2 or 3rd day of trip

Wednesday? or whatever day it is.
After a fitful night of sleeping on the hour every hour, I had a wake up call set for 4 AM. Got up and dressed and boarded hotel bus to airport at 4:40. There are other people on my tour on this plane, (I’m able to figure out there are 7 of us—that’s 7 out of our group of 24) which left at 6:15 this morning. We are now in flight. We weren’t able to get complimentary flight vouchers for a future flight, but got a certificate for $25. Evidently, you can’t get comped unless you are delayed 12 hours. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7 last night and by getting out at 6:15 this morning the airline got in under the wire.

We just finished a typically terrible airline breakfast. The only good thing was the green tea. Airline coffee gets worse. I’m beginning to feel like a curmudgeon, but I’m sure I’ll be more positive once we get with our group. More later.

Landed in Shanghai at 8AM. Met by Jackie of Grand Circle Travel. There are 9 of us. Easily got thru customs and now on our way to the Royalton Hotel an hour away.
We are informed that the rest of the group has graciously voted to delay the scheduled departure on the day’s activities and wait for our arrival. We get to the hotel, greeted by Nan Liu, our group director. Quickly get our room assignments and go to the room. Returning to the lobby in 15 minutes. The hotel room is large and lovely with lots of little accoutrements, however, no bidet. I quickly change clothes store my computer in the room safe and rush down to meet the group and even quickly change some us dollars into RIM.

We then get into our bus to go to Yu Garden. Driving in Shanghai is like nowhere else. There are cars bumper-to-bumper driving along many lanes with light signals, changing from red to green and arrows pointing red and green for turns. Each lane has its own indicator. Thus cars in the far right lane can suddenly turn left in front of 5 other lanes of cars of which 4 are going ahead and the far left lane is position to turn right. While this is going on, there are bicycles riding in the bicycle lane on the right who might cross over three lanes if a car is parked there or might just cut in front of moving traffice if they are crossing an avenue. Picture this: as pedestrians try to manever their way across the street without any street lights indicating when they syould cross. I amazed at this as I watch waiting for there to be a pileup. I ask Nan are there many accidents and am told there are, yet you would think that the cars that are driving would be banged up and yet they are I pristine condition. I am going to try to film this. It is amazing. I’m a good driver, but I would never attempt it here. I have been to Mexico, France, China and even Thailand and this is beyond any dangerous or congested driving I have every seen. There are close to 18 million people living in Shanghai and the population is growing, as more laborers are moving here. Expo 1210 is going to be here and the construction is all around. The architecture of the building is difference and creative. It is truly a bustling city. Most buildings are over 18 floors high.

From Ly Garden we went for a Chinese lunch. I was not impressed, but we stopped at an embroidery gallery of embroidered painting that looked like oil paints. I see the prices in both RIM and US dollars. I’m tired but almost bought one of these beauties thinking what a bargain, until I realized the 5800 dollars didn’t have a decimal point. Fortunately I didn’t embarrass myself before it was too late,

After lunch we went to the Shanghai Museum, What a great collection of Bronzes and ceramics. I’m in heaven, but too tired to really give it the attention I would like to. After
the museum we came back to the hotel. Running late, we have 1 hour to get ready for dinner. Is it Tuesday, and am I in Belgium? I take a shower and don’t really want to get out of the bath. It is hot and humid in the 90’s, but our busses are air-conditioned as is the places we go to when we are not outside, so it isn’t bad. We go to another Chinese dinner (again I’m not too impressed with the food) it is very bland and perhaps Americanized for our group.
We have a professor prior to being served giving us a lecture on the Cultural Revolution of 1967 to 1976. Again it is very interesting, but my eyes keep losing focus and I see two of him. The rest of my group of 24 is very pleasant. More about them later as I get to know them better. We get back to the hotel at 8:20and I go to bed and leave a message for a 7 am call.