//We did a hour long walk around the neigbourhood, so much to see. There is a touristy area all restored to look like the old world jam packed with shops, markets and some interesting and maybe tasty food. But go a few streets further and you get to the real worlds little lanes, real people and lots of interesting things to see. All of these photos were taken in under an hour- a real sensory overload
//We arrived at Shanghai’s huge airport, getting through security was much easier than expected and before we knew it we were on the maglev fast train for the city. The train can do up to 500km a hour but it stuck to 300km for the 15 minute ride. Then a quick cab to the hotel, which turned out to be be much flasher than expected and the view from our room was is incredible with a vista of the city’s skyline. We had a quick walk around the block to find some beers and the whole area is a restored old town. Looks like there will be some great exploring over the next few days.
//The 2017 big oriental adventure has begun with a Qantas flight to Shanghai via Sydney. We flew domestic to Sydney before jumping on the big one for the trip to China, we were right up the front so things were pretty comfortable but probably not as over the top and luxurious as the Emirates flight to NZ a few weeks back. Food was tasty, and there was a ample amount of beer and red wine and the the seat turned into a bed so we even got a few hours shut eye (mainly due to the wonderful selection of reds). Before we knew it we were landing in Shanghai.
//A huge night at Spark Arena in Auckland in front of about 12000 of our sheep loving neighbours. The band put on a great show sounding as tight as ever for their first show in NZ in 22 years. The set was one big greatest hits package with a heavy influence towards tracks from 10-1 and Red Sails. One highlight was a cover of The Swinger’s Counting the Beat for their encore. And guess what new Melbourne show has been announced when we will be back – so you just got to stand in line…and do it!
//A wet and windy Auckland but its no better back at home. Rug up go to the pub, because beer fixes everything, especially after one of New Zealand culinary classics a mince and cheese Georgie Pie for breakfast.
//Midnight Oil are back but their Melbourne shows announced are in early November during the time we are away on our 2017 adventure…Bummber! Plan B- Easy a pre-adventure trip to New Zealand to catch their Auckland show.
The weekend starts with a very tasty breakfast in the Emirates lounge at Tullamarine followed by a luxurious ride on the top deck of their brand new Airbus 380 for comfortable ride across the ditch. There were only about 10 people upstairs so we had a whole rear section to ourselves and even a private bar. The flight stats off with some sparkly champagne before we hogged into our second gourmet breakfast for the day.
