And back to Beijing - 1st - 3rd September


Took the overnight train from Shanghai to Beijing which was most comfortable. After a wander around the Hutong area (old alley ways of Beijing) that afternoon, we met up with Ray and Maria (Adam's Mum and Dad). Ray and Maria had just flown into Beijing, the start of their two week holiday. It was wonderful to see them and catch up with news from home.

As planned, we headed back to the Great Wall. We started 3 hours outside of Beijing at Jinshanling and enjoyed this incredible wonder, this time without the crowd and smell of wee. The wall follows the rise and fall of the mountain ridge and the views were stunning. We finished the walk by taking a thrilling zip line from the wall to our pick up point at Simatai. I screamed like a baboon, most uncool. Our day finished perfectly with another night with Ray and Maria at TGI Fridays. Burgers all round for the Filbys.

Putuoshan, 29th - 31st August

An island, 3 hours by ferry, to the east of Shanghai. Putuoshan is a sacred Buddhist island. Peace and quiet at last, spooky. Buddhists come here on pilgrimage to visit the many ancient temples. We were the only guests in our hotel (the best on the island), which was fine once house keeping had spent 30 minutes sweeping balls of hair from our bedroom carpet. Due to lack of tourist facilities, for three days we enjoyed the Chinese staple of instant noodles. Luckily thanks to the high levels of MSG (which I was actually beginning to believe Adam was addicted to), they were very enjoyable.

Above: One Thousand Step Beach - breath that fresh sea air.


Above: Due to my unnatural blond hair, I was very popular with young Chinese girls. Throughout our travels in China I was regularly asked for my photo. About as close to being famous as I will ever be!

Hangzhou, 27th - 29th August

One of China's most famous tourist sites, the main reason being the legendary West Lake. Praised by emperors and revered by poets, the lake has figured in Chinese literature and art for centuries. With its willow-lined banks, ancient pagodas and mist-covered hills, being in Hangzhou is like stepping into a classical Chinese watercolour.

Above: We decided to explore West Lake by bicycle and true to form, mine was a bright pink number.

Shanghai, 24th - 27th August

We arrived at our carefully selected hotel in the French Concession district to discover it was going through a major refurbishment. A bit like the rest of China. Chinese customer service at its finest, 'we have your credit card, so we will charge you whether you like it here or not.' After having a few words, which included 'dust covered hovel, building site, disgusting way to talk to your customer' we were given a suite.

The French Concession area was a real treat, tree-lined avenues, cafes and a relaxed atmosphere.

Shanghai was built on the trade of opium, silk and tea, where first the British settled, followed by the French and Japanese. Shanghai was built by exploitation and was known for its countless opium dens, gambling joints and brothels. The city was 'liberated' in 1949, communists eradicated the slums, rehabilitated the city's hundreds of thousands of opium addicts and eliminated child and slave labour. In 1990 Shanghai announced the development of the Pudong (business district) and it's ambition to be a major financial centre. Can Shanghai outshine Hong Kong? Nothing would please the government more. Time will tell.

From our point of view, although lacking in the ancient history of Beijing, we enjoyed the atmosphere of Shanghai and the contrast of the colonial past with the 'ultra modern' of today's China.

Above: Hot in the city. Adam with Pearl Tower in the background

Above: Neon adding to the atmosphere of Pudong