Shanghai

Ok. So we have actually been in New Zealand for the last three and a half weeks so are running a bit behind schedule on the blog front. However, as we leave for Santiago tomorrow we figured it was about time to sort ourselves out.

We arrived in Shanghai from Istanbul in pretty good shape despite the relatively long flight (we flew via Doha which made the total flight time around 15 hours) although we both wished that we had taken nose plugs to block out the stench of the man sitting next to us through the flight. I do not understand how someone can get on a flight already smelling so badly.

The first priority in Shanghai was to go to the dentist as one of Crystal's teeth had been giving her quite a bit of grief. Whilst not the most exciting blog material, the experience of visiting healthcare professionals in a foreign country was certainly strange - not necessarily negative but definitely uncomfortable being so far away from the familiarity of home. A small operation later and a course of antibiotics which meant no booze for Crystal in Shanghai and we were back into travel mode.

What soon became quite noticable however is that there is actually not a huge amount to do in Shanghai on a backpackers budget. It does not have the sights of Beijing nor does it have the accessibility which the better English levels afford in Hong Kong. Whilst I had previously been to Shanghai on a backpacker budget and do not recall noticing this, I expect the key difference was that the last visit was primarily spent drinking.

We went for a wander along the Bund and took in the contrast between buildings such as the old Jardine Mattheson building, the HSBC building and the Peace Hotel on the Bund and the skyscrappers of Pudong on the far side of the river. The roof paintings in the HSBC building provided a particularly interesting window into the ways in which the world has changed in the 90 years since it was built - amongst the eight financial centres of the world highlighted on its roof were Bangkok and Calcutta. We managed to get in a few sneaky photos in front of the monument to the cultural revolution - complete with clergy in shackles - before taking a rather expensive coffee break where I was treated to my Bund highlight - eavesdropping on the conversation between an out of work American translator and a Finnish department store Santa on his day off as they stood drinking at a bar in the late morning.

We thought the French Concession was pretty by Chinese standards but not nearly as French as the guidebook suggested. We also found the shopping options a bit lacking - the budget offerings were budget in quality as well as price - with the exception of DVDs where the supply was abundant and so far they have all worked.

One real highlight however was the Chinese Acrobatics at the Shanghai Centre Theatre. With the exception of one or two routines, the whole show was absolutely world class. The young woman that could balance about 40 wine glasses on her nose will make a fantastic bride one day.