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Got to Shanghai mid day, dropped off bags and went for a goosey round. Our hotel (posh) is across a small river from the Bund. Shanghai is manic...every few steps you get asked 'bag, watch, gucci, prada' you've just got to march on!!! We had sushi and then went browesing in a foreign book shop that has some great stock. We then found the local hostel which has a sea themed roof top bar...quite expensive in hostel and chinese terms but the view was worth it!! It reminded me alot of the olde lifeboat in tenby!! The weather was rubbish so got drenched coming abck to hotel.
That evening the majority of group went to see the Shanghai Acrobatic Troop. See the pics...these people are so bendy!! And they are all sooo tiny too!! Really amazing show! Something i didn't get a good pic of was the final act...5 motorbikes whizzing round in a large metallic ball doing all kinds of tricks and just about avoiding crashing into each other...i had to turn away when the last motor bike went in ahhhh!!
Next day was a free-ish day...again lots of rain so me and Goodie decided to cut alot of the cultural sights (oopss is that bad :)) and went shopping!!! We first walked the length od the Bund and then to a park to see if we could catch any Tai Chi but had missed it then to the olde quarter where they have maintained the traditional streets of old Shanghai and where the dodgy dealers are out in full force. I bought a few bits and bobs and after agreeing our strategy we went to one of the dealers back rooms to lookie lookie at the gucci. So funny it was this secret covered door behind two doors and into this nicely air conditioned galley shaped box of a room...full of treasures..i bought a dior pair of sunnies and Goodie a gucci watch!! Very good prices and haggling on both our parts
After getting a bit lost in a ghetto area we found ourselves back on the main shopping area...i called it pepsi street as it had pepsi signs stretching the entire mile length of the road (all roads seem to be sponsored here). Anyway the heavens really opened and we found our own lil heaven...a starbucks!! Spent after noon chatting there! That evening went out to food then on the metro to the 'lively' part of town. After a bit of hassle with my metro card and having to buy another i was in abit of a bad mood (surprise surprise i hear u say!!) then we had to walk over half an hour to find this 'lively' area. Think we had stubbled upon the red light district ooopppps...saw lots of western men (old) and some of us girls enjoyed admiring/slagging off soem of the girls choice of clothing ha ha!!
Went to bed reasonable time as up early for long train journey...left at 7.15am :( Spent whole day on train and the night too as had 26 hour journey to Guilin...further south and west. Slept alot of day, played cards...gutted as Beka better at card game 'speed' than me :( ha. Paul tasted a chickens foot...he's our residential experimentor!!! Also meet a boy from Narberth...very random and spoke to a really sweet/giggly chinese girl called Fai Fai. God these girls flirt...even with other girls!!! Got to Guilin early morningsunday and took one hour bus journey to next destination.....
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