Shanghai is hot and humid!

As part of our contract with China Comfort we had expected that arrangements would have been made to identify suitable places to camp, at least in the crowded cities of the east of China (as was done in 2000 by China Iron and Steel International Travel Service). This however has not happened and as a result we often waste lots of time looking for somewhere to park.

Although China Swan had suggested the name of a hotel in Shanghai they refused to phone the hotel and confirm that they would allow us to stay! As a result we are expected to drive into the centre of a city of 14 million, find the selected hotel and then negotiate to camp in their grounds!

Rather than risk this we got our guide to ask a very cooperative taxi driver if he knew somewhere where five large campervans could park in central Shanghai, and he did! So we followed his taxi for 10km to an empty underground coach park right next to the Orient Pearl TV Tower. We negotiated to park for 100Yuan per van per night including the supply of electricity. A great location (5 minutes from the Bund) but very very hot.

Some of us opted-out and booked into a hotel (this web page is being created in an air-conditioned hotel room rather than in the back of Mog!). Other tried to sleep in the vans, and mostly failed.

On our first evening in Shanghai most of the group went to the Shanghai Theatre to see an acrobatic performance. Highly recommended. On our second day the temperature and humidity made sight-seeing into a series of dashes between air-conditioned shops, taxis and hotels.

Shanghai has changed out of all recognition in the last ten years, and makes Beijing look positively rural. A city of cars, skyscrapers, overpasses, underpasses, advertising and lights.

The Anglophone group is now back down to only eight people with the return of Mary to Canada. The French are still a few days behind us.