Shanghai, Shipping & Shopping Day 1 & 2

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Shanghai, Shipping & Shopping Day 1 & 2



Moving out of the East China Sea and toward the Huangpu River (Wangpu) we picked up our Pilot to guide us into Shanghai. We had to reach the river during high tide to have enough draft for the ship. It took us 7 hours from the sea until 9 pm when we docked amid the most amazing sight ever. All around us buildings up to 88 stories, reaching for the sky and each of them lit up like a Christmas tree. Some were twinkling, some had strobes or running lights, every building ablaze, the sky was aglow. Everyone was out on deck to watch us come down the river and dock. The band was playing, and a party going on, on our decks. All along the river there were 2 and 3 story “party boats” all lit up, and moving along side of us with hundreds of people on board waving to us. The river was alive with a continuous stream of barges, tankers, container ships, ferries, tourist boats, yachts and of course the Amsterdam, our ship. Most cruise ships cannot dock in mid-Shanghai as they are too tall to go under a bridge which is just before the dock. We understand the Princess ships must dock an hour back in the Huangpu River. We are so lucky to be here under the stars in this metropolitan and glamorous city. At exactly 10 pm most of the lights went out on virtually all of the buildings. Good Night.



Next morning we took a ship’s tour and went to the modern and beautiful Shanghai Museum across the river in the Pudong (new area of Shanghai). It was a Saturday, so unbelievably long lines at the museum. Because we were on a ship’s tour, we were able to “bypass“ the line but that still meant about a 30 minute wait. Well worth it. Bronzes, porcelain, calligraphy, furniture, coins dating back 600-700 BC. The museum was 4 stories, granite and marble with small gallery shops on each floor and a very large gift shop on the first floor. We could have stayed all day, but we had more of Shanghai to explore.



So, next stop the Buddhist Temple in the local neighborhood of our tour guide. As we sat back and watched the city scenery go by, we started to notice we were passing the same buildings over and over. Turns out our bus driver did not know how to get to the temple so was following another bus… unfortunately the driver of the bus in front of us did not know how to get there either so… we were going in circles. LOL… Our tour guide was not amused, called her offices and got them to send us a new driver ;-) Eventually, we did arrive at the temple. Once again the temple was built in courtyard fashion with pagoda’s housing various Buddha’s. Many people were buying incense, lighting it, bowing in 4 directions and giving thanks or honoring ancestors or….making wishes, The streets were so packed with people, bicycles piled high with every conceivable thing (rice bags, cardboard, vegetables), motorbikes with whole families on them, as well as cars and buses that when we left we had to walk a number of blocks and “keep our eye out” for our bus ;-) We didn’t know where the new driver had parked the bus ;-). This is getting to be a theme.



Once onboard the bus, we were off to the Yuyang gardens built 600 years ago by a son for his parents. Today, the garden is right in the middle of crowded Old Town with 2-4 story buildings along its narrow, winding streets. Jenny our tour guide, made a pact with all of us to meet up in front of….STARBUCKS ;-) if anyone got lost. Agreed ;-) Walking on through Old Town we reached the gardens. It was beautiful with pagodas, koi ponds, rock gardens and zigzag bridges (to keep out the evil spirits)… that the gardens have survived this long, especially through the last 30 years as Shanghai has been tearing down the old and building skyscrapers, is amazing. After leaving the gardens we were left on our own to do some shopping. For us that meant just wandering and looking as we didn’t need any silk duvets, pearls, children’s toys or remote controlled helicopters ;-)



Of course, as we all met at Starbucks and left the old town area, our bus was nowhere to be seen… so Jenny, our tour guide got on the phone trying to get a lead on the location of our bus. She then said “Let’s go”!...and started leading 40 of us in a “kindergarten rope line” only without the rope, between cars, though crowds, across streets, turning here and there ;-) Craziness.. until about 8 bocks away and around a corner, there was our Bus #2 ;-) Yea!!!



Jenny told us that all day she had been stressed and fearful of losing one of us but praised us for staying together ;-) But, now that we were all back on the bus, she was much relieved ;-) I would not want to be a tour bus guide through these busy, crowded cities!!!!



We decided to do the next day on our own as we were pretty well toured out. Leaving the ship we jumped on a shuttle to the Bund area (where brides were having their pictures taken ;-) and which is also the beginning of Nanjing Road. Nanjing Road is famous with people from all over the world and blocks and blocks and blocks of upscale shopping. We started walking down Nanjing Road in the midst of thousand of other people out for a day of shopping and people watching. Anchoring the street are Prada and Chanel. About 5 blocks down cars are no longer allowed and it becomes a pedestrian mall. This is also where a humongous Apple Store is located-jam packed with people. Outside the store on the mall, sitting all over the place are people using Apple’s free wifi ;-) We spied, H & M, GAP, Forever 21, Omega, Swatch, Mc Donald’s, Starbucks, KFC, a huge Hagen Daz…almost felt like home (not really ;-) Surprisingly, young people were dressed just as they would be in any US city-very hip, stylish, and in the latest fashions and with I Phones texting away.



When we were in Tianjin, I had noticed young men and women in tennis shoes with a pair of “skates” on but these were just two large wheels that clamp to tennis shoes and you can go scooting around with the wheels flashing. A more grown-up version of kids shoes with wheels. We stopped a young woman who was selling them, Cope bargained her down and we bought a green pair. Of course when other skate vendors saw we bought one pair, they kept saying to us “You need 2 pair, very cheap” ;-) Maybe not. Enough shopping for today ;-) We turned around and weaved our way back to the Bund, ducked into a Starbucks for a latte and a little peaceful time.



Next Post: Day 3 Shanghai

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Photos

Shanghai At Night
The Pudong, new town

Shanghai Museum
Escalators

Old Town
Busy with crowds of People

Old and new
Moving goods by bicycle

Najing Road
Times Square and Rodeo Drive all in one

On the Bund
Starbucks Break ;-)