed our bags quickly and met in the lobby of our hotel to board the coach that had been arranged to take us near the French Concession, a very happening part of Shanghai with shops and restaurants galore. We drove through well-lit streets filled with humanity and arrived at our destination to make our way, under the leadership of our Director, Tansen Sen, to Lotus Land, an Indian restaurant, tucked away in a narrow street filled with shops that were filled with teeny-boppers. Shanghai is all about youth—indeed China seems only to have young people in it—where are the aged?—with deep pockets and consumerism is rampant. 

Our meal was grand—it felt great, to be honest, to eat familiar food whose names we actually knew. Not that we disliked Chinese food—indeed we’d eaten some really great food and had been very pleased by our choices.  Tansen did the ordering and we feasted on a mixed grill of tandoori delicacies and then a variety of curries (shrimp, lamb, chicken) with dal and vegetarian options that we ate with rotis and naan. Service was superb as Tansen is well recognized in these parts. When he feels homesick for an Indian meal, he says, he comes here. We were a very companionable lot as we sat around and ate and drank (G&Ts, beer and wine) and chatted about the success of the conference. Indeed the hospitality of the folks at NYU-Shanghai knew no bounds and we had been treated like royalty. Llew was so pleased to have been a part of so many of the activities that were part of this conference.

We took the subway back to our hotel together with NYU grad student Alex who was a pleasure to get to know. He is working on Banking in the Middle East and had given a very enlightening paper on the hundi system that has operated as a means of legal transaction in the Middle East for decades. As we had a very early start the next morning, Llew and I packed the last bits and bobs of our belongings, caught up on TV with the vast amount of news that is being generated in the US as the noose tightens around Trump’s cronies, and went to bed.

Until tomorrow...  

Visiting Shanghai Museum, Meeting A Colleague, Giving Conference Talk and Banquet Dinner

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

NYU-Shanghai

Visiting Shanghai Museum, Seeing my NYU-Shanghai Colleague, Presenting my Paper at Conference and Another Chinese Banquet

We awoke after a great night’s sleep—we could really get used to this luxury: an enormous King sized bed, wonderfully fluffy mattress and gigantic pillows. Plus a spacious marble bathroom and top-of-the-line toiletries. Like I said,  we could get dangerously used to this!

I had another obscenely big breakfast while trying to ignore the fact that despite all the manic walking we are doing, my clothes are feeling snugger! This morning, since we have been trying to do so for two days and not succeeding, we decided to get to the Shanghai Museum first thing in the morning to do a Highlights Tour and get back to the NYU-Shanghai campus in time for lunch at 1.00pm. My panel was scheduled at 4.00pm which would leave me enough time to get ready for it. And that was what we did.

We used the subway with assurance from Pudian Road and found the right exit to take us to the entrance of the Shanghai Museum which sits right in the center of People’s Park in People’s Square. It is a very handsome building clad in rust-colored stone and resembles a vast round urn with handles for lifting. A notice at the front entrance told us to go to the back to enter the building. There we had the shock of our lives! The line was serpentine! Every Shanghainese family was present with their children in tow for a day at the Museum. We stood in the line for 5 minutes as it snaked through the front pavilion of the building. Meanwhile, there was a downpour and were it not for the fact that the line was fully canopied (these folks think of everything!), we’d have been soaked. 

Entry to the museum is free of charge but you must really be a lover of Chinese art to brave those queues and those crowds! Inside, we found a gorgeous marble-clad space in an interior that managed to ingeniously seem modern and traditional at the same time. We grabbed a floor plan in English that also spelled out the Highlights of the collection with color pictures. This made it super easy for us to go out and look for them.

Exploring the Highlights of the Shanghai Museum:

The Museum is beautifully curated and its collection organized in terms of a national collection that comprises bronzes (among the finest in the world and certainly the oldest items in the Museum), ceramics, paintings, coins, jade. Using the lovely leaflet that gives the highlights, we made sure we saw all of them. It is truly an incredible place and we could easily have spent a very long while there—maybe a whole morning. But we focused only on the highlights which took us about 2 hours to do while learning about Chinese craftsmanship that goes back centuries. The more time we spend in China, the more we feel as if we are in a Western country apart from the language. The way the Museum is curated, the way its objects are displayed, the order, the harmony, the smartness of the guards and their knowledge of the items and their locations were so impressive to me, a habitual museum-goer, that my respect for this country soared all over again.

Meeting my NYU-Shanghai Colleague:

Two hours was enough for us at the museum but we also had to get out by 11.00 am to keep our next appointment: we had a meeting with Raymond Ro, my Liberal Studies NYU colleague in Shanghai. I have met Ray on two occasions in two different cities of the world—London and Florence—on past Global Faculty conferences, When I informed him, in Florence, two months ago, that I would soon be in Shanghai, he extended an invitation to get together with him so that he could show us around the city.  Sadly, we did not have a long enough in Shanghai to be able to take him up on his offer—but I was keen to connect with him, even if briefly. 

I was able to borrow a phone from a Chinese stranger that allowed me to reaffirm our position for a meeting with Ray who showed up just a few minutes later. Fortunately, it had stopped raining but it was still very wet outside.  It made sense for us to get away from the dampness by descending underground and Ray took us to the subterranean Hong Kong Mall for smoothies to which he treated us. We had a lovely chat with him and got to know him a bit more as we nursed delicious passion fruit and mango yogurt smoothies that filled us up and refreshed us at the same time. Ray is so friendly and so outgoing that conversation with him flowed freely and made for a very stimulating exchange. He invited us to return to Shanghai another time to spend more time with him.

I returned to the campus on the subway after Llew went back to the hotel to relax. I caught another session and then we broke up for lunch—Italian this time. I had a very tasty pesto prawn pasta. Then, I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing for my session which went off wonderfully. My paper was presented after David Ludden spoke on the Rohingyas of Myanmar which I found very enlightening. I was delighted to received superb feedback to my paper.  There were many positive questions, and many very complimentary remarks made about it. As Llew attended my session, he too was delighted at the positive reaction I received.

Another Chinese Banquet Dinner:

As the second day of our conference came to a close, all delegates returned to our hotel for about 20 minutes. Then, we met in the lobby and walked together as a group for another incredible Chinese banquet dinner at Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant. I was thrilled that Llew was able to join us  for this one.

The food, once again, was excellent and plentiful. By this point, we knew what to expect in a Chinese meal of this kind and we enjoyed red wine hat accompanied our meal as we tucked into a variety of vegetables and salads, meats and fish including duck and braised pork belly (a Shanghainese speciality) and loads of noodles and rice.

When we had all eaten our fill, we walked back with Alex, a graduate student and other delegates and parted at the lobby of our hotel. There would be one more day of the conference and then we would be saying farewell to fascinating Shanghai. 

Conference at NYU-Shanghai: Off to a Succesfful Startt

Monday, August 20, 2018

NYU-Shanghai

Today was the start of the conference at NYU-Shanghai. We woke up in an enormous King size bed in the upscale Hongta Hotel—the last word in comfort. I was entitled to a huge breakfast buffet in the hotel lobby where I ate like an ox. I chose a full English breakfast and it did come with the works: even baked beans and fried toast points. 

At  8.15 am, delegates met in the lobby to be escorted to the campus of NYU-Shanghai. I meet David Ludden, my colleague from NYU-NY who introduced me to our keynote speaker, Morris and a colleague from NYU-Abu Dhabi, Robert. In the next couple of hours, I met a lot of my global colleagues and grad students from our campuses in New York, Shanghai and Abu Dhabi. 

The campus is a single government building given to NYU by the Chinese government. It is right in the heart of the commercial district and surrounded by skyscrapers whose tinted glass window panes glint in the strong sunshine. Rumor has it that NYU is building a new campus in Shanghai—a proper campus with student housing, playing fields, etc. This present building is spacious and impressive—far more generous specially than the stingy few floors that NYU-Paris occupies near the Sorbonne at Saint-Germaine. Best part of all, we were finally able to get social media by special arrangement that NYU-Shanghai has with the Chinese government. They are not accessible in the rest of China.

  Sessions began at 9.00 with short welcome addresses by the Director of NYU-Shanghai and Tansen Sen, Director of the Center for Global Asia that has sponsored the conference and organized it (quite brilliantly, I might add). There are loads of interesting talks and speakers who focus on China as a purveyor or silk and tea during the medieval past. Tea/coffee and lunch breaks are fitted in-between. We have delicious sandwiches and trendy juices featuring kale and grapefruit and kiwi for lunch. There are more sessions in the afternoon by which time those folk who came from New York felt badly jet lagged and escaped for a nap.

Llew went off to the Bund and explored Nanjing Road on a long and very tiring walk. China is terribly hot and very humid at this time of year and were it not for the fact that we had this conference scheduled at this time, we would never have chosen to come here when summer is at its fiercest. He went back to the hotel for a long nice nap and the thrills of English TV—CNN is ubiquitous when one is traveling and how great it sounds!

After the last session of papers were delivered, we adjourned to a large auditorium to listen to a much-anticipated keynote address by Morris Rossabi (of CUNY and Columbia) on the Mongols. Morris, who is an absolute authority on this subject, never disappoints. I was awed when I heard that he has published 26 books (no, that is not a typo) and that he is recognized internationally for his scholarly work on this little-known part of the world I certainly learned a whole lot from his lecture. 

Then, we were all led off for dinner to a very nice restaurant, 5 minutes’ walk away from the NYU campus. It was a huge Chinese banquet with an abundance of offerings. Indeed, I was getting accustomed to these massive Chinese meals and knew exactly what to expect. But it took being seated at a table named East India Company right besides Tansen Sen, a Bengali who speaks fluent Chinese from having lived in China since the age of four and devoting himself to Chinese Studies in the World that I learned a lot more. For example, I learned how to eat Shu -mai—the little white steamed dumplings that are filled with tasty minced morsels such as shrimp and pork. You puncture each one at the base and slurp up the juice contained inside. You then proceed to eat up the rest of the dumpling.  Red and white wine and lots of appetizers were part of our meal. The starters are tantalizing morsels in really striking flavors. Then come the vegetables and salads—fried, steamed, even mashed. Then, the fish and the meats arrive. I had the opportunity to taste a Shanghainese speciality (Pork Belly).How wonderful it felt to have been invited by Tansen to come and teach as a Visiting Professor at NYU-Shanghai to give a course on South Asia at Shanghai—perhaps for one semester or during J-Term or our winter term (which sounds very attractive). It was worth considering. Tansen also explained that Noodles and Rice come at the very end of a Chinese meal—so when they appear on the table, you know the evening is about to fold up. Finally dessert is served and it is usually fresh fruit—at this time of the year, watermelon dominates. 

We all walked back to the hotel at about 9.00 where I found Llew waiting for me while watching TV. We soon showered and went off to bed.

Heavenly Hangzou: Lingering by the Banks of West Lake

Sunday, August 19, 2018

Hangzou, China

Lingering Besides the Vast West Lake

Today we decided to wake up and breakfast a bit earlier as we had a 9.38 am train from Shanghai Railway Station to Hangzou—Haang-jo. This place is a two-hour journey from Shanghai and is known for what is called the West Lake. We breakfasted splendidly again at the Marriott—a princely meal that filled us well so that we did not need to eat again till 5.00 pm. We ate cereal, then a made-to-order omelette with the works, then sausage, bacon, grilled tomato, etc. followed by fruit and a sausage-stuffed croissant. 

We then walked briskly to the subway station, took the train to Shanghai Railway Station, and knowing the drill, soon found our waiting room and platform. Every single place in China is crowded to capacity—it is so hard to find a seat at public spaces. And being as tired as we were, we always looked for a place to plop down. It was a high speed train that took us to our destination. We chatted with a man who spoke good English and told us to take a taxi to Shanxi Hotel from where we could walk on the causeway across West Lake.

Exploring West Lake:

We did as our travel companion suggested and arrived at West Lake. Here too, there were throngs. People promenaded around the lake’s periphery. It is a vast lake—and I mean massive. It also happens to be one of the most popular venues for Chinese holiday-makers and summer vacation brings families out in full strength—three generations of them. Think Niagara Falls and you will know what I mean. The heat was blistering. The sun was out (which was a good thing), but it is so strong that all you want to do is take shelter from its heat and glare.

Because the lake is so huge, it is, in fact, divided into two portions—an East side and a West side. I could not tell at which side we had alighted. All I knew is that we seemed to be surrounded by glorious Lotus Gardens that had massive leaves and many pale-pink blossoms. Dying for a cold drink, we found a most refreshing Grapefruit Mint drink at KFC—which was also jam-packed. Then a look into a set of souvenir stores followed for a magnet—we did not buy one intending to look for a better one.  It was an unwise call as the only one we could then find was at the Hangzou station on our way back and we paid a fortune for a really awful one.

The heat was simply unbearable and I was just beginning to wonder how we would pass the entire day outdoors when I spied a shuttle. For 40 yuan each, it would take us on a  a ride around the entire periphery of the gigantic lake. I could not think of a more convenient way to see it all and spend the time as it would take 90 minutes to make a round.  When Chriselle and I had traveled together in Slovenia, we had done a similar thing at Lake Bled—we’d taken a toy train that gave us a ride around the entire periphery of the lake and showed us everything without using an ounce of our energy. It was exactly what Llew and I needed.

A Spin Around West Lake:

  It was also the best decision we made as it showed us all sorts of sights. Around every curve, there was something more interesting to see. There was fab architecture—gardens, pagodas, temples, museums, etc. are located all around the periphery of the lake. Gardens that completely surround the lake are beautifully landscaped. On the main road, through which we zigged and zagged, plane trees and weeping willows lent shade and such a romantic mood. There were also miles of lotus gardens in full bloom at every turn with a lot of lotus seed pods. People were strolling, biking, roller skating around, if they wished to be more energetic.  Others were strolling with babes in strollers or in their arms. People enjoyed popsicles, ice-cream, cold drinks as they sauntered around. It was such an amazing place.  We did a lot of people-watching. It was so nice to see the Chinese having such a good time during their vacation. There were families everywhere and, finally, after days of traveling around small towns where there were no female children or babies to be seen at all (a result of China’s short-sighted one child only policy that led to the aborting of female embryos), we actually saw Chinese girl children. It was such a heartening sight. The shuttle was simply the best, most comfortable and time-saving way by which to see the lake and everything it could offer. I took so many pictures as we cruised along as there were loads of hump-backed or bow bridges on the lake. On the streets, cheap convenience stores in one section were juxtaposed against high-end designer stores like Hermès. and Ferragamo, on the other.  Indeed, at West lake, there was something for everyone.

When the ride ended, we walked for a while on the lake’s periphery under shady plane trees to find a magnet—no luck and it was so dreadfully hot. So, seeking relief, we stepped into McDonald’s for chocolate sundaes and to cool off in the AC. When we emerged into the heat outside again, we thought we would sit in a garden by a bow-bridged canal; but the humidity and stillness in the air was so oppressive that we left and made the decision to sit at the railway station instead—because there was air-conditioning there. 

Then began the mad hunt for a cab. We were competing with so many other people as we tried to find a cab back to the station. Finally we did get one, but guess what? He took us to the wrong Hangzhou station—to Hangzhoudong! So the search for another cab began. Luckily, we had given ourselves much time to find the station. Finally, we did arrive at the right station where we got a local train. That was another experience in itself. It happened to be a local train—so it took double the time to get back to Shanghai. It also happened to be a very cheap train that attracts many passengers who are prepared to travel standing for a lower price. Indeed, it took more than 2 boring hours in a train that moved so slowly and with standing passengers who made it seem like we were still at a station. 

When we did finally reach, we were dropped off Shanghai South Railway Station  from where it took us one hour on the subway to get back to hotel. We rRached the Marriott at 10.00 pm and from there, we picked up our cases we had left at the Reception and took a cab to get to the Hongta Hotel in Pudong where NYU was putting us up. It took us about 30 minutes and 40 yuan for the cab but the Hongta Hotel, a five-star hotel, was really fancy. We would spend the next four nights in great luxury in this hotel in which we were treated like royalty. Because we had basically eaten nothing since those chocolate sundaes, Llew was hungry and called Room Service for a Club Sandwich that we shared. It was large, delicious and very filling. Without wasting any more time, we had our showers and went to bed at about 11.00 pm after another amazing day in China.

Tomorrow, the business part of my travels will begin as the NYU Conference gets under way. It had been a very exciting and enlightening few days along the Chinese rails and we were filled with all sorts of thoughts as we fell asleep. Best of all, we felt deeply proud of ourselves for having pulling off such a diverse tour on our own and without the help of any travel agents or tour operators.

Suzhou; China’s Spectacular City of Gardens and Canals

Saturday, August 18, 2018

Shanghai-Suzhou

We awoke today feeling remarkably rested after a night in a very comfy bed. Since we loved the hotel so much, we savored our time in it and lingered in bed with TV that had English channels (CNN and CGTV) that offered us global news. Included in our room tariff was Breakfast which was offered in a grand dining hall in the adjoining building. And it was  magnificent. Indeed there was everything you could think of and more: Western items with full Chinese lunch items as well—it appears that the Chinese eat what we would call ‘brunch’ every day —they eat rice and noodles and meat and vegetables in the morning. 

As for me, I ate muesli with dried fruits and nuts, after which I had a custom-made omelette with ham and cheese, before helping myself to grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, sausage,  bacon, hash browns, followed by fruit and a Caesar Salad. With this kind of a breakfast offered for three days, we would not eat again until 4.00 pm. (This was exactly what we had done in the UK on our travels in B&Bs where humongous English breakfasts are included). 

By the time we took the subway to get to Shanghai Railway Station, it was past 10.00 am and the city went about its business in a brisk and bustling manner. It took us ages to find out where the Ticket Window was—this was one of those times when I really wished we were on a conducted tour and did not need to figure out how to communicate our needs to people. After standing in three different wrong queues (fortunately short ones), we found ourselves at the right counter to buy tickets for Suzhou. Having found out what a challenge it was, we also purchased our tickets for Hangzou (pronounced Haang-jo) for tomorrow. It was a relief to find an English-speaking young female clerk at the counter.  The first train to Suzhou was at 11.10 am—this left us nearly an hour to find our platform—but by then we knew the drill and did not need to feel concerned about finding the right train or the right car.

Arrival in. Suzhou:

On the train, I promptly fell asleep. The fatigue of the last few days is definitely getting to me and I curl up and nap at the slightest opportunity. Llew got into conversation with a business man who spoke fairly good English and who offered very interesting insights and information on modern-day China, its outlook and vision for the future. 

About 90 minutes later, we were pulling into Suzhou when the rest of the world seemed to be disembarking with us. Honestly, everywhere we went, the crowds were huge. Once we arrived at the main hall of the station, we found an information counter from where we picked up a map. Suzhou, it turned out, was larger than we had imagined and we would only get a small flavor of it on a day trip. 

So why Suzhou? Why had I placed it on our itinerary? First of all, since this was our second visit to Shanghai, we did not feel the need to take in the usual sights such as the Bund, the Yuyuan Gardens, the Poeple’s Park, etc. as we had visited these sites on our previous visit. We decided to reach out beyond the city this time and take in the provincial towns that had garnered fame over the centuries—places like Suzhou and Hangzou. Suzhou was known, since medieval times, as the Garden City of China. It was the one to which dignitaries of the court retired when their service to Chinese royalty ended. They created canals in the city that were as extensive and pretty as those in Venice—giving it the title of ‘The Venice of the East’. Wealthy people built houses and designed gardens for relaxation in this city. Marco Polo writes glowingly about it in his travelogues (as he does about Hangzou). 

For me, personally, Suzhou held particular interest because for over two decades, when taking international visitors to the Ming Scholar’s Garden in the Astor Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, I have referred to one of the gardens in Suzhou called the Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets on which it is modeled. Hence, visiting this garden was my main priority in getting to Suzhou.

We were told that the best, easiest and fastest way to get to the garden was by cab. But again, having purchased two sets of train tickets, Llew began to run short of local money and needed a bank so that we would have enough for the taxi fare, the entry fees for the garden, etc. This proved to be a huge challenge again but, in the end, in the basement of the railway station, we did find an ATM that gave us cash. The reason for this mad dash to find cash is because Visa and MasterCard are rarely accepted in China. They have their own alternate money system based on something called Alibaba that offers Alicash at counters called Alipay!

Exploring the Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets:

With little time to spare, we hailed a cab and made it to the garden which had a most nondescript entrance. We walked along a very narrow lane lined on both sides with makeshift shops selling souvenirs before we arrived at the entrance and the ticket office. For 40 yuan each, we gained entry into a tucked-away world of greenery and quietude which was exactly what Mrs. Brooke Astor had remembered of her growing years in Beijing (then called Peking). The garden is said to get its name from the gardener who created it in the mid-1600s—a well-heeled worthy who gave up his life of high level diplomacy to take up fishing as a hobby. The garden is simply exquisite and has all the requisite features that comprise a Chinese garden—architecture (there are Ming-era halls or rooms filled with original Ming rosewood furniture), Tai rocks (limestone rocks from the river Tai) that are chiseled and carved to resemble jade sculpture as well as the mountains (of which the Chinese are so fond), greenery (lots of plants), a vast pond in the center that had a greenish hue, several cute bridges that allowed visitors to span the various parts of the garden. It was another very hot day and the sun was strong, but at least there was no rain and we could enjoy the garden fully.

After we had taken a vast number of pictures, I ventured into a side garden, purely by chance, and had the most pleasant surprise: this was called the Peony Court but it was the exact same garden that is reproduced at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York as part of the Asian galleries. I was so excited—seriously, I was beyond words. I had waited a long time to tick off this Bucket List item—22 years, to be exact. And finally, I was actually there, walking through the spot in the flesh.  As Llew said, it was only a pity that I have stopped giving tours at the Met or else I could have stated that I have actually been to the original garden in Suzhou on which the Ming Scholar’s Garden is based. In fact, I was so excited to be there that Llew made a video of me in the garden—where, to our annoyance, a group of tourists were being given a tour by a guard who went on and on in Chinese.  In the end, since we were running short of time, we simply went ahead with our video with his commentary in the background. 

The Humble Administrator’s. Garden:

Since it was still only about 2.00 pm, we had time to consider visiting the other famous garden in Suzhou called the Humble Administrator’s Garden. But trying to find a taxi that would take us there was another huge pain in the behind. The sun was merciless and there is rarely a sheltering tree under whose shade one can find refuge in China. None of the taxis were empty and those that were, did not stop when we hailed them. It was most frustrating. Finally, to our good luck, one did stop and found a way to take us to our next destination—communicated to him by pointing it out on the map where it was named in English and in Chinese. 

The cab ride was simply delightful as we drove right along one of the canals for which Suzhou is famed. There are small canal-side gardens with pagodas that offer shade, cherry trees that line the banks and that reminded us very much of the Cherry Tree Walk in Kyoto, Japan. All along the way, traffic was crazy and bumper to bumper. Eventually, when we got to the spot, we found the place simply mobbed—thankfully, the Garden of the Master of the Fishing Nets was much less popular. It turned out this garden is right next door to the Suzhou Museum which is free to enter and where thousands of Chinese visitors had lined up to get in.  Next door also is the Suzhou Silk Museum which is also one of the highlights of the city as silkworms were first bred in Suzhou and silk was first produced here. Hence, it was a common stop on the Silk Route—which also explains its medieval prosperity during the Ming era. 

We discovered a long line of people waiting for tickets—that’s another thing: in China, because there are over a billion people, there are lines for everything. You cannot ever just walk up to a window and get service. Tickets cost 90 yuan each and since we basically had only 20 minutes to see the garden, we decided against it. By the time we got our tickets, we’d probably have less than ten minutes inside! Instead, we lingered outside the museum by the canal and took pictures.     

We were very fortunate to find a taxi almost immediately after we got back to the main road that took us back to Suzhou station for our 3.58 pm train. The reason we had rushed through the day’s visit was because I was keen to visit the Shanghai Museum (which we did not have the time to see the last time we were in the city) and I had the impression that it stayed open till 8.00 pm on Saturdays. Turned out I was wrong. Once in Shanghai, we raced to the People’s Park subway stop to get to the Museum, but found that it was close to 5pm and people were pouring out of it. We were too late and there was no late-evening opening.  Also we were really tired as the hectic nature of our travels were beginning to take their toll on us.  Nothing seemed more temptying to us than to get back to our hotel to stretch out and relax. So we crossed Nanjing Road and went into Raffles. City mall hoping to find dinner in the basement Food Court. We ended up buying skewered kebabs and excellent sushi which we thoroughly enjoyed in our hotel over wine and beer. Then it was time to shower and go to bed for a well-deserved rest.