Hi

Glad to hear you are enjoying Beijing. It sounds wonderful. Dad and I enjoy reading the message board and hearing about all that you have seen and done. I am writing this on Sunday while Arsenal are playing Man U. Dad is telling them all how to play football!!! I had the twins yesterday and they were so good. Steph Mia loved your big floppy hat. She walked around in it all day. Ben played with the train set.

I have been looking at you itinerary and it looks really exciting. What stories you will have to tell when you get home. Hope you are finding plenty of places to eat vegi. Couldn't believe Beijing had a starbucks it must of felt like home.

Well I will go now but whenever you read this we are all ok and enjoy reading about your trip. Take care and enjoy yourselves.

OOOdles of love and kisses

Dont know when you will be able to collect your emails so I will tell you via this.....

Ive sold your car - to a local guy in Raunds for £220 - hope thats OK

Love Dadx

Really good to hear from you! And I don't mean to be picky but Extra Good Looking Rob? For one, not factuly correct and for two it would be EGLR not EGLB! There's only one GLB! Hope that you both have a fantastic time on the wall!

Oh yeah, I'm planning on going outside later so if there is an eclipse, you know why!

Lot's of love and stuff.

 SSMB

Hi guys.... Oh my God, i cant believe that the nations capital has such poor internet access..... It has took us 30 mins to log on.. and we still cant get into hotmail!

Well we have been up to a few things since last email. On Sat we went to the summer palace just outside of Beijing with Jo and Rachel from our tour. It was really beautiful and traditional Chinese architchure. The paintings on the buildings were sooooo impressive! Later that night the whole group went out for traditional peking duck! Rob said that it was very yummy!!!!!! There were loads of famous people pictured around the restaurant.

The group is great, and up for a great laugh. We went into a very dingey and seedie bar through loads of random coridoors after the meal and sat on the floor around a low table and had a goog giggle. Jo and the Irish guy Ed are just soooo funny and dry, they are great to be around (but not 24-7!!!)

We had an impressive tour around the Tinemen Square and Forbiden city which was very impressive and full of traditional chinese buildings. We saw the last Emporer's nephew!!! We arre going to a traditional Chinese play tonight which should be good!

Wow its cold out here!  The weather out here is so unbelievely cold!!!! Between 7 and -7!!!!! The wall is going to be empty the tour leader said!!! Wonder why!!!!!

Thank you for starbucks! Robs been pictured drinking the stuff for one of the national papers, must be his chisled good looks! Or not! Lets hope he doesnt get arrested for looking so dangerous!!!!!

Its quite strange really in Beijing as there are hardly any westerners! Literally, if we go into a resturant, we are the only ones. When just me and Rob went out the other day for a few hours, we didnt see any. Alot of the time we get stared at but not in a bad way, people just dont see many of us around. Suprisingly, we dont feel uncomfortable! Feel more relaxed here than in NY!

Cant quite get over the smell on the underground tho!!!!

Well, we are heading for a two day hike over the great wall, so we wont be able to get to an internet cafe maybe for a while, could be about a week!!! So take care.

 Sue & Ken, have a good trip and keep in touch!

S.S.M.B. Miss you all, although we can still see steve's head, so hi!!!

 Hi Mum and Dad G, was getting worried there without an email! Miss you too!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi Steph and Rob

How is it going? Hope you are having a fabulous time. We are all packed up and ready(nearly) to go ourselves. Must remember to put the cat out!

We had a gathering of the clan last night, all sitting around the table with a chinese....I still don't know his name! Sue and the girls had plenty of tears!  Guess what Steven had?......correct, too much to drink and a sweet and sour chicken!

Enjoy every minute of your trip. Best wishes

S & K

Hi Ya

Can you believe I have found 5mins to write a quick message!!!!!! Its gonna be brief!!

Hope your both ok and having a fab time. How on earth are you coping with late nights and early mornings Roonie - you must be shattered!!!! (Ha HA!)

Mia and Ben are asleep at the mo so I am having a quick tidy around the house. Mia had a yogurt last night and you know she doesn't like dirty hands, well she wouldn't wait for me to clean them, so decided to wash bens hair with them. He had yogurty flavoured spikey hair!!! Aren't you glad you got away from the imps!!

Have a fab time and will write when I get the next spare minutes!! Love and miss you both loads. Take care and remember not to talk or take sweets from strangers!!

Sarah, Steve, Mia and Ben xxxxx

They've gone! Yeehaaa! At last we can get some peace and quiet! Only joking, we're nearly missing you already! I hope that you are both well and are filling your boots with my favourite cuisine! Please can you bring me back some sweet and sour chicken?

On a more serious note, make sure you bring me back some sweet and sour chicken!!!!

I hope that you have a fantastic time on the first leg of your trip. Look after each other and take care. We're all thinking of you and the kids send really big snotty kisses!

Have fun!

Fathead (GLB)

Hi

 Well your journey is about to begin. We have our map on the wall and the first lines from Heathrow to Beijing have been put on. We will be busy in the next six months mapping where you have been. As dad and I said have a wonderful time, enjoy the culture and be safe. We are already missing you and just a little jealous!! You just made it out of Heathrow in time. Today we had 90 mile an hour winds in some areas and some of the airports stopped flights. You start your journey in the morning so have a wonderful time and oodles of love and masses of kisses from mum and dad G.xxxxx

Hi you two

We were all pleased for you but sad too that to day eventually came to say goodbye. After all the planning the train was late from Ingatestone. we hope things eventually sorted themselvese out.

If you are reading this you must be somewhere exciting. Take care of yourselves and look out for each other.

Love you loads

Mum & Dad 

Hello!!

Just a quick note to say how eternally jealous I am that you two are off around the world and im stuck in bloody Molesworth with only the thought of going out in Raunds at the weekends!! Oh the JOY!!

Now listen you two...take care and NO absconding and gettin married on some beach and coming back beer swilling hippies or something!! Ha, ha!

Oh how i wish some millionaire would take me away from all this!!!

 Love ya both, although to be fair i don't think i have ever met Rob!! HA ha!

Love ur bestest friend since we was little!!!!

Lauren x x x x x x