Well, that worked. Almost too well! We got on the sleeper train at around 9:30pm after a few mishaps on the way. Most of these stemmed from the choice of a Samsonite suitcase for each of the Leicester-based girls. I get the feeling they'd regret their choice as their six month trip wore on. We then got a bit stuck on the train waiting for people to haul themselves and their gear up to the third bunk. I was on the third bunk too and to be perfectly honest I thought it was the best place to be. Loads of luggage space, and nobody bothers you getting up and down. I stuck my earplugs in at 11:30pm and slept until 11am. I only awoke occasionally with a numb bum or shoulder from the hard beds. I was out like a light moments later. Bliss. It was probably the longest sleep I've had so far. Most people on the train didn't share my experience though, and I was deservedly resented for my chirpiness on the train and on the way to the hotel.
Our guide Leon entrusted us with ordering lunch for ourselves, with mixed results. The stuff I ordered was great, but some other things, like the chickens feet that Carla ordered, were less successful. Carla didn't eat a thing once she saw that dish.
Once we'd eaten, we went to the riverbank in the city centre to catch some of the skyscrapers in the night sky. I gave Pippa a quick camera lesson as I'd left mine at the hotel. Those cityscapes of Shanghai on her camera? They're mine! Everyone was bushed after food so we headed back and people crashed. Note that not everyone had the luxury of 11 hours sleep last night. Max had only 2 - he was asleep by the time I'd used the bathroom!
The next day (30th) we tried to go to the Shanghai 2010 Expo which basically is a showcase for all the countries in the world. When we got there it was sold out! It was the last day of the expo soon and we managed to get five 200 Yuan tickets from a tout for only 200 Yuan in total. Supply and demand worked in our favour for once! The expo is crazy - a load of beautifully architected buildings each showing off the best of the represented countries. However, the queues to get into the pavilions were HUGE. I've been in the queue for Australia for around 15 mins but at least I'm now near the front! The building is shaped and coloured a bit like Ayers Rock.
What a disappointment. I queued for what seemed liked years for the Aussie expo effort and just got funnelled through into a three dimensional cinema via a set of exhibitions about their surprisingly short history. The cinema was vaguely impressive, then I had to frogmarch (I seem to be doing this a lot) to the tube in the hope of reaching our hotel by 6:15 to get to the acrobatics show we were booked into that night. We missed the start because of donuts, but we weren't aware our hunger would cause us to miss the action! The show was incredible and included hoop jumping, pot balancing and the infamous "ball of death" which was a steel cage with stunt motorbikers inside it, to the tune of a Star Wars medley. All the while, Lauren was force feeding me some kind of crap version of Maltesers, and given my starving state I gladly accepted.
We then decided to hit the bars and have a bit of a night out. Max, Suki, Kim, Helen, Pippa and I got to a place doing beers for 25 yuan a piece. They also had karaoke singers who knew none of the words and sounded like Vic Reeves club singing. They also threw in a miserable (apart from when she was dancing) belly dancer, and capped it off with women whose job it seemed to get the old men to drink by flirting with them. They didn't bother me as we "had" our own women and as Brits we didn't need any more persuading to drink! The hardcore (Helen, Pippa and me) stayed until 1am and negotiated the walk home via KFC.
I woke the next morning at 9am with a stomach ache. Probably due to the excess of beer and not enough food in my stomach. I packed and had breakfast but didn't feel much better, so I headed to the Old Town regardless. It was interesting to see the contrast between old world Shanghai and the new world skyscrapers in one view. I also bought my current prized possession from the markets: a Chairman Mao wristwatch. Get the hell in.