Sunday, March 23, 2014 - Shanghai II

Despite Smog issues Shanghai treated me to a beautiful second day.

View from my bedroom window (and that is not the city center!):

View from the living room balcony. Such a lovely flat and my colleague spoiled me so much. So good after the anxiety before...

Breakfast in the sun in a small park close by.

Sushi bought in a 7/11 on the way. Best moments ever! ;)

To prevent the seaweed to lose it's perfect consistency the sushi is packed in a specific genial way so one can easily assemble it oneself. So exciting.

We came across a beautiful church where they were having a service.

Lots of tender smiling people singing - pure joy of life.

Well Shanghai isn't all skyscrapers:

Also everything happens on a scale which is just slightly lager...

Can you find the ancient Temple hidden in the photo?

A performance we came across accidentally. In a lovely park area.

Jing'an Temple

The temple was first built in 247 AD in the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms period of ancient China. Originally located beside the Suzhou Creek, it was relocated to its current site in 1216 during the Song Dynasty. The current temple was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty but, during the Cultural Revolution, the temple was converted into a plastic factory. In 1983, it was returned to its original purpose and renovated with the Jing'An Pagoda completed in 2010.

Many chambers with different statues:

China combines it as only China can - the old and the new in harmony.

Incense stand at the Temple.

Monks doing their ritual thing. Did not seem too excited about it.... ;)

The taxi driver it protected by a special plastic capsule - I wounder why...

Maybe he new that we were sooo hungry. Went back to the french concession to lunch at a organic place. It was a feast! :D

Later we went to a store to buy a SIM card for myself. It was quite complicated. We even had to get a waiting number - I felt like at a German administrative office... One of the guys even tried to cheat me for 100 yuan.

100.00 CNY - 11.5950 EUR (CNY = Chinesischer Renminbi - The yuan (sign: ¥) is the basic unit of the renminbi, but is also used to refer to the Chinese currency generally, especially in international contexts.) We did realise it though. It would not have been tragic but reminds one to keep on ones toes.