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Hello, Scott here. I thought I had better post an update. Tomorrow Kate will be taking her second visit to China, but this time landing in the Paris of the East, Shanghai. Lonely Planet describes Shanghai as "the most dynamic city in the world's fastest-changing nation... an exhilarating, ever-changing metropolis that isn't just living China's dream, but setting the pace for the rest of the world". It is without doubt the city where East meets West. I have spent the past eight months living in Tianjin on a low teachers wage so have become a professional at tight travelling budgets. However, the sights of Shanghai are priceless. The Bund itself is beautiful, and the contrast between both banks of the Huangpu river brings to mind the constant contrast between old and new China. The high rise financial hub comes alight at night and makes for a mesmorising photo opportunity. It makes you feel very insignificant in the scale of things. The first photo below shows a wedding couple having their photo taken with the high rise buildings as the backdrop. The second photo is off a local father sporting some fashionable new season wear soon to hit the streets of Sheffield.

The first leg of the trip, China, has been assigned to me. We have five weeks to travel China before we need to be in Hong Kong for our flight to Bangkok. During this time we are going to cruise down the Yangtze on a bamboo boat, take trains south to Yunnan province to marvel at the picturesque scenery, and village hop through rural China before ending in Hong Kong. The first stop after Shanghai is Hangzhou, only 150km east, which we can reach on the high-speed bullet train in an hour. For now though I need to track down the nearest Xiabu Xiabu restaurant for Kate. That is my one job to accomplish before she arrives. I have been trying to get ahead in the tanning war since the weather here has been top draw so far. Photos will follow as to who is most tanned. Keep in touch and Zàijiàn!