Day 51
Shanghai, China
Zhujiajiao is a historical fishing town about an hour’s drive from Shanghai. This morning, we headed there to see the 600-year-old buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasty, as well as the surviving stone bridges, gardens and temples.
We really lucked out with the weather. Today was actually the first day of sunshine that we’ve had in China. Wanting to take advantage of this, we hopped on a water taxi that guided us through town and dropped us off at a Taoist temple that is still used.
The temple’s courtyard had trees that were covered in red cloth, hung for good luck. The monks there asked us to light some incense, offered a written fortune (that was in Chinese) and then asked us for a donation.
After lunch back in Shanghai, we made our way to the city’s landmark Oriental Pearl TV Tower, the tallest tower in Asia and third tallest in the world. One hundred yen brought us to 263rd floor, where buildings and this city of 22 million stretched for as far as the eye could see.
We had our final dinner as the “China Express” trip came to an end. While most of the group leaves tomorrow, I’ve given myself an extra day to relax, do some laundry and prepare for my next tour that starts from Bangkok in 48 hours.
Marc Zawel 
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