We were all tired so decided to have a lazy morning; Starbucks for breakfast followed by a bit of shopping and a trip to the internet cafe. After yet another pizza hut for lunch we stocked up on food, wine and beer to prepare for the 21 hour train journey ahead. The train was much the same as the last, and went quicker than expected (possible due to the forethought to buy alcohol beforehand this time).

Woke up early and had breakfast at the hotel. My first taste of Chinese dim sum was disappointing - a dumpling which turned out to contain some kind of sausagemeat and sweetcorn - pretty disgusting if I'm honest. It was accompanied with radish cake (upon reflection I'm not sure they got the translation right on 'radish', unless 'radish' is also the name of some kind of potent fish) and a steamed cream cake. I also had fried noodles and some bread and jam to take ...

Got woken up by a TV in our cabin that suddenly burst into action at 8am and was impossible to switch off. We arrived in Shanghai around midday and took taxis to 'The Nanjing Hotel' where we were staying. After a quick shower, Leah took us for an orientation walk. Our hotel was in a great location - really close to the centre. It was also great to have a non-smoking room as the hotel in Beijing reeked of past tenants. We walked up and down the shopping street, ...