Day 3 in Shanghai and we were back on our own again. Masters of our own destiny and no idea what to do with ourselves! First things first, downgrade our accommodation and move to a hostel, do some much needed laundry and then come up with a plan of action. Originally we'd wanted to head south but news of floods and torrential rain meant a swift rethink was needed. Several hours later, a not so swift rethink resulted in a booked flight to Xiamen island on the east...

After a week of having everything done for us, being told where to go, what time to be there and which pair of pants to wear, life on the second week of the tour was a bit more of a reality check. No longer entitled to the security blanket of a national guide (only groups of 6+ get that apparently), a local guide would instead meet us in every new place we stopped (supposedly), and the rest of it we were to piece together ourselves. What could possibly go wrong.....

For the first week in China, life on tour was pretty comfortable. Landing in Beijing after a pleasant overnight flight with much-maligned Aeroflot, we were driven to our hotel where a surprisingly big room with ensuite bathroom and TV/PC combo awaited us. Much of the rest of the day was spent sleeping or loitering in the lobby tryjng to identify who we'd be lumbered with on our organised tour for the next 2 weeks. The next morning our guide, Betty Boo, was wait...