Day 81 Shanghai

Sunday, rainy and gray, with a few minutes of sun in the afternoon. Shanghai is an incredible city. Like Beijing, it is a showcase city. The people of Shanghai like to compare it to NYC. I think that is a good comparison. Like NYC, there are some older and shabbier neighborhoods. The Pudong financial district and the Puxi area where I stayed were clean and bright, inspite of continuing construction. The subway system is new and modern. I had 3 main objectives on this visit to China. I wanted to see the Terracotta Warriors. I wanted a break from the ship. I wanted to see some more Chinese art.

Connected with Samuel using George's phone. Sam brought the other 3 passengers to the subway station, and me to the Park Hotel. Sam also helped me to buy air tickets for my side trip to Xi'an. After I checked in and exchanged some cash, I took a walk, finding a Starbucks on the corner of People's Park. Had a great Chinese cranberry muffin and coffee, a frequent lunch during my stay. Afterwards, while walking through the park, I encountered some friendly college age 'students', who asked to practice English, and invited me to a 'folk cultural event' tea ceremony. In Shanghai, I was approached over and over with this scam, sometimes after I was asked to take a picture. Also, 'Want to buy a watch?' Sunday was a work day for many people, because of the western New Year holiday earlier in the week.

The Park Hotel is a historic building. I stayed there before and after my trip to Xi'an. With its brownstone color, it stands out in contrast to the newer buildings around it. I found it to be secure and comfortable. My first room was on a side street and more modern. On my second stay, the room was older and needed work, but the view of the park was a 5 star view. I registered for the daily buffet breakfast, at 15 USD, which had western, Japanese, and Chinese selections. It was the best breakfast of this whole trip. I usually had a glass of grapefruit juice, 2 heavy whole grain toasts with butter, 4 kinds of cereal in a bowl with yogurt, a small piece of bacon, 2 kinds of fried vegetables, a potato cake, and 2 coffees. George asked me to pass along that he has not been able to update
his Blog from China, but will when we reach Japan.