A full day of travel by coach, plane, bullet train, and coach again, ending with a warm welcome aboard the Victoria Selina to begin the Yangtze River cruise.
Goodbye to Shanghai.
Today, the Escorted Tour part of my China trip ended, and those of us staying journeyed on for our cruise up the Yangtze River.
We boarded our coach this morning for one last look at Shanghai as we made our way to the airport. The smog still hung thick over the city, obscuring the tops of the skyscrapers. We boarded our plane and took a short, uneventful flight to Wuhan.
Bullet Train, serenade.
I had been looking forward to this part of the journey, a ride on the Chinese bullet train. We waited in a small holding area at the station before being herded onto the train by a group of rather unorganised staff. We’d assumed we would all be seated together, but instead we were scattered in twos, threes, or, in my case, completely on my own.
Once on board, my excitement evaporated. I’d expected something sleek and luxurious, but it felt no different from a rush‑hour train in England: overcrowded and grubby.
Separated from the rest of the group, I decided it was the perfect moment to serenade Tracy, who was sitting several seats away. Knowing full well what a terrible singer I am, I opened my laptop, found some music, and launched into Lionel Richie’s Endless Love at full volume. Soon, the entire carriage could hear me. Chinese passengers looked around, clearly wondering why Lionel Richie was on the train and why they couldn’t see him. My group smiled, and Tracy turned around laughing.
The journey lasted just over two hours before we all disembarked at Yichang, ready to go on our cruise up the Yangtze River.
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