On a sunny Sunday in spring I was invited by a Japanese friend to a Japanese tea ceremony at the Peninsula Hotel. I decided to ride my bike down to the Bund – a nice ride by Suzhou Creek and then a left towards the Hotel. They were quite surprised to have a cycling guest, as most people roll by in their Porsches and Lamborghinis. They were nice enough about it though and my bike was treated as luggage and stored away for the time being.
The Japanese Tea Ceremony last for about half an hour. The cups are exquisite and the cookies were imported from Hokkaido and delicious.
As for this picture, don’t try and do this. We had a few outraged security officials on our heels, as bikes are absolutely not allowed onto the Bund promenade. Good fun, Chinglish arguments and finally surrender on our end.
