Friday morning in Shanghai and it’s STILL raining! All right, it doesn’t RAIN all the time - but looks as though it will at any moment.
There’s usually a mist in the air, and once in a while, we’ll get a downpour. What’s sad, however, is that the iconic buildings for which Pudong is so known, are continually obscured by clouds. I do wonder what it must be like to work above the 50th floor - nothing to see but….nothing!
Those who chose to do so today could sleep in a bit as we didn’t have to meet until 11 a.m. at which time we trekked off for lunch prior to busing to the Shanghai Train Station and our Bullet Train to Wuhan, stop #2 on our journey in China.
Before we left the hotel, however, it was time to get some all-important photos of our guides here in China...on the left, Christine is the owner of the Interculture Association and is responsible for the remarkable daily intinerary we enjoy. She negotiates our hotels, concert sites and more and does it beautifully. It's fun to have her with us in person! In the red, our local guide, Fei Fei. We enjoyed FeiFei during our last visit to Shanghai as well. You want to know anything about Shanghai, she's your call. And finally, the delightful (and new to the business) Sophie. Sophie is from Chicago and works for Christine. Sophie joined the business within the last year and if our impressions are any indication, she will be VERY successful. So - now you know who is with us!
We had lunch near the hotel then moved to the Shanghai Station. Can you get a sense as to how many people are in this station?
China high speed trains, also known as bullet or fast trains, average 186 mph, and can hit top speeds of 217 mph.
About 2,500 pairs of bullet trains numbered by G, D or C run daily connecting over 200 cities in China and covering 32 of the country's 34 provinces. Beijing-Shanghai high speed train link the two megacities (819 mi) away in just 4.5 hours.
In 2018, China kept the world's largest high speed rail (HSR) network with a length totaling over 18,000 mi, including 7,760 mi of rail routes allowing bullet trains at a speed above 155 mph.
About 2,500 pairs of bullet trains numbered by G, D or C run daily connecting over 200 cities in China and covering 32 of the country's 34 provinces. Beijing-Shanghai high speed train link the two megacities (819 mi) away in just 4.5 hours.
In 2018, China kept the world's largest high speed rail (HSR) network with a length totaling over 18,000 mi, including 7,760 mi of rail routes allowing bullet trains at a speed above 155 mph.
It would be nice if the train we were on today was a non-stop route, but that’s not the case. We made about 7 stops in various cities along the way - it seemed like every time we hit max force (!) it was time to slow down to pick up more people! (That’s an exaggeration, but….)
We had dinner on the train tonight as well, prior to arrival in Wuhan and our check in at a beautiful hotel along the Yangtze River. It took us six hours to get here (lots of stops along the way), but we're told that by non-stop car, the trip would have taken 18 hours. Guess you could say we traveled quite a ways today!
Wuhan, the capital city of Hubei Province in central China, is situated on Jianghan Plain, a river-crossed fertile land created by the Hanjiang River joining the Yangtze River. This is a routine port for a Yangtze River cruise. Divided by the Yangtze, Wuhan is known as the 'Three Towns of Wuhan' with Hankou and Hanyang on the west bank, and Wuchang on the east. Population here is just about 10 million.
It was a long, but fun day. Something tells me we will all sleep very well tonight,.
No comments:
Post a Comment