So, to round off our trip (and for those of you who we haven't seen this week, I just wanted to say that we did get home eventually (after a bit of an eventful journey involving missing the last metro train to the airport, a questionable taxi ride, some unhelpful check in attendants, and a sprint to the gate). The final nugget of our trip was that after thinking the airline had helpfully got a litle buggy to get us there on time, we fell victim to China's final con...they wanted $5 for the ride!

Nicola and I have written down our top ten favourite Chinese moments, and here they are;

Gemma

1) Climbing the Great Wall...and toboganning down it.

2) Eating at the Temple Restaurant in Beijing

3) Champagne cockails and brunch at M on the Bund

4) High altitude lychee cocktails

5) Shanghai's acrobats

6) Getting up close to several giant pandas

7) Seeing 2000 terracotta warriors in their original trenches, and getting some pictures of the man who discovered them!

8) Attempting to cycle a tandem in beautiful Pingyau...and getting relegated to the back seat.

9) Cycling the entire 14km of Xian's city walls

10) Visiting the Shanghai Poster propaganda museum and trying to get to grips with a bit of Chinese history.

Nicolas;

1) Ting Tong the Rickshaw driver

2) Reaching the final guardhouse on the great wall and putting on our shiny tacky medals

3) The appetisers and Petis four at the Temple Restaurant in Beijing

4) Watching Gemma buy a purple tea bottle and the ensuing debate.

5) Sipping cocktails from various high-numbered hotel levels

6) Purchasing communist memorabilia

7) Cycling the city walls in Xian

8) Watching the Chinese lanterns turn on in the evening in Pingyau

9) Taking the bullet train

10) Chinese manners/habits and oddities.

Phots will follow when i've moved house and found my camera lead! And i'm sure we shall blog again (if we ever get any annual leave approved....).

Thanks for reading!

Gemma and Nicola x