13th/14th Oct 08 - Shanghai

When we awoke this morning, the Mariner had already docked in the Huangpu River and the view from our balcony across to the skyscrapers of the new financial district was staggering. It got even better later when night fell and the lights came on!

Shanghai is a city of 18m people (that's over twice the population of London). So, as you might expect, it was a bit crowded and the roads were congested. The infrastructure, though, is amazing. Almost everything (including 1000 skyscrapers and 8 underground lines) have been built in the last 20 years. It is one of the most vibrant cities on earth.

We did a very varied tour which took in the Children's Palace kindergarten, the Shanghai Museum, Chinatown market, the Yu Gardens and a trip to the 88th floor of the Jinmao Building - which WAS the tallest building in China until they built the tower next door!

Monday 13th Oct - Shanghai
The young children at the Children's Palace put on a show for us.
A few of the amazing exhibits at the Shanghai Museum - Jade, Ming vases, furniture from 1400 etc. I particularly liked the Stone of 1000 Buddhas (Top Centre)
Chinatown (in China!)
A couple of the many foodstalls in Chinatown.
Accessories anyone?
Yu Gardens. It consisted of 40 different scenes or garden rooms...
...and lots of carp.
Jinmao Building on left where we went in the fast elevator to the 88th floor. It was the tallest building in China until a few months ago when they completed the Shanghai Financial Centre (on the right)
How about this for an atrium? The view from the 88th floor down to the coffee shop on the 57th
The view from the top. It's only at that height that you get a real sense of the pollution.
The Orient Pearl TV Tower  - by day...
The view from the balcony of our suite over the river to the Pudong financial district. The Orient Pearl TV Tower is on the right.
The view from the bow of the Mariner towards the Bund
Tuesday 14th Oct - Shanghai
On Tuesday we went exploring on our own. Took at taxi to the Bund - broad promenade by the river
You can see the Mariner moored in the river
Reading the daily newspaper in the street
The Nanjing Road is the biggest shopping street in Shanghai. Far too crowded!
Early Wednesday 15th Oct we leave the ship for a three day visit to the Terracotta Warriors in Xian and then to Guilin for the Li River. As I cannot take my laptop on the trip, there will be no more updates until we get home next week!