China Day 3 -- Shanghai to Yichang (Yangtze)

Rise and shine! Wake up in Shanghai, head for the breakfast buffet, grab your daypack and get on the bus! All packed luggage has been picked up and on it's way to the Yangtze.

Our local guide has taken us to a local shopping area where there are no locals. We wander through this shopping area, but buy nothing.

We work our way through to the Yuyuan Gardens. These are 400 years old and cover five acres.

It's raining hard, and I'm ready to leave Shanghai. I like it and everyone is friendly, but I am done with the big city.

We wander around the Yuyuan Gardens in the rain and humidity. It's a thousand degrees outside and I am sticky.

One of the cool things about the Chinese is that they are into roofs, doorways, and floors. Everywhere we looked, we saw ornate carvings on the houses, doorways, and ceilings. Check this out.

This little cutie was posing at the Gardens to the delight of her proud mother. She looks older than four, huh?

We continue wandering around and eventually board the bus for the Jade Buddha Temple.

Inside the inner courtyard of the Jade Buddha Temple.

Lots to say about this place, but what amazed me was the dress of the people who came here to pray. They were all very sincere and seemed very religious. This speaks again to my point about the new and modern China: this is a good example. Religious, local Chinese kneeling and praying before their God, and looking like we do.

And, of course, the ubiquitous Chinese red lanterns. Chinese red lanterns are a symbol of happiness and good luck. Raising the red lantern is a tradition that began in China back in the 1600's during the Qing Dynasty.

And finally, we leave the beautiful, cosmopolitan city of Shanghai. We saw the many Koi ponds, the locals, and the kite fliers. We were always impressed with how well the people converted a bicycle into a truck, bus, flatbed, paint hauler, or produce bin.

In the late afternoon of the third day, we leave Shanghai and head for the airport to Yichang, the gateway to the Yangtze River. I loved the Chinese signs that they could never get quite right.

Although a thousand photos follow, we were so excited to reach the Yangtze and board our boat. We check into our small , but cozy room and settle in. The little deck looks to the outside and we watched a hundred towns and cities roll by.

I stick my head outside and this is the first view I see of the longest river in Asia and the third longest in the world.

Our boat, the President #1 was just fine and had a large dining room with great breakfasts. We go to bed looking forward to waking up on the Yangtze and continuing our adventure.