The plan for my first stop in Shanghai

by Heather Hopkins Clement

My friend Caroline and I will be arriving at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport on Friday, 2/19 at different times.  Since Caroline is arriving in the morning, she will be the first to do most things that morning like riding the maglev train into the city and previewing the hotel we have selected—The Puli Hotel and Spa.  I think she already hears the spa calling her name to help her de-stress from the long flight and give her body some help in coping with jetlag. 

If she feels up to it, I’ve recommended that she visit Yuyuan Garden in the afternoon.  My husband Brad and I visited it last October, and I really loved it.  I went crazy taking pictures.  They were just so many interesting views.  The contrast of this garden juxtaposed with the new skyscrapers lining Shanghai’s skyline is quite a sight. 

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I hope to meet up with her at the hotel that evening, take a quick shower and head out for a Chinese vegetarian banquet.  I’m sure I’ll sleep well that night, and I’m hoping Caroline will too!

We hope to do some sightseeing the next morning if our bodies cooperate.  The plan is then to check out of the hotel and take a taxi to the pier to check into our cabin on the Ocean Princess.  After we get settled into our cabin, we should have some time to go back out exploring before we set sail at 7:00 PM.   We just can’t visit the museums; I plan to do that with Janabeth when I return in March.