Monday 27^th August, 2018 1330

China Eastern VIP Lounge, PVG

The weekend in Shanghai passed in a giddy whirl and a blur.

Kevin was already in the hotel by the time I awoke on Saturday so the first thing we did after not having seen each other for three years was.........go downstairs for a smoke. The hotel was a non-smoking throughout job which basically means you end up puffing out of the room window and blowing or brushing any ash that gets on the windowsill off!

Saturday evening was the “biggie” with our party numbering eight – Roland and TJ his son, Joanna and Sean, Kevin and Vivi, Rinka and me. Initially the plan had been to eat in the White Horse but apparently it was deemed too noisy (our carload arrived later as Joanna went to get me some painkillers from a chemist) and so we ended up in the Cambridge, I think the area is called Thumb Plaza, there're an unbelievable number of bars and clubs jostling for business, cheek by jowl.

Good western food and between us we consumed two burgers, lasagne, two steak and ale pies, fish and chips, cottage pie etc. Having eaten sod all on Friday night I managed to eat two thirds of my pie, impressive!

After the meal things went rapidly downhill. TJ (being 14) had to go home, as did Joanna, Sean and Rinka due to their distances, Kevin and Vivi left because he was tired after travelling from the Phillipines. That left the two diehard old salts – or should that be “soaks”?

Across the road to the Irishman's Pub for one, sitting outside and taking in the dubious pleasures of all the music from all the bands in the clubs all together. Next it was upstairs to the Blue Marlin, where the live band were performing purely for the staff – they had absolutely no customers on a Saturday night!

Much to my embarrassment we left without sitting (I would have had one drink and left) and decamped to the White Horse, which by then had become less crowded, still had a decent band playing. Time for pool and I shall not embarrass anyone by revealing the result. We were gearing up to leave when a Surrey girl and a Kiwi came in, clearly in the same line of work I am in but we never revealed that until later. They had been in China precisely two weeks and they were, to put it kindly, pissed.

At 0250 the owner advised us that he was closing at three (bloody cheek, it's not often I stay out late) but we were welcome to order drinks and take them outside. We did. So there were two girls, two cousins (one about 65, the other 25 – true!) and us, sitting at a table shooting the breeze and it was only when the White Horse staff actually turned the lights off, locked up and gave us two battery-powered table lamps to see by that I noticed the entire area, which had been heaving with lights previously, was in complete darkness. Not even a streetlamp.

Roland dropped me off at the hotel at 0345 and just under an hour later I went to bed. Amazingly, I got up just after ten and on switching my phone on received a text from Kevin, sent an hour before, informing me that they were going for breakfast if I wanted to join them. No chance!!!

At lunchtime I took the pair to the Flying Fox, where the three of us nearly finished the cheese platter (same as I had on Thursday night – well the dog got more than me) and two bottles of wine. Then it was time to head back to the hotel to get Kevin's bag and for them to go to the train station, thence Huangshan. He has threatened to come to Lanzhou during Golden Week (early October) and I hope he does. We may be a thousand miles apart in the same country but three years is a long time.

Last night we went for an Indian, just the four of us. The chardonnay was particularly nice and all was going spiffingly until the main courses arrived. Admittedly it's not on the menu but they have made it for me before, I ordered a prawn and mushroom balti/bhoona (didn't matter which as long as it never blew my head off) which, when it arrived, was cunningly disguised as mutton curry. How they hoped I wouldn't notice – even blind drunk – is beyond me. I may not even have complained had they substituted chicken but they chose the one meat I hate. And I am weird, once something confrontational happens, my appetite exits stage left. Yet again a night spent watching others dine.

This morning I had intended to go down for breakfast. Given the hassle of getting snot-side-up fried eggs on Saturday, chicken sausages and no bacon, it would at best have been a couple of bowls of cornflakes. In the event I never bothered, instead going to the tobacconist to see if he had new stock of my cigars. He didn't, they are coming tomorrow, I shall be in Lanzhou. However there was madness in my method. I had previously seen full coronas in the same brand (20y for 10) so they were my fall-back. They make me cough at first but I cleared him out of those too, fifty of them were all he had. I have about a fortnight to scour Lanzhou for my smokes before panicking.

Can't recall if I mentioned this but the Maglev tickets appeared to be 60y (discounted from 70y on production of boarding pass) for a single OR a return. Roland harboured suspicions the return part was only valid for the same day (yes, around 1730 each day the thing is cranked up to 435km/h for tourists, who do nothing more than go to the airport and back without leaving the train. It worked. No time limit. I must remember next time I visit.

Oh! Long way off I know but Joanna and Sean plan to marry in two years time. Putting the fact it will break my heart aside (silly old fool's dreams), they have accorded me the highest honour in their gift. I am to be the host at their wedding. I think it's best man, father of the bride, groom (I wish!) and ushers all in one job. Need to do my research.

So barring this last flight, my holiday is over. More hectic than intended even though I personally did nothing but I have to say I got it the right way around. This “Shanghai” has been the best ever and I wish I could do it every month. You don't actually get many real friends in life but I met up with three of them this weekend.