Day 73 - Shanghai

Day 73 – Monday 24^th March 2014 – Shanghai

We were alongside the passenger terminal at 07.00 and breakfasted in the Britannia Restaurant.

Ashore by 09.30 in the company of Edwina and her daughter Deborah, who both dine at our table.  The passenger terminal is incredibly new, very large with very little inside and seemingly it was built for the Beijing Olympics.  Here we obtained tourist maps and exchanged money in to the local Yuan.

Onto the shuttle bus, for the hour long journey to the city, we sped along most of the time on a raised motorway and running alongside, there was also a raised railway line.

We arrived at the Bund, a symbol of Shanghai and a epitome of Shanghai’s modern history. On one side of the broad highway stand 52 blocks of tall, magnificent buildings with different architectural styles, which can be called a museum of modern world architecture.  On the other side is the wide embankment, where crowds of visitors come to enjoy the beautiful scenery on the Huangpu, the mother river of Shanghai.

The bus did not stop at the Bund but took us another ten minutes further on to the silk museum.  This was all very nice, showing how it is all made but, it was not what we were looking for and the finished articles were very expensive.

Back Street

We left here and headed back along the river towards the Bund before branching off into Shanghai’s Old Street and the Yuyuan commercial area.

This was more of how I remember China from 47 years ago.  The hustle and bustle of the place, stalls and workshops on the street with flats three or four storeys high above. You could buy all sorts of fresh produce and the purchasing going on was amazing.

Shopping Centre

     

Eldon Sqaure

After passing through, we came to a modern shopping centre though based on the old architecture and within this shopping complex there was also a temple and tea houses. 

Yuyuan Garden

   

We went into one of the tea houses and in very ornate surroundings enjoyed a cup of green tea.  Through the shopping area which was packed, you come into peace and tranquilities of the Yuyuan Garden. 

This is another place, when you enter, it takes your breath away after the mayhem going on outside.  The walk around certainly settles you down and puts your life more into perspective.

Feeding the Carp

Edwina & Deborah at peace

  

The ponds are full of multi coloured carp and a constant attraction to folks and children alike.  We left the ladies in the garden before they went off shopping, while we headed off to the Bund. 

We wandered off through the back streets into more shops and the traders who seemed to be doing brisk trade, and carried on down to the river.

How big can you go

Commercial District

On the other side are these massive structures which are at the heart of the commercial area.  A walk along the Bund and eventually we found the ferry to take us over to the other side.  You have to get all of this into perspective as 50 years ago this whole area was wasteland.

We headed for the Jinmao Tower which has an observatory on the 88^th floor, 350 metres high.  It is the largest and highest observatory in Shanghai.  A super-speed elevator of 9.1 m/s takes visitors up the tower in 45 seconds.

Pearl Tower

From up here through the smog and haze is a fine view of this vastly expanding city.  The Oriental Pearl Tower, which is 468 metre high, and one of the first skyscrapers to be built here.  The tower consists of 15 spheres of different sizes at different levels creating an artistic conception of “large and small pearls dropping onto a jade plate”.  At night, colourful lights glisten and dazzle the eye.

Inside Jinmao Tower

A view in the centre of the tower; looking down from the 88^th floor; 350 metre up, into the lobby below.

Cloud 9

The Jinmao Tower in which we were boosts the highest bar in the world called ‘Cloud 9’ but situated on the 87^th floor, so we had to go back down in the lift and use the Hyatt Hotel’s lifts, but you have to use three different lifts to get to the bar.

      

The Bund

We sat in the bar and had a couple of beers watching the dusk and the lights coming on over the city and the spectacular show.  When we left, we only had to pay for one round of drinks as it was happy hour (how’s your luck).

  

World Financial Centre

Next to the Jinmao Tower is the Shanghai World Financial Centre which has 100 floors and 472 meters high, but alongside both of these is another tower in the process of being built, and will be 630 metres high (how high can they go).

  

 

The ferry across to the Bund gives you some wonderful scenes of the city and there were thousands of other people all taking in this extravaganza.

The Bund

River Boat Shuffle

Time was of the essence and it was time to head back to the ship, we hailed a taxi and were back on board for 20.00.  We did not bother with the restaurant, but went up to the Lido bar and self-service restaurant for drinks and a meal.

We sailed from Shanghai at 22.30 and in bed for 23.00.

I had always wanted to come to this city, as I had heard so much about it during my travels in the Far East.  Shanghai, certainly did not disappoint, the sights and sounds of it, will remain with me for a long time.