So this month signalled the end of my adventures in Ningbo. I finally finished my exams and promptly left the university campus two days later. It was quite sad, saying goodbye to some people who you realise you might never see again.

So last Sunday I headed to Shanghai with another friend who was then going on to Vietnam. This was the third time I had visited that city and I love that place more and more every time I go. For anyone that hasn’t read any of my earlier blogs, Shanghai is one of the most metropolitan cities in the world, with some amazing buildings, restaurants and markets.

My friend was with me for one night and I spent a night by myself before Khilna, Millie and Janki arrived.

I took the high speed magnetic train to the airport to go and pick the girls up. This train reached speeds of about 450km/h and was another testament to Shanghai's modernity.

I’ll sum up the rest of the Shanghai visit in a few lines. Most of the time was spent shopping (which was driving me mad after 3 days in markets with girls), eating, going out as well as a visit to an arcade and the Jade Buddha Temple. The Jade Temple was not as crowded as last time, and we were privileged to see a live ceremony by the Buddhist monks and some people painting Chinese paintings.

The highlight of my visit was going to a club there and seeing the self titled “Chinese-American rapper, Jin the Emcee. It was even funnier finding out that he didn’t know how to speak Chinese. Anyway, I got to have a chat to him which was quite cool. I also managed to find a California Pizza Kitchen in China which I love, and we went back up the Grand Hyatt to see the views of the city.

From Shanghai, we took the overnight train to Beijing. Those of you who read about my last experience on a Chinese train will recall that it was a pretty bad experience. So I had low expectations for the sleeper train – however, I was pleasantly surprised. The journey lasted for around 13 hours and we were assigned bunks of three. I was on the top bunk, and despite hitting my head on the ceiling countless times, I managed to sleep well.

As much as I love the girls, I was glad to finally have some male company when we met up with three of my mates (two from UNNC, one from Notts) in Beijing. I had already been to Beijing once before with Mum and Dad, but again, this proved to be a different experience.

We went to the Summer Palace on the first day, and this time, we hired pedaloes which was quite fun. The following day, we went to the Great Wall, in spite of the 35 degree heat.This excursion to the Great Wall was not so good, because we had chosen to visit on a Sunday, when you couldn't move for Chinese tourists.

The following day, we visited the Forbidden City (again my second time visiting). I had said that the first time I visited the Forbidden City, I got frustrated by the number of tourists there, and this overshadowed my experience. This time, however, our visit fell on a Monday, and having hired a guide, I was able to actually appreciate the Forbidden City. I still question its authenticity, but the symbolism and history behind the buildings is incredible.

Seeing buildings like this makes you realise that there many countries have a rich history and culture outside of the Roman/Tudors and Stuarts/ World War 2/ American history that we learn. Whilst most of my learning about China has been with regards to its more recent history, seeing buildings like this has increased my fascination for Chinese philosophy and mythology.

Needless to say, Beijing wasn't completely a culturally enriching experience, and we did find the time to go to a couple of clubs, watch some Sopranos (even more amazing than ever in its sixth season) and do some shopping.

This afternoon, we arrived in Xi'an. I will keep you posted with what's going on in a while.


Take care all,


See you in two weeks,


Nihal


P.S. Millie (and Khilna) wants to write a short message:

just thought we would answer the question everyone's been dying to know...
Nihal does infact now smell and look like a chinese man..
Ni-hao and Zaijian