Still in Shanghai
We stayed 3 nights in Shanghai. We walked through many streets, drove a fair distance, rode the fastest train, a mini cruise all crammed in those 3 days. China is a big country with a very old history and culture. So 3 days in Shanghai was nowhere near enough.
It has been many moons and drinks since this trip, again life’s road blocks keeps popping up. I am trying to think of them as speed bumps and not road blocks. So, I am back again in my writing nook, looking for a distraction.
Back to what the sentence where I started “It has been many moons and drinks…” (before I veered off), so the order of the visits and some details may be distorted.
We were in awe with their level of engineering, architecture and the artifacts. Most of these were 2000-3000 years old. BC. Before Christ and well Before Computers. However, it was to be expected on a trip to China. They were renowned for this rich history and culture. However the extent of it was mind blowing.
But what one didn’t expect was clean streets. There was someone sweeping and picking up rubbish all the time. The streets were really CLEAN. For a county with such a large population I expected it to be dirty. But I was wrong.
I believe our first visit was to the Yu Garden. As per history, this garden was a gift from a son to his father. That was one expensive fathers day gift. It was really stunning. Although not so peaceful as it was intended to be, as the place was rather crowded. From sleepy Adelaide to this population explosion was something new to get used to. Little did I know this wasn’t bad as what was in store for us later in the tour.
Every tile, every corner of the roof was filled with detail.
We were given some free time to wonder around the little market we had just walked through. However, it was too hot for my liking. The night before I had asked Sophie our tour guide if it was possible to see a tea ceremony and she gave us the option of doing the tea ceremony or the shopping.
So, I opted for a tea ceremony rather than shopping in the heat. Some others joined me.
Tea ceremony was free however we all left with a small purchase for a small fortune. The power of holiday purchase. I did enjoy the teas however, not sure if I needed to pay so much.
The following photos are from the old town, near Yu garden
Next stop was the Shanghai Tower. The tower gives you the opportunity to see the extent of the concrete structures, sea of apartments and just the explosion of development. It also gives you a clear view of the pollution they face. The day was not overcast. This was apparently a good day.
The building known as the Bear Bottle.
of course next to the bear bottle stands the bottle opener
Then it was time for a ride on the Maglev Train. A magnetic levitation Train Line.
The day was coming to a close and the final agenda was a trip to The Bund and then a night cruise from the Bund.
We were given some free time to wonder around by ourselves. Our initial search was for a place to get a nice cool drink. But accidentally stumbled on to this amazing building. It is in fact a bank. The Old HSBC Bank. But it felt like I had entered the Sistine Chapel. It is still an operating bank. So we casually went in and exchanged some currencies as well.
As night fell we boarded the cruise.
Shanghai looks pretty darn nice at night too.
Good night all.
Uma's life and thoughts 