My Brief Travel Itinerary for Shanghai
Type of Holiday: Free and Easy
Flight: SQ 816
Dep: Singapore Changi Airport 0115 hrs
Arr: Shanghai Pudong International Airport 0620 hrs
I arrived in Pudong International Airport in the early morning of 30th January 2007 and I was feeling the coldness of the winter months. It was about 2 degrees Celsius ?, supposingly freezing conditions for tropical folks like us but I was enjoying it thoroughly.
While I was on the Boeing 777-300, I was watching movies and relaxing, great to be away from my work and just enjoying myself. This trip was made possible by my cousin who was on her project management regular trips to Shanghai, that resulted in me having “sponsored” accommodation and wonderful hosts and tour guides for my holidays.
We were received by my cousin’s company representative that picked us up and we were soon on our way to the company in Songjiang, about 30km southwest of Shanghai city. Travelling on the expressway, I had my first image of China, it is really very very big. Studying in Australia for my Bachelor was a very memorable experience and I appreciated the sheer land size ….. however, Shanghai, which is part of China, just is so much much bigger …… People who visited China would be able to share the same thoughts as me…..
Many different sights of Shanghai appeared while we were travelling on the road, new upcoming beautiful apartments, houses, Huangpu River, Xupu Bridge, farms, canals, boats…… A cultural experience and exchange is soon on the way
Upon reaching the office, I unloaded and unpacked my luggage, a quick wash up and off I went, visiting the world famous Pudong District of Shanghai. Travelling up along the financial district hub of Shanghai (& China), I was in awe of the size, modern high rise buildings and number of financial institutions (local and overseas) residing here. My first stop was Oriental Pearl TV Tower Oriental_Pearl_Tower . We bought the tickets that allowed us to visit all the various levels of the magnificient tower, the highest viewing point was 350m.
The weather in the morning was foggy and the day views when I was up there was clouded. On a clear day, it would be a very beautiful landscape. If you are in Shanghai, this landmark is a monument not to be missed. Besides that, when we finished visiting the different levels of the tower, we went to the ground floor and had a great time looking at the mini history museum, understanding Shanghai culutre better. My excellent tour guide was also on hand to explain some of their unique farming equipment.
We had our lunch and later went over to Puxi Disrict, on the opposite bank of the Huangpu River, facing Pudong District. Walking down the Bund, looking at the colonial buildings of great heritage, displays the historical pride of Shanghai in its early days. There were many people from all walks of life, taking photos of the Pudong District, relaxing, chatting and enjoying themselves.
I was there, along the beautiful Bund, an icon of Shanghai to the world. It was a great opportunity to put my Canon EOS 30D to the test and bring out my photojournalism skills to the next level. Taking many different photos and writing down my travelling and cultural experiences into my blog.
Returning back to Songjiang, a rest and shower, before heading for my first dinner in China. Great food but I wasn’t too used to their style of cooking (a bit too oily for me) at He Ji Restaurant. After that, we went to look at Songjiang city centre district and I had to admit that my initial opinions on Songjiang had changed. It is growing and it is a major industrial area hub (very similar to Tuas Industrial Estate w/ Jurong Housing Estate but twice or three times the size).
After a long day, I was knocked out, partly due to the fact that I hardly slept during my midnight flight. My Day 2 adventure would be starting soon.