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Karen's Travels
Hi everyone
I\'m in a new country! Arrived in Beijing around 8pm on Thursday evening after 14 plus hours travelling, including two flights. Totally exhausted by the time we arrived at our hotel, which is the best so far. This is our base until Monday evening, when we take an overnight train to Xian, another big city and heart of Imperialist China. In the meantime, we are off at 7.30am tomorrow (Sunday) to visit a remote part of the Great Wall of China - three hours there by coach. Then on Monday, we visit Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City. We met with our guide this evening - a female named Ailsa from Northampton. She seems fun, laid-back and very efficient; everything I was hoping for. The people on our tour are as follows: Matthias and Emma, a couple from Sweden; Ronnie and Ann, a couple from Wiltshire and Derby; Peter and Nikki from Australia, although he works in Indonesia and she lives in Oxford (England)!; Kylie and Isabel, two friends from Surrey and William, the unknown quantity, probably and New Zealander, who flies in tonight. Ailsa took us all to a Chinese restaurant this evening - and it was fab! She says we will NOT lose weight on this trip! Everyone in the group seems really friendly. Most of them are young (e.g. still at Uni) apart of Peter and Nikki who are roughly my age (what a relief - I\'m not quite the oldest!). I\'m sharing a room with Kylie tonight, but after that she wants to be with her friend, which could mean a RESULT for me, i.e a single room throughout (as I can\'t be expected to share with William!). Ailsa went through a lot of details of the trip - it\'s going to be exciting and out of the ordinary. Low points might be 8-12 hr travel on buses on non-existant roads and going to the toilet in public - apparently in rural areas most toilets are communal and rarely have doors! Chinese women in particular like to gossip while they go! I\'m trying not to think too much about \'roughing it\' - we\'re all in the same boat, after all! Very little internet access along the way, so this journal will probably be neglected for a while. Am currently in a youth hostel around the corner from our hotel, which has hundreds of computers - and it\'s cheap. We went to visit the Temple of Heaven yesterday afternoon, where the Chinese emperors used to sacrifice animals to the gods for a good harvest. Unfortunately, cannot download photos here - sorry about that. I am reading all your messages - sorry if I haven\'t replied individually. In answer to Julie\'s enquiry, we arrived back in Bangkok just after all the celebrations for the King\'s anniversary had finished, but Bangkok had certainly undergone a transformation in our absence. Everything looked so clean and there were potted plants everywhere! Cannot get a decent cup of tea in China - they don\'t use milk or sugar and Chinese tea tastes of flowers. However, we have found a Starbucks and I managed to acquire some cartons of milk and sugar, so I have been enjoying a cup of decaf tea in my room the last few days, as we have kettles - what a treat! Not so keen on Chinese tea, but may have to get used to it. Hot water provided on overnight trains, so I may visit our local supermarket again on Monday and buy some coffee sachets and coffee mate! Chinese breakfast on the tour is likely to be noodles and rice, so we have bought some cereal bars and biscuits to take with us. Ailsa tells us this is her favourite China tour and that the grasslands (Tibetan plateau) are fantastically beautiful. We will definitely be seeing the real China on this trip. I continue to miss everyone and often feel homesick. Perhaps this trip will end my feelings of restlessness and enable me to settle down! I think of individuals often - all those of you who are thinking of me, praying and reading this journal. Thank you for your continued love - it is much appreciated. You may hear from me next when we reach Tokyo or America! If an opportunity arises before that I will email again. Love to all. xx
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