SHANGHAI - About 10 am last week, I found myself surrounded by a bulk of majestic buildings and surging crowds waiting to check them out.

As a reporter following developments of the Shanghai 2010 Expo for almost two years, I had the privilege to take a glimpse at the big party during its dry runs.

One young man at the Expo telephoned his beloved to effuse about the grandeur of the China Pavilion.

"Sweetheart, it's awesome," he cooed. "I never expected it to be so huge. You must come."

There's little doubt that the 69-m-tall upturned red pyramid, which dominates the Pudong side of the Expo site, exceeds the expectations from the Internet and in newspapers.

In the Expo Garden, the France Pavilion stands next to its German counterpart, and Denmark's next to Finland's.

A total of 192 countries and regions have acquired plots or exhibition space in the center of Shanghai to join China's showcase of the latest in concepts for "Better City, Better Life" during the half-year event.

At the soft opening, the crowd made a beeline to the most-vaunted pavilions. I was too impatient to wait hours just for quick visits.

I chose to visit the Czech Pavilion, for which I spent 15 minutes in the queue, as Prague is one of my favorite cities. There I was greeted by Prague's symbol of good fortune - the bronze plaque from the statue of St. John of Nepomuk on the famous Charles Bridge.

Another attraction in the 2,000-sq-m pavilion is a virtual ride on a two-seat mock airplane. Images of riders are projected onto a screen, combined with the country's city views.

A dedicated guide kept alerting riders that they should make full of their imagination to enjoy the experience of "flying" over Czech territory.