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We are now on the last day of our China trip, we're off to Tibet tonight - woo hoo can't wait!!!!
We have had a great time in China, the train journey from Hanoi, Vietnam to Nanning was easy and straightforward. Our first stop in China was Guilin a really nice Chinese city but it was 38 degrees and only dropped to about 32 in the evening! We did a day trip out to the rice terraces but it wasn't really the right time of year and there was a haze in the sky so they didn't look that impressive. Next stop was to Yangshou, a beautiful place a few hours by river from Guilin, it has similar scenery to that in Tam Coc and Halong Bay in Vietnam and we had a good few days there chilling out and cycling. We went to the famers market and saw all the dead dogs (and alive ones) being sold for food - it really did turn our stomachs so any asperations we had of trying dog meat, quickly went out the window!!!
Next stop was Chengdu, the Panda Breeding Centre was great, the pandas are absolutely gorgeous and really clumsy! We spent a few days in Chengdu seeing the locals sights and, as far as Chinese cities go, we enjoyed our stay there. We did a day trip out to Leshan and saw the biggest Buddha in the world and the oriental buddha park which we really enjoyed. At one of the temples you can buy a padlock and key and have it engraved wth your names and the date and it will stay locked at the temple forever. Of course we had one done :-) Our next destination was Beijing and we turned up at the train station to be told the train was delayed by 9 hours!!!!!
We finally made it to Beijing after a hurrendous 33 hour train trip that included having to sleep in dirty bedding that hadnt been changed after the last passangers, cockroaches and a smell of rotten sewerage - our worst train journey to date!!! We met up with Fran and Andy in Beijing and we all stayed in a hostel in the Hutongs (the old Beijing communities). We did a 10km walk along the Great Wall which was a highlight of our entire trip and Jay and Fran finished it off with a go on the flying fox!! We also spent a day together in Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Security was really high because of the preparations for National Day so there were police and army everywhere. We also got to see a trial of the air display which was pretty cool.
We decided to spend the National Day in Dunhuang, north east China in the desert. We stayed in a fab hotel albeit we stayed in the cheap blocks but the views from the roof top restaurant were knock-out!!!! We were only 2km from the sand dunes, the biggest being 750 metres high. We walked (or crawled on hands and knees in Emma's case) to the top of the sand dunes and had great views of the Crescent Moon Lake. We met a Swedish couple on the train to Dunhuang so we arrange to take a taxi out to the surrounding areas with them. We visited old parts of the Great Wall, beacon towers, the old southern Silk Road and Yadan National Park, an old eroded lake bed that resulted in fantastic formations that look like huge ships!! It was a wicked day and well worth the money (entrance fees were ridiculously high!!! We also cycled out to the Mogao caves, 30km from our hotel through the desert. The caves were spectacular and we paid for an English speaking guide which made it all the more interesting. All up we loved Dunhuang and hope to go back there and go further north in the future.
From there we set off to Xiahe, a small town with a mix of Tibetan, Hui Muslim and Han Chinese people. Apparently they dont get on too well and have had problems in the past, the army presence there was unbelievable, there were people movers, tanks with water cannons on the top and army parading down the streets in full riot gear!!!! Xiahe is famous for Labrang Monastery, a huge place with around 1,200 monks. Its surrouned by mountains and is very scenic. We spent a day walking the inner and outer koras and it was stunning. But ..... the next day the rain started and after two days sitting it out waiting for it to stop we gave up and got the bus to Xining which is where we are now. We met back up with Maggan and Leonart (who we met in Dunhuang) and took a taxi out to see the birthplace of the current Dalai Lama, a tiny village up in the mountains. Unfortunately the villagers are worried about the authorities and have now stopped anyone from having a look inside, including Chinese people! Well, at least we have stood in the village he spent his first 6 years and we have a very nice photo of the front door!!!
We're now in Xining waiting to get the train to Tibet at 9pm, its the highest train line in the world, can't wait!!!
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