I visited Shanghai from 20th to 23rd July 2009, just to experience the Total Solar Eclipse.
From Pu Dong International Airport to Shanghai City I took MAGLEV train. It takes about 7 minutes and 20 seconds for 30 kms. and the highest speed of MAGLEV touches to 431 kms/hr. It was a great experience.
After too much of home work I went from Shanghai to Suzhou on 21nd July. It was a very hot day and the sky was very much clear and there were no clouds at all. But in the hotel somebody told me that there is news in a newspaper with a heading :
"BAD NEWS FOR FOREIGNERS WHO CAME ALL THE WAY FROM THEIR COUNTRIES TO WATCH THE SOLAR ECLIPSE", it further said that on 22nd July there would be stormy rains.
On 22nd July early morning, I went to Suzhou Garden (Lotus Garden), one of the oldest gardens in the world. Till I reached the Suzhou Garden sky was verymuch clear and we can see the sun clearly. At 8.22 a.m. the solar eclipse was supposed to start and suddenly the atmosphere changed a lot and heavy rains started.
I myself alongwith other citizens and foreigners were hopefull that at 9.40 a.m. we may see the diamond ring. At 9.32 suddenly there was a dark everywhere like night. Various sounds of birds stopped. I was just thrilled, because I was experiencing the total darkness during the day time.
Was it a end of earth? No, at 9.40 it was a day again and light came out slowly and was the life. At that moment I feel the importance of light in our life. Though we could not see the eclipse very clearly, we have seen the oldest gardens of the Chin and that is Suzhou Calm Garden also known as Lotus Gardens.otus Gardens.