I had the chance to visit Shanghai during our down time between the Olympics and the Paralympics. After arriving at the airport I decided to take the Maglev train to the subway to get to my hotel.
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This is what a picture looks like taken at 267 miles an hour!!!
This is town of scooters! Watch out for them going across the traffic flow, running lights, going on sidewalks, and generally having total disregard for everyone else.
This is supposedly the busiest shopping street in China. It was a horrible experience due to the fake watch people harassing me every 5 feet!
This is a way more enjoyable window shopping experience at Yu Yuan Mall.
I stopped by the orthodox Taoist temple named The Town God's Temple.
Right next to the Temple was the Yu Yuan Garden where I spent some time relaxing.
This is a typical scene in every shopping place I have been to in China! Wall to wall people!
At night the Pudong part of Shanghai has a beautiful landscape of buildings lit up. This is the Pearl TV Tower. Unfortunately the other buildings were not lit up at this time, but if they were, this is what it would look like-
This is from my hotel at 8:00 am in morning. The marina layer is settled in over the city.
These pictures were taken from The Bund area. There is a raised area next to the river that serves as a levee, as well as a beautiful walk along the river looking over towards Pudong. Once again the harassment from the hawkers was too much for me and they ruined the experience. The Bund area is a famous financial area where Westerns set up businesses with a history dating back to when Shanghai was colonized. It is strikingly different from anything else I have seen in China, and it complements the new Pudong area across the river in architecture.
What would a trip be to Shanghai without a trip on the Huangpu River!! I guessed that it wouldn't be long before my Chinese friends would head downstairs to get out of the sun! Only one lady had an umbrella!
The Bund from the water.
The new housing on the river reminded me of Florida along the ocean. The only difference is the fact that here in China people will continue to hang their laundry out to dry on their balcony. I have never seen so much laundry being hung out to dry as I did in Shanghai!
Very busy river traffic. I saw barges loaded with logs, coal, fuel, sand, and a bunch of covered up things.
This is the newly opened 101 story Shanghai World Financial Tower. You can go up the the square on the top to walk in it looking out on both sides. It is a very impressive building. It is currently the third tallest building in the world!
I knew it!! It took longer than expected, but at 40 minutes into the trip (most of their attention span only lasted 30 minutes) most had headed downstairs!
I wanted to take this boat, but it wasn't operating at the time.
This guy looks so relaxed. This is the "coolest" barge driver I saw during the day.
This gives you a perspective of the size of the new Financial tower! To the left is the Jin Mao building.
The most memorable part of the trip may have been going in the Bund Tourist Tunnel. It was so cheesy, yet fun! this took me from The Bund to the Peal TV Tower under the river.
Please watch this video to get the full experience. A well worth 40 RMB I spent!!
Time to head to the airport for my flight to Xi'an!!
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