Today was to be our last full day in China. It started the usual way with breakfast in the hotel, which was good and then we set off for the 3.5 hour drive back to Shanghai. It was interesting that we had originally thought that there was urban area all the way from Shanghai to Suzhou and from Hangzhou back again but I realised that what we were actually looking at was farm houses, they just looked like apartments, because all along the way we saw lots of cultivated fields on both sides of the road. This may sound difficult to grasp but you had to see the buildings to realise what I mean. On arrival into Shanghai we went straight to a restaurant that Jerry had promised and that was a Mongolian Barbecue! Oh boy did Terry and I make pigs of ourselves! We were able to choose from thinly sliced pork, beef, goat and beef and piled that into a bowl along with whatever vegetables we wanted such as bean sprouts, capsicum, red onion, beans, carrot etc etc and then we added our choice of sauces such as soy, ginger in oil, garlic in oil, chilli, fish sauce etc and after that, we then took it to a little window and gave it to the cook who then through the bowl onto a huge round hot plate where they cooked three of these at once. Itwas all done with great skill and they used huge chopsticks about 3 feet long to swish the food about quickly as it cooked. Then they scooped it off back into the bowl and handed it back to us. Terry and I both went back for seconds but that was all I could manage. It was the most meat we had had in a month and wow, did we enjoy it! The place was filled with westerners one of whom was nearly 200 kilos! I reckon he must have been in there for a week! After that we went to visit the Lu Gardens which are right in the heart of the old part of Shanghai not too far from the Bund. They were very beautiful and peaceful but were quite a long walk from the bus through a major market area and dad wasn't particularly happy about the walk. We took the obligatory photos and then went to the markets. Poor Grace had told me that she would help dad to get a new backpack (a decent one) but then disappeared with Jerry, the local guide, as soon as we were turned loose for our free time. It turned out that they had raced off to look for Bary and Sue who had not come into the gardens and were not aware of a change of meeting time at the appointed venue (Starbucks!). Dad and I went off looking for a place that sold them anyway and after about 5 minutes poor Grace came running up al apologetic and out of breath. The poor girl suffers severely from IBS and was really not well but still persisted in doing her job! She managed to find us a place that sold a quality pack for around $50 and then we returned to the meeting area but they had not found Barry and Sue to tell them of the change so we all milled around in the central square of the market area for the next 45 minutes, in the mean time losing several other members of the group and wound up waiting for Terry and Jacquie who had gone looking for Sue and Barry! Finally we went back to our hotel and then after a couple of hours break went down to the foyer to meet up before heading to dinner. I had organised a collection for Grace and once everyone had arrived I thanked her for her efforts etc and presented her with an envelope of money that the members of the group had contributed to. She was really very grateful and shed a few tears. It was really lovely. After that we went out for our final dinner and had a glass of wine (courtesy of Wendy Wu) and a few extra beers which Grace had originally intended to pay for, but we refused to let her. Then we returned to the hotel and dad and I said goodbye to Jim and Elizabeth (the Scots) who went straight up to bed, but the rest of us went to the lobby bar and had a few farewell drinks. We swapped email addresses and stories and reminiscences etc and then said a sad farewell. It was all a bit surreal really, and I couldn't really take in the fact that we probably would not see many of our friends again, although we made all the usual noises about "the next trip" and so on. I truly hope that we will keep in touch, not just because of the friendships that we developed, but also because of the possibilities for sponging off each other if we do happen to get to each others patch in the future! Take note group members if you are reading this, I will have no scruples in asking for a bed! :) Dad and I went up around 9:30pm and after sorting out our luggage retired to bed. Dad was asleep about 9:45 and I made it around 10:30pm.