Farewell to Shanghai ...

We went to a classical Chinese garden on our last full day in Shanghai. It was very ornate and delicate. I especially loved the interchange of water with fish, plants, and stones in the landscaping. The architecture included many doors and windows that frame the space and objects behind them in very interesting ways.

Although China is a big country and siginificant player on the global political and economic stage, the number of foreigners here is still very small. Being a black person still attracts a lot of attention, and I have had to pose for pictures with more than fifty new Chinese friends in the three cities we visited. In fact, after a few days, I quickly learnt to know what a certain inquring gaze on the face of a Chinese admirer with a camera in hand meant, even before they spoke a word. Many are shy, but the message is clear ... "Hello, you look different, I would love to take a photo with you if you don't mind." To which I smile and and simply pose away. I will post some photos of such scenes next week when I get the chance.

I liked this picture at Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The honor guard in front of the flag and Chairman Mao's gigantic portrait appeals to my love of uniforms. I also was struck by the fact that while the flag and Mao's image are valuable things to guard, they are just not worth standing in the summer sun and sweating for or risking skin cancer. So, the guards get to stand underneath a nice umbrella instead, and everyone is happy!

We had lunch today at a hole in the wall kind of cafe where local chinese people go to eat, and escaped from the tyranny of lazy-susan-tourist-banquets that we have been experiencing since we got here more than two weeks ago. Shanghai rice noodles with pork, beef, or tripe was the menu, topped with fresh cilantro. For drinks, I tried a 630 ml bottle of beer 'cleverly' brand-named REEB. It tasted like a diluted Corona beer, but is definitely much safer than drinking unobottled water which is 'forbidden' in China.

And finally, we ran once again in Shanghai into some people we had met at the Great Wall north of Beijing about 10 days ago. These friends were part of a teachers/parents/students group from a public middle school in Montgomery County. Small world indeed.

We depart downtown Shanghai this afternoon (Thursday) by the MAGLEV train to the airport. The MAGLEV train (magnetic levitation) is a one of a kind engineering marvel in the world, built on German technology. It looks like many European high speed trains, but floats/flies on a special track at a top speed of about 265 miles per hour. The 30 kilometer ride from downtown Shanghai to the airport takes about 7 minutes one way, which is about as long as my stomach can bear on such an exciting 'roller coaster.' In fact, we heard that now more and more tourists are coming to Shanghai to simply see and ride on the MAGLEV. A return trip will set you back 100 Chinese Yuan, about USD 13 total. I can't wait to ride the train!