so much to write and yet i need to be down in the lobby in a few minutes. yesterday we were on the bus by 9am and off to the pearl tower. in route we saw commuting chinese style. one guy was carrying a couch on his bike, another one had live chickens and rabbits in baskets stacked up on his bike. the chick heads were bobbing along - not aware of their eventual fate probably.
the new shanghei pon dong (i'll check the spelling later) or east side of the river has only been there for 17 years. all construction is new and the high rises incredible. we drove my the mission impossible III tower, and skyscraper after skyscraper line the skyline. think 23 million resident in shanghai.
at the pearl tower we went up 269 stories to the observation booth. took lots of pictures, and midway down stopped at a historical wax museum of shanghai. it was a good introduction.
then we drove off to a 5 start hotel purple mountain to have lunch. very very nice hotel. lunch was excellent, though i am wanting something not with a sauce or fried right now. very different from my wheat grass and salad greens diet. last night all i really wanted was beer, chips and salsa....ok i know bad bad.
from lunch we headed to the yi gardens. very very crowded, but very beautiful. lots of history and symbolism contained in every inch of the garden. saw the dragon gate. from there we had free time to see the bizarre area. all of the buildings and tearooms were in traditional style architecture. the water pond surrounded the "courtyard" of the area. i stopped at starbucks - no chai tea. but black tea tasted great. i just sight saw and took in the people and being there. i am holding off buying anything till bejing. dealing with lots of luggage will not be fun, especially navagating around on the trains.
from the gardens, we went to the silk embroidery gallery. my gosh what intricate work. it takes nearly 2- 5 years to create a single piece of art. most of the work is done by young women whose hands are small enough and vision good enough for the art. the pieces range from 43,000 USD to $1,500 USD. from the gallery we had dinner (actually dinner then the gallery in order). I just had a beer for dinner. didn't want any food. they are feeding us enormous meals.
from there we went to the chinese acrobatic show at the ritz carleton. there is a complex there that includes embassies and a theatre. i left my camera in my backpack on the bus. but the interior of the complex was amazing, a fountain off two sheer walls was a highlight and subtely hidden. the performance was amazing, i did break down and by a cd video to share with my family as words to do describe the athletic talent of these yooung chinese.
then we made it to the room by 10 or 10:30pm. excellent sleep and back at it again today. i hit the tomatoes for breakfast and watermelon and part of yes, a fried egg. (almost everything has oil in it)
okay - time to see budda garden at the hotel and get this show on the road.
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