We were up bright and early even thought it's not necessary today. Guess we're in the habit of that. It's what happens when you reach your golden years ;-)
I forgot to mention that even though we're on the 39th floor of this lovely hotel, they have many express elevators, so we never have to wait for one.
After breakfast Frank and his new found friend from the Viking passengers decided to take a ride on the fastest train in the world, so this entry will be devoted to Frank. He's always had a thing for trains.
He decided to "hitch a ride" on this high speed vehicle. It's called the Maglev and it's even faster than the bullet train in Japan. 
There he goes!!! Is it a bird, is it a plane .... NO ... it's Frank on the fastest train in the world (so far).
Magnetic levitation transport, or maglev, is a form of transportation that suspends, guides and propels vehicles (especially trains) using electromagnetic force.
This method can be faster than wheeled mass transit systems, potentially reaching velocities comparable to turboprop and jet aircraft ( 600 mph). The highest recorded speed of a maglev train is 581 km/h (361 mph), achieved in Japan in 2003, which is 4 mph more than the conventional TGV speed record.The line is operated by Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co. Ltd.
The train can reach 220 mph in 2 minutes, with a maximum speed in normal operation of 268 mph. During a test run on 12 November 2003, the vehicle achieved a top speed of 311 mph. The Shanghai Transrapid project took 10 billion yuan (1.33 billion US dollars ) and 2.5 years to complete the 19 mi track.The train runs from Longyang Road station in Pudong on the Shanghai subway line 2 to Pudong International Airport,
and the total track length is about 30 kilometres, with an additional, separate track leading to a maintenance facility. The train takes 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the journey, and its top operational speed is 431 kilometers per hour.
He was comfy cozy in his seat and thoroughly enjoyed the 7 minute trip. 
The taxi ride to get to the station took much longer than the train ride which was much shorter!After he returned, we went downstairs for a Bloody Mary and boarded the bus for another Chinese lunch at another hotel. Seems like we're always having Bloody Mary's :-)
Right after lunch we headed for the airport (where Frank had already been earlier on the train) 
and were on our way to Guilin and the Li River! 
He had never seen a crew waiting to clean the plane before we got onto it, so this was very interesting to him. 
When this trip is completed, we will have been on 9 different flights and heaven knows how many bus rides.
Right after lunch we headed for the airport (where Frank had already been earlier on the train) and were on our way to Guilin and the Li River! He had never seen a crew waiting to clean the plane before we got onto it, so this was very interesting to him. When this trip is completed, we will have been on 9 different flights and heaven knows how many bus rides.As the cities seldom have less than 4 million people, the airports are huge, so Helen arranged a wheelchair for me. That makes life much easier! She also told me that there are over 10 million bicycles in Beijing. Can you imagine!
The flight from Shanghai to Guilin took an hour and a half. We arrived at the hotel and the strangest thing awaited us in our room. 
The bathroom had a window in it so you could see into the room (or vice-versa). For what reason I have no idea, but you know Frank. He's the perpetual clown. Here he is "posing" for me. It's a memory I'll hold dear to my heart forever :-)
The flight from Shanghai to Guilin took an hour and a half. We arrived at the hotel and the strangest thing awaited us in our room. The bathroom had a window in it so you could see into the room (or vice-versa). For what reason I have no idea, but you know Frank. He's the perpetual clown. Here he is "posing" for me. It's a memory I'll hold dear to my heart forever :-)We had a very light supper since we didn't arrive in Guilin until after 8:00. It is after 9:00 and are in bed. Tomorrow is the BIG day. The one I've waited for for most of my life.
Pcasso
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