Visited the Forbidden City this morning. This was built over 500 years ago and apparently has been off limits to commonners like us until 100 years ago!! Spent the morning there exploring the huge complex with a really good local guide. The buildings, with their intricate carvings are really something to be seen. There is also a path which goes from one side of the Forbidden City right through to the other side - this was the Emperor's Path. We were also told stories about the hard lives of the concubines and their children inside the palace walls.

In the afternoon we visited the old Hutongs (oldest dwelling places in Beijing) by rickshaw. This was a fun experience with me and Teresa laying bets as to when our rickshaw driver would keel over!! Visited the oldest Chinese market in Beijing and studied some of the old dwellings. The walls all have markings according to social status and the higher your front step was the more important you were. Have gotten used to the Chinese men walking around hocking their snot up on the street all the time. We don't jump at the sound coming from behind us anymore!! All of the men spit on the streets all of the time! I don't know why but I read in the paper that the government has said that this will have to stop in time for the Olympics!! Also, their taxi drivers are  being forced to obligatory English language classes in preparation!! We would certainly have appreciated this!

Also visited an old Bell Tower and attended a traditional Chinese Tea Ceremony which was cool. Were shown how to make a proper pot of Chinese tea and the custom is that you must drink the tea from the cup in three sips!

Got the overnight train to Xi'an and our tour guide Tina lost half of our group! 9 of us made the train - the other 6 and the leader were left behind in Beijing. We were left to cope on our own with the Gecko's useful phrase book which was not so useful! Not as many people in China speak English as I expected at all. The sleeper carriages were big dormitories, nothing was enclosed - different from the European experience! But after running down a mile long platform with our 25kg rucksacks we were just delighted to put our heads down for the night.