Shanghai walking day tour for city attraction

Finally I manage to visit China for the third time after Chengdu and Guangxi, which is Shanghai. It is a business trips and I only have a day to visit Shanghai top attraction. I have designed an walking tours for a day at Shanghai covering 4 areas.



I arrive at Shanghai at 6:30am and taking the METRO train from Pudong International Airport at around 7:30am to East Nanjing station with Line 2 where the Shanghai Bund located.

I planned to stay around Shanghai Bund for the convenience of attraction area. I walked to about 15 minutes to Elegance Bund Hotel located at Guangdong Road towards the Bund. After the check in process and I start my walking tours at around 10:00am.



I divided the walking tours into 5 session eg Shanghai Bund, Nanjing East, Xindianti, Yuyuan garden and Oriental Tower. I started my first session of my walk to Shanghai Bund which is along the river where there are beautiful scenery of the business district of Oriental Tower, Financial Tower & new Shanghai Tower.
At shanghai bund there are row of heritage building occupied by banks.
This is the best spot of beautiful scenery at Shanghai and I really love it very much especially the night view as well when I revisit later in the evening. Then walking towards the Shanghai sightseeing tunnel and enjoying the bund promenade for about 45 minutes before heading to Nanjing east road.





Then the second session is just across the Shanghai tunnel where the Nanjing east road located. I walked along the Nanjing east road for about another 45 minutes to people square without any shopping. It is just a photograph session along the road. Please beware of shanghai scams where there are people asking you for massage etc.  This is a road of shopping street like orchard road at Singapore and Bukit Bintang at Kuala Lumpur. I don’t really fancy shopping and nothing to shout about.





I took the metro train line 1 at 11:30am from people square to south huangpi station for RMB3 to start my 3rd session of Xindianti. The station is not good and without good signage and I got disoriented on the Xindianti location. Remember to bring along the Shanghai free map to identify the road as all the road are show in English as well. I walked towards the Xindianti and the French old town for about 10 minutes. The Xindianti is a street full of restaurants located along the French heritage building. I just spend another 45 minutes around this area before having my lunch at a local stall near to the Xindianti station.



After lunch, I took the metro train line 10 from Xindianti to Yuyuan Garden for another RMB3 at around 1pm. I walked along the Yuyuan garden for my 4th sessions which do not have much at the garden but the main highlight is the Yuyuan tourist mart where the mart located along the amazing Chinese design building and also lots of Shanghai traditional gifts are all sale at this area. I spend around 1 hour with a drink break at the mart.



Then walked back to the Yuyuan station and continue my last session at 2:30pm to oriental tower via line 2 to Lujiazui station. Once you walk out from the station then you will experience the closest of Shanghai Oriental tower. There is a round pedestrian’s bridge that people can enjoy the tower view.



The walking tour took around 6 hours which ended at 3:30pm. I went back to the hotel via metro train at Nanjing east station.
I rest for about an hour before going back to Shanghai Bund promenande to enjoy the night view as the skyline get dark around 5pm before heading back to Yuyuan tourist mart again for some souvenirs.

Myanmar Day 5 – Mandalay Expedition

Today is my Mandalay day trip and I would be walking a lot again as my leg muscle is really sour. Anyway The Boat leave to Mingun at 9am and back to Mandalay at 1pm and there are many tourist using this boat to visit Mingun.



I had my breakfast at 7:30am and start my 30 minutes walking from Rich Queen guesthouse to Mayanchan Jetty. The boat need more tourists in order to start the journey to Mingun and is a surprise that the boat have around 15 foreign tourists where my Mingun trip is a reality without cancelling.


Reaching Mingun at around 10am and I have 3 hours to walk around Mingun. There are 3 highlight at Mingun and the most I like is the Mingun Paya which is the unfinished temple with some crack during the earthquake. If its finish then it is one of the largest temple. There are entrance fee charge of US$3 for Mingun and Sagaing.


The next attraction at Mingun would be the Mingun bell which is the second largest in the world if the Mingun paya is completed.


The next attraction would be the Hsinbyume Pagoda which is the white pagoda and it is a lovely pagoda with beautiful scenery at the top as well. I complete the Mingun temple at 12pm and have my lunch at a restaurant near the Mingun jetty.


Reaching back Mandalay at 1:45pm and then get a motor taxi to engage for a half day expedition to Sagaing and Amarapura U-bein bridge for about 10,000kyats which I think is reasonable as well.
Before heading to Sagaing, I visited the temples around Mandalay like Kuthodaw Pagoda where it is the largest book where the Buddhism scipts is crave at the stone and there are many stone at the location. It is something special to have a look.


Then heading to Sagaing Hill for about 45 minutes with the motor taxi and is quite tough with a back pain sitting for long time and the cost is really worth I guess. Reach Sagaing hill and then walking up about 20 minutes and the scenery is beautiful with the view of the Sagaing bridge and also multiple white pagoda scattered around Sagaing.


Then heading to Ubein bridge at Amarapura for about 30 minutes journey by motor taxi. The bridge is really a old woodern long bridge but it is a romantic place sitting along the bridge or take a boat to watch sunset around the Ubein bridge. There are many locals like to enjoy the view at Ubein bridge as well.

It is a tiring day for me at Mandalay and I have a simple dinner and heading back to guesthouse to have a good rest. This is the last Myanmar city exploration before heading back to Yangon for a relax and rest day before heading back home.

Myanmar Day 4 – Journey to Mandalay

I have another half day at Bagan before leaving to Mandalay at 3pm. So I decided to rent a electric bicycle for about cost US$5 to cycle to New Bagan and Old Bagan to have a visit of full Bagan tour. I really love the electric bicycle as it is easy and less tiring after few day walking at Myanmar.



So I travel to New Bagan for about 30 minutes with some stop at the road for some ruins temple at Bagan passing by a Myinkaba village where the Manuha temple located but I did not visit cause I am focus on town rather than temples. New Bagan is similar to Nyaung U and Old Bagan is just another street of similar.



I am interested with the riverside where I just cycle into Lawkananda temple to have a last temple visit of Bagan and then have a break at the stall along the riverside before paying a visit to Si Thu Restaurant along the river to have a comparison with Beach Bagan Restaurant at Nyaung U and I still prefer Beach Bagan which is slightly better but there are nothing special of the sunset restaurant as mentioned.



Then after check out New Park Bagan, I have my lunch at a highly TA rated at Restaurant road, Nyaung U namely Weather Spoon Bagan. The owner and the restaurant is nice and friendly and I would like to recommend everyone as well. I hang around the restaurant for 2 hours before heading to the bus station for Mandalay.



The journey to Mandalay takes around 5.5 hours and its cost around 8,000kyats. We stop half way along the bumpy road to a local Myanmar restaurant and it is my first time trying Myanmar food. The first half of the road is through the bumpy and village road and another surprise is there are is another highway newly build take only take 1 hour to reach Mandalay which initially take additional 3 to 4 hours I believe.



Reaching Mandalay is another good experience as the city which are full of motor taxi and busy street. Without hesitation I took a motor taxi for about US$3 to go to Rich Queen Guesthouse which is quite expensive as it was 10pm and I am so tired without further consideration.
Rich Queen Guesthouse is near to the Mayanchan Jetty but it is not convenient to food or city center in my opinion. The 2 single bedroom cost me only US$20 which is quite reasonable for my budget. The most I like is near the Jetty as I am targeting to go Mingun the next day.

Next Day