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Ni Hao from humid Shanghai!
Today was my first full day in Shanghai and it is beginning to feel more real that we are here. I am a bit jet lagged, but doing fine. The weather is sunny, but definitely humid and lingers around 28C but the humidity makes you feel quite tired.
I arrived here yesterday afternoon and fortunate for me that i was on Air Canada as some of our team still hasn't received their luggage as they were running to make a very tight connection in Chicago. The team made it but no luggage and apparently it won't be here until tomorrow which makes that two days of waiting. I have been sharing some of the clothes in my suitcase so that they can get by... but it is more annoying than anything. You know how it goes.
The entire team is here now from Toronto, Edmonton, and Australia. Everyone is doing fine, feeling a bit weary still because of the jet lag, but is adjusting fine. Every is super friendly and seem to have travelled a fair bit too so I am in very good company!
I was met by Dennis our Chinese tour director at the airport and then greeted the Edmonton team. We then drove from the Pudong airport directly to a very nice Chinese restaurant in downtown Shanghai. It is quite amazing to see how much of the city is under construction; but seeing as Shanghai is hosting EXPO 2010 next year their plans are well under way with new bridges, road repairs, and the construction of all the pavillions as well as many elevated highways that are upto five levels high.
On the first level of the restaurant building there was a beautiful embroidery shop. We got to see the woman do the work too--such care and detail. It was interesting to see that they split the thread up to 1/64th of a strand. I took several great photos. The craftsmanship is so good that they look like photographs that hang on a wall.
We had a very nice welcome meal with the team and passed the food around the lazy susan. Good to finally be all together. Once done we headed to the Holiday Inn... What a beautiful hotel. My roommate Joyce and I have a wonderful room on the 14th floor that looks out over the main Changshou Road.
Just before heading to bed, my friends Diana and Fred took me on a little adventure to the French Concession. Diana had arrived here a few days earlier and had to go and pick up her bag at a friend's house. It is quite different in that area. Lots of huge trees that look like the Champs Elysees in Paris. We happened upon a place called the Cottage which had free internet which is where I emailed you from yesterday. It was neat to see the city in the night time too. Then after that I headed back to the hotel for a much needed rest.
This morning we got up to a huge breakfast buffet--because the time is 12 hours different it felt like time to have dinner and not breakfast, but there were lots of great options. We had a meeting with our team and then headed out to the Shanghai Municipal Hall where they have amazing urban planning exhibits about the past, present and future of the design of the city. It was fascinating! Very interesting to learn about how the city began as a port town and changed to a more cosmopolitain city as concessions and then now how it has evolved. We saw a few multimedia shows that were phenomenal, but what was most impressive was the large scale model of the city. Owen would have loved it. I think that the photos speak well for themselves.
Lulu (a friend of my mom's who is a teacher in Shanghai) and I arranged to meet up at the Muncipal Hall and she came and joined us for lunch and the afternoon. We had another family served meal and it was neat to connect with and share stories of her experiences teaching here in Shanghai. She really enjoyed the gifts you sent Mom and gave me a beautiful set of pins of Expo 2010.
Lulu came with us to the Yu Gardens which is a lovely, once privately owned now city garden. The architecture, lotus flowers and the whole ambiance is quite breathtaking! It is surrounded by a large bazaar where many of our friends practised their bargaining. Lulu decided to take myself and 5 of my friends to see a few different parts of the including Donlun Road which is a recreated neighbourhood which was formerly the centre of literature in Shanghai. It looked like a movie set. We had a great time taking photos and taking it some more authentic Chinese experiences walking where the locals walk.
Lulu then headed off to a wedding and we headed back to the hotel. Tonight we went for dinner at a restaurant that featured in food from the Yunan province, a bit more spicy than some of the other foods we have had so far. It is my friend Brian's birthday so we had some Jingtao and birthday cake to celebrate. We then went to an outstanding chinese acrobatic show! Think Cirque du Soleil and magnify that by 100x. It was unreal! I even bought the dvd as it is hard to explain, but the performance was incredible--with live music, rope climbing, tumbling and even 8 people on motorcycles spinning about in a circular cage. UNREAL!
My friend Diana and I came back for a swim to cool off but it is now time for bed.
A great first day and night in Shanghai...
love to all of you. thanks for those of you who have sent or posted messages.
Wish you could see all this.
katy
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Ryan
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Expo 2010!
Didn't know the city was hosting it! Sounds like quite a developmental program they have going on there! We complain all the time about construction in Toronto, but I'm sure its double the trouble there! Bazaar sounded like FUN!