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| The Bundt with the towers behind us |
Today is our first day in Shanghai. The tour company arranged for us to take a full day city tour.
First we had a wonderful buffet breakfast at the Radisson dining room. Lots of choices including American coffee, eggs, bacon waffles etc.
We arranged for a private tour so we could set the pace at each visit. First was a drive on Nanjing Road, the main commercial street in Shanghai. Lots of tall buildings with the names of large companies on them. From here the driver took us to the Bund, the waterfront promenade with the Huangpu River on one side and historical buildings on the other.
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| Bundt promenade |
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| Shanghai Tower |
The Bundt is one of the must see things in Shanghai. The driver let us off and the guide led us to different spots on the Bund pointing out historical buildings and some history of the city.
Lots of people out- tourists and locals.
One place we saw was the Fairmont Peace Hotel. I had read it has a famous jazz band and afternoon teas.
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| Peace hotel interior |
We looked across the river and saw the Shanghai Tower - second highest tower in the world. https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/tower.htm.
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| Shanghai tower on right and Pearl tower on left |
We spent about an hour walking the Bundt and taking photos.
Next stop was the Jade Buddha Temple. It was a short drive from the Bundt.
One of Shanghai’s few active Buddhist monasteries, this temple was built between 1918 and 1928. The highlight is a transcendent Buddha crafted from pure jade, one of five shipped back to China by the monk Hui Gen at the turn of the 20th century.
The Temple complex includes the Hall of Heavenly Kings, holding the statues of the Four Heavenly Kings who look upon the four cardinal points. Directly opposite is the twin-eaved Grand Hall, the temple's most significant building, where worshippers pray to the past, present and future Buddhas. Also within the Grand Hall are splendidly carved luóhàn (arhats), lashed to the walls with wires, and a copper-coloured statue of Guanyin at the rear. Passing through the Grand Hall is the gated tranquil courtyard, where stairs lead up to the Jade Buddha Hall. The absolute centrepiece of the temple is the 1.9m-high pale-green jade Buddha, seated upstairs and carved from one piece. Photographs are not permitted. Further into the complex is the Reclining Buddha Hall, which contains a small reclining white jade Buddha from Burma that's displayed in a glass cabinet. The Mahavira Hall was renovated and reopened in 2019; it was raised by a metre and now stands at 18.2m tall and weighs in at 1000 tonnes.
After an hour of visiting the temple Rebecca our guide said she was going to take us for lunch. She took us to a restaurant near our hotel-not close enough for us to walk to- and she started ordering a few dishes and I ordered Kung Pao Chicken. That chicken dish was the best I have ever eaten anywhere. If we could have walked here from the hotel we would have eaten every meal here.
After the delicious filling lunch it was time to visit the 400 year old Yun garden. My impression was that is would be located on the city outskirts.
Wrong. It was in the center city and surrounded by a large complex of tourist shops-the Yuyuan bazaar.
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/yuyuan-bazaar.htm
We walked through the shopping complex to reach the garden entrance.
https://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/shanghai/yuyuan_garden.htm
Once we entered we experienced quiet from the city noise. The visitors were quiet and we were able to visit all the buildings in the garden. It was really beautiful.
After visiting the pavilions and halls we went to the bazaar and did shop shopping and sightseeing.
Since we were done with the tour early we asked Rebecca if we can go visit the new Starbucks Reserve. She said it was by a upscale shopping center.
Away we went and the driver left us off close by.
There was a line to enter and we had to wait around 5 mins to get in. The place was huge.
The main floor had pastries and merchandize for sale. Second floor sold tea and accessories.
We bought some pastries and coffees and had a coffee break. Afterwards we bought two small souvenirs- a magnet and coffee cup.
We went back to the hotel to rest.
Around 6pm we walked down to the promenade across the street to find a place to eat and to walk in the pedestrian mall. We found typical American restaurants ie McDonalds and KFC.
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| Our hotel is in the center with the round top |
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| Small train to take to get to the Bundt |
Checking one mall for restaurants we found the Blue Frog and went there for dinner. I had read online that it was a good restaurant serving Western food.
We had cocktails and ordered dinner. The drinks and dinners were great. The service was wonderful and the waitresses spoke some English and were eager to speak to us.
Afterwards back to the hotel. Tomorrow we go to Shanghai Disney Land.
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