i’ve been to shanghai before – back in 2005, for a week. and then there were those eventful 5 weeks in beijing. so china is familiar. and this time round i’d come to see r & j, who’ve been here for a year living the expat life. and i am perplexed about what shanghai is but a shopping and business mecca…

but it’s been good too, because i’ve been doing lots of not much. slowing down, only venturing out when i feel ready to face the city and the day. resting up for a few days in the middle of these 3 weeks i’m away. monday i went shopping in the local arts/touristy district, whose name escapes me. i came back with not much, but did manage to find yarn shops along the way (thanks to an excellent google map of yarn stores in shanghai) and bought a whole lot of merino/cashmere and other wools. jumpers for next winter perhaps? (but i need to finish the ones i’m knitting at the moment still!).

i also made it to the shanghai south train station where i managed, finally, to buy my ticket to guilin for wednesday. which i’m hoping is a soft sleeper and will be an adventure in itself.

and then i found a rest spot, a cute little cafe in a courtyard garden in the french concession where i caved in and had tea and cheesecake (it was all that was on offer) and rested my pretty sore feet. before rushing home in a taxi to meet ross at the gate.

and then we made it out to east nanjing road to meet up with the boys from the boat as planned and we went and ate dinner (cheaply) and then wandered on the bund for a while. then the tiredness hit and i wanted bed.

dinner was dumplings (3 kwai!), sliced rice cakes with greens (and pork), shanghai duck and tofu casserole. with tsing tao beer and lots of chatter. a rogue bunch of people that i enjoy the company of, hey?