Shanghai+Touring

= Shanghai Touring  =

So we are all a little disoriented today, what with flopping into bed after being awake for 24+ hours. And of course we didn't exchange room numbers, so we all had to navigate alone the weird key cards, no lights unless card is in slot, expensive converters that don't, and Internet that isn't. But Kristen and I finally found each other in the morning and went out for a walk. Here are some random shots (sorry for the pic size - Wikispaces doesn't work as nicely as Google!)

(the pic of durian fruit was taken in honor of Dean Norman - who is a big fan!

(all doggie shots are taken especially for my son Jesse, an avid dog lover)

There was fried rice for breakfast - along with all kinds of other things. I've vowed to eat a banana a day if possible - skills for international travel survival also developed thanks to Harry, Carol, and even Paul during my UEE visit to Vietnam.

But we were then off to the Oriental Pearl TV Tower (read more about this cool place at Wikipedia) ! Silly me, I mentioned last night that the traffic was so light - well, this morning more than made up for it! The Oriental Pearl Tower is 468 meters high, the hightest TV tower in Aisia and the third in the world (and no, I don't know who is first and second. Look it up and let me know!). We went to the main sightseeing floor - 263 meters. at 259 meters you can also walk on the glass (freak out for folks afraid of heights, but we are brave souls!) Here we are sitting on the glass - four cute girls and three cute boys. Lawrence (middle) is the team leader and fearless mentor for Team L - Lawrence, Vikki, Kristen, and Natalie. He advises on all things Chinese, including food and shopping. So far he has not steered us wrong and has saved us from venturing down the street and around the corner in search of Ma Jong sets. He has also helped us elude some persistent salesmen and provided us with sweet treats.



Here are some of our group!



For lunch we ate Western food at the Reddot - and guess what was next door? A Starbucks!!! Kristen and I did the Starbucks dance and got us some. **THE DAY ISN'T DONE - PLEASE CONTINUE TO YU GARDEN AND MORE!**