I was excited to hit the city. Heidi had scheduled a bike tour of French quarter of Shanghai so we were driven to a fancy hotel where our bike tour began. For me, there was something familiar and wonderful about biking through elegant streets with Heidi; it reminded me of 30 years ago when we were missionaries in Solothurn together for a month. The most lovely tour guide elevated our experience as we rode to an older part of the city where I was able to see what a "typical" dwelling situation might looks like: shared kitchen and bathrooms with your own bedroom....about $1200/month rent. Ouch! We rode to different parks where I was able to see older people dancing, painting, playing instruments, singing, playing games, LIVING life with joy and happiness. I felt a closeness to my world family as I enjoyed studying their way of life and loving others. Next, a stop at an indoor and outdoor market- so fun! I took video of the shops, the produce, the squids and shrimp, everything. We were able to visit a few temples. I appreciated the reverence in each one.
The final stop on the bike tour was one of the most beautiful temples I saw: City God Temple at Yu Garden. It was breathtaking! I was able to see the Shanghai Tower in the background of the gardens, the 3rd tallest building in the world in 2026. Heidi told me that would be our afternoons top a little later. We enjoyed the beautiful gardens and temple for an hour or so before riding back to the hotel.
Next on the list was the Shanghai Tower. We had to show our passports, go through security, and a little museum before stepping into the elevator. I hadn't realized we were even moving upward until my ears started to pop! The elevator moved so rapidly---119 floors in under a minute. I kept watching where we were on a screen (see video). As I stepped out at the top, I was in awe of the view I saw of Shanghai! From every angle, there were endless high-rise buildings, skyscrapers, homes, businesses as far as my eyes could see. It was breathtaking and quite frankly, overwhelming to breathe it all in. We spent an hour talking about different places we saw, where Heidi and Creed lived their first time in China and so forth.
In the evening, after work, we went to dinner with Creed. We dined on some traditional dumplings and salad....delicious! What an incredible first day in Shanghai!
