Shanghai sights! :)

Here you can see the crowds we were always facing! I didn't handle it that well that times. :( but took it before Father.

Here are some pictures inside of the Jade Buddha Temple. I was glad to see the saddened heart that Lisa was given from the people praying to man-made images. It really re-affirmed her travel here and the needs of the people. Monks live here also and recite prayers in some of the rooms. The fire you can see is frequently lit with incense towards the dead.

Below is a picture of the Pearl tv tower. It is a very famous attraction here.

It is actually taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris! Because of the long lines it took us about 3 hours of waiting in line until we could reach the top. It was pretty expensive also. However, we met an Australian couple later on line that we were able to talk with for a short bit. They had been doing a whirlwind tour of various places all around China. They were nice to chat with.
At the top of the tower is where you are provided with a great view of the Bund, which is Shanghai's French/English shopping & commerical district. There are river tour boats which go along the river and provide you with a view of the many lights and sights. We walked there one night after a VERY long day and once again faced the many, many crowds. It took us forever to herd our way to the tunnel to cross the road onto the other side where we could finally get a taxi for our ride home. Thankfully, a kind Chinese man allowed us to use his taxi as he would wait for another. It was so crowded that it was very hard to get a taxi. And the fees are up that it costs 11 yuan just to enter. (The normal rate here in Changsha is 1.6), but it was well worth it.

Lisa's favorite part of the Pearl TV tower was the very large and

extensive wax museum at the bottom of the tower. She said that the wait would have been MUCH better had the long line winded through the wax museum first. However, it was very nice to quietly make our way through it after the crowds and long lines. The museum did an excellent job of telling the history of Shanghai, from early on to the slow encroachment of foreign British and English settlers and their influence. We actually weren't even able to see all of it because we had dinner plans with the British couple who were also seeing Shanghai over the break.

This is a view from the top of the Pearl Tower. There are

so many skyscrapers in Shanghai that it just overwhelms you and doesn't affect you any more. Actually, from the top of buildings such as this and our hotel, they actually look like a fake building set. You just see one identical tower after another. It is such a weird view. Really does look fake and something that you could just knock down and send them all toppling domino effect.

This is another view from the top. You can see a river boat along the river and some beautiful French influenced buildings.

Me in front of the Pearl Tower. They have concerts here at night also. It becomes insanely crowded at night also. Some of the metro lines stop because of the crowds also. The band performing the night we were there kind of resembled Shakira. However, the sound equipment was messing up a bit and the speakers would mess up every now and then. We didn't stay for it though. No use seeing a woman shaking all around with a short top on right? Little children slide down concrete slides that go along the stairs also. We ate that night inside of a shopping mall where Lisa was delighted to find an Italian restaurant and receive spaghetti! She was surprised to see that I still ordered a rice dish! She would think that I would become tired of eating rice all the time! My insides are definitely going to be full of Chinese "bugs" so to speak. Our friends that we have met here could not handle American food for a little while when they returned home because of how their stomach changed over here. We will likely face that problem. I only had mild problems adjusting, while Lisa has had a little more difficult time.