Second Day in Shanghai

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We decided to take an easier schedule for our plans today. The first thing on the agenda was to visit the TV tower. The building is the third tallest in the city and probably the most oddly shaped. The visitors all go to the second sphere from the top and were able to see the extent of the city. We were especially lucky because the smog died down enough for us to see pretty far out. One of our professors said that it is as clear as he had ever seen it. Shanghai is so big that even with the view, we couldn't see the end of the urban area. The best part of the tower was the view in the lower level, where the floor is made out of thick glass. From there we preceded to the wax museum where we were able to see the history of the city of Shanghai, which did not gain prevalence until the "era of humiliation" or when the Western Powers occupied China in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The next thing on the schedule was to ride the Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) Train that took us to from the train station to an airport on Shanghai. The top speed of the train was 430 km/h (do the conversion yourself) and it made a 45 minute bus ride 7 minutes. It almost went as fast as the Amtrack train from Raleigh to High Point.

When we returned to the train station we headed off to lunch which was fantastic. The store was luckily right next to a pearl shop, and being such a connoisseur of fancy shit, I was able to wait around while everyone else shopped. outside of the shop I was able to see the Skyline of Shanghai and see the Three Wars Monument paying tribute to those who died in three wars of the 20th century. The skyline from the river bank was absolutely fantastic.

We took a break for the rest of the afternoon back at the hotel and then went to dinner before the last thing we did, which was a ferry on the Yangtze. The buildings even have a uniquely-Asian view at night. The buildings have various light shows for no other purpose than to be pretty. It was really cool to see.

And like that our stay in Shanghai was almost over. I do have to say that I slept really well for the next two days. Until next time...

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Photos

Shanghai by Day
View of the financial district form the top of the Shanghai TV Tower.

Shanghai by Night
The best of Shanghai at night. This was taken from the ferry is is the best sector of the city.