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Thanks to all of u who messaged me.I'm using one of the other people's laptops in their hotel room.Yesterday and today were free days.Yesterday I didnt do that much.I spent a lot of the day getting a fone sorted to text my family with.After that I had a fillet o fish in MacD's.Bad I know,but its so easy and right opposite our hotel.I didnt enjoy it though and only ate half.Then I joined one of the group members while they had lunch and I had a kiwi juice at the foodcourt of the massive shopping centre opposite us.They had this system where ud buy a card by putting money on it.Use it to get ur purchases and then afterwards ud give it back and they would refund you wat u havent spent.Pretty smart actually.We were just leaving the centre when I spotted a Betty Boop sign.I rushed over to find a whole shop of Betty Boop clothes.I'll admit that some of the styles were a bit wierd (catering for the chinese market) but they had betty trainers and everything!I ended up buying a lovely top.A treat to myself.I deserve it : ) At night we went off to the market in the Muslim Court again.Had some nicely seasoned chicken kebab in a bun and met a Chinese guy called Frank(like thats his real name!)whose self-taught English was really good.He told us he does tours for tourists of areas of natural beauty (most people here are trying to sell u something or other) but we got talking for ages and he showed us his book of photos and messages from former clients.He was so proud of it bless him.He even told us he had been mentioned in a Lonely Planet guide.
Anyway today we got up early and went off to a massive Buddhist monastry and the Goose Pagoda which houses lessons learnt from India by a Chinese Buddhist who translated lots of text from Sanskrit into Chinese.I forget his name too (I know I'm crap) but he was very important.The temple was cool.We saw nice architecture and gardens, impressive old staues of Gods and Buddhas and beautiful story-telling carvings.Buddhism is so complicated!I think I'll stick with the one God.Much easier.There were sweet little monks everywhere.I thought one of them was trying to talk to me but realised he was just asking me for money.I gave him 5 yuan and he wasnt even grateful.He thought it was too little!The cheek of it!But I didnt get offended because he was round and cute.We also spent ages with Chinese kids learning English talking with them and reading paragraphs from their English text books. Their teaher brings them to the Goose Pagoda every year just to talk to foreigners.One of them was very good at Chinese caligraphy and gave me a piece she'd done saying best wishes to my family.Its very celicate so God knows if it will survive the trip.We walked all the way there which took ages but thankfully we got a can back.On the way back into the city centre we witnessed a fight going on between two guys with brooms.Very strange.We went to two mosques.I wore my headscarf all day and got in for free at the Great Mosque which was so interesting.Its a proper working mosque with courtyards and the lots but in Chinese architectural style.Not a dome in sight.All the Chinese Muslims were loving me.They were all coming up and talking to me and one got his photo taken with me.lol.I also got lots of smiles and very good prices on souveniers at the markets surrounding the mosque.For lunch we stooped off at a restaurant near the mosque where we had a Mongolian style hotpot.They basically put a big wok full of plain broth on a cooker in the middle of our table and we choose lamb and vegetables and threw them in.They also brought bread and noodles to have with it.So we effectively cooked our own food and just fished it out with chopsticks, dosed it in this peanutty paste and ate it.It was pretty good stuff.Tonight is our last night at the hotel.Tomorrow morning we will be on our journey to Western China and I will experience my first night of camping(dreading it).Thankfully the night after that we will be in a hotel although I dont know if that will be much better!Anyway hope u r all well and I will update u when I can
p.s I can't upload pictures at the moment so when I can I will.
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