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Asia 2005 Journey
Day Thirteen
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Xi'an, China to Huangshan, China
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May 16, 2005: Partly sunny and very warm. Since all flights from
Xi'an to Huangshan required a long layover
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at a hub airport, we changed our plans to allow for a full day in Shanghai.
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We arrived early at Shanghai's new Pudong airport. It is connected to
the new subway system via yet another
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new item - an actual Maglev (Magnetic levitation) based train. For
years, many countries have planned or
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attempted to install; however, China has the real thing and is extremely
functional. The normal 30 minute
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taxi drive to the nearest subway stop is trimmed to 7 minutes. At 431
kph (250 mph), it adds new meaning
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to term "rapid" transit. However, it does close early - 5:30
p.m. The Transit office was very nice to provide
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a refund since we arrived too late to use the return portion of our
ticket. Our replacement was a taxi and
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we believe our driver was attempting to match the speed of the Maglev train.
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Shanghai is the epitome of China architectural engineering. From the
backdrop of old English and French
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colony buildings rise the skyscrapers that are quite distinguishable.
The World's highest hotel along with
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the city's new icon Pearl Tower is located in the highly charged Pudong area
next to the main Huangpu
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River. Similar to other China cities, there is a proliferation of sky
cranes used for high rise construction.
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A walk along the riverside Bund promenade allows for viewing of all the
different styles. And yes, one
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can purchase a new $5 Rolex here also. Pride in the architecture is
evident in the new Urban Planning
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Exhibition building - a showcase in itself.
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The upper class boutiques in the French Concession area differ from the
homemade housing located a
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few blocks away. New apartment buildings are on an accelerated pace to
provide replacement housing.
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A person can purchase Tiffany
jewelry and then take a 10 minute walk in another direction where fresh
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eels can be purchased
and cooked on site. Class diversity would be an understatement.
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Like all China cities, the cars, buses, bikes, motorcycles, and hand carts all
vie for space on the roads. Seems
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to be an unwritten law as to merging with no stops and the horn is used for
pending passing acknowledgement.
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Even though pedestrians have the right-away, it's not a given that it is
recognized.
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Travel specs: China Eastern Air Bus 320, Maglev Train, Double decker
public bus, and an old VW Santanna Taxi
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Return to Asia 2005
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