Pudong

From Hongqiao (虹桥) Railway Station, I took the familiar line 2 to Pudong (浦东), east of the river. I had earmarked the Beehome Hostel for a night's stay. Not only was it slightly closer to the airport, but would be a change of scenery. It was easy to find, and being set back from the main road, was relatively quiet. Actually, because it's an area of skyscrapers and wide avenues, Pudong felt less frenetic than the other side of the river.  After lunch I took myself for a walking tour of the giants. This is the base of the SWFC, or the "bottle opener".

This is Shanghai Tower which, if all goes according to plan, will be finished by 2014, and be second only to Burj Dubai as the tallest building in the world.

Here I'm at the base of the Jin Mao (金茂) Tower.

And this photo shows the elegant stepped design.

Finally I reached the riverside promenade where I faced The Bund on the opposite bank.

It was a mellow afternoon, and I relaxed with a coffee from Starbucks. The young employees immediately picked me out as a tourist. I explained that I was an overseas Chinese. They seemed intrigued at encountering a Chinese person who had lived all his life outside China and who had come to see the "old country".


(The ascent of the Pearl Tower will be in the next post.)