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Su Family Trip to the Americas & Village

Biking in Shanghai - Day 3 Oct 4, 2009

SUNDAY RIDE

After enjoying an excellent Sunday sermon about shepherding, which we got to experienced when we were living in the Yi village, and a tasty early lunch at a Taiwanese restruant, we went biking for the 3rd day in a row to the Lu Pu Bridge south of the city.

It was a good one hour bike ride biking from Century Park towards southwest and arriving at the southern end of the bridge. We tried to find a way onto the bridge but we found ourselve in a no man desert alley beneath the bridge. I think it was the only time in Shanghai I don't a person within 100m!

CLIMBING TO THE TOP OF THE BRIDGE

There were two reasons we went all this way to this bridge. First, this bridge is the largest steel structure in the world! Second, there is a stairway that one can take to walk to a platform on the very top of the bridge several hundred meters above the river, similiar to the Sydney bridge in Australia.

Our problem though was how to get to the entrance of this bridge. After some thinking, we decided we need to park our bike on the south side and take a taxi across the bridge to the northside where the entrance is probably at. Indeed, we arrived there just in time as the ticket office was about to close in 15 minutes at 5PM. The entrance cost was RMB38 for adults and RMB28 for children.

One first goes through a courtyard to an elevator that went up a long way to the road level of the bridge. As usual, even for such ticket price, there was no guide that introduces the price even though there are workers there who are called guides.

The staircases at first seemed not too high. But the strange thing is that as you climb the staircases seem to grow such that you never reach the top. The reason is because it is an arch so one don't see the top from the bottom. As you climb higher more of the top is seen and it just didn't seen to end. As our family are very used to climbing at high altitude, this "little" climb was not a problem and we all ran up to the top quickly.

SUNSET IN SHANGHAI

We got a big surprise when reaching the top. It was just when the sun was about to set and on the volley ball court size platform on top, one get an panromic 360 view of Shanghai city basking in the warm orange sun light. Below us, we see cars, wide river, and river boat floating slowly beneath us. To the right is the Pudong with its new development and the site of the World Expo 2010. To the northwest is the center of old Shanghai also filled with skyscrapers and dense buildings.

It was a photographer's dream come true. Nathan and I just kept taking pictures after pictures, thinking different ways to take creative and scenic shots. It was worth it for the picture taking.

BIKING IN THE DARK

By the time we got down it was turning dark. So we had to bike more than one hour back home. It was difficult as there was lots of road construction adding to the darkness. It was late and the kids were getting hungry. So near home, we stopped at a mall and ate at a Taiwanese noodle shop. We enjoyed the various types and flavors of noodles. Yummy! We also went to Dairy Queen for its Hurrican ice cream!

FREE USE OF BIKE

Nathan's bike which we bought for RMB229 was keep having trouble the last few days. Today, it was still having trouble with the chain falling off so after dinner we brought it back to Carrefour to get it fixed. To our surprise, the person who sold us the bike just said, this bike's quality is very bad, why don't you just return it for a refund! I didn't ask for it but the sale/repair person said it out of his own initiative. So we got the money back and got to use the bike for free during the last few days - a rigorus test for the bike. I felt right away this is God's speaking to me about how he provides. Although he allowed me to lose money but he also can give it back in the most unexpected way. He is teaching me to trust in Him and that He will provide in ways most unexpected.

Today was an unique way of seeing Shanghai.