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May 15th eastbound tour
would anybody on the eastbound trip leaving May 15th be interested in the Jewish tour of Shanghai. It could fit in the 2nd day we are in that city. We need 8-10 people.I would contact the tour director of the tour. My wife and I are excited to meet everyone.
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We (Scott & Judy) will be with you on the 15 May tour.
When you say the second day, do you mean the 26th (we arrive in Shanghai late the previous afternoon) or the 27th (second full day in Shanghai)?
From the details posted on the Tauck web site, the 26th is the lunch at "M" on the Bund which I imagine may go quite a while, then the afternoon is free and dinner is "on your own" followed by an acrobat show. The 27th references a morning itinerary, "lunch on your own" and then walking tour in the afternoon with the Jean George dinner that evening.
The Jewish story for Shanghai sounds quite interesting. While not Jewish ourselves, we've done many similar tours around the world on the advice of a friend of ours who is a curator at the Holocaust Museum here in Washington.
edited to add: It may be a challenge to get 8-10 people together for this tour since we are on a small group departure (24 max). The real question may be what the guide would charge in total for a small custom tour. Then the cost/person can be determined by dividing the total cost by the number interested. Also, I'm guessing that 25% max of Tauck tour participants ever find these forums and/or participate. You might also ask the tour provider what the minimum lead time is. Much more likely to get 8-10 people if this is pitched when we first get together in Beijing (still more than a week prior). Just a thought.
Since I'm also a railroad buff, we'd tentatively planned to ride the maglev train to the airport and back on the 26th though now looking at the schedule, I wonder if we could take the maglev in from the airport when we arrive on the 25th.
We are looking forward to this trip very much (first time to China for my wife, one earlier business trip sans much sightseeing for me). We have our visas and are ready to roll!!
Looking forward in meeting both of you. As far as the Jewish quarters in Shanghai goes as we get closer to the date we will figure out the best time to go. From past travelers it seems there was time the 2nd day in Shanghai.
Larry and Barbara (new York city and Vermont)
We’re in. Serendipitously, today I received an email from Conde Nast with a list of “50 Things to Do in Asia Before You Die,” and #41 is “Discover Shanghai's Jewish quarter” which goes on to say “You needn't be Jewish to find Dvir Bar-Gal's tour—and the history of Jews in Shanghai—mesmerizing.”
With respect to doing this the 27th (versus 26th), do you have any more information than what appears on the Tauck web site?:
“You'll get a good introduction to Shanghai at the Shanghai Urban Planning Center, showcasing the city's future urban development through detailed models and multimedia displays. Explore the center's exhibits on this historic port city's past, present and future, including a mock-up of 1930s Shanghai; a huge model of what the city might look like in 2020; a 360-degree, 3-D film and more. Then tour the Shanghai Museum, displaying 120,000 works of art and artifacts. After lunch on your own in the Xiantiandi neighborhood, you'll have time to explore the area – and on a guided walk, learn about its vanishing traditional stone-gated shikumen homes. This evening, a special experience – dinner at the wonderful restaurant Jean Georges Shanghai, known for its cuisine and views.”
This indicates that we could start the Jewish Quarter tour right after lunch (skipping the Tauck guided walk) as long as we’re back to the hotel comfortably before dinner (say by 6-6:30 PM). Jean George’s is 500m/7 minutes from the WA.
On the 26th, nothing is indicated after the lunch at M on the Bund until the (no time mentioned) acrobat show after dinner on your own. Depending on the lunch timing this might be a longer window than the 27th…or not.
realady
We are getting into Beijing on the 14th . When do you get in?