Foreign places Famous Faces All that digging in the sand at the beach when i was a little girl paid off and i finally reached China.

This was the first blog I wrote on my other travel website so you may have already read it before. I have added some extra bits. Have I comeback to Australia or am I still in China ? Shanghai via Five star hotel doesn't feel at all like we are in china. Corey arrived and I feel a little guilty that he hasn't had a chance to see or experience anything remotely like the real China. We do have a whole month ahead of us and most of it won't be five star so all the more reason to enjoy the luxuries now. All I can probably say about our 5 days in Shanghai is to rave about The Regent Hotel. We were both a bit dubious about how far out of town it is located. But resigned ourselves to the fact that we'd just have to take a cab everywhere. That can be no mean feat, even when the concierge tells the cab driver where to go, they still play dumb and drive the foreigners on a world tour of Shanghai before they reach their destination. This hotel is amazing, every detail from the massive plasma lcd screen in the room to the swimming pool is quality., and I haven't slept in a bed this soft in China. Simply bliss. The lobby bar and restaurants are superb and we loved it all so much we decided to stay one more night. As the legend that is Corey booked this hotel through a Mosman travel agent, to stay an extra night, we had to check out and check in again. Our room was on the 33rd floor which we thought was pretty special and the views of Shanghai were fantastic. We decided to try our luck with moving to an floor higher up. When we changed rooms, it felt like a dog box. The room was just a tad on the squashy side so we requested another room. And to be completely honest the quality of the furnishing seemed more worn than our previous room. They had to send someone up to meet us and show us another room. Was it good enough ? yes ! But did it have the view from the other side of the hotel ? no! So please can we have another room ? Maybe our polite whinging was enough for them to say ok, lets put these two on the 51st floor. The bathroom is massive and is practically a room of its own. Its like a mini apartment with a lounge over by the window….guess the photos really speak for themselves. Oh and The Guerlain Institute has a spa here. So I have had two blissful facials of which included a foot spa, paraffin wax for the hands as complimentary treatments. I didn't know a facial could relax your whole body. For those of you out there that don't think that you can find a hotel with a pool in Shanghai , then just take a look at the photos we have of the pool here at the Regent. It overlooks Shanghai, and for an indoor swimming pool its really like being outdoors. Plenty of Sunshine coming in. So did we make it out of the hotel ? Yes, our new favourite place in shanghai is an area called Xintiandi. Its full of trendy shops, restaurants and bars. We ate at Kabb, which was a recommedation from the Luxe guide to Shanghai which is a top little guide. And for a high wow factor, we went to a restaurant called Shintori, where the likes of Ralph Fiennes has dined. With a bamboo lined path as the entrance, you walk up to the front door which is a sold dark wood wall – giving the impression that the restaurant is closed but actually as you approach the door, the wooden wall automatically opens, then you walk into a square room and as the wooden wall behind closes, the wooden wall in front of you opens and you arrive in the reception. Concrete and wood are the theme throughout, and the interior is very spacious, simple but dramatic. An excellent contrast to the Japanese food which is served. Exquisite flavours, tomato & crab salad – out of this world, cheese & shrimp rolls, sashimi beef (very raw for someone who is on the the verge of being a veggie but flavours that have you coming back for more), peking duck Vietnamese rolls, massive scallops, curry noodles (that you cook yourself in a little dish), assorted sashimi including bonito, perch, shrimp, salmon & tuna. And for dessert, five spoons with morsels of exquisite desert treats. Splashed down with a Sauvignon blanc from the Casablanca vineyard in Chile. And since the beer glasses were a novelty, we had to top it off with Asaki beer, Probably not good to end with a beer but the cone shaped glasses were just too cool to pass up !. We had originally wanted to go to M-on-the-bund but too many reviews basically said it was past its time, or the service wasn't great and the food not a s good as expected. Shintori was beyond our expectations. After that we decided to check out The Glamour Bar on the The Bund. Too be honest, this was no glamour bar. It was one big sweat box. We enjoyed a Princess Bride & a Glamour Bar Cocktail each. Met a Canadian couple living here, who were also ESL teachers in Japan and Taiwan. It was just too hot for all of us so we left after one more drink. Maybe the people were glam but every one was there to be seen. Maybe it's a great place if you are single. But make sure you bring your own piece of sexy attitude and flaunt it ! A walk along the Bund at 9.30pm and its still incredibly hot. Packed with people, tourists from all over China. “You want watch” is a common phrase that is yelled at you, and there are some persistent salesmen among them, frustratingly so that the only way to get rid of them is to buy something. Corey was just itching to buy a watch from replica man, so he got his fake rolex for 100 yuan. Replica man also through in a Monte Blanc pen, fake of course as it broke before it was even used. Saturday night we went to the Nanshi Theatre to see the Acrobatic Show. I purchased VIP tickets from the concierge and it really couldn't get any better with front row, right in the middle. Celebrity status strikes again. It was an extravaganza of plate spinning, straw hat tossing, silk rope hanging, pole climbing, jumping through rings, hula hoop. And to top it off….The ball of Death !!!! Now this has got to be the highlight. Watching a guy on a motorbike drive inside a steel ball construction. He drives around and around, and even upside down. A second daredevil joins him, but it really gets exciting and jawdropping when the sixth motorbike dude joins in. They flip and spin and even go around the steel cage ball in the dark. It was a great show, and a good intro to acrobatics in China. Top that night off with dinner at Paulaner Bauhaus, with german pork knuckles and ribs, as well as a Munich lager. Lots of well off Chinese enjoying themselves to the beats of yet another Philipino band that do great cover songs. Do we ever want to leave Shanghai when its this good ? Well actually, we are staying another night before heading back to Suzhou. We still have to check out a fabric market and another Superbrand Mall…..Shanghai sure does have plenty of shopping and if you look in the right places, you can find clothes that fit. You just have to be prepared to be told that you are XXL size and live with it when you are only a size 12, or be told that they don't have any big sizes. Our favourite shopping centre near Nanjing Road is Raffles. It also has a Megabytes food court up top that is a great place to stop and have a bit to eat…after all, when you are doing all day shopping jaunts, you need to stop and revive. I'm so glad to have a great shopping partner ! Spend Spend Spend ! Shanghai was a barrel of fun. Time to catch up after not seeing each other for so long. Got some clothes sent from Mum (thanks) and nice bottle of perfume from the airport from the man (thanks Corey). That’s when the shopping commenced. Oh to shop in Shanghai. Lucky this man knows how to and isn’t afraid of a little spending spree. Awesome shop in the Superbrand Mall called we also met some of my teacher friends at Korean bbq restaurant and partied at various bars, then ended up back at the hotel swimming in the pool til the breakfast time. Oops we forgot to wear the swimming cap which Chinese are so insistent that everyone wears upon entering a public swimming pool. Must be something to do with all the black hair ! Next Stop Suzhou....then Beijing !