Shanghai, Day 1

At a speed of 431 km per hour, we were whisked from Pudong Airport to Shanghai on the Maglev train. We marveled at the how fast the scenery whizzed by us … at least, while we could. The train raced the 30 km from the airport to the city limits in 8 minutes flat.

We then boarded our bus and got our first look at this modern city. Our guides brought us right to the Urban Planning Center, located in People’s Square, which gave us a great orientation of the layout and size of the city. We walked around a huge model of the city, and then took got a virtual view of the city from the air, sea and land in a 360 degree theater.

Afterwards, we traveled to our hotel in the West end of the city. Instead of taking the hour-long hiatus for an opportunity to nap, most students filled the hour bouncing room to room, much to the chagrin of hotel neighbors and teachers, or filling themselves with the confectionary treats stashed in their baggage. Nevertheless, most found their appetites in time for dinner at Chabad. It was a four-course feast of assorted salads, vegetable soup, followed by grains and chicken, as well as an assorted dessert platter.

With our stomachs filled, we headed out to see a new acrobatic troupe in Shanghai, trained by the famed Cirque de Soleil people. They twisted, twirled, turned and trapeezed in ways that just seemed impossible. One acrobat spun a porcelain pot around in the air like a Harlem Globetrotter juggles a basketball. Another duo danced in the air suspended only by silk ropes, making it seem as effortless as gliding across the floor. The highlight, however, was when eight motorcycles took to a cage shaped like a sphere and wound around each other in a cacophony of rumbling engines and horns. Really, eight motorcycles!

It was a full day, and will be followed by another tomorrow.