Last 24 Hours of the Trip

After lunch, we had free time until meeting for dinner at 6 pm.  Carol and I walked along the Bund on a bright, sunny day.  We were afforded beautiful views across the Huangpu River.

We walked down Nanjing Road to the pedestrian walking area, but it was essentially a street of expensive brand name shops.  I couldn't find a soup dumpling, so I settled for a pork bun instead.  

It was a pleasant afternoon before our final dinner.  This bus ride was only a half hour away, and we went to a beautiful old restaurant which was, of course, surrounded by dragons and late model luxury cars.  

The highlight was the Chinese wine, which was better than I expected it to be.  I'm not about to start importing it, but give them a few years. . .and it could be good.

The highlight of the evening was going to the Jazz Club at the hotel for drinks after dinner with some of our fellow travelers.  Based on interest among the group, I had made reservations for a table for eight.  Turns out it was a table for two, with eight chairs crammed around it.

That didn't matter, as it was a fun evening listening to the Old Jazz band (the average age of the band members is 82 years old, excepting the younger jazz singer.  I don't know her age, but I would guess she's nearly 50 years younger).  Carol and I were joined by Don, Robin, John, Kimmie, Nancy, and Andrew.  Alas, our favorite Scotsman, Ian, was tied up trying to unravel issues with their flight home.

The bar is designed to be a throwback to the 1920s, and it worked. I never imagined I'd spend my last night in China in a bar listening to jazz!

The next morning, at breakfast we said goodbye to folks, took one last walk along the Bund, this time heading west to the Monument to the People's Heroes along the river.  Built in 1993 to commemorate revolutionary martyrs and those who have lost their lives fighting natural disasters, the monument is at the confluence of Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River.

We walked back to the hotel, grabbed our luggage, and headed to the airport.  Then it was just waiting to catch the flight.  Our amazing experience in China was over.