I woke up around 2:30am cuz the ship was not being bounced around any longer. I looked out at that time. I would say that we were probably sailing up the Yangtze. I saw no high buildings but lights all along the banks.

J and I don’t have any excursions booked so we went in search of a mall. It was strange to see hardly any vehicles on the streets…. Big wide empty streets. It’s still part of the New Years time so not much activity this early in the day. The architecture of the buildings both on this side of the Huangpu River and the Pudong, are spectacular. It is absolutely amazing. There are lovely parks and huge jungle Jim type facilities as well as a skating rink for kids outside the mall. When we decided to return to the ship, we couldn’t find the access to return to the ship even if you could almost touch it. We have gotten our quota of steps in already and the day is only partly over. The sun is trying to shine but there is a lot of smog in the skies and it is quite cool…. At most only 8C. today. 

Later L and I went on an excursion called Shanghai by night. The bus took us through the tunnel under the Huangpu River to the Pudong area… the area that was only started to be built in the 1990‘s…… amazing architecture. Formerly it was only farmland. Because it is still the New Year celebration there are now huge number of people out and about now. Our first stop ….. (that we had to wait atleast an hour in lineup), was to the 88th floor of the JinMao tower.

Then we travel across the river via the Nanpu Bridge….. that looks like the Alex Frazer Bridge in Vancouver.

And then onto the old French “Quarter” where we stopped for a libation. These old buildings have been turned into a destination place of bars and fancy shops….like Gastown, I am thinking.

And then through the Bund area