Hello from Xi'an! I only just arrived here, so I thought I would let you know what I've been up to in Shanghai. My first impressions of Shanghai: hot and crowded. It's just as hot as it was in Beijing and my train arrived during the morning rush hour so I was able to see just how many people are able to fit into a Shanghai subway car. My train from Beijing was fantastic - my options were a seat or a soft sleeper, so I opted for the latter even though I really co...

Hello from Beijing! The flight here was pretty horrible. I was more than ready for it to be over at hour nine. Fortunately we arrived in Beijing with only minimal turbulence. My first impression of Beijing was smog and heat. What they say about the pollution is true - this whole week has seemed cloudy, even on what was supposed to be a sunny day, due to smog. My hostel is wonderful! It is located in one of the hutong districts which are wonderful to walk around...