The Bund

This past week Ken & I went to Shanghai. He was to be teaching a few seminars and I had time to sightsee. One of the best parts of this trip was the fact that many of the friends we have made in other areas were all part of this training. May Lene form Malaysia, Caslin from Singapore, Deb from the U.S., Rom from Hong Kong, Thunder from Beijing and others as well. It was also my first chance to meet Su, the new training manager from Shanghai. Everyone in the office there is terrific. And I am really looking forward to meeting them all again.


On arriving, I was very surprised and impressed with the city. It is so much more than I expected. The city is divided into two areas, Pudong & Puxi, separated by the Huangpu River. Pudong is home to much of the newer architecture and the buildings are all unique. The tallest at this time resembles either a cheese grater or a bottle opener depending on who you ask. It has a large square opening at the top and at night it is edged in blue and has sparkling lights all over it. Another building is currently under construction that will eclipse this one and will also become the tallest building in Asia.


The Puxi side houses the older parts of Shanghai. There are many newer buildings but also some amazing older ones showing a strong French and British influence from the 20's & 30's. Along the river on the Puxi side is a very long boardwalk called the Bund. 


So for our first night a group of us went to dinner at a Yunan restaurant near the Bund followed by a drink on the rooftop bar of the Peninsula Hotel. As we arrived in the area one of the first sights is the viewing/TV tower.

The restaurant was called Lost Heaven and specialized in food from Yunan Province. Even though Ken & Deb poured over the menu, we smartly let our hosts decide what to order. 

After dinner I got to pose with one of the girls in traditional Yunan costume.

Following our delicious dinner we adjourned to the rooftop of the Peninsula Hotel  and spent some time being thrilled by the views.

Notice the boats on the river. They sail up and down and are all lit by neon that changes color and pattern as they travel along. 

The views, the drinks and the company were terrific and it was a wonderful welcome to Shanghai.