China

I arrived back from China on Sunday morning, rather fresh even after 22 hours of travelling and an 8 hour time difference. Business class does help! It was an amazing 8 day trip, starting in Beijing for 4 days, then catching the overnight train (not that much sleeping was done) to Xi'an for 2 days, before flying into Shanghai for the last 2 days. As per the Katie Melua song, there are indeed 9 million bicycles in Beijing. They are everywhere in every shape and form and carrying all manner of things and in places the cycle paths rival the width of the roads. But when you notice that most cyclists are wearing face masks to minimise inhalation of the thick smog (the Chinese being optimists, like to call it fog and blame it on the weather rather than there emissions policies) you quickly decide that this would not be a preferred form of transport. Especially when crossing a road requires more then a 'look left, right and then left again'. Rather it's look every which way and pray as you dash forth across the road.

The first thing that struck me (after the fact that extreme poverty and overcrowding is as real as CNN says) is how brand conscious the Chinese are. No wonder the knock off market has flourished so. Everything down to the Prada face masks is branded (regardless of whether Prada sells face masks) and once you have your Bargaining skills down, the Beijing Silk market is the place to go. After a few thrilling hours amidst calls of, 'Lookey, Lookey Lady', 'You killing me with that price', I walked away with Chloe bags at £5 and no one has been able to tell the difference. That was not all I walked away with, but that's a secret between me and my luggage. Nearly bursting at the seams, but as my pack had only weighed 14kg at the start, I had a bit of room to play.

For my trip, I had joined 11 others on a Kumuka trip and turned out to be an amazing group of people. Mainly Aussies from Perth (two doctors and some engineers from BHP Bhilliton), a Brit, 2 Kiwis and an American called Ginja. Whilst in Beijing we made stops at the Great Wall for a day, the Temple of Heaven, the Ming Tombs, the Summer Palace, a rickshaw ride through the Hutongs, Tienamen Square and the Forbidden City amongst other things. The Great Wall was a definate highlight in Beijing. The sheer magnitude of it and the fact that it just kept going and going amazed me. After numerous photos, climbing up onto the tops of the buttresses along the wall and clambering up never ending unevenly spaced stairs, we eventually made our way down in search of coffee. For all the tea in China, coffee is scarce. Good coffee near impossible.

Our daily meals usually consisted of a vast array of dishes ordered off a menu I couldn't read (thank goodness for Yearick (our guide) and Trina and Jono who spoke enough Cantonese and mandarin to get us by). When they arrived, it was generally pot luck. I seldom knew what I was eating and sometimes didn't want to. Generally the food was really great though and for £2.50 a head, o one was comlaining. Let's just say that nothing goes to waste in China. Every part of an animal is used. By the time it neared to go home, I was looking forward to Bovril on Toast. Traditional Peking duck was a definite highlight.

Leaving Beijing for Xi'an we joined the masses and caught an overnight train for the 11 hour journey. The standard of accomodation in the sleeper carriages was great (althogh playing poker whilst drinking Chinese beer ensured minimal sleep was had by all) although the train station was another experience altogether. Chain smoking old men joining your group to stare, beggers who tried to cling to you and people who just stared at you and sniffed; all of this made me clutch my bags to me all the tighter and say a small prayer of thanks that my passport was attached to me under layers of clothing.

The next morning we arrived bright and early and set off to explore the city wall of Xi'an. Over shadowed by the Great Wall, this amazing all goes right around the old town for 14km and is twice the width. We had a great cycle along it to wake us up a bit. Aside from the Wild Goose pagoda and a gorgeous Chinese style Mosque, the highlight of Xi'an was definitely the Terracotta Warriors. The life size Warriors built upon the instructions of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who became the first emperor of all of China by uniting the provinces through blood thirsty war, was clearly a touch paranoid about his enemies coming after him in his next life. Over 6000 warriors alone in the first site, with two other sites serving as army command.

Once we'd finished in Xi'an, we flew in to Shanghai, once again shrouded in a haze of smog. So thick that we could barely make out the famous skyline when we paid a visit to the bud at the riverside. Later that day, we then headed to the Yu Gardens and then the Jade Buddah Temple for a traditional tea tasting ceremony. At the end of the day, we headed out for the final supper and a touch of kareoke in true Chinese style. They all think they can sing there. Pop Idols would be a hit. The next morning before heading to the airport to make the journey home, it was great to know that I shall deinitly be in touch with friends I had made. Awesome people.