Slices of Chinese life

 Waking up early, I was again able to see the city in a very unique way. In the quiet unhurried hour before sunrise I made my way to a large park 3 miles away called West Bund. 

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Hundreds of shops, all around the city, busy preparing steam buns to feed the millions on the way to work

  Walking past a major hospital and new high-rise luxury apartment complex being built until I reached a huge area miles long that went along the river in what used to be old industrial property. 

                        Gardens, climbing walls, walking and running paths wind around old coal and steel factory pieces. Urban planners have done a great job incorporating open space recreation into the continuing plan to upgrade the city

And they keep it clean with daily power washing of the most frequently traveled areas

 My walk took me past a small park that had the sound of birds streaming from it. Upon closer inspection, I came upon a group of men who gather regularly with their birds so that both they and the birds can socialize. The hobby is called Tí long (carrying the bird cages) jià niǎo (keeping birds on perches) and it is often used to criticize idle men.What a great sound as the dozen  

plus birds sang out to each other.

I returned in time to organize for lunch out at a restaurant in a mall that serves dumplings that they enjoy and squab (immature, domestic pigeon) that Zongda really likes. It was very good and I like having another opportunity to go to places that they have enjoyed. 

From there, we walked around the area with lots of shops and crowds because of the holiday week. 

Our destination was the Catholic cathedral, which is at the headquarters for the Catholic Church. Beautiful cathedral inside and out.

The kids were winding down and Sheri and I opted for the walk back to the apartment as they headed off in a cab. Passing through the park with music and butterfly gardens is the perfect tonic for any city stresses. 

The next day we joined an unbelievable number of people to see a landmark called the WuKang building. This building is the centerpiece for the wealthy old residential neighborhood of Shanghai. All throughout the city these old reminders of the past are a big draw.

The manhole covers in this area

This was one of many that would capture you in front of the building and provide a instant picture 

The crowds were thick and gradually lessened as we got further away 

This is a picture of a powered bike piled with materials that can provide an income for the driver. This certainly illustrates the huge gap between the middle and lower classes 

People do dress very well in the city and even some in types of costumes though this might be a bit outside the scope…but she can still text

Another Favorite of theirs is a restaurant near the Bund called Lost Heaven. It was very nice. From the vegetable pancakes to the desserts the food had more of a western feel. From there we could watch the crowds streaming towards the Bund. 

We were able to mingle with the masses as they wound around the lit up buildings looking across to the lights of the buildings on the opposite side 

                                      It was not comfortable moving about with a stroller and Sophia lose so we made our way to a good spot to order an online cab pointed in the right direction. 

Grandad teaching how yelling into a cone is fun 

These guys are just amazing