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This article is about the Shanghai travel and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your Shanghai travel now.

The Old City God’s Temple :

Old City God’s Temple (Laochenghuangmiao) is a major yet relatively inactive, Taoist temple in Shanghai. It is located in the area south of Yan’an Road on the Fangbang Zhong Road.
During the Ming Dynasty, Zhangshouyue, the head of Shanghai County, dedicated a temple to the local city god. Since then, the City God’s Temple has been destroyed several times and the current temple was built in 1926. During the the war of resistance against Japanese invasion during World War II, local merchants built a new City God’s Temple in the Foreign Concession (between Lianyun Road and West Jinling Road).
That area is now a highrise residence building. The “former” temple is known as the Old City God’s Temple. The Old City God’s Temple and the enclose Yuyuan are not only famous tourist sites but also popular shopping attractions. There are boutiques, shops selling local specialties, as well as large jewelry stores, department stores and fabulous local snack restaurants to be found here. (info for your China travel and vacations)

Yuyuan Garden:

Yuyuan Garden is northeast of the Old Town. A high official had it designed in the Suzhou style as a private garden and built from 1559– 1577. Later, it was restored several times. In spite of its relatively small area of two hectares it seems considerably larger due to the skillful arrangement of 30 different landscape scenes.

The garden consists of an inner and an outer section. The inner garden, neiyuan, is in the southern part and substantially smaller than the outer one, but then, it is more impressive and romantic, if it is possible to visit it in the early moring hours in order to enjoy it alone. An excellent calligrapher displays his work in one of the halls.

the outer part is in the north and contains numberous halls, pavilions and lakes. In 1853, the Pavilion of Spring in the northeast was the seat of the Xiaodao Hui, the Society of Little Swords, tho led an uprishing against Qing rule and occupied Shanghai for 17 months. Today, weapons and coins made by the Xiaodao Hui society, among other objects, are exhibited in this hall. (info for your China vacations and tours)

A man-made, 11-m-high hill bounds the garden in the northwest. Huxin Ting teahouse is a favorite with the citizens of Shanghai. It is in the southwest, outside of the garden grounds, a two-story building resting on posts in the middle of a pond and connected to the shore by a ‘Zigzag Bridge’

The bond:

Its famous riverside avenue (formerly called the Bund), with its park-like green areas and tall buildings, is Shanghai’s landmark. Here, the visitor stands in front of magnificent buildings in the art nouveau style that once housed the clubs, banks, companies and hotels of the foreign rulers. Today, the Sailors’ Club and the managements of several state institutions have been installed there. The eastern side of Zhongshanlu installed there. The eastern side of Zgongshanlu borders directly onthe Huanpu Jiang river. A broad view of the river can be had from there. (info for your China vacations and trips)

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Rio de Janeiro is the 2nd largest city of Brazil. It is a major tourist destination. However, there are things to consider when going to Rio.

Rio de Janeiro or “River of January” in English is Brazil’s 2nd largest and South America’s 3rd largest city. It is situated behind Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo. From the year 1763 up to the year 1822, it stood as Brazil’s capital city while under the Portuguese colony. It became an independent nation from the year 1822 up to the year 1960. Hence, from 1808 up to 1821 it was considered as the Portuguese Empire’s capital. It is also known as “A Cidade Maravilhosa” or “The Marvelous City” as its nickname.

Rio de Janeiro, or just Rio, is popular because of the vast natural settings, Samba and various other music as well as Carnival celebrations. There is also a wide array of tourist beaches like Ipanema and Copacabana paved with cream and black swirl-like pattern mosaic decorations or Pedra Portuguesa as it is most known for.

One of the most popular local attractions in Rio de Janeiro, apart from its unspoiled beaches, is the Christ the Redeemer or Cristo Redentor. It is Jesus Christ’s giant statue that lies on top of the Corcovado Mountain. Just recently, it was considered as part of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Other attractions include Sugarloaf Mountain’s cable cars or the Pao de Acucar, the Sambodromo, a permanent giant parade stand used during Carnivals and the Maracana Stadium deemed as the largest football stadium in the world.

Aside from all of these the Tijuca Forest or Floresta da Tijuca and the White Stone State Park or the Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca both the world’s largest as well as the 2nd largest urban forest also lies here in Rio de Janeiro. Going to other Brazilian cities is also no problem with the Galeao-Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport because it connects various international flights to Rio de Janeiro.

Here are some useful travel tips to Rio de Janeiro:

Money Exchange

When bringing and exchanging money in Rio, you can bring cash, traveler’s checks or credit cards. When bringing some cash, it is wise to put it inside a money belt and keep it there until you reach the hotel. Of course, it is also safer to book in a hotel that provides a safety deposit box inside your room.

Traveler’s checks are good but the exchange rate is always a problem. However, it is good to bring some for emergency purposes. Carrying debit or credit cards is also very convenient in Rio. The most widely accepted are Visa, AmEx, Diner’s and MasterCard. This is best when going on shopping sprees, dining outside and paying your hotel bills. If your credit card falls under the Cirrus system, you can also use it to withdraw some cash.

For visa card holders, you can withdraw from Banco Itau, Banco do Brasil and Brandesco. Thus, if ever you plan to withdraw at any of the ATM machines in Rio, it is in Portuguese so make sure you ask for help from bank personnel only. This means that if you will be exchanging your money, you will lose money because of the exchange rate. This makes the ATM’s Cirrus system as your best option since they use the same rate as the one you use back home.

In Rio, currencies apart from Euros or US dollars are not that good. It is best to just bring either of the two, particularly the US$ which consecutively gets the best rate.

The Portuguese Language

When going to Brazil, it is best to brush up on some Portuguese language. A quick course would do about basic conversation. It is also advisable to buy translations book. It might be handy in your trip.

Brazilian Currency

The currency in Brazil is called Real. They have the R$50, R$100, R$20, R$5, R$10, R$1 and R$2 bills. The exchange rate at current is R$3=US$1. There are also 2 varieties for every coin except for the coin R$1. The real can be divided in 100 centavos. These coins are handy for coffee, bus rides and gums.

Having a Visa

For Europeans, only a valid passport and return ticket is needed in order to enter Brazil. Upon entry, you also need to fill up an entry card, allowing you to stay for about 90 days. This will be attached to your passport. The other half is kept by immigration officials. Losing this will entail a delay in your departure.

For Canadians, Australians, US and New Zealand citizens, a visa is required. You can get this from your home country’s Brazilian embassy. Thus, make sure you also contact them prior to going to Brazil so that you are aware of the full entry requirements.

When you already have a tourist visa, you have the option of extending it for another 90 days. You only need to apply this at least 15 days prior to the expiration of the 1st one. However, you can only do this once. Afterwards, you need to leave the country and just reenter at another time.

Thus, for those who are from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay as well as other neighboring countries, you only need a photo ID to enter Rio. For countries that require a visa, the requirements for a visa include a copy of your round trip ticket, your passport that should be valid for another 6 months, 1 colored or black and white passport size photo, show money, vaccination certificates and the visa application form from the Brazilian embassy or consulate.