Day eleven

We got to the airport and the queue to check-in was ridiculous. We wanted to sit together and the only seats available were the emergency exit row ones. We were allowed to have these seats despite neither of us being able to speak Mandarin which seemed like a flaw in the system to us. We played our game of spend our remaining cash at Starbucks in the airport, got on the plane and arrived in Shanghai.

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Shanghai on the 77th floor and for the first few days, we were scared of how high we were.

We bought these in the airport and this was our ‘tea’. We called it crisp buffet and it wasn’t the last time we’d be having that as a meal.

Day twelve

We woke up to our view and had breakfast in the hotel. I got coffee on me and ruined one of my favourite t-shirts. The coffee was awful as well but the breakfast itself was good.

With all the culinary delights China had to offer, we went to Papa Johns. We did experience a cultural difference though! You get pizza gloves to wear which felt clinical but also good.

We went in The Bund Sightseeing Tunnel which is kind of like the DLR but has lights.

In the evening, we went to the Pudong Art Museum which is one of the best art museums I have even been to, probably on a par with the Philadelphia Museum of Art in terms of how much I liked it.

Day thirteen

I think C went and got us Starbucks for breakfast today, our usual. Then we got the train to Yu Garden. I’ve been selective with the photos, but it was absolutely rammed! It was good to see but I can’t say it was peaceful.

We headed to Jing’an Temple.

For an early-ish dinner we went to Xiangchun Story (Jing’ansi Branch) which is all vegetarian and was good.

C is kind of the opposite to me personality-wise. Very outgoing and extroverted and she loves the theatre group, Punchdrunk. I’d been on the fence whether that was something I thought I would like but I decided to go after she reassured me I wouldn’t be made to ‘perform’ in any kind of way. I loved it, I think it’s one of the best things I have ever done in my entire life! If you get the chance, you definitely should go! I did get my hand taken by one of the performers at the end and had to run with him. He sat me down and then took my mask off – it was all extremely intimate!

Day fourteen

We both fell in love with Chenchenchen today at 上海当代艺术博物馆 (an art museum). Before that though breakfast and I think we had crisps and pineapple cake. To continue with the healthy theme, we shared cake when we arrived and then looked around the shop before even stepping foot into the exhibition space.

We got a taxi to the Shanghai Botanical Garden which is in a huge park. I think we had pizza for lunch, eaten with our gloved hands of course.

Back to the Bund area to go on a boat to see Shanghai at night from the water. This wasn’t a relaxing experience but it was fun.

Day fifteen

We dossed about today in the Former French Concession which felt kind of like the Hiroo or Omotesando backstreet areas of Tokyo. Think full of foreign ‘ex-pats’.

Day sixteen

Disney! I can take or leave Disney, but C loves it and I had a really good time. Tickets were a bit difficult to buy but we could do it via chat and it all went smoothly. We went to Starbucks for breakfast, this time just outside the Disney gates. We got a ticket that included fast-passes to 8 rides I think and it was worth it. China loves Zootopia and the Disney has a Zootopia area. Vegetarian food easily available, unlike Tokyo. Strangest thing we saw was adults being pushed about in buggies.

Disney was our last day and then we got the train to Beijing.

Emily