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Hello it's Laura
We have been very busy in China since Lily last updated the blog in Beijing. We are really enjoying China and especially love the food. It is very different to Chinese food at home and there is plenty of variety to stop us getting bored. It is best when we eat in a big group as we can share all the dishes. One of the best meals we have had so far was in the muslim quarter if Xi'an which was a very different style of Chinese food. I will give you the low down of our adventrues from the Great Wall to Shanghai via Xi'an...
Our first day as part of the tour was a trip to the Great Wall at Simatai which is a remote section of the wallwhich has many steep sections and parts which have not been restored. Our journey to the wall was delayed for a number of reasons the funniest being that a lorry load of eggs seemed to have crashed with a lorry load of cogs caui\sing a huge traffic jam and mess!! The walk was hard work with alot of climbing up steps and overall took about 4 hours. Lily went with Erin (our tour guide) and one other girl and took a different route alongside the wall as she didn't fancy the climb, i pushed on with a group of girls from the tour.
Our next destination was Xi'an which is best known for its situation near to the Terra Cotta warriors. It was great to see them although a little less exciting than i had expected. In Xi'an we took a bike ride around the city walls which was 14kms and took us approximately 1 and 1/2 hours. A group of six of us did this in the morning and then headed off for some lunch. The cafe we went to spoke no English and we managed to ask them (with the aid of a phrasebook) to bring something they recommended with chicken and rice. In the afternoon four of us went for a traditional Chinese massage. We were asked to wear some floral pyjamas and then given a massage that can only be described as torture! After an hour however we felt slightly battered but generally good. Another fun experience in Xi'an was karaoke. Nine of us from the group went and hired our own room and sang our hearts out for three hours before ending up in a club and dancing with the locals. Before leaving Xi'an we went to a local disabled school which was quite moving. They supplied us with some food and we gave a small donation to aid the work thay they do for disadvantaged children and adults. The school teaches disabled people life skills that they may be able to use to get a job. It also gives them the confidence to do things by themselves such as buying groceries and using public transport.
Our next destination was Shanghai (our favourite city so far). It is very cosmopolitan and is obviously working hard to modernise which was interesting to see. They have alot of distinctive architecture which we saw on a boat ride along the Yangzi river. One of the highlights of our stay in Shanghai was our visit on the first night to the Jinmao tower which is currently the tallest building in Shanghai. Lily and I sat in the bar on the 54th floor and drank a couple of glasses of (the cheapest) champagne! Some of the rest of the group joined us and opted for the all you can eat desert buffet which was more expensive than our drinks! In our short time in Shnaghai we visited the urban planning exhibition which was very interesting and geographical. It gave us an insight into the past, present and future of Shanghai and it is definitely a place that i would like to visit again.
On our journey we have experienced three overbight train rides of 14, 17 and 21 hours. This is an experience in itself! We all have beds allocated to us in the hard sleeper section of the train. Each carriage has rows of bunk beds which are three sotries high and six people fit into each section. I have experienced the top, middle and bottom bunks. The bottom has the most room and doubles up as the communual area, the middle has less room and the top only has a small amount of space but is very high up. Once I got over the high and lack of room i actually had the best nights sleep. Everyone eats pot noodles on the train as they are quick and easy but Lily and i weren't too keen after the first train so on the second journey we bought french stick and cheese, and the third we had salad and pizza which other people were pretty envious of!
We are now in Yangshuo where we will be spending a few days before heading off to Hong Kong where Lily will update the blog.
Lots of love Laura and Lily xx
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