Here we are in Zhengzhou waiting for our overnight train that will take us to Shanghai. Since our last blog in the lovely Pingyao we have moved on to Xi'an and the Terracota Warriors and then on to Dengfeng and the Shaolin Temple complete with warrior monks. Xian as a tourist destination is based entirely on the 10000 strong tterracota army that guards the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang. We organised a tour through a local hotel which would take us to the army as well...

I didn't really know what to expect from Beijing when I got on the plane in Sydney to come here. But I knew it would be crazy and exciting and Beijing has not dissappointed. Laura's Uncle Igor and Aunty Marion had kindly put us up in the very swish Traders Hotel for our first 4 nights here. I don't think we could thank them enough for this as it made our first foray into China much easier than it would have been had we been trying to get to hostel digs on our ...