Both of us were awake earlier than we would have liked this morning: dad just can't get his clock turned around and once he is awake the noise wakes me up (see earlier blog for explanation). Down to brekkie at 06:30am and then left for the drive to the Great Wall at 07:00. The reason we left at this hour was to avoid the traffic and also the crowds. It worked a treat and we had a very smooth trip up and there were hardly any people there when we arrived. The souv...

The last day or so has been a bit of a blur. We left our little hostel yesterday morning and the cab took about an hour to get us to our new hotel. Saw some amazing (modern) buildings on the way. They really have a flair for design here! The new place is really nice; better than I actually expected. Our room is about three times the size of our last one and has everything laid on, including free internet and a TV with 100 channels (97 of which are Chinese!) The l...

Just a quick update. Had a great dinner last night but made absolute pigs of ourselves. Ordered three dishes and fried rice. Dumplings are magnificent! William made me up a vinegar dipping sauce with some of his own blend of chili paste added. Very hot but yummy! Also had chicken and cashews and veg and chicken with mushrooms. Had a few drinks and showed the staff some photos of home and family which they enjoyed. Went to bed very early and had difficulty sleepin...

The day dawned and was very cold as usual. Had brekkie in the hostel again and then headed out to Xidan shopping area, about 15 mins by taxi. Whilst on the subject, there is no way on earth that I would drive anything short of a Sherman tank on a road in Beijing. Cars, buses and assorted wheeled and non-wheeled traffic go in all directions at all times. Just sitting in the back of the taxi is enough to cause ulcers. The amazing thing is that we haven't seen one a...

Up very early after a long night's rather fitful sleep. But at least there was enough of it! As far as I can tell, the matresses in China are all made in the same joinery factory! We both put coats/jumpers under our hips to prevent bruising! Had a lovely breakfast of French omelette for me, and toast and jam for dad, washed down with China green tea. Yum! Cost: Y38 (a bit over $6!) Left home and caught a cab to the Zhongguancun area to investigate a new mobile ph...