Shanghai’s City Scapes

We had just visited the Jade Buddha Temple and realized it might be wise to stay on the Red Bus and see all of the city, then go back to getting on and off for the attractions.

We were really pleased with the location of our hotel; the hotel was on Nanjing Road, large shopping and restaurant area as well as not too far from the Bund. Shanghai has a population over 23 million yet still has unique neighbourhoods that we are looking forward to visiting.  When you are in the city you forget Shanghai is gateway to the Yangtze River, being surrounded by so many skyscrapers.

The Bund

The Bund is a major part of the city and here you find blocks of architectural buildings designed by different architects and, although not built at the same time, they harmonize with each other. During the day we thought they were quite unique….but at night just amazing.  The Bund is located on one bank of the Huangpu River, so when you go on the river cruise you can get excellent photos of the whole city.

The Bund

There is a wonderful promenade running for kms through The Bund….people sit and wait for the lights at night; they watch the boats…. and people and just stroll along the promenade feeling the river’s cooling breeze.

The Bund at night

Nanjing Road

Shopping, shopping, shopping….Shanghai reminds us of Singapore in many ways, so many shopping malls and stores and yet lots of parks, trees, and everywhere is kept very, very clean.

We didn’t have time to visit the French Concession, our next trip we will go there for sure.  This is a shopping, restaurant area, what makes it unique are all the small lanes with mini mansions, that used to be the homes of the French…..historically and architecturally it would appear to be very interesting.

This is the start of the French Concession; we will visit the Concession in the fall on our return to China.

We travelled all around the red and green Big Bus routes, then across the bridge on the blue route to the other side of the Huangpu.

In amongst the skyscrapers you will find a small park with very interesting sculptures. 

This little guy was very interested in what was going on outside the bus window, his mother tried to get him to sit a couple of times but no, I had time to notice this as some of the lights are quite long.

We are approaching the Nanpu Bridge that will take us to see the Oriental Pearl, World Financial Centre and Jin Mao Tower.

They even built a park in between the lanes and ramps of expressways.

Here is a look at the Oriental Pearl and Jin Mao Tower from The Bund…..this Financial District is our destination as we head across the bridge.

Now we can look back at The Bund from the other side of the river…..at at quite a height!

Here are some photos from the Jin Mao tower, unfortunately the day was not very clear but you can get an idea of the size of Shanghai, and it is fun to look down at these skyscrapers for a change!  We walked across the street to meet the Big Red Bus and head over to the Cool Docks.

This tower that is being built is special because it twists around as it rises….very unique design! We passed it on our way to go back across the bridge to the Cool Docks where we will eat dinner then walk over to the cruise boat terminal for our evening cruise.

We enjoyed some Thai food; the food was really good here with lots of choices.

Next, since we had some time before the cruise boat left, we walked around the corner to the pool area, enjoyed another beer…… and we were entertained with African music. This is a three day ‘Fete de la Musique’ where various entertainers and bands show off their talents, this occurs just once a year, so good timing.

Just about every photo I take, whether we are at a temple, restaurant area, or shopping area, you see a skyscraper in the background, I didn’t really notice this until I was looking at my photos.

In amongst this crowd are the entertainers….it looks like the more cultured groups really enjoy these three days.

And now it is Cruise Time!

John is ready.

This is part of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo site......a six-month extravaganza which drew 72million visitors and which China branded as "splendid".

I was taking shots of both sides of the river.

The Space Ship changed to many colours

We are ready for bed!