If China is a country of contrasts, Shanghai is all that in one fabulous city. And, if the architecture in Singapore is on steroids, Shanghai has overdosed. Home to the world’s second tallest building at 121 floors (first is the Burj Khalifa in Dubai), The Shanghai Tower forms a trio with it’s neighbors, the Shanghai World Financial Center (known locally as “the bottle opener”) and the 88-floor Jin Mao Tower, all located in Shanghai’s Pudong financial district. The views from the top of the Jin Mao Tower were magnificent, and still seemed dwarfed next to its giant neighbors. In a country also known for its smog, we were lucky to have good weather and only a slightly hazy day to gaze upon the city from the sky. Some of these towers include hotels where guests must call reception to ask what the weather is at street level.

And the street level of Shanghai has it’s own charm. Surrounded by the city, the Yuyuan Garden is like entering a peaceful enclave, where even the throngs of tourists mingle about in a sort of hush. The garden, located in the northeast of the Old City of Shanghai by the City God Temple, was first conceived in 1559 during the Ming Dynasty by Pan Yunduan as a comfort for his aging father, who was minister at that time. It is five acres of a magnificent traditional Asian garden that is minutely executed to appear natural and deliberate. Winding paths lead to surprises of mounding clumps of mondo grass among boulders, borrowed scenery stolen from behind lattice windows, and fantastical detail incorporated in the walls and architecture.

Shanghai’s Old City, next to the Yuyuan Garden, is a fascinating, colorful, dense, enclosed area of traditional Chinese red-painted buildings with upturned eaves and narrow sidewalks filled with shops, restaurants, theaters. Here, you can find everything from beautiful silk textiles, street food vendors (including Dairy Queen), souvenirs, and, as our tour guide said with self-effacing humor, “imitation “Lolex” watches”. Flowing with people, this place is exciting and alive.

I could have spent all afternoon at the fabulous Shanghai Museum, but with only an hour to spare, I had to carefully choose the highlights. As a former lettering artist, I headed straight to the calligraphy gallery which included exquisite examples of artistic brush styles from centuries ago. Even a layperson could appreciate the varied styles of bold and delicate strokes and red signature “chops” of this ancient art of communication.

The Bund is Shanghai’s iconic waterfront district with classical architecture and broad walkways along the western bank of the Huangpu River across from the Pudong. It was filled with people enjoying the spring weather the weekend we were there. Venturing into the streets beyond the Bund and around the popular Nanjing Road shopping street one can find bits and pieces of everyday life.

Finally, we took a ride on the world’s fastest commercially operating train, the amazing Shanghai Maglev, or magnetic levitation train. The 30 kilometer ride from Longyang Road Metro Center in the city to Pudong International Airport takes only eight minutes, reaching a top speed of 431 kilometers per hour.

Our three days in Shanghai marked the end of a cruise segment and the beginning of a new one to Sydney. As we bid farewell to some friends and watched new passengers come aboard, jet-lagged but eager to start their adventure, the rest of us remain…refugees from the altered world cruise, settling into ship life.

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