Upon boarding the "Express" train G7010 to Shanghai I looked into the VIP section of the train and saw what looked like a scene from Startrek. The sliding door opened to futuristic cabin with pink seats for passengers that looked into the pilot’s cabin. The pilot cabin had a huge window that could see the whole galaxy. It was lit with a cool white light and a huge instrument panel all funneling down to a view of the train tracks ahead.

Since I was on standby I had to grab an empty seat. I sat down next to a teacher of hotel management. She was traveling with her "mothers"; that is her mother and her mother's sister. She explained that I could sit there as long as no one else had the seat reserved. As talked I looked over and noticed that we weren't in the station any more. This train was so smooth I hadn't noticed we were moving.

Impressed I sat back and starred out the window. Since it was night time all I could see, were lights advancing and receding. This dance of light for some reason fascinates me. I look forward and see the lights of bridges and streets stretched out like jewel on a necklace. I look directly in front of me and houses light flash by like shooting stars. Then, slowly the train starts leaning to one side then corrects itself. Then it leans to the other side and corrects.

I realize this is because the train is going so fast the curves have to be banked. Glancing up at the information panel in the front of the car I see we are going 340 km/hr. It still doesn't feel like we are moving. Impressed I look the window again and realize the lights show outside are slowing. We are coming into Changzhou station. At the station I find out I have someone’s seat and have to move. I move back one seat. Out my window I have a great view of temple with hundreds of lights.

After 10 to 15 minutes I notice the lights are flashing by again. There still is not much of a feeling of movement. Suddenly there is small boom and another train explodes by I count to 5 and it's gone; ending with another boom from its wake. We are going really fast.

As we leave the next station, Wuxi, I look out the window I see only the outlines of building in blue and white lights. It reminds me of the children’s books “Harold and the Purple Crayon”. In between the outlined building I see squares matrixes of white lights that dot other building; a life sized cartoon. All of the station are interesting in themselves, each one has some unusual shape with lines converging at different angles and making a verity of shapes. It makes the waiting bearable.

It is good the stations are interesting because we seem to stop at each station for a longer time than it takes to travel there. Sometimes while waiting, another train will zoom by without stopping. I realize I am not on the express train. All together we stopped at 7 or so stations and waited 10 to 15 minutes, each time. So although the train travels fast between stations it still takes the normal two hours to get to Shanghai. Next time I will look at the scheduled stops before booking a ticket.