This was a short trip to beautiful Shanghai mainly consisted of visiting good friends and dinner out.
A trip to Shanghai in April can be a bit cool for most people, but high sixties during the day was fine for me. This was a 6 day visit which is almost perfect for an international trip. I stuck around Shanghai most of the time except for a day visit to Wuxi and Xuzhou via train and car.
I started my 2014 travels with a direct flight from Seattle to Shanghai and met up with a friend the next morning. We took a taxi to the fairly new Hongqiao train station located next to the domestic airport and subway station. We took the G-series bullet train up to Xuzhou, China for the day. This city is most well-known has a transportation hub and is located between Beijing and Shanghai.
Any train designated the G series will be China’s new bullet trains. For a business class seat you pay much less than you would a crowed coach airline seat. Even though the train ride is three hours long, you get a non-crowded quiet car with very comfortable wide leather seat that lays flat for sleeping. Plus you get an electrical outlet for your computer or phone that also works with the American plug. You receive a full meal which reminds me of a TV dinner growing up. I highly recommend G series train travel when roaming in China. Please keep in mind that foreigners will need their passport to purchase their ticket.
This was another enjoyable trip with friends, travel and fantastic dinners.
Lake 22
Date: May 19, 2013
Difficulty: 3 out of 10
Distance: 5.4 Miles / 8.7 Kilometers Roundtrip
Elevation Gain: 1,500 feet / 457 meters
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Location: Verlot, Washington
Users Group: Hikers & Leashed Dogs Only
Permits: Northwest Forest Pass Required
Trail Conditions: Wet to Snowpacked
Hiking With: Rick Massie, Jacky Cao, Linna Freeman & Macho the Wonder Dog.
I hardly ever do the same hike back to back, but we had a good friend from China that we wanted to share this beautiful hike with.
The month of May is a decent time to travel in China, the weather is near perfect and most students are still in school. This trip was mainly based in and around the Shanghai area. I flew into Shanghai via Tokyo/Narita airport; after a 175 RMB tax ride from the airport to my hotel I checked in around 10:30 p.m. When I first started traveling to Shanghai 2002, the airport taxi ride into the city was 50 RMB.
More to come….
