After an unexpected 42 1/2 hour train journey we've arrived at Yangshuo, this place is the China we've been waiting for. With a double en suite room in a nice hotel for 7 pounds a night we had plenty of spare cash to explore & eat.

Leaving Beijing at 2.20am tonight. We have visited the temple of heaven, summer palace, skated 0n a frozen lake in a bizzare contraption & even saw Chairman Mao's body in Tiananmen Square.

We arrived in Beijing on Saturday (17th) & were hit by a temp of -10 so had to keep our coold gear firmly in place. We visited the forbidden city on Saturday & the great wall yesterday. We're finding it hard getting a ticket out of Beijing to to their new year so I hope we don't get stranded.

Arrived in Shanghai this morning after a night on a sleeper train from Hong Kong, we only spent a few hours in Hong Kong but will return later. From warm Hong Kong to sub zero Shanghai was the first big change, good job we had our Canada gear still. We were quite a noveltty as we walked around, atracting a lot of attention because we looked western. We ate dozens of huge dumplings from street vendors, at only 20p a go they were a real bargain.