Well we have been in Shanghai for 4 days now and goto Chengdu on the 25th (38 hour train ride).. we haven't done anything here yet, been a little sick and off from the time difference of western Europe..

going to see the Jade Buddha Temple today though  once in Chengdu, we will start planning our Tibet trek, on the worlds highest train Qinghai-Tibet Railway (which includes oxygen).  we plan to see Emeishan mountain, and a lot of temples and stay at a monastery or two, yes you can do that and they are real. we will be staying at Mix Hostel while in Chengdu

for now, staying in a nice hostel in shanghai for about $10/night in a normal hotel type room, gotta love the exchange rate and the economy, the one in Chengdu is $1.98-$4.60 a bed/night.. were opting for the private room for $4, can you blame us

We may stay in a really nice hotel here or in Beijing if the price is right, with the economy, 5 star should be rather affordable.  However, for those planning on traveling, consider this, a trip to Chicago for 3 days is about 3 times more expensive than a week long trip to china.. $900 airfare, and $20-$50/night for 2-3 people in a good hotel, $2-$10 for a very filling meal.  You could stay here for $90 a week and its a really nice hostel.. most tour sites cost 5-30 RMB (1 Chinese yuan = 0.126473415 U.S. dollars) so 63cents to $3.80 per attraction.  just a thought.