Things have been a little less fast paced since I reached Shanghai. In the last couple of days I haven't managed to venture out too much. Maybe Beijing has worn me out.

Yesterday I took a walk to people's park which is round the corner from the hostel. I saw a local partake in some Chinese acupuncture which involved sticking pins in his legs and putting smouldering blocks on them. He was nice enough to let me film & take photos.

One major factor which contributes to the lethargic lifestyle is the Internet connection. I honestly feel the original dial up modem is 10 times quicker than what we have here.

Apparently it has something to do with the way the Internet is policed here. And for such a business orientated city, I find it hard to believe how they get any work done.

Shanghai is a city which consists of many skyscraper buildings and very little in terms of traditional Chinese history (compared to Beijing). However it is beautiful in it's own way.

I have met some pretty decent people at the hostel. Americans, French, German & English. There's one American couple who are travelling for one and a half years. Pat (the husband to be) told me how his Dad was in one of the towers that was hit in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. It was a very emotional story.

Last night there were 10 of us who went for a meal costing approximately £2.70 each. It was a traditional Chinese place with a revolving table stand which was perfect for large groups sharing dishes. I'm now a proud owner of their VIP discount card!

After the meal we picked up some beers from a local Hutong (40p per 660ml bottle) and we taught the Germans a lesson in how to play pool.

My dorm is right next to a school of music. Unfortunately this meant that I was woken up this morning by the sound of cats being strangled. I'm not sure what instruments they're playing, but the singing doesn't get any better either!!

Today I'm considering taking a walk to the Bund which is apparently the main strip where all the rich & famous visit.