Jetlagged

The time from the plane through the health counter, immigrations, baggage pick-up and customs: About 30 minutes.

I’m met by Bruce Garrison, a University of Miami journalism professor who is holding a class for five UM students in China. I’ll hang with them for the next day or so, before they zip off to Xian to see the terracotta warriors.

Bruce taught here for a year on a sabbatical and delights in sharing the place.

We take the MagLev from the airport into town, a 15-minute rail ride at 430 km (267 miles) per hour that is the world’s fastest train. When another train passes, the reverb creates a powerful jolt.

The ticket cost $6 … high by Chinese standards. The regular subway that takes us from the MagLev station to our hotel costs just 3 yuan – less than 50 cents. It’s clean, efficient and fairly crowded, mostly with twentysomethings dressed just as they’d be in San Francisco or New York.

Welcome to the future.

It's raining; time for a nap.