Nigel: When we were in Xi'an we made a decision that we would head over to the Shanghai area, as we had more time than we thought we would originally have. It was only when we arrived there and read in our guide book, that we realised Nanjing is one of the 3 hottest places in China (aka 3 furnaces of China). We arrived off the train and tried to find the hostel, but this was not as easy to find at first. So with my fluent Chinese that I had picked up over the 3 weeks I asked one of the locals if they knew where it was. At first he wasn't sure, but he was very kind and he rang the hostel up. He tried to explain it was down the road, but we didn't understand, so we just looked blank faced at him. As we had already wasted his time, he then said for us to follow him to the hostel. So in tempratures over over 40 degrees and our full rucksacks we started to walk with him. About 10 minutes later and half dead we arrived at the hostel. The lad that helped us was very kind and would have struggled without his help and we did think, would we do that for a foreigner back home. I would but I am not so sure about Alison......
 
Alison: The Purple Mountain in Nanjing is very beautful. We spent a day exploring it as best we could in the heat. It is apparently the best place to go in the summer because it is covered with plenty of trees for shade and has cooling breezes which were much appreciated. We visited Sun Yatzen's Mauselum which is at the top of steps 392 soul destroying steps (felt like a million). We also climbed to the top of a very tall Pagoda which gave spectacular views of the city. The city is a mix of rustic looking canals and modern shopping areas. I was pleased to spot a huge H&M and Zara which I could browse in without being hassled. In Chinese shops, the assistants accompany you around the shop and make random suggestions. Anything you vaguely look at they pick up and start to try to sell it to you...very off putting!