Sunday, May 18 - leaving Shanghai

I haven’t been able to timely post on this blog since arriving in Japan because of the lack of internet service/availability. Hopefully I can post some interesting details when I get back to the good old US of A.

About Japan - what an interesting country and I found Tokyo to be breath-talking. I wish our tour had more time there but I understand why not because it is so hideously expensive there.

I found Kyoto to be excellent too.

I am writing this on Sunday afternoon in Shanghai. I am not certain it will post because the Chinese government has just started an internet monitoring program in anticipation of the of the Olympics. Once you got online it takes forever for every website to load.

These are emails I sent to family --
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Thursday - tomorrow it is on to China

Hi:

An awesome　day in Kyoto today　and in the morning we leave Japan to begin our adventure in China.

Once again, I hope this goes through OK.

In a few words - Japan is interesting beyond description　and the people are terrific.

Hopefully I can give more details when we get to our hotel in Shanghai．　I have been doing OK in keeping my log.

Billi Pod
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Friday night - in Shanghai

Hi everyone:

I am in the lobby of the Sofitel Hotel in the middle of Shanghai and it is 10:15pm, They have just installed wifi service, but in the lobby only.

Today was a very long day with a long bus ride to the airport in Osaka and then the flight to Shanghai. The flight went OK and we actually had a pretty decent meal.

Had no problems with getting luggage, clearing passport control and customs. Our main tour director, Mark, was with us and we were met by our Shanghai guide, David.

The airport is a long way out of the city and it took 90 minutes to get to our hotel. The weather is awesome.

After a brief rest we headed out to a museum for a couple of hours and then had dinner at a Thai Restaurant.

When we got back to the hotel around 7:30 we split and I went walking in the area of the hotel, which is on one of the busiest streets in the city. It was awesome.

Tomorrow we have a 7:00am wakeup call and depart at 9:00 for a full day of sightseeing, ending with an acrobatic show in the evening.

How about letting me know if this goes through OK and is in English.

Billi Pod
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Sunday - Leaving Shanghai

Hi everyone:

{is this comes through twice - sorry - this internet service sucks}

It is 12:10pm on Sunday and I am sitting in the lobby of the Sofitel in Shanghai. We have checked out and now have some extra free time because we don't leave for the airport until 3:45. I am not certain what our flight departure time is or the length of the flight. For whatever reason our Tour Director, Mark (who is doing an excellent job) hasn't shared that information with us.

As I wrote the other day, the internet service in the lobby of the hotel is quirky and once we get online, sites takes forever to load. Someone said that the government has ordered local hotels to monitor websites, but I don't know if that is true.

Shanghai is H U G E!!! I have tried not to compare Tokyo to Shanghai or the Chinese to the Japanese, at least not until the whole tour is over. The traffic here is chaotic and is beyond comprehension. The crowds are the same. I have taken a lots of picture, especially of the new buildings and the skyline. With all of the internet problems I will not try to send them until later.

As I said, the skyline is awesome with lots of tall new buildings.

On Saturday we spent the entire day on and off the tour bus going to various landmark locations. We also spent some time at a Kindergarten (ages 3-7) and were allowed to go inside the instruction areas to take pictures and then on to a silk production shop - both very interesting.

We had lunch in a Mongolian restaurant. I know but just like last night's Thai place, the tour selected the restaurant. I had pork, chicken, lamb and ?.

Most of the afternoon was spent at a mega-crowded rock garden.

For the evening we had a wonderful show by a world acclaimed acrobatic team, whose name escapes me at the moment.

We were back at the hotel around 9:30. I got some diet coke and a ? sandwich and after eating it spent the next several hours just wandering through the massive Saturday night crowds.

Bottom line on Shanghai - very impressive and it has been an enlightening experience.

Now, I am through sitting here and will stow the computer case and head out to do something.

Later.

Billi Pod 
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So there it is - hopefully to be posted.

Billi Pod
wanjr@aol.com