Day 10: Cheerio Chengdu!

Went for a wander downtown stopping at Louis' (a trendy looking cafe) for a Chinese ice tea. Just what we needed - it was a scorcher at 30+ degrees. Bought Chinese breakfast - pork dumplings to enjoyЧитать далее
Went for a wander downtown stopping at Louis' (a trendy looking cafe) for a Chinese ice tea. Just what we needed - it was a scorcher at 30+ degrees. Bought Chinese breakfast - pork dumplings to enjoyЧитать далее
After a 15 hour night train arrived in Xian and met our bubbly guide Leilei.
After a chill and freshen up we were introduced to the city, which is steeped in culture and has beautiful city walls, notЧитать далее
Emma awoke with a sore frou frou/ moo moo from cycling yesterday. Marissa and Jordan later confessed their similar affliction and we're waddling like pandas today. Strangely Gill unaffected.
Had aЧитать далее
...the home of Kung fu!
We said goodbye to our Xian guide Leilei, then endured a very uncomfortable 6 hour bus ride. Sore bottoms, limited legroom, people doing strange things like cutting theirЧитать далее
Awoke to the sound of cockerels crowing - definitely not in York anymore.
Misplaced room key - Emma was convinced Gill was first in last night. Key inexplicably turns up in Emma's leggingsЧитать далее
...on the Great Wall of China!
Okay, so it's illegal to camp ON the wall, but Peter assured us we were within our rights to use it as a wind shield
After another night train arrived in Beijing'sЧитать далее
Cloudy sunrise on the Great Wall. It was fully light by 5am, and the mist made the distant mountains fade from luscious green, to distant grey silhouettes.
Despite our thermal ground cover andЧитать далее
...sightseeing, shopping and 'very British problems'.
Spent today taking in the main sights of China's capital. First we explored Tiananmen Square seeing the congress hall, Mao's mausoleum, theЧитать далее
Spent a lovely morning exploring the Temple of Heaven. We braved the roads again to cycle there and back along cycle 'paths' as wide as our roads running alongside the 8 lanes of traffic. A thrillingЧитать далее
After the night train opted for Chinese fast food breakfast, which google translated to 'black black black you are my little pepper proud intestinal" (chipolata sausages).
Both felt a bit ropey afterЧитать далее