I don't like to do things the easy way. I refuse to let my sight (or lack of it) be an obstacle to getting out there and doing things. And I try to see it as an adventure rather than a hindrance. You can't get much more adventurous than travelling in China, on your own, with very limited sight, no knowledge of Chinese, and just to make things a little more fun, diabetes and yeast intolerance. The latter two mean I have to be very careful about what I eat and drink. Not easy when you have no idea what's in the food you're eating....
On arrival in Shanghai, after nearly 20 hours of travelling and not much sleep, I decided in my wisdom that it would be much more interesting to take the metro from the airport than a taxi to my hotel. It was about 5.30pm when I got through the airport, and already dark outside. I also had a sneaky suspicion that the location of my hotel on google maps didn't bear much resemblance to its real location. But I knew which road it was on, roughly where it was, and had the address in Chinese.
I followed the signs to the metro and managed to find Line 2. No sign of a ticket machine, but there was a bag security check so I dutifully passed my bag through it and collected it on the other side. For some reason I never thought to put my laptop bag through, and no one said anything. It wasn't until after I had done this, that I realised the ticket barrier was right there, and I didn't yet have a ticket. Back out through the entrance and eventually asked an official looking person who pointed me at the ticket machines round the corner. Feeling a bit silly for not having seen them, I followed the instructions on screen and then realised that I only had notes and that the machine I was using only took coins. Found another machine and went through the process again. I had figured out that the stop I wanted was called Shiji Avenue. I could tell because it had about 6 different intersecting lines so I was sure it was the right one (having looked it up on the computer earlier and also written down the name). More on this later... After going through the process again, I got to the point at which I had to pinsert the money and discovered that the biggest denomination note it took was 50CNY, whereas the smallest note I had was 100. Now what to do? I found a desk that looked as if it might be a ticket counter and explained where I wanted to go and handed over 100CNY. The lady changed it for two fifies and pointed me back towards the machines. Ah, so it was just an information desk then. Back to the machines, got my ticket, and found the train.
Now began the confusing part. My ticket was for Shiji Avenue, about 45 minutes on the metro at the vast price of about 60p. Looking at the information in the train, it was all very high techand had little lights showing how far along the route we'd got. It also had announcements in English and Chinese, but I couldn't understand either. I really think I have some kind of hearing problem but I refuse to even consider that as an option. It's bad enough losing your sight, let alone your hearing too. Anyway, I couldn't see Shiji Avenue anywhere on the map. it was definitely Line 2. But Shiji Avenue didn't exist. Hmm. Century Avenue looked to be in the right place and had lots of connections, but I started worrying what would happen if my ticket wasn't valid and wouldn't let me out at the gate! Knowing that any officials were highly unlikely to speak English made me a little anxious. I started practising how I would explain the problem in very simple English and hand signals, but couldn't really come up with any hand signals for "I bought the wrong ticket because I'm a stupid foreigner and I've been travelling for the last 20 hours with no sleep in the last 36 hours or so. Could you please tell me how I can get the right ticket. And where the **** is Shiji Avenue anyway?"
Suddenly the train came to a stop and everyone got off. Now this definitely wasn't anywhere near my destination. What should I do now? I stood hesitantly, not believing that everyone really had to get off, until a young Chinese lady jumped back on the train and said "you have to get off here". I couldn't understand why. Everyone seemed to be crossing to the opposite platform. Again I stood hesitantly - the sign for the other train looked identical to the one I'd just got off. Line 2 going to wherever line 2 goes to... She came back again and almost pushed me onto the other train. Once on the train I managed to get close enough to the map to read tiny sign which said "you may change train here" at the stop we were at. Ah.....I think that means "you MUST change train here". I still have no idea why, but it seems to happen in both directions. Why don't they tell me that in my guide book?
To cut a long story short, I get off the train at Century Avenue and head for the exit. I look for the one that says Fushan Road, my destination, and congratulate myself on my success. I even mange to find Fushan Road once I get outside, and start heading up it in the direction of my map. Of course, it is pitch black and I can't read building numbers as they're too small. The roads are pitch black to me, although to everyone else, it's obviously still light enough to see. I trip over random steps, slither down steep inclines and generally stumble along. I try to walk behind other people so I can tell more easily if they're going up or down something (the height of their head, which I can just make out if i stand close enough) goes up or down when they do. Eventually i start getting to what looks like a more residential area. This doesn't look right so as I reach a bar, i see a young man standing outside and ask him for directions. He looks at me blankly so I pull out the piece of paper with the address in Chinese. He looks worried and suggests a taxi. I insist I can walk - after all, I'm on the right road, so it can't be too difficult, I just need ot know how far away I am. He can't understand my question but points me back in the direction I've come. OK, so clearly the map is wrong. I head back down the road. Eventually I see a street number which is a couple of hundred short of the one I want. I keep going. Then I reach some kind of enormous 7-way intersection. In my mind I know which road I want, but I have to cross several individual roads before I can get there, and I get a little confused. No problem, all the roads have signs on, with English too. There are some little maps at some of the junctions. Funny, Fushan Road has now disappeared from the signs, and at least 3 of them say "Century Avenue". This can't be right. The maps all appear to tell me I'm at the same point, no matter at which intersection I look. I cross backwards and forwards over several roads, trying to decide which one looks most likely. I ask a few more passersby, all of whom look blank and shrug. Finally I ask a newspaper seller (well, I show her the address in Chinese) and she points down the road. Aha, now I must be nearly there. I keep walking, and again it goes pitch dark and I can see no street numbers. How far am I? I reach another hotel and decide to ask the doorman for help. Surely he must know where my hotel is. Another shrug and an offer of a taxi. No thanks. This is getting ridiculous. I am covered in sweat (though the air is cool), my blood sugar is low but I'm too anxious to get there to do anything about it, so I turn my insulin pump off and hope for the best. I keep going and ask again. Finally someone tells me that Fushan Road is just round the corner. Funny that, about 3 people just told me I was already on Fushan Road. Oh well, let's try. I turn down an even darker street and walk along. I reach some kind of brightly lit plaza and ask another young couple for help. They have no idea but they ask a nearby waiting taxi driver if he knows. They come back smiling and laughing and point across the street. "It's right there!". I still can't see anything but I take their word for it and wonder how far "right there" actually means. I walk past some unlikely looking buildings and suddenly realise they were correct, I am actually standing outside the hotel. Hurrah! Well the supposed 10 minute walk from the metro took only an hour and a half. Somehow, instead of being annoyed, I am at the same time both deeply relieved and also feel, somewhat oddly, slightly victorious that I have finally found my destination despite all the obstacles. I can't even contemplate the thought of going out to find dinner, once I reach my room. Although had I had better sight, I would have realised that the building immediately opposite my hotel is a supermarket. I only discover this when the following day an American gentleman asks where the nearest supermarket is....Hmm well I guess he didn't realise that either! I much my emergency biscuits in my room, ravenous but far too terrified of going out and getting lost again!
Footnote: the following day, I try to navigate my way from the same metro stop to the hotel and it also takes me 1 1/2 hours and a lot of getting lost! But I now have a slightly better idea of where it is - if I can find the building with the big red lights on, then I am OK. better still, I discovered the hotel is about 10 yards from another metro stop. I think I'll use line 6 in future!
