Due to a clerical error (that's the polite way of phrasing it) I'm in Shanghai for a day longer than anticipated, so you all get treated to my latest blog entry! The city is pretty spectacular, with giant skyscrapers and high rise flats spreading as far as the eye can see. I've heard the population is in the region of 20 million, and it's not that difficult to believe. I've seen a number of the touristy sights, but I haven't really got a feel for the city - it's too exhausting! The distances are greater than in Beijing, the temperatures have been in the high 30s all the time, and if I'm anywhere near the tourist areas, then every 2 minutes I get approached by someone. These people fall into two categories:

1) "You want watches? DVDs? T-shirts? You want to see a pretty lady?"

2) "Hello! Where are you from? You very tall! You look like Artist!"

The first lot are just hawkers, and easy to ignore. The second lot are English students, trying to get me to see an art exhibition or try chinese tea. But they're so damn friendly - they don't even suggest the trip to the art exhibition until 5 minutes of talking. The only way to get past them is walk fast and look angry. Everytime I stopped to take a photo on the Bund they got me, so I didn't get as many pictures of the famous street as I would have liked. Anyway, enough ranting!

I've been to a couple of museums in Shanghai. The Shanghai Museum has historical artefacts from all over China, and some of the ceramics and paintings were very impressive. It was all showcased very well too, with fancy lighting and partition walls. The Shanghai History Museum was slightly different, with models of old Shanghai (ranging from tiny to lifesize), and details of how the British and French stamped their imperial mark on the city. Some of the manakins and models looked ridiculous, but there were also some intersting scenes.

I also visited the old city, of which about a quarter has been turned into a tourist trap. There are some really nice buildings around there, but the experience was about as Chinese as the Starbucks which occupies one of the central buildings. Yu Yuan, a Chinese garden in the old city was a genuine oasis of peace though, and just chilling out in the garden during the hot afternoon hours was a good antidote to the hawkers.

Time for a funny story: on my way back from the old city to the hostel, I picked up some steamed dumplings to eat, and while I was walking to a suitable spot to eat them, some old women started shouting at me. I turned to her, and she pointed at my dumplings. Stupidly I held them up to look at them, at which point she grabbed the bag. She only had one of the dumplings in her half of the bag though, so I ripped the bag and strode off. Mugged by an 80 year old, now that's a story to remember.

Later the same day I went to French Concession with a couple of the guys from the hostel. The area is a really swanky part of town. Lots of posh retaurants charging ridiculous prices. We walked 5 minutes away to find a perfectly good little restaurant, where we all ate and drank for 14 Yuan each (about a pound). We then went back to the French Concession for a drink, and paid 112 Yuan (just under 9 pounds) for a pitcher of beer (2 pints). Pretty disparate, considering the distance between them!

Anyway, that'll do for the time being, The next entry will be from somewhere more rural and less polluted hopefully!