Sunday 19th June - arrived back in Shanghai. Second time round, Shanghai doesn't seem nearly so scary! All the noise and hustle and bustle seem perfectly normal. Or perhaps we've been in China too long!

We're not staying at the dismal Captain Hostel we stayed in before. Instead we're staying at the Rock and Wood Youth Hostel, which was recommended to us by someone in Guilin. It's a bit more pricey but the communal areas and rooms are lovely. However, other facilities are lacking. They don't offer any booking facilities, you have to do your own laundry and they only have one washer and dryer for three floors of rooms, and the menu is limited and they stop serving food at 9pm. These things are a given in most places, and for less money.

Monday 20th June - Yuyuan Gardens and the Pearl Tower. Our main reason for spending so long on our second visit to Shanghai was because we wanted to get some tailored clothes made and we needed time to allow for this. We headed back through the tourist haven that is Yuyuan to the Shiliupu Silk Market nearby. On the way we stopped off to do perhaps the most touristy thing we've done so far - we got dressed up in old Shanghai-ese clothes and had a sepia photo taken in front of a backdrop. It was so much fun! And the Chinese loved to see Westerners doing it, judging from the crowd that built up in the doorway snapping pictures of us! 

The Shiliupu Silk Market was less a market and more a department store filled to the brim with tailors. We anticipated a long day comparing prices, bartering and playing the stalls off against each other but the first place we went to offered such a reasonable price for Chris' suits that we barely even haggled with them! Chris got two made-to-measure suits, with his choice of fabric and lining, for £100! And just across from there I got a Chinese-style dress for £38! And it will all be ready in just a few days time! As the woman at the suit stand said,  "in China, anything is possible."

Afterwards we headed to the Pearl Tower. This is a TV tower with viewing platforms at various heights. I think the top of 390 metres high and gave interesting views of Shanghai. We could see nothing but apartments blocks stretching out into the distance before disappearing into a smoggy haze. Someone we'd met on our travels claimed there was a roller coaster on one of the lower levels, which we found hard to believe. If you look at photos of the Pearl Tower, you'll see what we mean. But low and behold, there was indeed a roller coaster! It was only a kiddies one, but was quite exhilarating nonetheless. 

Tuesday 21st June - Suzhou. Just a short train trip outside of Shanghai is the canal city of Suzhou - the Venice of the East. It's filled with loads of elaborate gardens that people built several years ago and it supposed to be really pretty. However, it rained the whole time we where there so after getting drenched in one garden we decided to give up and head back to Shanghai. We visited the Humble Administrator's Garden, which was really pretty. It was quite big, with a lake and several pagodas dotted about. The lake was filled with lilies and on a nicer day it would have been lovely to walk about. If the other gardens are like this then I'd highly recommend a visit to Suzhou on a nice sunny day.

Wednesday 22nd June - the French Concession. Chris found a walk for us to do around this pretty area. It's filled with cafes, restaurants and art galleries, but the most interesting this is the architecture. There are no office blocks, apartments and shopping malls. Instead are more traditional looking brick houses with big wooden doors. There are some buildings which are fairly dilapidated now, but in there heyday would have been impressive mansions by English standards. Goodness knows what the locals must have made of them back then, being so different from their small courtyard-centred homes. 

Tianzifang is a section of alley ways filled with row after row of souvenir shops and restaurants. Most of the goods can be found cheaper anywhere in China but some of the shops have more unique, handmade items. There are also some photo galleries with beautiful photos of Shanghai, China and the people. 

Thursday 23rd June - Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall. This was more interesting than it sounds! As well as showing loads of fascinating photos of Shanghai through the years as it developed into the city it is today, they have a huge model of the inner city. And we mean huge! We could spot all the places we've visited in the city and make out the roads where our hostels are.

Friday 24th June - Science and Technology Museum. Although this is housed in a massive building, the exhibits themselves are quite small and there aren't very many of them. Still, there was enough to keep us entertained for a few hours. One display was dedicated to robots and showcased a robot that drew portraits, one the played piano, and performing robots putting on a show!

Our clothes were ready today so after the museum we went back to the Silk Market. Some adjustments needed to be made to all the items but these were all done within the hour and at the end of it all we've got some beautiful, tailored outfits for less than they would cost off the rack back home!

Saturday 25th June - last day in Shanghai. And it rained. We met up with Leah, a girl that Chris grew up with and who is now living in Shanghai. Her parents were over visiting so we had lunch with them all back in the French Concession. 

And that's it! China is done now, as far as our trip is concerned after three months it does feel a bit like home but we're glad to be leaving now. We've seen just about everything we wanted to, from the bright lights of Beijing to the snowy peaks of the Himalayas and the grassy plains of Shangri-La we've taken in the ancient Great Wall and the Terracotta Warriors as well as the neon lights of Shanghai and the Hong Kong skyline. We've picked tea, climbed mountains and waved at pandas. It would be impossible to pick one highlight from it all - cycling through peaceful meadowlands, or floating down the river on a bamboo raft? The Summer Palace or the Forbidden City? Every place we've been to has had something wonderful that we will treasure.

Still, the rest of the far east awaits us, so onwards to South Korea!

Zaijian!!
Lindsay and Chris