Our last full day in China, and our first day in Shanghai – the city of the future (as the Chinese like to call it). A busy day has been planned for us by our guide, Coco, although there will still be time for shopping (much to the relief of some of the students).

Our first stop was the highlight for some – a return trip on the MagLev train.  The fastest passenger train in the world, it hits speeds of over 430 km/h and covers the 32 km trip in just over 7 minutes.  The best part for we experienced MagLev travelers is watching the reactions when the other train passes the one we are on (the closing speed is close to 680 km/h).  Matt had the best reaction to it – a bit of a squeal!

After the thrill of that ride, we set off for the Bund.  On the old side of the river, we had the opportunity to walk up and down (or more accurately, shiver up and down – it was colder than we thought it would be, wasn’t it Liana?)  and admire the architecture and history of the place.  Some

From the Bund, we traveled to the Yu Garden, constructed by a city official about 400 years ago.  It is a beautiful example of the architecture and planning of the time.  Coco bought some fish food so everyone had a chance to make the huge fish even huger (is that a word?)!  Surrounding the Garden are markets (yes, shopping!) so of course we had to practice our negotiating skills.

We ate lunch and then set off back to the Bund for a river cruise.  The signs on the boats continue to make us smile – “The working orea The tourist halts” (yes, that is the correct punctuation and spelling) had us guessing for a while.  The day had started to clear as well and we were able to see some of the iconic Shanghai skyline more easily.

After a long day, we headed out to dinner and then to the Acrobat Show – spectacular would be an understatement!

The evening was spent packing (or more accurately – trying to decide how to fit everything into two pieces of luggage!).