Phat Ghats - Varanasi

So after struggling a little with the whole India thing for the first couple of weeks we arrived in Varanasi, which changed everything! It was as though all the crowds, noise and chaos that had been troubling us had finally come together to form the most amazing place, which really showed the truly amazing side of India that everyone loves.
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Enough said!

Sunrise Puja

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Having said this we did have a great deal of luck as unbeknownst to us, we conicidently visited on Kite Festival day, which resulted in far more people on the streets and down at the Ganges. But then again you've got have good fortune sometimes!

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So anyways, the first morning we headed straight down to the ghats at sunrise, found a boat and witnessed what must be just about the most amazing spectacle either of us has ever seen - the morning bathing in the Ganges. It really is something which cannot be overstated (although of course we'll try :), such a huge seething mass of humanity, such an amazing blaze of colour and sea of movemnent. People ranging from the solemn to the exuberant, from meditative to playful.

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People!

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Masses at the main ghat

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To give some indication of the scale of the event, we took in excess of 500 photos in 2 days, without even realising it. Though of course none of the photos even go close to doing the scene justice!

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The first morning we spent a good couple of hours rowing up and down the line of ghats which form the western bank of the Ganges as the scene never seemed to diminish. The floatilla of boats taking tourists up and down and the devotees from one side of the river to the other formed a mini spectacle of it's own. Particularly the massive tour rowing boats with something like 20 tourists on board and yet still only one little dude rowing. We fortunately ended up with a pretty good boat rower who got us into some good spots and didn't try to sell us too many things.

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Refreshments - chick peas in leaf bowls

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Prayers

Sometimes it all gets a bit too much!

Although we did have an unscheduled stop at a burning ghat where devout Hindus get cremated. We were met by one of our rower's mates who showed us around and then demanded a 'donation'. It was a very strange sort of uncomfortable feeling walking around as massive piles of wood (sandalwood for the rich) were stacked up and bodies were buring right in front of you. Even more so knowing that all the surrounding buildings are full of people waiting to die so that they can be cremated next to the Ganges.

Fortunately we didn't fall into the water, despite some over excited people swimming out to try and climb into our boat, as the water reportedly has a faecal coliform count which is 3,000 times higher than that which is considered safe for swimming. Didn't seem to be stopping anyone though!

The action goes on...

and on...

The extent of our good fortune with our choice of time to visit became evident the following day when we decided to have another shot at the spectacle. Again hiring a boat and covering much of the same territory, there was but a fraction of the people from the previous day and nothing like the carnival atmosphere. Although, having said this it gave a differnt feel to the event there was still a very nice feeling in the air, but a much more peaceful one compared with the day before.

We also checked out the ghat action in the evening which again had it's own feel. Absent was the mass of colour and movement, replaced by a more solemn feel as small groups listened to holy men preaching, a few bathers washed, and lots of massage touts offerred their services. Many of the towns other inhabitants also made an appearance as cows, goats and dogs picked through the rubbish left over from the morning's action.

and on...

Our boatman

The town itself (the old town anyways) is just as endearing as the chaotic events on the ghats. It truly sets a new standard for confusing rabbit warrened laneways. Despite having some experience negotiating such mazes from Vietnam, after 3 days we still couldn't confidently find our way back to our guesthouse! Fortunately after a bit of wandering around in the vague vicinty we could usually find it, or a ghat which at least gave us a starting point.

The calm before the storm

Sari drying

The laneways of the old town are a really vibrant scene, full of shops selling absolutely everything, people, motorbikes and the ever present cows. The combination of cows and very narrow laneways cause a fair bit of congestion as they decide to take a sleep wherever they like, and the presence of a number of large horned bulls makes it unlikely people are going to dispute their choice. As a result you don't want to be trying to get anywhere in a particular hurry!

The cows also result in a large quantity of cow shit all over the lanes, which proved a little hard to avoid at times, although fortunately it somewhat camouflages the human variety which is also everywhere... The mess and smell does take a little getting used to, as there doesn't seem to be any garbage collection, which is at least good for the cows as garbage seems to form the majority of the 'Bovine Diet' in these parts. The experience is topped off by loads of monkeys running everywhere and scaring the shit out of you as they bound from corrugated iron rooftops and try to break into your room to get at your food!

Kite flying

There's a snake in there...

In addition to the extra people on the ghats in the morning, the Kite festival also involved (unsurprisingly) a lot of kites. Kids of both the big and small varieties were all getting into the action. The town was full of children running around clutching big armfuls of kites and the kite sellers seemed to be the only people doing any business. From the trooftop of our guesthouse, which was just about the highest in town, you could see a mass of kites being flown in every direction, looking like an endless sea of confetti.

In fact the big kids were getting into it more than the little kids, on many of the adjacent rooftops you could see kids clamouring to have a go while dad ignored them while trying to get the kite higher and higher (of course there were no women or girls allowed). In between flights all manner of contraptions were being constructed in attempts to recover downed kites from powerlines and rooftops.

Some of our gun toting friends

Hobbes' new sadhu friend

In addition to the kite, something else we've never seen so much of is guns! The town is apparently about 50% Hindu and 50% Muslim and as a result of some deaths at a religious ceremony and retalitory mosque burning a few years ago there is a bit of simmering tension. As a result there are what appear to be random dudes wandering amongst the tiny laneways with rifles slung across their shoulders. Apparently they are army, but most of the real army looking types were carrying much more substantial machine guns, so who knows? Anyways, the number of temples amongst the laneways would make a messy scene if anything were to occur, guess it's lucky they've got metal detectors at SOME of the entrances. Although, it goes to show how accustomed you can become when it seemed almost normal(ish).

Woolly jumper, ha!

Depite all the guns we didn't get a feel for the shady side of Varanasi which had slightly concerned us before arriving there. The guidebooks and online forums warn of foriegn tourists dissappearing there and of dodgy underworld elements, but we didn't feel anything like that at all?

Finally, it seems the times are a changing here in India, as on the way to the train station our autorickshaw driver stopped at what he proudly informed us was the first petrol station in Varanasi with female staff... what next? Women working in restaurants??

Come on, lets make a party of it!

Fruitman

'Hello, Rickshaw!' - Agra & Khajuraho

From Haridwar it was a very long and slow train ride down to Agra, which seemed to be stopped more than it was moving... this being compounded by the fact that our somewhat cushy 3AC seats had been double booked resulting in our beds being overloaded with people and luggage (one person's requiring two porters to carry it all on). Seems these were yet more 'welcome to India' experiences after having arrived from China where the trains run with perfect Communist efficiency, all to within a minute of their schedule.

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The Taj

The Taj Mahal is one of those places you have seen images of a million times, so it is somewhat surprising that when you see it in the flesh for the first time it is still awe inspiring. This is perhaps also due to the fact that you are not really sure what it is about the building that makes it so impressive, but it just makes such a grand impression on you.

Something else which makes a grand impression on you is the smell of hundreds of feet was you walk inside the Taj in your socks. Such a grand impression in fact, that we made a very quick exit and agreed to admire it from the outside.

Indian woman at the Taj Mahal

Of course the beauty of the building is a photographers dream and those that way inclined amongst us went a little crazy taking the same shot some 20 or so times as the light may have become marginally better. Although the white marble certainly makes the best back drop for all the colourful saris (sorry women) wandering around.

It is interesting to see the grand and stately Taj Mahal juxtaposed against the jumbled chaos of Taj Ganj, the residential area immediately to the south. Originally the residences of the labouers and artisans working on the Taj, it is now a lively area of ultra-cheap guesthouses, markets, houses and the ever-present livestock. There is definitely something to be said for a Taj view while knocking back your $2 meal! The top game in the area is obviously chasing the goat around the block as kids will run round and round all day, chasing the same poor bastard of a goat the whole time.

Rickshaw driver in Taj Ganj

Taj Ganj is actually a quite lively, vibrant and surprising place to wander around, with camels plodding along pulling carts, a cacophony of sounds and people selling everything from marble to medicine. If only there weren't people to hassle you every step with shouts of "Hello, now you look in my shop", "Hello, my friend, very cheap", "Hello, only 100 rupees, now you buy" and of course "Hello, Rickshaw". Always said as a statement, never a question.

It seems that, much to Aimes' dismay, the cold has followed us from China. Our last day in Agra coincided with the coldest day in 70 years in Delhi and the cold snap resulted in many deaths throughout the north. For us it was simply an absolutely freezing early morning rickshaw ride to the train station so we shouldn't really complain.

Sunset over Agra

An interesting sight at the Agra Train Station was an eagle swooping down and snatching a rat off the tracks, not something that you see at Central every day! Though of course Indian stations are not places you want to hang around for too long, mainly because they decline to lock the toilet doors while they are idle at stations and it seems few people heed the requests to refrain from using them at such times. Though since the many dogs are actively adding to the mess on the platform itself, there's no really any avoiding it!

Crowds entering the Taj Mahal

From Agra it was a quick 4 hour train down to Jhansi, from where we were to get a bus out to the temples of Khajuraho. Alighting from the train and initialising our new found tout ignoring mode, we strode out past the many rickshaw drivers to where the bus was supposed to leave. Only trouble was rather than leaving, it had already left, which one of the rickshaw drivers quickly informed us he had been trying to tell us the whole way. He told us we could still catch it so we jumped in and he proceeded to chase it down at full speed, Super Mario-style, through the narrow streets, somehow avoiding the various hazards (cows, bikes, people) that presented themselves along the way. Sure enough he was right, we caught the bus at the edge of town where he ran up and made sure we could get on. It was at this point that we realised just how nice Indians are and that it is the small percentage of touts and general pains in the arse that ruin it and make you close up.

The Taj Mahal contrasted with Taj Ganj

So after much thanking and tipping, we squeezed our way on the bus, 'squeezing' being the operative word, as we had entered our first true Indian public bus experience. Hobbes was crammed with 5 others in the area where the passengers seat would normally be, sitting with half a bum cheek on the edge of a plank of wood balanced over the wheel hub. Aimes was slightly more fortunate, jammed between two others on a 2 seater. Yet again, public transport is where you meet the nicest people as everyone on the bus further challenged the notion that EVERYONE is trying to sell you something (as it feels most of the time). Aimes had people feeding her, and although crammed on top of each other (the people standing were even more squashed) they are all extremely friendly and will do anything to help you out.

It was interesting to see that the Vietnamese approach to rubbsh disposal also aplies in India, as when Aimes finished some food, those sitting next to her insisted quite adimantly that the rubbish go straight out the window. It took a lot of convincing for them to let her hold on to it, "the whole of India is a rubbish bin" they said. Although when they finally gave in they said "good girl" suggesting they too know better!

The Kandariya Mahadev Temple

So after 4 hours jammed on the bus we made it to dusty, sleepy Khajuraho, population 20,000 (most of them tourists). It definitely made a nice change from hectic busy Agra, little traffic and the cows, pigs and goats wandering the streets definitely seemed more at home. It even had an excellent Italian restaurant, and despite our being dubious of it's claim of a 'European trained chef', the quality of the food suggested this may have been true - just what we needed after not having eaten all day!

The reason for visiting Khajuraho was to see the 1,000 year old Chandela Temples which are scattered throughout the village and surrounding countryside. The temples are covered in extremely intricate, and well preserved, erotic carvings, which had nothing to do with why Hobbes wanted to see them...

Pornography set in stone

Unfortunately, while the carvings on the temple walls are undisputably amazing, the temples suffer somewhat from the post-Angkor syndrome. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that most of them are located with a well maintained grassed garden right across the road from the main shops in town, thus not having the intrepid, lost world feel that one has in Angkor. Or perhaps it is simple because they are not quite as massive? But for what ever reason they do not have quite the same impact. Never the less they are extremely impressive and we spent a very enjoyable day wandering amongst them.

Hot Chai to beat the cold!

Being one of the sightseeing highlights in India, the locals are well prepared for making the most of the tourists who flock here. We still managed to restrain ourselves from any violence, even when pests on a bike followed us for a good 20 minutes spouting various lies about not trying to sell us anything, "I am not a business man", "I not try to sell you anything", without one single word passing either of our lips. Though the hassles also had a humorous side, as when the 'bus-in bus-out tourists' make the quick dash from their bus to the sanctity of the main temple complex they are accompanied by a huge mass of touts, at least 3 per tourist, plus a few lookers-on there 'just for fun'. The first time we saw this we thought it was some kind of festival or parade, but soon realised that in amongst the crowd were some very frazzled oldies!

Aimes studying up

The bus ride out of Khajuraho was on a slightly nicer bus than we had taken in, however as soon as we hit the highway it took on the more typical feel of an Indian bus. While we fortunately had a seat (i.e. one seat for the two of us), as soon as the crowds started piling on, our heads were variously used as bag and arm rests, as elbows, bums and knees were thrown in all directions and the bus took on the feel of an over-packed can of sardines. There were a good 3 people hanging out each of the doors, while children were safely stowed under the seats. Hobbes even had the pleasure of being spewed on by one of the kids which wasn't shoved under a seat, which was all the more fun as there wasn't room to get anything to wipe it off!

More over embellished women, the designer obviously being male!

Getting off the bus at Satna, we decided we hadn't been crushed enough, so crammed 4 people, plus four big bags in a two person auto-rickshaw for the trip to the train station. Perhaps we are really starting to get into the Indian mindset?

Having to spend the night in Satna before our train and having absolutely no information about the town, we thought the station was as good as anywhere to try and find a hotel. Thinking we had done pretty well when we found what seemed like a simple clean room, we were just about to pat ourselves on the back. It was at this point that the electricity cut off and the massive generator was started next to our room. The power then went on and off on a 5 minute cycle for the rest of the night. Though it was better with the power off as it hid the 'Lord of the Mosquitoes' scene which was the ceiling, absolutely covered in mozzies, requiring a liberal covering of Rid on our faces. However, in complete contrast to the sleeping arrangements, the hotel did have the best Indian food we have yet eaten, guess that was the Ying to go with the Yang!

Village amongst the temples

After a restless night it was on to a train headed for Varanasi, although unfortunately we were yet again yearning for Chinese trains as ours turned up late, requiring us to wait on the platform for an hour and a half, which as anyone who has caught an Indian train will know is about 90 minutes too long! There is something about people doing their morning ablutions off the edge of the platform which doesn't sit well when you've just woken up??

Holy Cow! - Delhi & Rishikesh

So we thought India would be easy did we? After a year in Vietnam, a month in Mongolia and 3 months in China we thought we could cope? How naive we were!! India is unlike anywhere else and even with what seemed like a decent preparation we were out of our depth at first and really struggled to deal with everything. It is such a sensory overload, the noise, the traffic, the colour, the rubbish, the people and just the general chaos. From the moment you step out of the airport terminal it is on, no cushy lead in here, straight into the mayhem of trying to find a taxi that will actually take you where you want to go and it's not until you are locked up in your room that you get any respite.

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Holy Cow!

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Delhi is definitely tiring, rough and ready, you have to push and shove to get anywhere and at any point there is a multitude of people just waiting to push and shove you back. Aimes had one rickshaw driver decide that the easiest way around her was to go straight through her, fortunately only one foot was run over and only half her ribs tickled! Though we were in no different position to the locals, there's no one to look out for you here (the government doesn't seem to be doing much anyways) you have to look out for number 1.

So as you might guess we had a little bit of a problem adjusting at first, although perhaps part of our problem could be attributed to the fact that we opted to (or perhaps our budget necessitated that we must) stay in the backpacker ghetto of Pahar Ganj. While many backpacker ghettos (such as Pham Ngu Lao and Khao San Road) are merely full of too many westerners and too many pizza and DVD shops, Pahar Ganj is serious about being a seedy ghetto. The streets are covered with rubbish and dirt, jammed with rickshaws and overflowing with touts. We had to really ready ourselves for the full-on sensery assault each time we decided to leave our room, even getting past reception in our guesthouse without being sold something was difficult. The Indian touts are without doubt the most persistant and annoying we've ever encountered!!

The chaos of Pahar Ganj

Our acclimatisation wasn't helped by our deciding to take a cycle rickshaw from our guesthouse along the bazaar lined Chandi Chowk as our first Delhi outing, straight off the flight. We should have maintained our predujice against cycle rickshaws we developed in Saigon and gone with the powered variety, however as stated above we were naive. Anyways, our little rip-off merchant decided to pretend to mis-hear us and take us to the middle of no-where Lahori Gate Road, rather than the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort and then kick up a big stink attracting a massive crowd of on lookers when we refused to pay. Fortunately, we managed to jump on another rickshaw and made a quick enough get away after only paying half of what he wanted (as he had only gone half the distance he was supposed to).

Even without our friend's shenanigans, Chandi Chowk would have been a pretty intense introduction as the streets are absolutley jammed packed with people, produce and rickshaws. Our rickshaw became entangled in two others necessitating us getting off so they could be pulled apart. However, you really have to admire the skill of the drivers as he negotiated most of the way without any major collisions missing things by about 10mm for the whole way. At least it was going to be all down hill from here :)

They start them young!

Our first respite from the chaos of Delhi came in the form of Hanuman's Tomb, a Taj Mahal-esque building also built by the Mughals during their occupation. The tomb is located in quiet, spacious, grassy gardens and is a really nice place to wander around for a while and generally relax. The first sight of the Tomb building when you first enter the complex is pretty awe inspiring and to think that this building is only considered a precurser to the Taj Mahal when the Mughals really had their tomb building act in order!

Hanuman's Tomb

Connaught Place is supposedly the centre of town, but it looks very much like everywhere else, definitely much less developed than we had expected. The rubbish is still there, the traffic is unabated and the touts are as persistant as ever. Though there are some nice shops and much to our delight there are EXCELLENT bookshops, which doesn't sound that exciting, but after seeing very few English language books in the past 3 months it really was!

We had gone down to Connaught Place to try and find something to do for New Years Eve, however we failed to find anything much happening and resigned oursleves to a very quite one by oursleves. Heading up to the rooftop of our guesthouse (where the staff had the Punjabi MC blaring) and finding one other couple there we thought our expectations had been confirmed. However, it turns out the night was very interesting if not overly exciting...

An intersection of Main Bazar, Pahar Ganj

It started with the all-male staff of our guesthouse (who obviously don't drink much) getting extremely rowdy a bit too early, playing some very loud music and dancing rather intimately together. This was all happiness until something happened and it turned to fighting, which in turn turned to a rolling mass of pushing and shoving men tumbing down the stairs as the instigator was ejected. Then some Aussies turned up with a big box of fireworks they had picked up at some market around town and which were to be set off from the rooftop at midnight. Turns out there were some pretty nice people there and a few beers were had, some fireworks set off (without loss of hands or fingers) and 2006 was brought in with a bit of a bang.

Unfortunately, it turns out that Indian beer isn't the best and Hobbes had a massive headache off not too many beers the following day. Apparently it is full of glycerine which is used as a preservative, and is the only thing that softens the blow of beers hardly being available anywhere and that when it is it costs as much as TWO peoples meals for a longie. No beer make Hobbes go crazy!!

All your Bollywood favourites

Even though you expect to encounter cows in India, seeing them absolutely everywhere is still a surprise. And they really are absolutely everywhere, as soon as you step out of the airport you see them, and standing on the street anywhere you have to be ready for the gentle nudge as yet another pushes past. They do add a sense of calm though, wandering amid the traffic chaos without a care in the world, turning their head at just the last minute as yet another auto-rickshaw flies past. Although you do have to wonder about the heathiness of their chosen lifestyle, rubbish for breakfast lunch and dinner, a pile of filth for a bed and always with the chance of being run over.

Prayer rugs at Jama Masjid

Other sight seeing in Delhi included Jama Masjid which is the largest mosque in India and is set amongst a livestock market which really had the bird-flu feel about it (Hobbes is hoping his flu is of the spinach variety...). Also, inspired by the excursion of Hanuman's Tomb we decided to check out Safradjang's Tomb, another of the Mughal variety which while impressive isn't quite as nice as the former. Although, it was notable for the fact that the lawns were packed with Indian couples getting rather intimate, especially considering that there is generally little to no public displays of affection here.

Another surprising thing in India, having come from China anyways (where there are absolutely no animals in cities), was the amount of wildlife. In addition to the afore mentioned cows, there are chipmunks everywhere, eagles soaring overhead and the sickest looking dogs on the planet lurking on every corner.

A window at Safradjang's Tomb

In order to try and acclimatise to India and to escape the madness of Delhi we decided to head north to Rishikesh for some yoga and chilling out. After our train trip up to Haridwar we needed to take a bus further on to Rishikesh. It was at about this time that we felt for the first time that Chinese characters are easy to read, as the buses were all signposted in Hindi and had it not been for some helpful locals we would have had no chance working out where to go!

Rishikesh itse;f is just as hectic as Delhi, however when you head further up the river to the smaller settlements it is much more peaceful amid a very beautiful setting on the banks of the Ganges River. We stayed high on the upper bank overlooking the Ashrams of Laksman Jhula which we didn't quite feel up to taking on at this stage. Our hotel was just what we needed, such a refreshing change from Pahar Ganj, with a peaceful outdoor dining area and a balcony with superb views of the river and surrounding forests.

Bridge over the River Ganges (Rishikesh)

Even though we weren't going to take on the 10 days solo meditation demanded at some of the Ashrams, we had intended to get into a bit of yoga while in Rishikesh. However, soon after arriving Aimes succumbed to the cursed Delhi Belly and Hobbes became afflicted with the dreaded Spinach Flu, curtailing our efforts at one lesson with a dubious Yoga 'Master' (creaking bones and all). As a result most of our time was spent in the (fortunately peaceful) room with a couple of short excursions for the essentials of food and internet!

Overall we didn't like Rishikesh much, perhaps it was the fact that we were both sick, but more likely it was a lot to do with the fact that most of the people there are so focussed on achieving their spiritual enlightenment that they wont give you the time of day. In fact there were some of the rudest people we've ever encountered there (westerners that is), ask them a question and they'll look at you like you've got two heads (and these weren't the ones in the midst of a week long meditation). Fortunately this breed of travellers seem to be almost exclusively confined to Rishikesh, as we haven't met any others like them anywhere else...

Some of Haridwar's locals

In contrast to Rishikesh and despite being much more hectic, we both found Haridwar (the train station town an hour down the road) to be a much more appealing place to spend some time. Haridwar is a more significant pilgrimage town for Hindus and has the hectic busy streets more common to India. However the hecticness does not turn into the aggressive sales pitches of Rishikesh, so as long as you are ready to jump out of the way of any auto-rickshaws, cows or buses about to run you down you should be right!

Both still feeling a bit dodgy we decided to eat at Big Ben the poshest restaurant in town (costing a grand total of $2 per person). It was quite nice with full silver service, white table cloths, waiters opening doors for you, plus the added benefit of having the Venga Boys on high rotation and at maximum volume and distortion?

Selling bottles for collecting some of the Ganges' finest

The highlight of Haridwar was heading down to the bathing Ghats to watch the worshippers bathing in the evening. While not as many people come here as to Varanasi to bathe in the waters it provided a nice peaceful introduction. It is such a colourful time with women in bright saris, kids running around playing games people praying and collecting water for later. It will be interesting to see the same rituals in the same river some 800 km away (plus with an additional 1.5 million faecal coliforms per 100ml).

Next stop Agra and the Taj...

Goodbye China :( - Shanghai

So it was that we finally made it to our last destination in China - Shanghai. Unfortunately our first impression was that of disappointment, as it wasn't quite as 'space-age' as we had expected it to be. However, after overcoming the fact that we hadn't entered a 'Jetson-esque' world, we discovered a city which must be just about the most enjoyable in China.

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Pudong Skyline

Hobbes in the consumer frenzy of Nanjing Dong Lu

Shanghai certainly has the hustle and bustle of an international city, people elbowing and shoving their way onto the subway, pushing past you on the street and forming human traffic jams on the footpaths. This was particularly on Christmas Eve, when the main shopping street, Nanjing Dong Lu, became a virtual river of people, if you got caught on the wrong side you got carried along for a while before you could escape! It was reminicent of Le Loi Street a year ago in Saigon, again showing that you don't need a whole lot of Christmas spirit to celebrate at that time of year, just a lot of consumer spirit...

Shanghai's funky artist run spaces

As in all good big cities much time was spent in museums, galleries and exhibitions. The Urban Planning Exhibition has a very impressive (for the engineer anyways) scale model of the city, but was obviously put together with too much input from town planners (sorry Dad) as it was heavy on info and light on uderstanding :) Though the photos of the Pudong circa 1994 (as a marshland) and 2004 (as a high rise jungle) was quite astounding and really gave you an appreciation of what has been achieved here. Also notable was the plan to build a deep water port on an island out at sea to be connected to the mainland with a 32km bridge - they don't do things by halves in the 'new' China!

Shanghai's tallest building... for the moment

Shopping centre action

The Shanghai Museum is very big (perhaps too big?) and must compete with Xian's for the best in China. Unfortunately, after almost 3 months in China we had seen so many porcelin vases, seals and bronze drinking vessles that we probably didn't give it the time it deserved. Although it was good to see the exhibition on minority cultures, particularly as most of our time in China had been spent in the areas where these minorities live (Tibetan, Mongol, Kazak, Zhuang among others).

Old Shanghai still exists

The most surprising and enjoyable were the warehouse art galleries, which really hammered home the fact that Shanghai is like nowhere else in China. Lots of funky studios with artists working, cigarette half hanging out of their mouths, Lou Reed playing in the background and Warhol-esque representations of Mao.

Romance down on the riverbank

As Shanghai was our home for Christmas Day, it was our first cold, if not quite white, Christmas. It actually turned out to be a really fun day despite the cold and the fact that we were sharing a dorm room with 10 others (most of whom seemed to have come to Shanghai to sleep?). First we took the freaky Bund Sightseeing Tunnel (the exact purpose of which we couldn't quite work out - part Ghost Train ride, part psychedelic freak out, part monorail, part who knows what??) to the Pudong side of the city. In addition to getting us across the river, it gave us access to the Chinese Sex Culture exhibition which was surprisngly graphic - particularly for China (ask Hobbes for a private viewing of a photo of one of the bronze sculptures).

Pudong wasn't quite as jam packed with buildings as expected, but there certainly are some big ones and the big hole in the ground for the biggest of the lot is just that - BIG. As a treat for our first winter Christmas brunch consisted of ice cream with a Bund View, perhaps belying our southern hemisphere roots?

Bund tunnel wierdness

For dinner we went to 'M on the Bund' (Aussie chef!) for a belated birthday dinner for Aimes. While not competing with the meat consumption we had on her actual birthday, it was without doubt the nicest meal we have had in the past 4 months and are likely to have in the next couple. Fortunately we were able to pull together sufficiently fancy outfits from our backpacks that we weren't turned away at the door :)

The view from 'M on the Bund'

We spent our final day walking around the old French Concession, in an attempt to find the building where the Shanghai branch of Aimes' grandmother's childrens' boutique, 'Little Shirley', once existed. After managing to find the street we thought we might be in luck, however when we arrived at the right number we found several semi-demolished buildings making way for yet another Shanghainese skyscraper. Guess we were just too late...

Why say no to progress? Perhaps what was left of Aimes' grandmother's shop?

The walking didn't last for too long however as the temperature was rapidly dropping, requiring some urgent coffees and a retreat to the subway. At least it gave us a taste of what to expect in Beijing... What we saw of the French Concession was really nice, the tree lined steets and low-rise buildings being a complete contrast from the Pudong Business area, although how it long this will survive would seem to be questionable.

Nanjing Dong Lu at night

As alluded too above there was one final train trip and one more night in freezing Beijing before we flew out for Singapore en route to India. After our luxurious soft sleeper train trip (the rooms had doors and the toilet actually flushed!) we made a quick dash for the nearest hostel where we spent most of the day due to the fact that temperature was about zero at best. A quick excursion was made to the post office, the food court where we ate our first meal in China and on Hobbes' insistence to Tianamen Square to "see what it looks like in the cold". The answer being bleak, the moat around the Forbidden City was frozen and just about the only other people out were soldiers.

A cold Tianamen Square

So that was it for China, after almost 3 months and after travelling over 14,000km on trains and buses we finally completed our near circumnavigation of the most populous country in the world. There were so many amazing experiences and the sheer vastness of the varied cultures and landscapes far exceeded even our most extravagant expectations.

Some final street food action

While there will be many things we will not be sorry to see the back of (primarily the spitting and coughing and toilets) there will be so many more that we will. Fresh bao and dumplings for breakfast, men in suits no matter what their job (especially the painters), the massive sights, the range of landscapes, and the fact that people will make the effort to try and understand your confused looks and pointing. As always, as soon as we left we started thinking of all the places we didn't make it too, Lhasa, Golmud, Inner Mongolia, Haerbin, Hainan, Hangzhou etc etc, but 3 months is enough for now.

Our dodgy map of our trip so far