We left Shanghai this morning... it was a nightmare! First we stood in line for China Eastern Airline, but it was the wrong line (all signs in Chinese). Then we stood in line for half an hour to find out that our suitcases are too heavy and we had to pay before we could get our boarding passes. The only problem was that we had to go to a different line to pay and that line was about 200 yards long. That was at least an hour or more of wait, so I went directly in ...

Today, we had our big professional shopping tour with Claire, our guide. That was Janine's great idea, because we had a chauffeur (transportation takes a lot of time in such a big city) and someone telling us where to shop for the best quality and price. Claire also speaks Chinese and that helps with the very time consuming haggling (Janine is really good at it too - hardcore haggler!). First we went to the Fabric Market where we ordered tailored coats (cashmere)...

Today, we went with the subway to the World Financial Center's Observatory on the 100th floor. It was quite interesting to learn some facts about the growth of Shanghai in the last 10 years and comparing it with other cities like NY or Tokio. Over 19 Mio people live in this city! We had lunch at the Westin's restaurant and later got a pedicure and massage (Green Massage) before heading to the French Concession for a nice outdoor Thai dinner. Taxis are quite accom...

That was an exciting train ride with the new high-speed train from Beijing to Shanghai in under 5 hours and with great comfort. The seats recline to horizontal position and are very comfortable. There were some snacks, drinks and dinner served as well. The train stations in both cities are incredibly huge, very modern and futuristic. After arriving in Shanghai train station, we lined up to get a taxi, long, long lines but it was moving quite fast. When we finally...

Today was the official "we-hate-Beijing- cab-driver-day"! And we walked for hours... Here is how it goes: 1. You stand at the side of the road and flag down one of the many cabs. 2. You'll get one of the following reactions: - drive by without paying attention to us - stop but don't understand where you want to go - simply don't want to drive there - offer to drive you for a ridiculously high amount (without turning on the meter which they should) and if you don'...