It's hard to believe that we got off the train this morning. What a day it has been! We were all bummed that we were going to go through yet another full day after the train. We hiked all the way up the Great Wall, now we can't shower? So gross, but I guess we're used to it?
But then, a glimmer of hope. Our tour guide, Angela, picked us up at the train station and said we would be eating breakfast at our hotel. So we could leave our bags at the desk and not take them on the bus all day. Is it possible that our rooms might be ready? YES! At 9 o'clock, all but two rooms, currently being cleaned, were ready! As Thomas said, "This is the best surprise of the entire trip!" Many of the kids agreed. Apparently a shower trumps being on a Chinese game show- who knew.
We met in the lobby at 10 to head over to the Expo. Everyone was still a little tired, but at least refreshed. We took the bus over to a subway drop off. Shanghai built a brand new subway line just for the Expo- which few people use. It was nice to go through security and not have a large crowd! The subway has two stops: one at Puxi and the other at Pudong. Puxi has the smaller section of the Expo, which houses the corporate pavilions as well as many of the Chinese theme pavilions. We took the subway to the Pudong side, which had Zones A,B, and C- the country pavilions.
We arrived around 11 and the park opens at 9- it was already hopping. The Expo sees 400,000 to 500,000 people each day. It was crowded, but only really bad in certain areas. We arranged a meeting spot at 5 o'clock, then everyone took off. So-and-so was going this way with this person and the next thing you know, I'm breaking the rules & I'm by myself.
I love everyone on this trip, but, to be fair, I had a wonderful time exploring on my own. Some of the students wanted to visit certain country pavilions and go inside. I just wanted to see EVERYTHING and enjoy the unique architecture. I walked around the entire Pudong area and took pictures of all the cool buildings. I got to see the Asia, Europe, and the Americas sections. The entire time, I was stared at and stopped by people to take pictures with them, as were many of the students. Kelsey and Tina counted over 100 pictures taken- either with them or without asking! The Expo is such a popular place for tourists, yet they still love Americans!
Well I turned this into a little game. As I met new people and talked with them, I was from a different place each time- I'm a terrible person. Today I was from the US, Canada, England, Australia... then I cut the bad accents and spoke horrendous German and Spanish. It was rather entertaining for me, anyway!
After all the walking, picture taking and messing with people, I figured most of the day was gone- it was only 1:30! I had seen each building, but certainly thought it would take much longer! I decided to make the loop yet again, but this time went into the larger, multi-country pavilions that did not have lines. My goal was to keep on walking and not stand in lines at all today. I went to the Central/South America pavilion, the Africa pavilion, and the Pacific Islands pavilion. After another two and a half some hours, I got a late lunch/early dinner.
Now I'm not going to lie, I really didn't do my research going into the Expo. I didn't know much about it. I knew about the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis and the debut of the Arch. I also knew that this is the place where the waffle cone was accidentally invented. Sad, but true- this is how ignorant I was. I wasn't really looking forward to it because I knew nothing about it or what to expect- the only thing I heard about were the lines.
Today I was pleasantly surprised. Was this my favorite thing ever? No. Favorite part of the trip? No. But it far exceeded my expectations. I loved the construction and the national pride. New Zealand was a fan favorite- it was a beautiful building covered in vegetation with their stage right out front for anyone, standing in line or not, to see. It was a constant party. Spain's pavilion was covered in woven wooden mats- very unique. Saudi Arabia spent $1 billion on their pavilion. I thought the lines for the US, Canada, and Great Britain were bad, then I saw the lines for China, Japan, and Saudi Arabia- it had to take at LEAST 3 hours to get into those buildings. The line for Turkish ice cream was ridiculous, but that was one line I wouldn't pass up since it was recommended by the Travel channel. I have never had anything like it.
The students absolutely loved the Expo. The girls bought a lot of jewelry at the Africa pavilion. The boys waited in line and got to check out the USA pavilion ("It was good- but extremely liberal!"). Other favorites included Canada, the Netherlands, and Russia. It will be fun to hear more stories and experiences when everyone returns home!
We are in for the night. Many of the girls are spending the last of their yuan (RMB) on foot massages at the hotel! My only regret on this trip: I didn't bring a pedometer!
Our wake up call is at 6, breakfast at 6:30, and departure for the airport at 7. Our flight leaves Shanghai at 10 AM and we get into Cleveland at 2:45 PM- only a 4 hour and 45 minute flight! ;) I'll keep telling myself that. It's been a wonderful trip, but we are all exhausted and ready for the comforts of home. Have a wonderful day- we'll see you in a few (x10) hours!
Other random pieces of information about the Expo:
- Only 5 buildings will remain standing after the Expo- the Expo Axis, Theme Pavilion, the Expo Culture Center, the Expo Center, and the China Pavilion. The rest will be dismantled by their respective countries and brought home. The land will be used as a business center.
- I have never seen so many people push and shove in my life. Lines don't matter and if a small child were in the way, so what?
- It was hard to take your time and learn about each country when people were in a hurry to get a stamp from that nation for their fake Expo passport. Cute, but it made each line even deadlier.
- The Netherlands building was the shape of a tulip.
- You could ride a bike through the Denmark pavilion. They also had a replica of the mermaid statue.
- Switzerland "built" the Alps on the top of their building. You could ride a ski lift around the top.
- Romania's building was a giant green apple.
- Finland's pavilion was a popular spot- they had saunas inside.
- Belgium was even more popular, thanks to the beer bar inside.
- Shortest lines? North Korea, Iraq, Iran, and some of the European joint pavilion countries (Georgia, Montenegro)
- Japan's pavilion looked like a giant purple jelly bean with purple trumpets sticking out of it. There is no other way to describe it.
- The mascot of this Expo is referred to as "the Chinese Gumby." He really is Gumby, but blue instead of green.
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