Hello!

We are most of the way through our tour of China now, here's what we've been up to:

- Got lost in the amazing Forbidden City (former emporer's residence) in Beijing

-Accidentally attended a Buddhist ceremony, saw a parade, monks chanting and got sweets from the Lama!

-Took photos of the rest of my group eating Scorpions, grasshoppers and snakes...

-Climbed the Great Wall in the snow, almost died, went down most of the way on my backside due to bad choice of footwear! Sadly really foggy so no views, no pics.

-Saw a Kung Fu show in Xian where monks break concrete on their heads, and sampled the local delight of dumplings for under 10p!

-Visited the Terracotta Warriors, apparently the 8th wonder of the world (sparking a research session among my group into the 7 wonders, only 1 still exists apparently!)

-Had the best cocktails ever in Jin Mao tower in Shanghai, brilliant views of the surreal metropolis at night.

-Took a slightly illegal farmers boat along the Li river to see the mountains, got stopped by police and marooned on an island for a while, all part of the fun!

-I may or may not have purchased a cheap and overly extravagant bag on the markets of Yangshuo...a strange anomaly: small town in the mountains with loads of tourist attractions and a street full of English bars to rival any Costa Del Sol town!

Next: Off biking in the rice paddy fields, then onto Hong Kong.