Howdy gang,

Hows everyone doing ??
So sorry we haven't wrote in ages , the internet is sh*t ( sorry for swearing Nan) in asia!
Plus in China we can't even get on face book as it so communist still.
Pete the long hair sounds rad, sarah we miss ya 2 little one!
Right where do I start since we last wrote in Goa we had a nightmare train journey that took 36 hours when should have only taken 12 , we had a mad time in India.....Planned to go to a national park in India but it was Dawali in India so we couldn't get any where on the trains & we was stuck in this terrible place called Aurangbad and it was BAD! We had a crazy 2 nights though when they let of all the fire works, there was kids as young as 3 years old lighting them in the middle of the street. Sorry Bill but there was no health & safety at all, Dave actually got a little one hit him in the neck but he was fine. It was well scary felt like we was in Iraq or some messed up war zone!
We didn't want to head back to Delhi but had no other option as our flight was from Delhi & it was the only place we could get to by air as every other place was fully booked!
So we got back to Delhi 10days prior to our flight to Beijing & stayed in the coolest little Hostel run by an Indian guy & an Italian bloke, we had a right laugh & meet some really cool people, mainly 1 Irish man called Kev who even put Dave's drinking to shame , he managed polish off 150 bottles in 3 days & these are bigger then magners bottles. Ok we did help a little bit with the bottles. This hostel was great though we even got free breakfast & home made pasta by the italian guy every night it was wicked.
Also managed sort out our Vietnam visas when we was there which was a plus.
But manily we just chilled out & came part of the hostel, 1 night we thought it was the night to catch our China flight & got all packed to then find out we was a day ahead of ourselfs, I like to blame Dave but it was both our faults for being so stupid! SO we decide to get drunk instead & was still up drinking at 6 in the morning when Francesco ( the italain guy) was going to the train station to picu up a new guest. So me Dave & Brendan ( Another irish guy) thought it would be fun to go with him for the 20 min ride to collect the new guest when we was all drunk! The round trip ended up taking us 4 hours as well got so lost on the crazy Delhi streets & a drunk Dave giving francesco drirections. The new guest seem a little scared when she meet us all but we had fun & saw Delhi in full swing in the early morning hours with elephants & all sorts of other crazy things alking on the roads!
The next day we did manage to catch our flight to Beijing on good old Ethiopean air ways & we was very pleased to land with all our limbs attached still! Once we landed in Beijing we had to get a cab to our hostel & as we were expecting no 1 can speak more then 1 word if that of English but we managed to get there.
When we woke up the next day it was snowing pretty heavy & was - 4 degress...............Dave had shorts & flip flops. So before we could do anything we needed get clothes. It was so cold , we had forgotten what it felt like to be that cold.
On the first day we headed to the Olympic stadium & it was amzing being there truley made us speachless. We stood right next to the water cube & couldn't stop thinking that we was standing in the same place Phelps would have stood before he went into race!
We was aloud in the birds nest which was surreal but we loved every minute of it!
We went out for dinner the first night & was so scared what we was going to end up ordering as the menu is what you imagine..........pig brains, intestines, chicken feet & the list is endless. We thought safe & went for noddles to later find out that the first half of a menu is always cold , so we had cold noddles that looked like worms. When we tried to order a beer we were asked if we wanted it YELLOW or BLACK! hahah it is going to be a fun next few weeks.
On the 2nd we joined our group to start our tour , most of the people seemed pretty friendly. The trip is organised a bit differently from the last one & we have alot of free time to do as we want with in the area we are staying. In Beijing we went to the forbbiden city which is the photo attached & the Lama Temple they are very beautiful & spiritual. China is so clean & the people are so lovely even though we can't communicate very well with them, the young Chinese girls laugh alot when we all go in the reasturants as they get nervous as can't under stand our orders.
We have found a new liking for Kung po chicken & are getting alot better at using chop sticks now! Got alot of food down ourselfs the first few times.
We also walked up this street where they sell all sorts of messed up food like star fish , sharks, sheep balls, snakes ect! The chinese people are so much fun though & really happy all the time, the women are beautiful & so skinny! No Fair lol!
Next we got on the night train to Shanghai which were lush after being on the Indian trains, so after a 13.5hr trip we reached our next hotel which we found out was on a red light district , our tour guide as told all the boys if they go in to get a MASSAGE then they will be chucked of the tour, think I am going have keep my eye on Dave ;)
Saw the 3rd tallest building in the world & it is proper built up every where in Shanghai, went to a lovely Garden today as well which was relaxing.
So far we are enjoying china but looking forward to leaving the cities & heading to the villages more. We have learn how to say a few words now so here they are for you

Hello - nee-how
Thank you - shi shi

This isn't how it is spelt but how you say it , it is pretty hard as everything is written in chinese, but the subways & buses are so high tech & easy to use.

Thank you all for your messages....
Anyone got any gossip for us?

Right been in this internet cafe for a while now & it is a little warm in here & smokey as you can smoke any where in China.

Mother I have magnets for you by the way.

Much Love Rach & Dave

We write again sooner I promise xxxx