Hanoi to Halong Bay

(J) Swimming off Cat Ba island in Halong bay, tick that box! After a 10k bike ride that included a bit of jungle walking and cave exploring, this is just what was needed, had been very sweaty and grimy in the humidity. Thankfully the bikes were pretty good and the terrain not too steep, so it was an enjoyable afternoon. Before returning to the boat Chez and I also teamed up for 15 minutes in a 2 person kayak...one of those open short types, almost a ski.

Hanoi was walking and walking. That was good after Hoi An where we hadn't done much of anything. Our Scottish friends in Hoi An had warned us off the water puppets, but we went anyway. They were pretty funny. I think I can see why Jim didn't like them. The music was live and actually very good, traditional instruments and singing. One of the puppet dragons was a bit enthusiastic with the water spraying and wet one of the lady musicians....she was particularly unimpressed and disappeared for a while with what I imagine was a bit of a Vietnamese curse. I fancied that this might not have necessarily been a one off.

We did the war museum which had loads of hardware outside, including the tortured remains of a wrecked F-111, but the internals of the museum were a bit hap-hazard particularly compared with the Remnants museum in Saigon.

Our hotel was down a little alleyway a few blocks north of the lake. It was very quaint and as always with this country the staff were very friendly and helpful. Our room was on the 6th floor overlooking nothing at all. On our first day the lift stopped working and all of a sudden floor 6 became a bit of a challenge. Thankfully it was back in action for our last morning when the baggage had to be carted.

We picked up a bus for our Halong bay cruise. We were the first people on the bus. We then proceeded to do a tour of the city, picking up the odd passenger along the way. About 45 minutes later we were back in the street behind our hotel to pick up a couple of Aussies girls from Mudgee......and we still had a 3 and a half hour ride to our destination!

Our last few days were back in the city. It has felt a bit like marking time. Unfortunately the first consistent rain (drizzle) of the tour has set in, which meant we abandoned a planned bike ride around west lake. We are staying in a very nice hotel, so there are compensations. Taxi ride to the airport, we just nearly splattered a bike rider in the wet. Jump from Hanoi to Hong Kong and then the long trip home.

(C) Halong bay was the highlight of our last week in Vietnam away from the hustle and bustle of busy Hanoi. The only thing lacking was blue sky which has definitely been a common theme through most of our trip. It was beautiful anyway so I can only imagine how stunning it must look with clear blue skies. Maybe next time.

Our hotel in Hanoi was right in the Old Quarter not far from the Ho Kiem Lake. On our walking around town day we followed the lonely planet guides walking tour of the shopping streets. In the old days each street was named after the product made and sold in the street. Today these streets still exist today to a certain extent. There is shoes, blacksmiths, gravestones, etc etc.

All the walking in Hanoi was really hot work as it was so humid. By the afternoon the humidity would create a very fine damp mist, almost rain but not quite. We also had an interesting visit to Ho loa Prison which was later nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton in the early 70's after American pilots had been captured and imprisoned there. The treatment of Vietnamese political prisoners many years prior to this was depicted as much less civilised to the treatment the pilots received.

We had some great food in Hanoi as with most of Vietnam and thank our Scottish friends we met in Hoi An for recommending a little place that sold just one dish. A local specialty called Cha Ca. Very very yummy. We also had this dish again at another restaurant on our last night in Hanoi. It was a little different but was also very delicious. Might have to try and recreate that one at home.

Well after sleeping 2 nights in the best bed we have had all holidays out trip is at an end. It's been fantastic. Farewell, Vietnam!

NB: photos to come later.

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Saigon to Hoi An, Vietnam

(J) Our first full day in Vietnam and we visited the War Remnants museum. Very interesting view of the war as portrayed by the victors, as they say the winner gets to write the history. We had lunch at a place called Nha Hang Ngon, recommend by the Lonely Planet, that was busy with locals and tourists alike (always a good sign). On the stroke of one the place seemed to empty out, I am guessing everyone went back to work. Not sure what people do for a crust here, it certainly isn't footpath maintenance! I am forming the view that those not in hospitality or retail (markets) are paid by the government to ride around the city on scooters all day long. All the streets a constantly crammed with scooters day and night, can't imagine where they are all going.

After our busy weeks of hashing and touring with many of our friends, Ian and Julie particularly, Chez and I are definitely in a chilling out mood. After some leisurely walking on our second morning, we broke the drought at lunchtime and continued on drinking at different watering holes for the rest of the afternoon. Seems a bit self indulgent to me but Chez posted a picture of us drinking in pretty well everyplace we stopped....this is the facebook age of course.

After many drinks and a decent feed at a local BBQ style restaurant and some haggling in the market stalls....yes Nick you get more cheap Arsenal gear when we return, it was time to retire. We are both really looking forward to our next port of call, Hoi An, which is beaches, pools, and some serious goofing off....the most effort will be expended in the gym or cycling from beach to beach....ho hum!

(C) It was a bit of a climate adjustment to go from low 20 degrees to the mid 30's in Saigon. Thankfully, Ian and Julie had some room in their luggage to take our thermals and warm jumpers back to oz...definitely no more need for them. With our luggage now a few kilos lighter looks like will have to do some shopping in Vietnam to fill it up again. Our hotel was just across the road from the Bin thanh markets which were full of cheap clothes, watches, fabrics, shoes, bags, food etc etc. once again a lot of the same same. At one point while walking through an aisle of clothing it almost felt like we were being given a guard of honour as each shop vendor simultaneously waved the same shirt of various colours in front of me saying "hello Madame" as we walked past. Having to respond to each one shaking your head saying "no thank you" becomes a bit tiring. If only they new that with a LOT less harassment I would be more inclined to browse there stall and perhaps even buy something.

There are some lovely big parks in Saigon, very green and lush with lots of tall trees. While strolling through one on our first day we were stopped by a mother and her 10 year old daughter and politely asked if the daughter could practice her English with us as she was learning at school. We were only too happy to oblige. She was able to ask us questions okay but had a bit more trouble answering the questions we asked her but I'm sure it helped.

(J) Hoi An is pretty terrific. The beach is a short bus trip from our hotel and is very pleasant. Our hotel has an arrangement with a restaurant by the beach that supplies shaded lounges and towels, v civilised. The water was a lake on our first day but on our second visit we had to deal with a nasty little shore dump. It was pretty funny watching some of the people get smashed by these waves, I guess I take for granted some of the surf craft we have grown up with in Oz. It is a cosmopolitan group, a couple of friendly Scottish people we have met, Jim and Alison, then there was a British family group that turned up like a whirl wind with lots of kids and one of those terribly British mothers..."oh Germima do put on your sun screen, Lawrence make room so that lady is sitting out of the sun, otherwise she will simply fry"....lovely stuff. Then there are the Russians, one girl travelling alone called the locals "those people", which is kind of interesting. All of them smoke and spend all their time in the sun. Chez and I are the opposite, seeking as much shelter as we can manage before a dash to the shore for a quick dip.

 

We tried the free bikes provided by the hotel, but only once. I guess I am a bit spoilt with my own bike, even some of the others we have used in China were quite good. The one I used here in Hoi An was, well, difficult is the best word that comes to mind. It was old and had a leather seat...that was all ok though obviously a bit uncomfortable. It was suprisingly heavy at first but I got used to that. It virtually had no brakes at all, they screeched mightily when applied, to the amusement of nearby (and probably far away) locals. The thing that really bugged me was the handle bars, which were the type that curved at the ends with the plastic hand holds sort of point down the length of the bike. After a while an old wrist injury started to flare having the wrist cocked in this rather odd position...it is annoying getting older!

 

The hotel facilities are excellent and the staff are all so friendly and helpful, it is going to be difficult to pack the bags and move on.

(C) Our stay in Hoi An has been very relaxing. Hard to keep track of what day it is we have been away for so long. After all the touring in China we have just been soaking up the local area without venturing too far. It is still hot here particularly up til midday but there is a bit of a breeze which comes and goes. The Vietnamese food is awesome starting with a beautiful buffet breakfast everyday at our hotel. Our hotel also has spa facilities which have been hard to pass up as they are so cheap compared to home. I have managed a foot massage treatment with pedicure and a manicure and also a Himalayan salt stone massage. The latter today as we have a few hours to pass before our flight to Hanoi.

Another popular thing in Hoi An are the tailors. There are over 300 in town eagerly waiting to make made to measure suits, coats, dresses, bikinis, whatever you want really. They are masters at copying so you can just bring along a picture of what you want and they will make it for you. Alternatively they have some books for you to look at which is what I did. After choosing the fabrics, getting measured, returning for 3 fittings over the next 3 days I now have 2 new one of a kind dresses made just for me.

We were also lucky enough to be in Hoi An for the Full Moon Festival for this month. On the night of the full moon all the street lights and bright lights in the streets of the old town and by the river are turned off and motor vehicles and bikes are not allowed. Only colourful silk lanterns are left alight and paper lanterns lit with candles are set floating down the river. I was even able to purchase a paper lantern from one of the many street vendors to send off on its journey down the river. It was truly beautiful.

 

 

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YANGSHUO, GUANGXI PROVINCE

(J) Country town by China standards, only 300,000 people lived in this place. It was also packed with tourists during our stay. This is normal for the area, but a holiday period was in full swing called the Qinming, which is when everybody gets in contact with dead relatives by setting off fireworks and burning offerings....and otherwise having a pretty good time of it, eating and drinking etc.

 

The area is famous for its 20 odd thousand limestone peaks, not particularly high but they impose themselves on the landscape. Our new guide was Rose whose first challenge was to take us on a bike riding tour of the area. I must say that this was close to the best day of the whole tour. We collected our bikes from west street (more about this place later) and set off through the hustle of town before breaking out into the countryside. In a previous blog I have mentioned traffic in Chinese cities. The idea is regardless of all else, keep moving. For us it was keep to the right and apply that rule.

After many activities on the day we set out to return to town at around 4:30pm, we had nine km's to travel on a main road into town then back through the main street to drop our bikes off. There were a lot of people about because of the holiday, it was Saturday and one of two main roads in town was closed.

Our 9 km journey started off busy but progressively grew busier and busier and slower and slower. Suddenly bikes were the fastest mode of transport going and they were everywhere, hundreds of them all travelling into the city amongst the cars and trucks and buses...it was pretty crazy. A bit of rain threatened, as it has done in many places but for the first time on tour it really started to rain. We still had about 6 km to go when it started and it stayed with us for the rest of the ride.

It was a really enjoyable experience riding like this in a moving sea of treadlies. You couldn't go very fast and had to stop on a number of occasions as stalls, parked buses, pedestrians and other bikes blocked the bike access on the side of the road. On these occasions, it was time to play chicken with the traffic, but because of our numbers, the bikes tended to hold sway. I was doing things on a push bike I wouldn't dream of doing in Australia in the name of progress. By the time we hit town the rain was tumbling the 4 wheeled traffic was at a virtual standstill and we kept on keeping on. We were soaked through to the skin but a very exhilarating end to a fine days outing.

West street had bars that catered to European tourists!! After the yellow mountain, this was a very enticing prospect. There were Italian pizza bars, a British style pub, lots of cafés with guitar players, night clubs with dooff dooff blaring but for me (and Ian I dare say) the best place was a German beer hall and garden....hooray!!! The few nights we were in town we sampled different types...far too many samples I would say, made up for some of the days where good beer was impossible to find. We were also finding it hard to say no to some of the different types of food on offer after so much Chinese over the past 4 weeks (we even did a Chinese cooking class on one of our days in town). So we ate spicey German sausage one night and had Indian food the next. We met a nice Australian lady (Pam from the Sunshine Coast, but originally a Parramatta girl) at our hotel who was touring with some young Americans and she was very keen to spend some time with some Australians a little closer to her own age.

On the day we had the cooking class we went to the market, supposedly with the teacher to pick out some fresh ingredient to use. The teacher had that covered so we just roamed about the market with Rose, checking what there was to buy. In the meat section we saw whole skinned and gutted cats and dogs. This was pretty confronting I have to say....I had eaten some salad the day before without thinking and was already feeling a little queasy (salad is washed in tap water and therefore should not be consumed)....also a fair bit of beer the night before. I won't say I was overcome by the sight of the animals hanging on meat hooks, but it didn't help my general disposition. Rose advised that if we wanted to take pictures do it from a distance using a zoom as the proprietors were a bit touchy about big noses photographing their wares. Dog in particular is considered a delicacy and is often eaten to celebrate the birth of a male child.

(C) As John mentioned we had a fabulous day riding bikes through the countryside and busy hubbub of Yangshuo town. Halfway through our bike ride we also had a bamboo raft ride down the Dragon River which had many causeways that our skipper navigated us through. After our lunch cooked by a local farmer we went to visit some caves. Deep in the caves there was a big mud pool which we all wallowed in. This was a very strange sensation, like floating in a vat of peanut butter, squidgy. It was hard to move about in, Ian while trying to avoid a face plant in the mud was seen by John and I thrashing about which sent us into fits of laughter. Julie attempted to climb the slippery slide to slide in but funnily enough it was too slippery. After posing for a few photos, a cold shower to wash away the mud a couple of more minutes through the caves and we jumped into a natural hot spring.

To top off our day, after a shower and change of clothes from our bike ride and mud bath we had booked to see the Impression Show which was staged on the Li River. It was a stunning show of lights, music, singing, minority group performers, rafters etc, all choreographed by the guy who choreographed the opening ceremony from the Beijing Olympics. Luckily for us the rain stopped just as the show began and held off until it finished.

The next day, we also had a cruise on the Li River, considered one of the most beautiful rivers in the world which was very relaxing. Once again we were on a raft type boat, this time motorised and made of PVC pipe. Our rafts on the dragon river were made of bamboo and th skipper used a bamboo pole to propel and steer us through the water.

Our final morning in Yangshuo was spent buying a couple of embroidered souvenirs hand made by the Miao minority community, searching and enjoying a rare but very nice cappuccino. Our world expeditions tour is now over so Rose arranged transportation and escorted us to Guilin, 1.5 hours drive away. Guilin is also on the Li River. We stayed in a 2 bedroom apartment in a more residential area, visited a couple of bars, walked by the river and had dinner both nights at a Chinese restaurant named McFounds. Not sure what the name is supposed to mean.

Well that's the end of our 5 weeks in China, early tomorrow we head to Saigon in Vietnam and farewell Ian and Julie who head back to Oz.

A bit of sillyness and an attempt at the thousand hand panda pose.

 

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MT HUANGSHAN, ANHUI PROVINCE

(C) We are sitting in the plane waiting to depart for Guilin. 25 minutes have passed since we were supposed to have departed and we haven't moved an inch. I have finished reading the newspaper and inflight magazine and now switch the iPad back on to write about our last destination Mt Huangshan.

Prior to arriving in Mt Huangshan we had our final overnight train ride from Shanghai to Tunxi. Unlike our previous train rides the 4 of us did not have beds in the same cabin. Ian and Julie were ticketed with a top and bottom bunk in one cabin and John and I had the 2 top bunks in the cabin next door.Well this was going to upset our train ritual of a couple of beers for the boys and a bottle of Chinese red wine for the girls before shut eye. Something had to be done. Luckily a man from another cabin who spoke some English was nearby so I was soon able to negotiate some bunk swapping so that Julie and Ian could join us in our cabin. The only thing was that the two people who were supposed to be in the bottom bunks were getting off the train at 4am and 6am and we weren't sure if new passengers would be wondering who were in their beds. Luckily this did not happen, however the train guard did come into the cabin about 3.30am to jab Ian awake as he was in the bed of the man who was getting off at 4am. Fortunately for Ian, Julie was awake and quickly signalled to the guard that the man was in the next cabin.

(J) Miriam was our guide for the next part of the tour. She picked up the dishevelled travellers from the train station, she amongst us being in apparent good cheer. The bus took us to a local restaurant only open for our sakes to provide an egg and toast breakfast.

Miriam proved to be a very friendly and knowledgable guide. She is only small but has a big smile and a very sincere and compelling laugh. Her English was very good and like all the guides was more interested in learning more English from us than she was teaching us any of the local lingo....most of what she did tell us seemed to fall on deaf ears as only the most straight forward Chinese can we seem to grasp.

The first day was a tour of some local villages in which Miriam spoke with the locals and relayed some of their daily lives to us. They were more than willing to chat and we were even sincerely congratulated on Australia's part in helping with the search for the missing Malaysian airliner, which was of course full of so many Chinese nationals. The village life was quite simple, the primary cash crop being tea. Like other places we had been, most of the young people had left the villages to work in the cities. Now apparently the govt is looking at tax incentives to encourage people to stay on the land. The ground is steep and I imagine the work to be backbreaking....much better a job in the city I expect. A good moment was when a very proud local puppy came scurrying around a corner carry a soiled nappy as a prize.

 

Our first evening meal was in the hotel restaurant. I had just been to the gym before dinner to use up a bit of energy as the last few days had not been overly busy. The offerings included western food which, for a change, sounded appealing. Miriam was quite persuasive this would be a bad plan and recommended a number if dishes that Chez and I decided to try, including a local soup of bamboo with pork which was really good. Our travelling companions had their hearts set on the western menu and went for steak. I am pretty sure Chez and I made the right choice. I should mention here that we were in a part of China that was still catching up on the beer thing. No local bars and what beer we could find was invariably room temperature with mid strength being the strongest available...which I regret to report was a much better option than a couple of cold light beers we tried.

 

After a good nights sleep and a hearty breakfast we headed off for a day of hiking in Mt Huangshan, also known as Yellow Mountain. We caught a cable car that ended fairly close to the top. The walking was along different tracks that took you from one summit to another. The maximum height was only 1860 meters and the tracks were good so it was easy breathing and walking. There were some pretty substantial staircases which were a bit of a challenge, just to keep you honest. There were a number of different cable cars and in these areas the crowds were thickest, a lot of Chinese visit the mountain, it is a holy place apparently but there are no temples on the mountain any more and most people seemed to be content site seeing. The views were spectacular if a little difficult to find. The mist and cloud rolled in and out at different times during the day. Many of the rock formations represented different images. Our guide, Miriam, said you had to use 70% imagination to see what was there..monkeys, elephants, sitting Buddah. One particular rock was supposedly an elephant or something but one look at it, with no imagination required, suggested something totally different...essentially a male organ standing at attention. After a bit of coaxing, eventually Miriam confessed that yes, that was what it really looked like.

 

After we caught the cable car down, we opted for a relax in a natural hot spring bathing area at the foot of the mountain. After 4 hours or so of hiking this was a really good plan. The spring included many pools all over 40 degrees in temperature and were a great way to relax the muscles and the soul. We spent about 2 hours their trying all types of different pools, most of which contained added extras such as green tea, rose petals, coconut milk...one even included vitamin C apparently. All these additives supposedly providing health benefits, from minimising cholesterol to removing wrinkles. For an additional 30 yuan we were able to go into a pool where the fish like to nibble at your dead skin. We passed this type of thing up some years ago in Malaysia but thought we would give it a go this time around. In Malaysia the offering was to place your feet in the water, here you sat in a large pool and let the fish come to you....you could totally immerse the body if you chose to....which I did. The fish seem to be having a great time of it. Ian's feet were particularly attractive to them. I am not saying what part of me was most popular, but I was wearing properly fitting speedos. Once again room temperature mid strength beer was the order of the day.

Tipping is a necessity in China. As there were limited eating options near our hotel, we ate in the restaurant two nights running here. We got our best reaction to our tips on these occasions. The first night once the girl realised the change was also the tip, she skipped joyfully back to the service counter, it was very funny to see. The second night was a different, older woman who didn't get so carried away, however the next morning at breakfast she was very attentive, although it was a buffet, she was providing us with table service!

~~~~~~

(Some words from our guest blogger and travel companion Julie) -

I stare... The mountain, granite, pines, bamboo and yet to bloom varieties of tree.

The stair.... More than 7000 up and down, muscles aching, heart racing... Help!

They stare.... Only a few big noses up here, gradually smiling faces and some helping hands, have reached the second highest peak... 1860 m, the Bright Summit

We all stare.... Beautiful rock formations, steep ravines, magnificent vista, sweet smelling air....Use the imagination - 70%? This rock is a rabbit on the back of a turtle on top of an elephant. This pine the Welcome Tree, that pine The Lovers, thousands of padlocks on chains - a solemn promise, symbols of undying love...Mist closing in

More stairs ................ Huangshan the Yellow Mountain. What a great day.

 

 

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COSMOPOLITAN SHANGHAI

(C) We were met by our next local guide, Jerry, after disembarking from the Yangtze 2. Our tour in China has been a bit different to a usual tour as there have only been the 4 of us. Consequently rather than having a tour guide for the whole trip we have had different English speaking guides in each province. As we have departed trains, planes and boats our new guide in each destination has been waiting with our names written on a piece of paper. Thank goodness for this because it is a bit hard to hide that we are tourists in China as there are very few foreigners so you get swamped by Chinese people offering to be your taxi driver, tour guide etc. We are now in Yichang which is in the Hubei Province, we are not staying here however just passing through on our way to Shanghai so Jerry and our drivers job today is to take us to the airport stopping for lunch on the way. We are then met by our very enthusiastic Shanghai guide Kevin.

We arrive at our hotel in Shanghai, which is quite a let down after our luxury on the river but in a good location just around the corner from Shanghai's pedestrian shopping street Nanging Road. After checking in we head out to Nanging Road in search of a nice drink and are presently surprised to find a bar for a beer for the boys and a mojito for me. Then we find a Starbucks for a coffee. While strolling along we were approached by at least a dozen hawkers trying to sell us disco rollers that you attach to the bottom of your shoes to turn them into instant roller skates. Others were trying to entice us into their shop down side alleys to buy handbags and watches. Something I have noticed in all of China so far is that if you go into a market area there will be from 1 to 5 different types of shops only. They are just repeated over and over again in the one street for as long as the street goes. Very strange.

While in Shanghai we learnt the finer art of eating dumplings which you dipped in vinegar. A little tricky, after dipping your dumpling in the vinegar you bite a little hole in the dumpling, suck the hot juice out carefully and noisily, then chomp away. Delicious.

Apart from our dumpling lunch Kevin took us on a full day walking tour of Shanghai visiting Peoples Park which also had an area called Marrige Market similar to Beijing where parents would meet up to do some matchmaking for their children. It was in Shanghai we discovered that their were more females in China than males. We thought it was the other way around. Apparently the prospect of marriage is very slim for women once they have reached the age of 27 and are so referred to as Leftover Ladies.

We also visited the French Concession (French quarter), a museum of national treasures, a museum where the first communist party in China was started and a nice Chinese garden. Later in the afternoon we walked along the popular Bund beside the river before our evening cruise on the river. Shanghai is a spectacular city at night. As we cruised along, on one side the river was lined with colonial buildings that were adorned with monochrome lighting making some of them look quite golden and some look a little eery. While on the other side in the pudong area, which has pretty much been built in the last 25 years, the skyscrapers and modern buildings were very vibrant and colourful. Our pictures don't really do it justice. Overall Shanghai caters a lot more to westerners and is a very vibrant city which would be nice to visit again in the future.

As I mentioned before our hotel in Shanghai was very below standard, this also included the breakfast which was included. John and I decided to skip this on our second morning. We had been watching a lady from our balcony cook on a barbecue in the street below and frequented by many many people. First she browned some flat bread a bit similar to Malaysian roti, cracked an egg on the hot plate, scrambled it up a bit, put the golden brown bread on top so that the egg was attached to the bread, cooked a piece of bacon which was then put on top of the bread, added some tomato sauce and pepper then folded it all in half and put in a bag. This Chinese version of an egg and bacon roll was most delicious. Might have to try that one at home.

(J) Kevin was a very unusual guide. I think he had a lot of fingers in a lot of pies. He is not a regular tour guide for the company, as Cheryle mentioned, we have been allocated a local guide in each location as we are a small tour that does not justify a fulltime tour guide (apparently). Kevin is a only a little guy, very thin, but eats like a horse. He was the only guide to tuck in with us at every allocated meal. I suspect we also covered his bill when he organised a dumpling lunch for us on one of our days together when lunch was not included.

He took us to different shops on our walking tour where I am pretty sure he was receiving kick backs. He was agitated if we told him we didn't want to go in to a particular shop. We did do all the things included on the itinerary...and more. His English was very good, his delivery when discussing history and other facts entertaining and intense. Julie thought he was a bit asperges....and I suspect she was correct.

He called Julie Julia and I am not sure he was kidding when he asked if she was related to Julia Gillard. He rated Shanghai the number one shopping, number one finance, number one eating....pretty much number one anything you could think of.

We did go on a nice river cruise during our second evening in town, unfortunately we were somewhat unprepared for how cold it became as Kevin had told us the weather would be beautiful, when in fact it was freezing by the time evening came around. Because our itinerary was a bit light on our last day, Kevin thoughtfully put together a half day tour at a local water town, including "gondola" ride and evening meal (of which he once again partook with great enthusiasm). This was clearly a premeditated arrangement and his argument as to why we should spend the extra money well rehearsed. It was hard to say no. Kevin called the place the number one "Venice of China" which I am sure you can appreciate lived up to our expectations.

Footnote : The final morning of our stay was free time roaming the city before moving on to our next destination. A typical sort of morning when travelling like this. After negotiating a new pair of earphones (down from a very best price just for me of only 280 yuan to 120 yuan...and still probably being ripped off) and buying some staples such as water, Chez and I returned to our hotel to finish packing our bags. Standing in the lobby waiting for the lift I had a second look at a gent standing patiently. I said to Cheryle that I thought the fellow looked like Frank our guide from Beijing, Cheryle said no, but again I looked and this time he responded with a quizzical look at us. Sure enough it was Frank waiting for his tourists (some of whom were seated in the lobby and noting our little exchange) to take on their days adventure in Shanghai. We exchanged pleasantries and had a bit of a chat. Just as we were finishing up I remarked what a small place China was, for which I was rewarded with a few gawfs from the tourists and a smile from the ever relaxed Frank.

(The following words direct from the hand of fellow traveller and guest blogger, Ian) -
Observations of Shanghai in the morning.
Running on the Bund at 7am: about 20 other runners (incl a few foreigners) mixed with 500_plus tai chi practioners & dancers. All with their own group uniform and music machine,
Walking on Nanjing Road : walking with female companion at night, maybe 3-4 times offered a watch, some kind of barely useful gizmo. Do so as a solo foreign male mid-morning: offered "sexy massage" (complete with no-holds-bared photos) maybe 20 times. That's Shanghai!

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