Brilliant show

A highlight was the Tang Dynasty Feast & Show after a day of traveling to Xi'an & meeting our new guide - Zhang (pronounced John)

Unusual dining

It was a Chinese boxed airline lunch which was adventurous as it was hard to work out a few of the snacks, but it was all good, or maybe I was just hungry :-)

Flight home

We had a wonderful flight home with the Air New Zealand cabin crew putting us on a bit of a fuss. We were lucky enough to have Will Coxhead on our flight from their safety videos.

Local fast food

Tonight we decided to have local fast food. It came with beer & our meal cost about NZ$4 each. It was delicious.

We also went for a look around the local mall and enjoyed a tea experience where they spoke slightly better English than my Chinese which is limited to Hello, Thank you & Beer!

Temple of Heaven

Last stop today was to see the impressive Temple of Heaven gardens which was also interesting to see the locals at play

Vase craft

Just before lunch we headed to the local copper & enamel vase craft market and watched how they were made then headed upstairs for a buffet lunch.

Locks of love

We left our names on The Great Wall while we were there, engraved on a padlock.

The Great Wall

It was a picturesque day on the Great Wall with snow greeting us and making the stairs a little more treacherous than usual.

The scale was incredibly impressive and I could only imagine how the people who built it and defended it must've lived in the cold winter months.

Spring snow

What a beautiful sight greeted us outside when we saw there was an
overnight snow.  It was soft & fluffy & surprisingly white.

Summary of the last few days

I've had some trouble updating my blogs but I'll update as soon as I can, but here's what we've been up to:

Saturday was spent traveling to Xi'an but we enjoyed a highlight when we enjoyed the Tang Dynasty Imperial Feast and Show. It exceeded our expectations.

Sunday was spent exploring the city - the Terracotta Warriors which much more impressive than I ever imagined. The army was to protect the Emperor in the afterlife.  We also explored the Ancient City Wall and experienced the tranquility of the Great Mosque. Dinner was a never- ending assortment of dumplings.

Monday we left for Beijing saying goodbye to our excellent guide Zhang and hello to Frances. We cycled around the Olympic village, then went into the impressive birds nest stadium.  We then had a relaxing foot massage, then went out on our own to explore the local shops & had KFC for dinner.

Tuesday after breakfast we were awed by Tiananmen Square, wowed by the Forbidden City, feasted in an authentic Chinese restaurant for lunch, toured the incredible Summer Palace, toured the back streets by Rickshaw, were welcomed into a local Hutong (house), then dined on Peking Duck while being entertained. It was an amazing day!

Walk in the park

Even though there are lots of malls and tall buildings, some space has been set aside for a park. There were families and couples enjoying the sunshine and ( not so) fresh air.

Early morning geocaching

I found a geocache nearby so decided to get up early & head out to a beautiful morning.

I didn't find the cache but enjoyed watching the Tai Chi, badminton & various other comings and goings.

Dinner & show

Tonight we enjoyed some traditional Chinese entertainment & delicious food in the French Quarter of Shanghai.

Sunset smog

The city was smothered in smog with visibility down to about 6 kms as the sun went down.

Craziest shopping experience

After a delicious breakfast, seminar and then lunch we went shopping.

Kate had already swooped on some bargains this morning then had a massage and foot treatment, so knew where to go...

The taxi ride was slow in busy traffic but it was interesting watching the locals go about their daily lives.

When we arrived at the markets we were asked what we were looking for and then escorted through the back ways & service areas, up stairs & through secret doors and just as we're thinking we might be losing a kidney we are welcomed into a market within the market.

There was a group of Americans haggling with locals trying to get the best deals and we were happy with our purchases.

Every shop was entertaining and a lot of fun. Most of it was good humoured and good natured. I learnt a few tricks such as adding goods while moving the price up or walking away once you get up to a price you don't want to pay any more for. Also, it's important to make sure they save 'face'.

At the end of the experience I felt good with my bargains.

Our trip back to the hotel was great fun. The taxi driver must've been watching too many James Bond movies as he sped through the traffic.

Construction city

Shanghai was fairly bare 20 years ago whereas now buildings are being erected at phenomenal speed at the city is growing so quickly with over 23 million just in this one city.

Good morning sunshine

The view from our window was spectacular ad the early morning sun cut through the smog

Acrobatic excitement

After a few drinks on the 87th floor we headed off to the acrobatic circus.

The gymnasts were incredible as they threw things & each other around with ease.

Cycling through Shanghai

After lunch we were on our bikes, cycling through the streets of Shanghai.

It was interesting & exhilarating as we dodged pedestrians, cyclists, scooters, cars, buses & even a construction digger!

Antique shopping

We then travelled to the antique tribute street where they sell replicas of antiques. We're getting better at haggling with practice.

Jade Buddha temple

Spent the morning listening to monks chanting & smelling incense.

Dinner with a view

We had a spectacular view to enjoy dinner with...

Grey day

Today is looking grey & bleak. Makes me think how lucky we were to get such a great day yesterday!

At night

The lights of Shanghai look fantastic at night.

Great views

Our view in the 75th floor is spectacular! The city is covered in a haze from all the cars & construction, we can hardly see 5kms.

Afternoon in Shanghai

After a delicious lunch we wandered the streets looking at the hustle & bustle before catching a taxi under the river back to the hotel.

Shanghai by side car

What an extraordinary way to see Shanghai... In a sidecar! There's honking, waves, smiles & lots of photos as we buzz by.

How tall?

Here is our very tall hotel. 430 meters - nearly half a kilometer high!

Breakfast

We arrived at the amazing Hotel where we enjoyed a fantastic breakfast with traditional Asian options.

Bus tour

We put on our hats & hopped on a topless double decker bus for a tour of the bustling, tooting, sprouting city

301 km/h

We left the airport like a bullet! On the super fast bullet train towards the city. Hard to believe we were traveling 3 times the legal speed limit on the road!

Arrived in Shanghai

A safe and friendly flight to Shanghai as we chased the sun, landing in the morning.

Air New Zealand fed & watered us while we caught up on movies & tried to grab a few winks.

Tea party

Kate went shopping while Tony got a business update. We then had a nice lunch followed by a tea party then a shopping expedition.

Bon voyage

Safely delivered to the airport in the little yellow taxi.

Said goodbye to the kids and wished Michael all the best for his adventure into the outback and beyond.

Now to wait a couple of hours before starting the first leg of our journey to Auckland.