Thursday 2nd of December we met at Melbourne airport at 6:30am to board the inaugural Qantas flight to Shanghai via Sydney. Unlike any other check-in experience there were dancing Chinese lions and men making lots of noise on drums to celebrate this special event!

Arriving at Shanghai airport we collected our bags and headed for our travel Indochina representative who transferred us to our home for the next 3 days, the Sofitel Hyland Hotel.

Friday morning we met in the lobby at 9am and headed towards the Shanghai Museum. Here we wondered at the 4 levels, viewing the impressive collection of ancient bronze works, ceramics, calligraphy, paintings, coins, jade and minority costumes and masks.

Just before lunch we headed to the Old Chinese Quarter where we walked around the Yu Gardens. Stopping for lunch was my first chance to experience dumplings in China and they were delicious!

Nothing better than to shop on a full stomach which saw me purchase many bargains from local stores. You can get anything from pearls to digital camera memory cards, to knives, to the latest gadgets in China coming soon to a dental commercial!

From the Old Quarter we headed to the Westin Hotel for a site inspection. This hotel is one of the best 5 star properties in town and only a couple of blocks away from the Bund area. The Broadway Mansions are a 3 star property with great views over the Huangpu River and Pudong. Arriving back at the Sofitel Hyland Hotel we had a chat to the manager who advised they will be doing a refurbishment to all rooms, a great hotel located right in the centre of the Nanjing Donglu shopping frenzy, so many neon lights!

After our first taste of the bartering for my new purchases it was back to the hotel for a rest then out to dinner with the group. After dinner we headed to the Glamour Bar, which is located at M on the Bund. We sipped on cocktails and even rubbed shoulders with celebrities, Ralph Fiennes from the movie "The English Patient"!

Saturday morning we travelled by bus to the suburbs of Shanghai to the charming old world atmosphere of nearby Zhujiatjiao. We wandered this water canal town dating back to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, watching the locals go about their daily business and viewed the many vendor stalls. From here we headed to a silk factory, then stopped at the Grape Restaurant for a feast for lunch before hitting the famous markets.

Ahh shopping heaven! That's how I describe the markets in Shanghai, everything you want is here and if you don't find it try one of the many department stores nearby. I shopped so much I had to buy another bag to carry all my new purchases!

We met back at the hotel for dinner at the Xiao Nan Guo Restaurant where we tried many local cuisines like jellyfish, abalone, turtle, steamed prawns and dumplings to name a few. After dinner it was off to the Grand Hyatt for a cocktail at the Cloud 9 Bar whilst taking in the breathtaking view of Shanghai. Afterwards we headed to the Blue Frog located in Maoming Lu Street, which is a nigh time magnet.

Sunday morning we walked through the historic colonial streets of the former French Concession. Here we learned about the traditional Shanghai Shikumen architecture, viewing examples of old and new buildings in this style. After this we headed back to the markets and then to the antique markets to spend the last of our Yuan.

Shanghai is an amazing city full of history, delicious food and great shopping!