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Hey guys! Sorry I havn't written yet but this is more going to be a quick update of what has been happening so far. So I have been in China now for just over a week covering Beijing, Shanghai and Xian. We leave tomorrow morning to get a flight to Chengdu, where the panda sanctuary is so I'm looking forward to that!
I arrived in Beijing on Saturday morning and transferred to my hotel by a crazy but very smily Chinese guy, who then proceeded to power walk his way through the airport to his crappy old car (with no seatbelts) and then drove like a mad man to the other side of the airport where we picked up this other girl, thank god, that was the only time I started to feel more convinced that I wasn't being abducted after only being in the country an hour or so! Once we got to the hotel I was just so pleased to have made it in one piece.. now I realise in China I think its safer to be in a car with a crazy driver than walking! The traffic is crazy here.. it is neverd safe to just cross the road, and no one really pays attention to the traffic lights or zebra crossings or anything like that! I was wrecked so I spent a lot of the first day in bed, and then decided on Sunday to try go exploring on my own. Which was ok except everyone stares the whole time and tries to make you buy stuff. But food, transport and stuff is all so cheap here, I think so far we've paid between 20p - about £2 for a bottle of beer. And the metro is 20p to go anywhere!
I met the group I'm travelling these 3 weeks with on Sunday and there is a proper mix of people from Australia, Canada, UK, Germany and Holland. Everyone has gotten on well together.. so far anyway. Monday was the Great Wall of China... its big! We travelled a bit to go to a quieter section of the wall, and I'm so glad we did, because it was already so so hot. Since we've been here I dont think its dipped below 30 c and we've avoided the rain so far! Who knew the great wall of china had so many steps! I dont know why I just thought it was more hilly that steps! I have pictures to prove the steepness of said steps. At one point I was having to use my hands to climb them like a ladder, amazing views though and the countryside was beautiful.. so worth the effort! Another surprise is that there are 3 ways to get back to the bottom; walk, cable car or .. toboggan! So naturally I wanted to go down the slide thing, I was knackered and there was not a hope I was walking down all them steps again! My legs have only just started to return to normal! Also in Beijing we went to the Forbidden city and Tiannamen square, and one evening some of us went to the Olympic village that gets all lit up at night, and the swimming pool there changes colour every hour. Its worth going to but once you've walked around theres not that much to see.
Wednesday night saw the first of 4 sleeper trains. They are not nice. Not as terrible as I thought they were going to be, but after 2 I still havn't had much sleep on them. They have a hard mattress and no western toilets, just a hole that you're expected to squat over. It was 13 hours before we arrived in Shanghai, but the overnight train to Xian turned into 17 hours so that was even less fun! Shanghai is great though. I loved it, so much nicer than Beijing I think. Its really modern and full of rooftop bars, towers and shops. It's justa really nice city. I've been learning to use chopsticks since I've been here, and I think I'm finally beginning to get the hang of it, except when it comes to noodles.. its so difficult and not many places can speak english to give you a fork! Ordering food is done by pointing. Even in McDonalds I struggled to order chips, they just didnt get it! Went up a massive tower in Shanghai called Jinmao tower, that had great views, its also a hotel and I'm definately wanting to stay there at some point in the future, the view was amazing, once I can get photos up it'll be better, but I dont think they really do them justice. Also in Shanghai was the Expo, but it was really busy and I didn't really fancy spending a full day stnading in the heat waiting to see, whatever the expo is! btu some of the others seemed to enjoy it but they did have to spend the whole say there and I wanted to go up the tower. On the last evening in Shanghai some of the guys were meeting people they knew who lived there, so I tagged along to this club called Paramount, it was chocka block full of expats, which I didnt really expect but it was good not to be stared at for a while. It was 100 yuan each to get in which is about a tenner, then open bar! So that was a bargain and a really good night out! Just before we went to the train station the next morning I went to McDonalds for breakfast and while sittign outside on a bench eating, a Chiense family came up and started taking pictures of me eating mcdonalds! Why? I dont know, but I had my bag on my knee so they wern't after that, they just sort of shuffled closer to me on the bench while the others took pictures. It was really really weird! Now we're in Xian. Like Beijing its not my faourite but the Terracotta army was worth going to see, and the Starbucks guy could understand me so it's wortha visit. But this has turned out to be a lot longer than I meant, and we're heading for food in half and hour so I'll sign of for now and try harder to keep you in the loop!
Hope all is well at home, and miss you all!
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