One night in Shanghai

 Thanks to earplugs I snooze pretty much all the way to Shanghai. When I emerge Jeannine is already up making phrasebook conversation with the elderly couple in our compartment who are feeding her. She tries to share our assorted nuts with them, but I don't think they bite :)

Shanghai portrait

 Our backpackers in Shanghai is close to Jing'an temple. It's in comfortable cycling distance to many of the 'to be' places but it turns out that getting around in Shanghai is done by metro or taxi. Shanghai feels big and crazy compared to Beijing. Le Tour Travelers' Rest Youth Hostel has a roof terrace on the third floor, but it is dwarfed by all the skyscrapers around it. 

park life

meeting at park entrance

We amble to the French Concession through quietish streets and busy parks. It's Sunday and everyone is out to stretch their legs, play chess, do some Tai Chi sword form... We try to follow a guided walk but get hopelessly lost. Shanghai changes so quickly that neither maps nor metro plans can keep up.

flower delivery

But we make it back to Jing'an and fortify ourselves with exotic (for local standards) snacks from Croissants de France.

And then we get a happy txt: Wayne has arrived in Shanghai and Kent invites us around for supper. We choose our cleanest travel clothes and head downtown.

 Kent and Hanrich's apartment is just above Laoximen metro station on the 28^th floor of an apartment block. The view is mind-boggling. And Kent has rustled up what Jeannine will refer to 'as the best meat I have ever eaten': pork cutlets in mustard and (homemade) breadcrumb crust. Jordan makes the fluffiest mashed potatoes and we drink quite a bit of South African red wine. Talk about an ex-pat meal.

By the time we are ready to leave, Wayne is running on jet lag empty and the metro has stopped running altogether. Fortunately Hillary (in fluent Shanghai-ese(?)) gets us a taxi and we sneak back into the hostel in and full of good spirit(s).

one of the views from Kent & Hanrich's apartment