Shanghai is definitely one of China's better known cities. Who hasn't heard of Shanghai? But I wonder if those that have never visited Shanghai picture in their mind what this marvelous city is really like. I know that I, for one, did not. Before visiting Shanghai my images of the city were more oriented toward what Shanghai would have been during the colonial era when Britain control it. A mix of the modern with heavy Chinese underpinnings. What comes to mind is the Shanghai pictured in the movie "Empire of the Sun." A mix of cultures with definite separations and class structures. But that isn't modern-day Shanghai at all.

Surprisingly Shanghai is a very modern city much like New York, London, Singapore and Paris. It appears much of the city is new and the old Shanghai is fast disappearing. China's intent for Shanghai is to make it a world-class banking and finance center, the country's economic powerhouse. And, from the looks of this bustling city they are succeeding.

Shanghai is located on the Huangpu Jiang, a tributary of the Yangtze, which provides the city with access to the ocean. Today more than 14 million people live in the city and it is a labyrinth of modern skyscrapers, high-rises and super highways. To visit Shanghai is to see China's future today.

A word about traveling within China: Continuing on with my running commentary on the pros and cons of tour group travel I will add that traveling from one city to another was a breeze. The best thing is that you didn't have to worry about your luggage. Depending on your departure time you would either set your checked luggage out the night before or early in the morning. Bellboys would pick the bags up and they would be transported to the airport. You didn't see them again until you arrived at the destination airport and then you only identified them and assured they had arrived. GCT made all the arrangements to have the bags picked up, transported to the hotel and deposited in your room. What a pleasant experience that was. The only negative thing that popped into my mind was the repeated questions that the airline agents ask you when you're checking in here in the States: "Have the bags been out of your possession?" The fact is we, as individuals, never checked in at a Chinese airport. That was all taken care of by our tour guide. She'd disappear for awhile and return with boarding passes. The boarding passes were handed out based on seating arrangements, for example, Anne and I would be given two seats together no matter what the name was on the boarding pass. We had to show passports at the security checkpoints, but they were never matched to the ticket as they are here in the US.

A word about the Panda umbrella: Whenever you're traveling with a group it's a good idea to have an easily spotted symbol to represent the rallying point for the group. Our tour escort, Mei, had the perfect symbol ... a Panda umbrella. It was the cutest thing and was very easy to spot from a distance because of its shape and white color. You can see it off in the distance in many of the pictures we took. It proved invaluable in airports where you were negotiating crowded areas.

Arriving at Shanghai's airport we were met by Julia, our local guide, and escorted to the bus for the short trip to our hotel, the Hilton International. On the road we were briefed about the schedule for that evening (a trip to a Chinese acrobatic show), the next few days in Shanghai and the logistics of the hotel and surrounding area. Arriving at the hotel we would have a couple of hours to acquaint ourselves with the hotel and surrounding area before meeting for dinner and the show. Mei had advised us where a small convenience store was located and John and I immediately set out to buy some refreshments. As in most major cities there is lots of traffic and Shanghai was no exception. However, in the area by the hotel to cross the street you rode an escalator to an upper level that allowed you to cross without mingling with the traffic. That was nice. Within a five minute walk John and I arrived at the convenience store and I almost fell over backwards with what I saw.

Familiar drinks: I hate to admit it, but two of my favorite drinks are milk and Mt. Dew. Two things that are very hard to come by when traveling in foreign countries. In Beijing Coke was the chosen drink and could be found everywhere for a very modest price (about 50 cents for a 20 oz. bottle, less than half the cost here in the States). It seems that Shanghai was a Pepsi town. We would see a street later by the Bund with neon Pepsi signs virtually every 20 feet the entire length of the street. I couldn't believe it when I saw Mt. Dew bottles in the refrigerated case. Of course I immediately picked up a six-pack for the hotel and began anticipating how good it was going to taste and, mind you, I'd only been without Mt. Dew for about four days since arriving in Beijing. As a matter of normal course I then checked out the milk situation and, to my surprise, I found pasteurized and homogenized milk. Again I almost fell over. In all of our prior trips to southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Japan I had never seen pasteurized/homogenized milk before. I bought two pint containers to try, but I really wasn't convinced it would be like our milk at home. Arriving back at the hotel I immediately opened and drank the milk. It was very good and similar to what I would purchase in the States. It tasted a little different, but it was definitely passable as the milk I've grown to know and love. The Mt. Dew on-the-other-hand wasn't very good as it had a metallic taste to it.

Speaking of familiar things found when traveling. From our previous travels we've learned not to be surprised to see familiar sights in foreign countries. For example, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and Wendy's are just about everywhere you go. You can't hardly escape them. But, in Beijing I saw something that really took me by surprise ... a Popeye's Chicken. For those of you who don't know Popeye's offers a spicy fried chicken based on a Louisiana recipe. We have them where we live, but they are difficult to find in many of the US cities I visit for business. To find a Popeye's in Beijing certainly sends a message that China is very much following the western model for its growth and expansion.

We couldn't have been more wrong in making a comparison between the Chinese opera and acrobatic show. The Chinese acrobats were absolutely superb and very entertaining. The finale to the show was amazing. Five motorcycles in an enclosed steel cage, each traveling 35 to 40-mph and crossing paths with one another. It's beyond me how they could manage to do such a thing. One or two, maybe three, but five simultaneously!?! Amazing!!!