As Sydney enjoyed a warm Sunday with a protest or three, along with a marathon, I was still in Shanghai, suffering through the heat. However, the blue sky with its big white fluffy clouds was not to last. Indeed, as one colleague from work would most likely describe it, the heavens opened and the biblical floodgates yawned wide for nigh on two hours – soaking everything in its path, threatening to even engulf the high ground.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Our last day in Shanghai was a slow, lazy one. After traipsing through Disneyland the day before, it was a necessary reset before our flight to Shenzhen (and the eventual return to Australia).

Given we were in Shanghai, one of the things my mother wanted to do was attend a show. Any show. Be it ballet, musical or even a play. In the end, we headed over to the People’s Square where my mother stopped by the Shanghai Grand Theatre. At the time, there was a ballet performance she could attend.

As I wasn’t quite as big a fan of the ballet than I was musicals or other shows – and given the price for just a single ticket – I chose not to partake. Still, my mother was delighted to purchase her own for a showing at 2 PM.

With the morning still young, my mother and I paid a visit to the nearby Shanghai Museum. Entry, of course, was free though we needed to both present our passports so that the authorities could ID us. Then, once our bags were also scanned to ensure we weren’t carrying anything dangerous, the two of us were free to explore the building.

Now, I hate to say this, but I did find the Shanghai Museum almost lacklustre when it came to what was on display. And admittedly, I regret the two of us didn’t venture to the Shanghai Natural History Museum (given it’s one of the largest museums of natural science in China).

The Shanghai Museum, though, did have a few items on display though none really caught my eye except for artifacts carved from rhino horns. The other collections they had were of enamel lacquerware, a presentation on the various ethnic minorities that can be found in China, some furniture and little else.

Before too long, my mother and I had finished our tour. After enjoying a quick coffee break in the adjoining cafe, we ventured back out into the summer heat to have some lunch. Of course, when one is in Shanghai, one must have food that is decidedly NOT Chinese. So, being a fan of Japanese, the two of us had some ramen.

By the time we finished, it was almost time for my mother’s show to begin. She hurried over to the Grand Theatre while I stayed in the shopping centre to have a look around. And, honestly, I have to say that the DMALL (or, according to Google: the Shanghai Dimei Shopping Mall) was yet another otaku’s wet dream. Numerous stores inside had collectibles for anime or video games from Japan. More importantly, it also had costume stores where one could buy cosplay of Judy Hopps and also sported collections ranging from lolita to goth (and even a combination of the two).

Once I’d seen my fill of what DMALL had to offer, I ventured back outside only to see the ground slick and shiny. As I headed back down People’s Square towards our hotel, it began to drizzle.

Yet knowing there was a local Pop Mart, I stopped at the Raffles City shopping centre. There, I made a few purchases at Uniqlo, browsed the stores inside and watched dance groups compete against each other. It may not have been a sophisticated ballet performance but I was certainly entertained.

Unfortunately, as I wrapped up my shopping in Raffles City, I was soon faced with the start of some torrential rain. Without an umbrella in hand (that was in my mother’s keeping), I had to take shelter in an office building that abutted Raffles City shopping centre.

For an hour, I stood inside waiting for the storm to abate. It even began to seep into the building through an opening somewhere close to the entrance (which then had to be mopped up by cleaning staff and sandbags were brought out). By the time it hit 4 PM, the storm had mostly cleared but it was still drizzling out. Seeing a few people head out, I tried to test my luck only to be faced by ankle-height water once you stepped onto the road to cross.

Unsure when it would subside and fearing I could be trapped – unable to move – for the foreseeable future, I stood frozen on the side of the road.

The dilemma I found myself in was further exacerbated by the return of heavy rain. Cursing under my breath, I chose to wade through (keeping my shoes on in the process because the thought of taking them off and walking barefoot on a dirty grimy street did not appeal to me. Not when the water smelled like sewerage).

When I finally returned to the hotel, I was akin to a drowned rat. Cold, miserable and needing to strip off my sodden clothes.

Once I’d emerged from my shower, the rain had stopped. Glancing out the window, it seemed the floodwaters had ALSO subsided (to my great chagrin).Probably, I should have returned to the office building and continued to wait it out. But at the time, I was not forearmed with this knowledge and had to make-do with my choices at the time.

Hindsight is 20-20 but it doesn’t take into account one’s limited knowledge at the time.

Or so I used to console myself as I washed my clothes and tried my best to rinse my drenched shoes. By then, my mother was able to return with nary a stray drop of rain on her head.

After a short break, we headed back out into a Shanghai that was less sweltering to have some dinner, and to round off our visit with some further shopping on Nanjing Road (yes, I ventured once more into Pop Mart and was assailed by how many other people were also perusing the shelves looking to buy merchandise).

So ended our last day in Shanghai.

The morrow would see us flying out as we continued on our grand adventure.