It was a a grey, rainy, foggy, ice cold to-the-bone day with fierce winds whipping white caps through our sea. Definately "a sweatshirt/pant while drinking bullion to warm your hands with its steam "day.
As we headed straight North on the China Sea, we turned into the Huanaguo River. For six hours we were entertained with a parade of ships coming into and out of the Shanghai port with all manner of goods. It was interesting to watch all sizes and manner of ships and barges pass us. Some ships were close to our ship you felt you could reach out and touch them. Others were a few sea blocks away. People would wave "HELL-O!" to us. We were all in shock as the temperature in the last few days dropped 60 degrees on us. With that drop, we got the rain and the fog. We certainly weren't ready for this.
Upon docking, 60 immigration officers climbed aboard to 'inspect' us all. This, mind you, was in addition to spot checking us for days to see if anyone had a temperature. We were told this whole process would take 3-4 hours to process us through. We all knew it would be a long night. Everyone, passenger and crew, had to meet one by one, face to face with an inspection officer, with passport in hand. I was looked up to down as the passport pages were thunbed through, back and forth, a few times. I must fit some profile. The inspector needed to type into her computer a bit ,...looked me up and down again...typed some more....wait a bit....finally she gave me an OK without a smile at all. She then stamped a big red mark on my passport and let me go...whew.....
I loved visiting Shanghai. I loved driving through the city, seeing the new, getting glimpses of the old. This is a city of change. The old is being bulldozed daily as they make way for the shiny new foreign designed skyscrapers. We were told that Shanghai has built 14,000 new skyscrapers in the last 15 years. So it looks new and clean. There is very little of the old left. The city is alive with construction right now as it ready's itself for Expo in 2 months. Shifts are working around the clock 7 days a week. With a population of 20 million, there are no shortage of laborers. The city itself, as it is now, is certainly a beautiful place to visit and see.
Our choices of tours left us moving at a whirl wind pace for the 3 nights we were docked. We drove through the French Area with its beautiful French inspired buildings and trees. We were all over the Bund. We had lunch in a revolving TV tower, much like the Space Needle in Seattle. We visited CHINA TOWN in China which seemed a bit odd to me. It was here I found Starbucks and a new Chicago mug to bring back home. :) I had my picture taken a few times with families. I guess we were the novelty. People living in the country love to go home with a picture so they can brag they met a foreigner while in the city. That was fun.
The first night we were invited to an International Fashion Show. After the show, we were bused to the Bund where Regent put on a fireworks display for us. We all froze but enjoyed the beauty of the city all lit up at night. The second night we went to an amazing Chinese acrobatic show which I thought out did any Cirque I have seen. We packed a lot into our two days. It was a rainy bitter two days.
As we headed straight North on the China Sea, we turned into the Huanaguo River. For six hours we were entertained with a parade of ships coming into and out of the Shanghai port with all manner of goods. It was interesting to watch all sizes and manner of ships and barges pass us. Some ships were close to our ship you felt you could reach out and touch them. Others were a few sea blocks away. People would wave "HELL-O!" to us. We were all in shock as the temperature in the last few days dropped 60 degrees on us. With that drop, we got the rain and the fog. We certainly weren't ready for this.
Upon docking, 60 immigration officers climbed aboard to 'inspect' us all. This, mind you, was in addition to spot checking us for days to see if anyone had a temperature. We were told this whole process would take 3-4 hours to process us through. We all knew it would be a long night. Everyone, passenger and crew, had to meet one by one, face to face with an inspection officer, with passport in hand. I was looked up to down as the passport pages were thunbed through, back and forth, a few times. I must fit some profile. The inspector needed to type into her computer a bit ,...looked me up and down again...typed some more....wait a bit....finally she gave me an OK without a smile at all. She then stamped a big red mark on my passport and let me go...whew.....
I loved visiting Shanghai. I loved driving through the city, seeing the new, getting glimpses of the old. This is a city of change. The old is being bulldozed daily as they make way for the shiny new foreign designed skyscrapers. We were told that Shanghai has built 14,000 new skyscrapers in the last 15 years. So it looks new and clean. There is very little of the old left. The city is alive with construction right now as it ready's itself for Expo in 2 months. Shifts are working around the clock 7 days a week. With a population of 20 million, there are no shortage of laborers. The city itself, as it is now, is certainly a beautiful place to visit and see.
Our choices of tours left us moving at a whirl wind pace for the 3 nights we were docked. We drove through the French Area with its beautiful French inspired buildings and trees. We were all over the Bund. We had lunch in a revolving TV tower, much like the Space Needle in Seattle. We visited CHINA TOWN in China which seemed a bit odd to me. It was here I found Starbucks and a new Chicago mug to bring back home. :) I had my picture taken a few times with families. I guess we were the novelty. People living in the country love to go home with a picture so they can brag they met a foreigner while in the city. That was fun.
The first night we were invited to an International Fashion Show. After the show, we were bused to the Bund where Regent put on a fireworks display for us. We all froze but enjoyed the beauty of the city all lit up at night. The second night we went to an amazing Chinese acrobatic show which I thought out did any Cirque I have seen. We packed a lot into our two days. It was a rainy bitter two days.
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