Dream Trip 2009

Great Travel Moment

This shot was taken just after sunrise as our vessel entered port in Shanghai. It was amazing to see, firsthand, what I had read about the rapid industrialization in China. The smog-laden skyline, peppered with heavy machinery, seemed to signify that there would be no slowing of this pace in the near future. With 1.6 billion people, China remains the world?s most populous state?and this magnitude is easily recognized upon traveling through Shanghai. This photo well represents my experiences in China, and, perhaps the country as a whole. The streets are filled with a bustle that, in places, rivals New York City?yet China is a developing nation. It is hard to imagine that, one day, the Chinese may enjoy lives full of excesses similar to that of the Western world. It is even more incomprehensible that the world?s natural resources could ever support such a demand.