China Trip Part 13 Good Bye Beijing Hello Bullet Train

Beijing is a huge city. Those in Atlanta complain about the perimeter highway that circles the city and worry about the second parameter highway that is proposed. Beijing has 6 perimeter highways!!! Professional drivers know how to drive these roads and jump on and off each perimeter road to suit the traffic. I must say that I did not see any accidents on roads in Beijing. Drivers are very careful when they drive avoiding cell phones and other distractions. They are also motivated by the fact that if they get 12 traffic points they could lose their privilege to drive forever. It is also interesting to note that most cars on the highway are not older than 5 years. The used car business is tough in Beijing as most people want to buy a new car.

We decided on the last leg within China to take the Bullet Train back to Shanghai. A few months back there was a terrible accident on the Bullet Train that really stirred up the Chinese government. There was much talk about China pushing technology too quickly. Since the accident they have added safeguards which hopefully will prevent accidents in the future. The bullet train is sleek and roomy inside. We were able to get a good discount through our tour operator and traveled in First Class. There is also a higher class of service similar to transatlantic business class. The seats look like eggs. Our seats were big and ergonomically well designed. Big glass windows allowed us a great view. Just like the old Concorde airplane there is a speedometer at the front of the cabin I guess to impress you. Well, it impressed me as we were traveling at 275 miles per hour! There was no vibration at all and if you blinked you missed seeing a whole town. There was also a dining car at the end of the train that allowed us to grab a meal and take it to our seat. And there was also the inevitable "sqatty potty" in each car. Thank goodness there was also a western style bathroom. If you get a chance to take a Chinese Bullet Train do it, it is so much more enjoyable than flying,

We arrived in Shanghai 4 hours later and was happily met by our driver Mr. Joe. Yeh!!