Shanghai Thanksgiving

Heading out the evening before Thanksgiving from Beijing Railway Station (wearing my traditional winter holiday vest).


I love these 2-person sleepers. Nothing fancy, but they're clean, and each berth has its own bathroom.


Thanksgiving morning, getting close to Shanghai.


Jade Buddha Temple is "one of Shanghai's few active Buddhist monasteries." Lots of renovation going on there, but still well worth the visit. The highlight is definitely seeing the Jade Buddha, which is almost 6-feet high and carved from a solid piece of pale-green jade.






This is the first time I've seen a working robot in a hotel.


There it is taking a break back at its post in the lobby.


Again wearing the holiday vest.


Though Dawn didn't think this would be a good photo, it's one of my favorites from Shanghai.


Dawn suggested we take an early-morning walk along Shanghai's Huangpu River, which turned out to be an excellent idea.




That's Shanghai's famous Pearl Tower in the center. From our hotel room we had a partial view of it.


Photo taken at Shanghai's wonderful Yu Yuan Gardens.


Old fashioned Shanghai picture show at Yu Yuan Bazaar. Cost: 10 yuan (about $1.40).


The first room I've ever stayed in where the bathtub was the centerpiece.


Photo taken during our 50-minute night cruise on the Huangpu River. (That's the Pearl Tower on the left.)


We took the super-fast train from Shanghai back to Beijing. 670 miles, 4.5 hours, reaching speeds up to 240 mph!