Arriving in Shanghais Pudong airport early morning after a long but comfortable flight from London felt a bit surreal. The plane takes a strange turn to arrive on the run way, flying over what looks like a toy town, an endless city of sky scraper buildings.

We were impressed at the speed we got through the airport, bags collected quickly and efficient passport control. Heading to our destination in the Pudong district was a 45 minute drive, which gave us time to take in the surroundings of Shanghai. This city is home to around 20 million people, and the rate of sky scraper buildings is kind of overwhelming (as well as the pollution levels!).

The driving in China takes some time to get used to. Expect a lot of beeping, scooters, bikes and tuk-tuks cutting in and some crazy over-taking manoeuvres. It is worth booking transfers with a respected taxi company, as these drivers are often more aware of the western expectations and you will feel a bit safer in their hands. Also make sure you have the address of your destination in Chinese, as you will struggle to find English speaking drivers. Wendy Wu offers these services as part of their tour.

We finally arrive at the Fraser Suites in Pudong a luxurious set of apartments designed for the jet-setting executives who relocate to the city. Pudong is the main business district of Shanghai so it is catered to the ex-pat lifestyle. The nearby Super brand mall has everything you could find on Oxford street, these are usually more expensive though. The mall is a good place to go if you want to find western food and to enjoy the air conditioning.

Being the end of August, the weather was still very hot and very uncomfortable. Air-conditioning is usually easy to find in the giant shopping malls. Expect high humidity and thunder storms, the sun is hard to see through the hazy grey clouds, I think we only saw it once in our 2 weeks.

With the 8 hour time difference, jetlag was a big challenge on the first leg of our journey. Do whatever you can to keep busy and avoid the urge to lie down. Went for a walk around Pudong to get our bearings, along the river and lively with many bars and restaurants. So first night of our adventure was therefore pretty mellow, with dinner in the Blue frog (a burger chain you can usually find in the big Chinese cities) and bed!

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