Travel in Shanghai City

Arrived in Shanghai by a night flight yesterday, I really want a good sleep. But no way, my guide must be waiting in the hotel lobby. So get up, and she is really there! The goals are Jade Buddha Temple, Jinan Temple, the Bund and Nanjing Road. So many sites for a day, because I have only two days time in Shanghai during my China tour. And tomorrow, it would be the Shanghai Expo time!
On the way to the Jade Buddha Temple, one minute you’re surrounded by tall, newish buildings and the next you’re accidentally stepping into a puddle that turns your foot grey while passing dilapidated housing, shops, and noodles thrown into the street. Between the buildings were narrow alleys with clothes strung up to dry. Residents young and old gathered on the sidewalk to eat and socialize. When we see several incense shops in a row. We arrived at the temple!
The Jade Buddha Temple wasn't too crowded, for which I was relieved. As I know the temple was one of the must-sees for Shanghai trip. I’d forgotten how much I like temples. They always have a calming effect on me, and with the cloudy weather today, I felt quite relaxed. The Jade Buddha was exquisite and I looked at it for a long while--both a Spanish tour group and some Chinese tourists (who made oil offerings) passed me. Next we went to Jinan Temple. It has a history of over 700 years, but they are renovating it so it looks about 7 days old. There were a lot more people there (this one isn’t off the beaten path, but rather right at the metro stop) and the people watching was excellent. Points of interest include: A man praying with lit incense almost setting a woman’s hair on fire. Luckily, I grabbed her so he only bumped her and got ash on her head. She yelled at him a lot, and part of me felt bad for him—you should be able to focus on your prayers without having to worry about people walking over and standing close to you and then setting them on fire! A grandmother with a baby not even big enough to sit up but she kept trying to make him bow before Buddha on one of the cushions. I almost got a photo of it
but then two other people got in the way. At the next Buddha she kept dipping the child to make it seem like he was bowing. Once again, no photo. After the temples we went for a walk around The Bund but one block over. There were magnificent architectures and few people. It was almost like stepping back in time! I found a Bund archive museum on accident. It was most impressive with photos and papers dating from the mid-1800s. Then we walked some more before taking the ferry across the river. I had hoped for a seat with a view, but I was only lucky enough to get a seat at all because a Chinese gentleman gave me his. I was very grateful for this, my guide said, to visit China, you can always meet the friendly normal people. Of course, the people by the windows didn’t seem to care about the view, but everyone in the middle section had a camera.
We walked for a while before reaching the promenade and take in the view some more. I just don’t tire of The Bund. After that we did one more swing through the financial center of Shanghai, the Nanjing Road, before heading back to the hotel around 530pm. I was hungry and all in sweat, so it was the time for dinner and shower!