After missing our train from Hong Kong (we never thought sending mail home could be so difficult and take over an hour!) we ended up 90 minutes away in the sprawling metropolis of Guangzhou for the night. We spent most of the next day roaming around the city waiting for our night train to Shanghai and trying not to blame each other for missing the train and wasting money. We spent a large part of the day eating very Western food e.g. Starbucks and McDonalds as we had no energy to try to figure out the Chinese language! We even went to Ikea and kitted out our imaginary house back in the UK - there really wasn't that much to do in case you were wondering. We eventually got on the train to Shanghai and settled into our extremely cramped cabin with 4 other people. At least there was only 1 cockroach spotted and after been given a warning from me he did not reappear. We arrived in Shanghai the following evening to find the square and streets around the station swarming with people - the journey home has started for many to be with their families for Chinese New Year and many camp out on the streets waiting for tickets to become available. It was weird to experience the intense staring from the locals again after being in Hong Kong. It was like being an animal in the zoo....there is absolutely no embarassment at being caught looking at the strange foreigner walking past! Unfortunately the whole spitting habit has also returned - we got the first clearing of the throat followed by the hurling of the spit within the first 5 minutes of stepping off the train. It is something that is part of the culture of India, Nepal and China but it is the most disgusting thing to hear and see and something that I for one cannot get used to no matter how much I witness it!