The Bund Sightseeing Tour

The Bund Sightseeing tour in Shanghai, also known as the Psychedelic Tunnel, is definitely one of the stranger attractions I visited in China. From the Pudong to the Bund, this tunnel will provide you with probably the weirdest 5 minutes in Shanghai (although there's no guarantee you won't find something weirder out there!).

It's a little over priced, frankly, at 50 yuan per person (about £5), and I definitely wouldn't bother with the return journey! Considering the ferry across the Huangpu river costs about 20p per trip and includes beautiful views of the water front on both sides (assuming you can see past the pollution), the Psychedelic Tunnel is definitely something you only need to do once. It's worth it though, if it's on your way.

The Bund Sightseeing experience (which doesn't actually involve seeing any sites, of course) also includes some other, potentially weirder, exhibits, including a 'Freaks' exhibit. They were quite expensive though and I opted not to visit.

I'd love to hear from anybody who has braved the even quirkier exhibits on offer here (post a comment if that's you!)

Shanghai: A Breath of Not-So-Fresh Air

I arrived in Shanghai in the early evening and took the subway to my hostel. I had arranged to meet a friend from Tokyo there so after dropping my stuff off in my room I headed up to the hostel bar and we had a few beers on the lovely roof top terrace. I was noticeably warmer in Shanghai and I was enjoying for the first time in my trip not having to wear a scarf and hat in the evenings (and early mornings). I was pretty tired from travelling so went to bed fairly early, and set my alarm for a sociably late time in the morning (I was sick of early starts after 3 days on the Yangtze river). 

My first morning in Shanghai I had a lovely lie-in and a leisurely breakfast before doing a little work. In the afternoon Sam and I headed out to explore Shanghai. I wanted to see the famous bund buildings and the pudong sky line across the river. It seemed a fairly simple walk from our hostel, so we wandered out. Instantly, the pollution was noticeable. It was a particularly smoggy day and my sinuses and eyes were hurting and my nose running within minutes of leaving the hostel. When we got to the river bank the skyline, although impressive, was very, very smoggy. Some buildings were difficult to make out behind the pollution.