This is just a quick intermission blog: the food that we are having is actually very healthy. There is usually a very large ratio of veg to meat not only that but we are also walking literally a few kilometers every day, as well as the fact that, with the lazy susan we only get small portions each, spaced well apart. So in fact we are not putting on any weight at all! Surprise, surprise!

Up early and after brekkie headed off to visit the site of the terra cottawarriors. The site is outside of Xi'an some distance on the freeway. On theway we stopped off at a factory/shop where we saw how the modern versions are made, but the technique is thought to be similar to that used originally. Thisplace was really interesting and you could buy warriors of all sizes right up to full sized! The latter could be bought and shipped home for around Y4800 ($800)...

We left the station and drove straight to our hotel for breakfast, which was not up to the standard we had come to expect. The food was cold, the toaster took forever, instead of scrambled egg they have french toast which would be ok except that, the bread here is moderately sweet which just doesn't sit well with me mixed with the egg! We all complained and Grace spoke with the management so hopefully better tomorrow (see later blog). After brekkie we went up to ...

We had a late checkout this morning and packed up and put our cases outside the door before heading down to breakfast at about 09:15. At 11:30 we left and headed out to lunch. By this point the temperature outside was probably about 4C. We then went to the hutong district and hired rickshaws to take us on a tour. This tour was just fabulous. This area was one of the newer hutongs and we first went to the house of a wealthy man who had a very traditional home w...

This will be quick as it is late and I am a bit tired. Today we visited the Summer Palace which is a very beautiful place. It was the summer home of the dowager empress Cixi, known as the dragon lady. The whole place has a very calming feel to it, difficult to put into words. The gardens blend beautifully with the buildings and the lake. After that we went for lunch before proceeding to the Silk Street Market. This is basically a large shopping centre but it has...