Shanghai to Toronto – 31 March

Aftert the rain yesterday, the skies were clear and the sun poured down.  So I used my last few hours in Shanghai out and about taking pictures and checking out the shops.  It was hard to resist the opportunity since the rain had washed away the smog, so the city scape was much more visible. 

All went very well with our transfer to Shanghai Pudong International Airport and our non-stop flight home on Air Canada.  We were ever so briefly able to see the enormous Yangtze River from the plane as it disappeared in the smog all too quickly (amazing how quickly it returns after a good rain).  We took off from Shanghai at 5pm on March 31^st and after crossing the international date line, we touched down at Pearson Airport at 7pm on March 31^st.

It is nice to be home now in familiar and comfortable surroundings.  I appreciate more than ever being able to see as far as the eye can see (save for the few smog days of summer), for the most-part to drink safe tap water (unless you live in one of the hundred or so First Nation communities without that basic amenity), and enjoy the luxury of low population/ample space that Canada provides.  But our trip is far from a being a tucked-away memory subject to recall when triggered.  We continue to enjoy countless conversations about all the wonderful things we’ve seen and experienced, the amazing people we’ve met, and the breathtaking scenes we captured in photo and video.  I cannot tell you how many times I pinched myself on this adventure just to be certain it was really happening!

I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed this blog as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing. 

many large intersections have pedestrian overpasses, it separates cars and pedestrians

okay maybe the ever-present multitude of cameras can be disconcerting 

in another month, the leaves will be out and this street look much different, so I guess you could say "missed it by that much"  ;-)