Shanghai

Well I would like to start off by saying, I am sorry for not having a more clever post title. I guess I am running out of ideas, crazy thought if you know me. I last left you with one foot out the door to shanghai, my first trip to china, but its now been three wonderful days and I am back with lots to share. Where to begin, I guess the plane ride. In coming to Hong Kong I was hoping that I would still be able to read some semblance of an English paper to stay up to date with the news but it seems there is no such breed. There are English papers about Hong Kong but very little world news makes it my way. So first, if you got any shoot it my way and second when I boarded the plane I was ecstatic to see a Wall Street Journal. It wasn't the American addition but it was something and filled a void I had been longing for. Anywho, upon arrival at our hotel in the heart of shanghai we realized what a great deal we had gotten. We had booked our tickets as part of a package deal on a popular airline website and for 300USD we really got our moneys worth. 5 star hotel, round trip airfare and a continental breakfast. Wonderful, but when we realized we were smack dab in the middle of the city it all became even greater. Each day we took off in a different direction with a long list of suggestions from our friends and the web.

One of our first stops was the Oriental Pearl Tower. One of the tallest buildings in Shanghai this skyscraper,serving the sole purpose of observation, is truly a marvel from both the top and bottom. The 360 view from the top was great and at a ridiculous 1500 some feet in the air it was a spectacular view. What made it even more special was the miles of city. Shanghai is a urban population of 19 million and a estimated 50 million in the surrounding regions which makes it top 5 largest metropolis' in the world. Imagine looking out on all of that. More to come on all of the people.

As our weekend continued we visited the sites of the first and second communist parties, the ancient city, a few temples and gardens and cheap Chinese markets. Each stop was unique and we really got a great feel for shanghai in just 3 days. We ate a lot of great food as well but check out my Food section under Menu for more on that.(UPGRADE?) The markets were bargaining Meccas and and the old city as Becca would say "looked like a scene in Milan." I was really impressed by all the authentic culture. There was a great mix of old and new and also a great fusion of both throughout the city. These are just some Highlights, there is simply too much for one entry. Check back tomorrow, there will surely be more, this was just to wet your taste buds.