Shanghai/Pudong

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We had lunch at KFC, which must be the most common fast food in China (if you do not count vendors selling skewers of unknown meat origin). It has been in every town that we have been to. I can tell by my food cravings that I am a little tired of Chinese food. We figured out how to ride the Shanghai’s metro trains and headed downtown. Our hotel is located just north of downtown.
We just wandered around and headed towards the area of the city called the Bund. It is the Shanghai side of the river front which consists of the old colonial-era buildings. We hung out on the boardwalk next to the river waiting for night to set in. The Pudong skyline is impressively lit up. As it seems all Chinese cities are lit with neon, such as overpasses, rooftops, stores, cars….the Chinese have a love affair with lights.
We wandered up and down the boardwalk for a few hours. Finally the lights started turning on. At first we thought “there must be more” and we decided to wait another hour before leaving. It was worth the wait as more light did end up coming on. Each building has its one characteristic lights showing. The unusual Oriental Pearl TV tower is the main attraction, with its odd shape and flashing lights. Other buildings have 20 story ads running on the sides of buildings. There are also boats floating by with huge screen ads. Mix in all the vendors, locals and other tourists and you have quite a spectacle.

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