We get up and head out for a traditional Chinese breakfast. It was fantastic. Dough sticks and soya milk, i think it is the best breakfast i have had in China! Catherine is leaving today but only has a ticket for a hard seat and her train is 28 hours!! I wouldn't do that, plus she has never been on a hard seat, I have. So we go down to the train station to try and get her ticket changed. We get a bus to the station and she joins the queue, but when she gets to th...

Catherine gets the call from the tour guide at 6.30, apparently we are being picked up at 7.30 at a hotel just round the corner from our hostel. Let's go!! I packed my bag the night before so I have all my stuff ready to go. When we get on the bus we take a seat, the bus is not full so we are going to pick up some more people from their hotels. Once everyone is on board the tour guide starts talking, and talking, and talking. Honestly I think she spoke for 30mins...

I think Catherine has us up at some ungodly hour. I'm not fresh. Anyway we head across the road for breakfast and I go for dumplings. In an odd move this involved the husband jumping on his bike and going home to make them. Odd. Meant I had a bit of a wait before I got my breakfast, though when it did arrive it was delicious. Good start to the day. On we go walking in to town to catch our bus. On the way we pass a couple of places offering tours down the Li River...

I am still on the train. Woken at 7 by some commotion. But manage to drift off shortly after. I get up to use the toilet and stretch my legs. All I can think about while I'm being bashed about in the toilet, with the smell of stale smoke, standing in other peoples piss and listening to someone hawking up outside the door is just how mum would cope in this situation. I chuckle to myself. I spend the day sleeping and looking out the window. There are quite a few ki...