Shanghai is divided by a river. The old city is on the west side, newer development (including some of the world's tallest buildings) is on the east side. There are a number of ways to get from one side to the other, including bus, subway, and ferry. But according to all the guidebooks, the absolute tackiest way to cross is via the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. Which Dan and I of course had to do.

It's fantastic, by which I mean hilariously nonsensical and full of 1980s-style lighting effects. It's sort of like being in Epcot in 1985, or trapped in a sci-fi B-movie.

The ride begins when you get in this capsule that looks like a miniature Metro car (left). There are fold-down seats for 3 people, but our car had 4 adults and one child. I suppose at peak hours they might try to cram in more people, but there wasn't anything approximating a rush when we were there.

The car then sets off through the Tunnel of Silly Effects, including rings of bright yellow-orange light, flashing dots of colored light ("meteor shower," a recorded voice in the car intones in English), inflatable "people" with long arms that sway and "grab" onto the car as you pass by, and rings of blue and green light.

I suppose little kids might get a good kick out of it -- I didn't pay enough attention to the one in our car to see his reaction. And it would perhaps be more impressive if the tunnel were actually dark enough to prevent you from seeing the mechanics behind the effects (e.g., the walls of the tunnel and the other cars), but it's a little hard to ooh and aah when you can see the literal light at the end of the tunnel.

 


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