Ni hao from Shanghai!
 

We finally made it after a 14 hour non stop from Newark (not my favorite airport!) But before we could get off of the plane we had to be checked for anyone who might be fevorish. They said it was an infrared thermometer but I think it may have been a mind probe!

Then we took the Maglev train from the airport to the city at a top speed of 431 KM.

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Must still be adjusting to the time change, meant to use this image instead of the scene from our room on the 35th floor of the Hilton.

We got an upgrade to the 35th Executive floor at the Hilton thanks to my wife's Hilton Diamond club status. Our room is free for 6 nights, just have to pay for the internet and any room charges.

Shanghai is at once a pretty and nasty city.
Visit the Bund!
and have fun.

Great, thanks Chris. At 266 mph I should think everything out the train window would be blurred.

Old and new.

The Jin Ang temple somehow got skipped over during the distruction phase of temples in the Cultural Revolution. It is a microcosim of the old Shangha set within the new Shanghai.

A piano bar for dentists???

Very civilized indeed!

Today we were up at 5am just after sunrise and went to People's Park as I knew it would soon be busy with many people up early doing all forms of excercise. Can you imagine our parks in America like this in the morning? Yes we have our joggers and those in some kind of boot camp excercise but so many elderly out and about getting some form of excercise?

Such balance, poise and concentration!

Signs are everywhere and just lilke the website www.Engrish.com points out, the translations are funny!

Do you think they are out and about early primarily for the exercise or the socialization?

I think it is a little of both. We saw many people greeting each other as well as ones just sitting on the benches in conversation. But we also so a good share of people engaging in quiet private excercise and others in large groups doing Tai Chi. Almost all of the groups have a CD or tape machine with someone barking out instructions for the next move. We also saw one group of older people who were doing ball room dancing (picture above) as a warm up to regular callastenics.

Scenes of old and new Shanghai:

This is from the balcony of the place we ate last night on the Bund. It is the view of Pudong which is on the east side of the river. 20 years ago this was all a big swamp area and now hosts some of the most modern skyscrapers in the world. The tall one on the right is the tallest building in the world as far as an floor you can reach.

Taller than Taipei 101? Nah. Shanghai does have some pretty tall ones, though. I remember the Pearl tower (the pointy one on the left) scared the shit outta me as a kid when we visited though. Way too tall and thin.

May I ask why you are visiting Shanghai?

He's on assignment from the Cellar, to send us beautiful pictures from the far flung corners of the earth.

And doing a damn good job of it too. :thumb2:

I took Kung Fu from an eigth generation Grandmaster for several years. I asked him once: what is up with Tai Chi? He replied: They wear pajamas.

I never asked another question.

All your photos are great Chis.

My favorites so far are the people exercising in the public area.

The man in black in frame 10 seems like he's in another place. :)

Very interesting.

These are exactly the types of things I like to see. Common sights if you are on the ground there but probably not something that you'd see taken professionally.

Thank you.

When you go up in the SWFC in Shanghai they give you a brochure that says that the sky walk at their 100th floor is aprox. 492 meters where as the top of the tower or Radio pole or whatever of the Taipei101 is at 509 meters but that isn't the level people can reach so it is questionable as to it being the highest, and we all know that the Taiwanese would love to be one step ahead of those damn comunists in the mainland on something.

It's a funny concept of trying to establish the highest building. Having a flag pole or antennae on top and getting 1st place seems kind of like running a foot race and winning because you had a 20 ft fishing rod out in front and it technically, the tip went over the finish line before the guy from Kenya out front.

Yes, an assignment... I like that. Do I send UT the expense bill?

Because it is there???

No, actually the wife and I like to travel and usually do while she is on assignment for work and I just tag along and find us good places to eat dinner. This time it is a well earned vacation! And, I might add, the price was right!

This "M" is not in memory of Chairman Mao!

There is some really spectacular food in China. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive, although we have had our share. But the food for most every day people here is made with good basic fresh ingredients. My wife and I have had a few of these meals. One lunch was great and we were the only anglos (foriegn devils) there. No one on staff spoke English and we had to order by pointing to pictures on the menu, and they were happy to serve us (except for one dish which the waitress indicted was Snake). Point being, isn't a damn shame that crap food like McDonalds and KFC is now big over here! It may mean the fall of everything over here eventually. After all fat people take up more space.

Thanks, your commission check is in the mail, xoxoxoBruce!:yelgreedy

The trip to the Shanghai Financial District Center was unfortunately in mid morning and not the best time for good lighting like at dusk or dawn. Anyway we had fun. The tour costs about $20 or so to get to the highest point and starts with a trip to the basement elevator holding area. Great display and movie but some folks have to talk on their cell phones just like back home!

We got up to the 100th floor and altough I suffer from vertigo (yes I am a photographer and I did see Hitchcock's "Vertigo" with Jimmy Stewart many years ago! It was pretty neat and I was ok as long as I did not look down while walking on the glass panels.

It's one cool view from the top of the world in Shangha and to think that all of the area of Pudong was built on what used to be a swamp.

Jeez, you wouldn't even trust your camera bag to the glass floor. :haha:

Fantastic pics. Great to see you guys on your next adventure.

Can we submit a list of what country we want you to go next? :D

LOL, we're thinking about going back to Alaska in August when we have hot and super humid weather in Houston, but one never knows. My wife has business in Orange Texas next month and Lima Ohio after that but you won't catch me going there!

We are home again. A 14 hour flight from Shanghai to Newark. Thankfully the construction at Newark we encountered 2 years ago is done or moved on to elsewhere in the airport and we cleared customs and repacked our bag. I remembered to pack away all of the Continental silverware that I scarfed. It's like mini stainless and will come in handy when the grandkids come over; I've lost too many good pieces down the garbage disposal from their visits in the past. Yes, I have no shame!

We had an hour of down time in Newark and then a 3 hour flight to Houston and home by midnight. Only bad thing about the return trip was a very bad case of Tourista! My wife got it as well and I can honestly say it was the worst case of some kind of bad bacteria in my system in my 52 years of life. I don't think that much liquid is supposed to come out of that bodily orifice if you get my meaning...:greenface:greenface:greenface:greenface:greenface

A day later and I just flew to Atlanta where I will spend the next 6 weeks finishing remuddling my parents house so we can sell it. Yes it's a down economy but it should go for the high $300,000's and they only paid $35,000 for it in 1967. Pictures to follow. I had a great greeting from my 9 year old lab who stays in Atlanta when we are traveling as there are family who will walk her and care for her. Glad that someone other then my wife loves me!

Thanks to those that posted comments. Travel is my vice (as well as good red wine) and I enjoy sharing with the Cellar members. :D

Sorry but the next scheduled trip is in mid July to take my father's ashes to the family gravesite in rural Minnesota so his remains can be placed next to his wife of 62 years. Not a very exciting trip photographicaly but if I get any zingers I will post them.

Thanks for sharing your great pictures, and perspective on the far flung corners of the world. We love you too, woof woof pant pant pant. :D

Crikey me, how did I miss this thread before?!
What Bruce said - thank you.

Me too, Sundae! I love Chris' trips - I live vicariously through him. Thank you Chris & Wife!