China - September 2011

The idea to travel to China was born right after I came back from Japan. I had to wait almost another year to realize my dream. After some thinking and research I decided on a slightly modified standard Chinese trip (Beijing - Xian - Shanghai). Starting in Shanghai I will travel to Beijing visiting Suzhou, Nanjing, Xian and Chengdu.
My flight from Detroit to Shanghai was long and mostly uneventful. The highlight of the flight was a small child throwing up next to my row (I was in the middle seat - note to myself: Never buy an aisle seat!). Shanghai airport was huge, but easy to navigate, there is an ATM (likely more than one), English signs, etc. I took Maglev train that was supposed to run up to 430 km/h, but instead it ran only 300 km/h.

In any case, the ride was fast. After Maglev train, there was an easy transfer to subway - my hotel was just outside the subway station. After check in I went for a night walk to Bund, the most cosmopolitan place of old Shanghai (below).

The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) building (left) and the Customs House (right). HSBC building built in 1923 was "the most luxurious building from the Suez Canal to the Bering Strait" at the time.

Pudong, across from Bund, is the face of new China. Most of it was build after 1990.