Sat 4 NovArrived in Shanghai late morning, taxi ride to the hotel then an orientation walk of the city. Ying (our tour leader) took us to a local cafe for lunch where we had deep fried dumplings and chicken noodles - yum. We went for a walk on 'The Bund' the waterfront area of Shanghai, had a coffee then a very expensive beer at a German pub. Shanghai by night looks quite space-age as there are lots of skyscrapers and a strange tv tower which have neon br...

Wed 1 Nov Arrived in Xian at 7am and got a bus to the hotel.  After a quick shower we headed out on an orientation walk of the city.  We then had a hearty breakfast before a bicycle ride on the city walls.  They are the only complete city walls in China so we did a full circuit of the city (about 14km) and had lots of races!  It was interesting to see the old side of the walls with old buildings compared to the other side which is full of...

Mon 30 OctWe left Beijing by bus at 7.30am, then travelled for three hours to a remote part of the Great Wall.  There are five sections of the wall that are open to the public, the part that we visited is the least visited.  We were guided by a farmer along a stretch of about 5-6 miles of unrestored wall.  The scenery was spectacular and the wall was ..... great!!  It stretches for as far as you can see.  We saw no other people during the...

Thurs 26 Oct Arrived at our hotel in Beijing at about 9.30pm after a full day travelling - at least we didn't have to buy any food!  It felt very cold when we got off the plane having just spent the month in India where the temperature was always in the 30s and 40s.  We went straight to bed to catch up on some sleep. Fri 27 OctEventually got out of bed at about midday but it was difficult as it was cold and we had nice warm duvets and comf...

Wed 25 OctWe spent the day in Mumbai and saw the Gateway of India, Taj Mahal hotel (one of the poshest hotels in India), Flora fountain, Horniman Circle, Victoria Terminus, University buildings.  Most of the buildings are grand old victorian british built but some are crumbling away.  We walked along Marine Drive and went to the most mediocre aquarium ever!  We then walked along Chowpatty Beach then went to the Hanging Gardens.  We were asked ...