Shanghai, China

From Wuhan we booked a sleeper train to Shanghai. At about 5am the local travel agents go to the train ticket office and buy up all the soft sleeper tickets so you cannot purchase them at the station. They can only be bought through a travel agent or through your hotel- for an exorbitant fee of course! Entrepreneurship is alive and well in China!
Shanghai main station
There are only 4 berths in a soft sleeper cabin and we were lucky enough to have the whole cabin to ourselves. It was pretty new with a TV screen playing about 8 DVDs-American films dubbed in Chinese. There is hot water in a thermos and a hot water tap in the corridor so we could have a hot drink or heat up instant noodles in a styrofoam pot. They also supply disposable slippers for each person. It was a quiet, smooth, and comfortable journey into Shanghai main station.

The hostel we booked was difficult to find and the 7 minute walk they said it would take took just under 2 hours! The locals are so helpful- if they have a cellphone they will ring the hostel and ask them for directions and then tell us. Even with all that help it was still difficult to find!
Yu garden
We would like to have stayed closer to Renmin Square(People's Square) but there were no hostels with 3 bed-rooms there.

Our daughter Kerri flew in for her Easter holidays and John went off to meet her flight as Lil was unwell with a bad cough and chills. They caught the Maglev- a magnetic levitation train from the airport to the start of the metro stations.

We ended up going to an English speaking Medical Centre and getting some medication for giardia and some antibiotics for the cough and things began to improve.

We bought tickets to see the Acrobatics Show in Shanghai and it was amazing. There were lots of 'oohs' and 'arhs' from the audience as the actors performed some loose rope walking, juggling, plate spinning, and flips across the stage. The contortionist held stacks of wine glasses on her hands, feet, mouth and head and was able to twist around without them falling! She was amazing.

Kerri was able to get in some shopping and bought some glasses- with only a 20 minute wait and a fraction of the price they would cost in NZ.

It is difficult to buy larger sized clothes here as the Chinese are so small. The label shops like H&M, CA or Levis seemed to e the same price at home if not more expensive.

John bought a golf bag, clubs and shoes so Kerri could take them home for him!

It has been easy to catch the metro around the city and see the sights. The smells of the city have made an impression on Kerri as they prepare food on the side of the footpath and toss rubbish every where.
The Jade Buddha Temple, Shanghai

She has been fascinated with the toddlers in their split pants squatting any where to pee and poo.
Shanghai walking street where Kerri honed her skills for dealing with the touts who want to sell copy watches and handbags as well as various toys!
We took a day trip by train to Suzhou and visited some of the local temples there and an ancient pavillion that was used by followers of Confucius.

We also managed a river cruise to see the lights of The Bund by night. It was a rip off as the company sold us a ticket then took us by bus to the start of the cruise but weren't there to pick us up at the end and return us to the office. We managed to flag a local bus down and return to the office by ourselves but others who were with us had to try to find a taxi in the dark as they were too scared to take a bus in case it took them the wrong way.

It was great to see Kerri after a year and we decided that we would not rush around and spend the whole time travelling so it was a relaxing time and she managed to do all she wanted. We only had one wet day so that was a bonus for springtime in Shanghai.

After Kerri left we caught up with Xie (Cher) and Apple (Song) whom we had met last year on Thai/ Laos Border. It was great to see them again. They are both fun ladies and if anyone knows any eligible bachelors please let us know. Apple would prefer a cherry farmer!