Tianjin - The right Wai.

No sail in for these Peking ducks!  Schedule was for us to be docked at 4am.  Instead we woke up bright and a little later ready to face the infamous Chinese immigration.  Having immigration shore side makes things run a lot smoother for Princess. Once ready to head ashore we were instructed to gather in the Vista lounge.  We were given a number and when called we debarked into the terminal. 

WOW what a terminal…. Sydney we really need to knock down the OPT and rebuild.  China is getting ready for the Ovation of the Seas to arrive. A large replica of the ship sits under glass and there are banners throughout the terminal announcing its arrival…

You always feel a sense of relief when you walk out of the terminal, and with a smiling face your guide is there to meet you.  Herbie welcomed us all and then whisked us off to our waiting bus under the command of Mr Wai.

This tour was organised last minute after we found out about our itinerary change. We affectionately named this our Tianjin Magical Mystery Tour, and although we had an outline, Herbie was also making it up as we went along.  

Our only other obstacle was Mr Wai, as this was a new Wai for him too. Lucky he had his Maps app to find his Wai around. Sometimes it was the right Wai, and sometimes it was the Wong Wai but in the end we always found our Wai.

After the formal introductions, Herbie declared that today we would all be known as Herbies and when called, we followed.  China is facebookless and googleless.  China has its own search engine managed by the government and you can only search what they want you to know.

The Tianjin Port area has been built on reclaimed land.  Consisting of large container terminals, and on the outskirts, and as you drive through you can see apartments of mass construction. Government incentives are in place in the hope of encouraging families to move out of the already congested areas of Beijing. 

Chinese are not big on change, so the government has to find more ways to get them out there. So now these apartments stand empty.

From the port to the main financial centre of Tianjin, driving along the four lane motorway took approximately one hour.  On entering the city. it was nothing like we had expected.  If it was not for the Chinese writing, you would have never thought you were in China.  The river running through the centre with its ornate bridges made you think of the Seine.  The parks with their gazebos and statues of musicians made you think of Vienna.  The architecture made you think of the classic buildings of Europe.

 We drove around an area known as the Wudadao Area (Five-Avenue Area). The five main avenues are Machangdao, Munandao, Dalidao, Chongqingdao and Chengdudao. There are 22 roads, with a total length of 17 kilometres. There are over 2,000 garden-style villas built in 1920s and 30s by different countries. But very much influenced by Europe.

We stopped to stroll up and down Italian Style Town, well for all the Italian influence there were a lot of German beer halls, and I am not sure just how traditional Pizza Hut actually is. Obviously a very popular spot during the current European Cup.

Our next stop was Qianyuan Manor. Puyi, the last emperor of Qing Dynasty, moved here with Wan Rong, his empress, and Wen Xiu, his concubine. He later renamed it Garden of Serenity (Jing Garden). The main building is a Spanish-style brick structure and the first 2 floors have been restored and on display. Other parts of the manor had been converted into museums that told his story in both words and pictures.

Walking up the back streets to find our bus, we went into an older part of Tianjin where people lived down alleys with crazy power lines and large orange pipes which provided heating to each of the homes. Small store fronts selling vegetables, fruits and other Chinese delicacies.  An excellent find considering our only mission was to find the bus.

 Another delicious lunch in the Vienna International Hotel with varying meals of vegetables, beef and chicken.

Munan was a beautiful park we came across, with lovely roses, water features and European feel. Despite the heat several elderly Chinese took refuge under a tree enjoying a social game of cards, we are sure there was money at stake although well hidden. In the streets surrounding the park are the Garden Style Villa’s of the well-to-do, and if this was where they lived, our next visit was where they worked.

North Jiefang Road, was once known as the Wall St of the East. Lined with massive buildings which just scream Banks or financial institutions.  Each of these buildings display a plaque marking the site as part of the Historical and Stylistic Architecture of Tianjin and under “Very Important Protection.”

It was now getting late and we had to head back to the ship.  Although we were staying overnight, the Chinese Officials gave us a curfew of 9pm as they were packing up their bat and balls and going home for the night... Doors will be locked and entry will not recommence until 6 am the next morning.

Heading back to the terminal seemed to take a little longer (two hours), maybe because of the traffic or maybe Mr Wai was having trouble finding his Wai again, and we have a feeling we may have gone the long Wai.