Living Life to its Fullest: 10/15/10 – Day 20 – Shanghai, China: An Introduction to the City

Early, early this morning (while I was sound asleep in my bed) we left the China Sea and traveled up the Huangpu River until arriving in downtown Shanghai, where we are currently docked. This is one of my favorite ports so far. Our boat, the M.S. Amsterdam is literally docked right smack in the middle of the city. About half of a mile up the river on our side is “the Bund.” This is an incredibly lively area that has a riverwalk with most buildings dating back to the early 1900s. Jutting off of the Bund in Nanjing Road, a very busy shopping street for both locals and tourists alike. The view of the Bund is beautiful both day and night. Across the river is the section of Shanghai called Pudong with its tall skyscrapers including the oddly shaped Oriental Pearl TV Tower. 20 years ago, this whole area was farmland, but not any more. It is now the main commerce arena of Shanghai. It, too, is a sight to see both day and night.

We began our day at 8:30 with an overview tour of the highlights of the city of Shanghai, both old and new. We loaded a bus and went through a tunnel under the river to Pudong. There we got off of the bus to visit a riverside park. Then, we headed up to the 88^th floor of the Jinmao Tower for a birds-eye view of the city below. After that, we boarded the bus and headed back over to the other side of the river. Here we drove by for a closer look at the Bund and Nanjing Road shopping street. At the end of Nanjing Road is Shanghai’s People’s Square. We once again got off of the bus. This time for a picture stop of the square and the city museum. After that, our half-day tour concluded and we headed back to the ship for some lunch.

After lunch, my folks and I headed back out; this time to explore the city on our own. We decided to go over and not just see, but “experience” the Bund and Nanjing Road. And, that is what it was: an experience. The Bund (the riverwalk), as we quickly discovered was the “hangout” for both locals and out-of-towners. If there was ever a place for people watching, this has got to be it. After spending some time on the Bund, we crossed the street and headed down Nanjing Road. This is like combat shopping. The people overflowed the sidewalks into the streets. Many stores had bargain bins near there open entrances (no doors) that had people gathered around on all sides resembling ants on a morsel of chocolate. We went into a store that was called “the underground” which was a large market with lots of little booths. They sold everything from art to souvenirs to imitation purses and watches to “made in China” toys such as remote control helicopters. Our time started to run short, so we took a taxi back to the ship.

We once again grabbed a bite to eat before heading back out. This time, we had booked an exciting evening of entertainment: a traditional Chinese acrobat show. We boarded the bus bound for the Circus World Theater. It was truly an amazing and unforgettable show. All of the music was live, and the performers were extremely talented. We saw contortionists who built human pyramids and sculptures in all sorts of well-balanced positions. They had guys jumping and tumbling thru hoops. They had a couple who performed a beautifully choreographed aerial act. My favorite was when they had motorcyclists ride in circles inside a spherical metal cage. This was amazing with one cyclist, but then they added a second and then a third. They kept adding cyclists until there were eight people riding motorcycles inside this gigantic hamster ball. It was an excellent show, and overall an enjoyable day in Shanghai.