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Katie:
At 5am we left the train and got a taxi to our hotel in Xi'an. The hotel is a really lovely 3* hotel very near everything you could possibly need. After leaving all of our stuff in the hotel we went for a well deserved traditional chinese breakfast which was lovely and definately needed. We then all decided to treat our self to a foot massage. It was simply amazing just what was needed after 13 hours on the train. The massage turned out to be more than just for feet they massaged our feet, legs, arms and back for only 90 Yuan which is equivalent to just under 6 pounds! The massage was fabulous but a little bruttle I thought Arber was going to get bruises as the woman who was doing his was a little forceful!
We then decided to take a bike ride around the city wall. The wall was built to protect the city from invasion and surrounds the entire city in a square shape. We completed the 14km bike ride in the midday sun in an hour and 15mins so was very impressed with ourselves! The challenge was definately worth it.
After we took a taxi to the most famous Buddist Pagoda in China where we even saw real Buddhist Monks.
Later on that evening we decided we had to try the delights of a traditional night out in China..KTV! Which is to us Kareoke. They definately take it very seriously here with an entire 4 floor building that looks like a hotel dedicated to many different individual Kareoke rooms. It was so much fun, everyone joined in and after a few drinks it was difficult to get the microphone of some of the people! It is unbelievably cheap here though the entire night including the entertainment, food and beers for 12 people for the night came to about 24 British pounds!
The following day (which is today) we visited a Hailing Centre which is a centre for teenagers with mental disabilities it was the most inspiring thing to see these children with such love performing for us. They put on lots of different shows including singing and dancing and made us dance the 'Chicken dance'. The way they are treated by the staff at the centre is amazing, they are taught so many different skills and are so well cared for it was lovely to see.
Anyway thats all for now will update again soon, missing you all lots xxxx
 Arber:
Mum they have lekuma here can you believe it i travel half way round the world and find my mothers home cooking! after a hearty and nostalgic breakie we headed to the masssage parlour where i was bent pushed and proded till i cried!!!! This lady was brutual and really sorted me out!! She was strong as anything and clicked my back in soo many places she thought she had hurt me in fact she aplogized several times as i winced like a girl i left there feeling like i had gone 10 rounds with Tyson and lost - badly
Xi'an is a beautiful city and by far the most pleasent to date with zero people offering you gucci it was a welcome breath of fresh air!!!
After a dangerous 6 lane road crossing we decided that we would cycle the wall all 14km of it!! I was very impressed with kate because mid day on a really sunny day is never the best time to go for a ride!! All the way round all i could think about was the expression "Only mad dogs and englishmen go out in the miday sun" we did it and in a good time (this is by far the furthest katie has ever cycled probably the sum total of her enitre life on a bike was equal to what we did that day so hats off to her becasuse i wasnt gonna take it slow those who know me on a bike i get a wee bit competitive!)
After the wall we went to the temple which was quite cool apart from the fact that everything was either a replica, a building site or for sale!!! and the monks we saw - were wearing nike trainers!?!?!? .
KTV KTV KTV those three letter hold a new meaning for me this place recommended highly by our insanley excited tourguide it was amazing it was like the bloody ritz hotel a massive marble lobby leading to the coolest little rooms with a kareoke set you needed to be a rocket scientest to operate the night was soo much fun and we all discovered that Budwiser's are good and our singing is very very bad!!
Today we have just gotten back from hailing as katie explained she bought two braclets made by the peole that live there and for once her shopping was for a good cause. On a serious note this place really touched me it was awe inspiring how organised and pro active this instituion was and how dedicated they were to achieving a normal life for all the kids who welcomed us and showed us a great time.
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