Tomb Raiders and the Temples of Ankor.....

Had a late start on Tuesday morning as it was bucketing rain down - and eventually headed up to Ankor on a tuk tuk. Got a 3 day pass for the temples and didn't know what to expect really. Ankor was an ancient city of the Khmer people which was a centre of an empire - similar to Rome. It had a population of 1 million at a time with London was a town of a mere 50,000. Only temples were built of stone, the rest of the city was made of wood, so hence the temples are what remains, and there are ruins of over 100 Hindu and Buddhist temples dotted around the area.The guide book said that it is where the Tomb Raider movie was based and filmed - but I hadn't seen it.

First stop was Ankor Wat - the headline temple that is everywhere, on their national flag, their beer, everything. The temple itself was pretty impressive - fairly big and lots of corridors and the likes. Got some good pictures here too - but the highlight of the visit was James getting attacked by a monkey to steal he's bananas! We were walking along and saw a monkey come from each side. We didn't know why he was looking at until another monkey jumped up into he's arms, and took the bag containing 2 bananas out of he's hand. Brilliant. It was funny to see how the monkey eats to banana by peeling it just like humans.

It was nearly 4pm when we were finished with that - and we'd only time for one more temple, so the tuk tuk driver took us to Ta Phrom - another one of the temples. This was definitely the highlight. It was a classic scene of where jungle meets civilization with the temple ruins overgrown with trees and moss, and is some cases, crazy scenes of trees growing up on walls and doorways blocked by fallen blocks etc. Spent an hour looking around and took some great pictures, as it was like a scene from Indiana Jones.

We finished the day on that high note, and got more Khmer food that night back in Siam Reap. We booked to tuk tuk driver to take us around for the grand tour the following day, and we'd get an earlier start to get a full day of it. Also,we watched Tomb Raider in the hostel that night - and saw all the sights from that day - so it meant more.

Wednesday, we headed back up to Ankor again in the tuk tuk, and we visited about 10 temples during the day, with our tuk tuk driver waiting for us outside ea/ch time. None were as good as Ta Phrom from the previous day - but pretty cool all the same - and got some good pictures too. It was fairly warm, and we survived on pineapples and water for the day - but no monkey visits luckily. There was kids and mothers at every temple selling food, drinks etc. Everything was $1 We bought some tee shirts in the last temple after some bargaining. Had a chat with the kids selling them after - they told us that they come there after school each evening. They had perfect English and joked with us a fair bit. When a big tour bus pulled up, I told one of them that she had new customers - but she simply said "Japanese - they no buy !".

Once back in Siam Reap, we booked our bus to Phnom Penh for the following afternoon. Siam Reap actually has a buzzing night life and having avoided it the last 2 nights - I was on 2 minds on whether to hit to town, or to go to bed early and watch the sunrise over Ankor Wat, which is a sight for those willing to make the sacrifice. Decided on the former as the 2 Leitrim lads are a bad influence and it was good fun - very cheap drink.

We got a tuk tuk to the local nightclub until late. Myself and Ross got chatting to a few locals who ended up giving us a guided tour on the back of their mopeds. The back of the bike was kinda cool, hadn't done it before - but when in Rome! Got some food later and had a chat about growing up in Cambodia etc. I then suggested that the 4 of us should head up to Ankor Wat and watch the sunrise at 5am - and the girls thought it was a good idea - as they'd not done that and they live there. So up we headed on the mopeds again to the temple, and as we got near, there was loads of tour buses, mainly with Japanese tourists.

The sunrise was very cool. There was a little lake in front of the temple and the reflection on the water is one of the best pictures I've taken - something that would make the front cover of a Lonely Planet. We stayed there for an hour or so and it was well bright when we left - but it had started to rain. We cruised through the rest of the temples after also and got soaked - but we thought the Cambodian girls some Irish along the way. After a very short sleep Thursday morning, we boarded the bus to Phnom Penh - and had to wade through 2 feet of mud water to get on the bus - not much of a drainage system here! Got much needed sleep, as there was actually a road in this part of the country, and it was on to the capital of Cambodia.

Breaking for the Border - An Epic Journey to Siam Reap, Cambodia

Decided to do the trip from Bangkok to Siam Reap in Cambodia ourselves, hard core. This involved getting a bus to the border town, crossing the border ourselves, and then getting onward transport to Siam Reap once in Cambodia. The bus to the border was grand, about 3 hours, and once we got off, we haggled with a tuk tuk driver to take us to the border. He took is to a Cambodian Consulate where we got our visas. We were also told there that there was no more buses to Siam Reap that day, and we had to get a taxi for the 3 hour ride. The price he was quoting was what they had on Lonely Planet - so we went for it, and the guy said he'd escort us all the way. USD$15 each seemed grand for a 3hour taxi ride!

Back on to the tuk tuk and we were dropped off at this crazy place that was apparently the border - but we had our taxi salesman guy with us. We got to the Thai immigration side first and got the 'departed' stamp and on we went. We thought we were done as there was loads of people around and casino's etc - but we later realised that we were between the borders. The taxi salesman guy then introduced us to this Cambodian guy - and said he'd take us the rest of the way. The lads exchanged cash, and a bottle of whiskey which was hilarious. So on we went following the next fellow and eventually got to the Cambodian visa check which was in a tiny hut. Once we were done there - we were taken to our taxi driver, loaded up the luggage, and hit the road.....if there was one!

The changes from Thailand to Cambodia were huge. We could immediately see how poor this country was.They don't even use their own currency, its USD all the way. There is no road from the border to Siam Reap, just a dirt track - I couldn't believe it. The taxi ride was unreal - we had to swerve to avoid cows sitting on the road and there was so many people walking, often in the middle of nowhere. The country is very flat,and mainly rice fields everywhere. There was bridges under construction along the road - so we had to swerve around them to the makeshift bridge. It was complete craziness - but we got to Siam Reap eventually - and got a tuk tuk to the hostel.

Had a quick look around Siam Reap that night, and went for dinner in a restaurant serving Khmer food - local Cambodian stuff. It was the nicest meal I'd had on the trip so far, excellent. I'll definitely be seeking out Cambodian food if I can find it. The town is a very makeshift place - obviously there because of the Ankor temples nearby. There was actually paved streets in the town, but it was still very muddy around. That was a fairly eventful Monday - next up was the Ankor temples.......

Bangkok - Gateway to South East Asia - and the 2 Leitrim Boys.....

Arrived in Bangkok Wednesday afternoon on schedule - and got the passport stamped again - 30 days allowed for Irish and no visa needed - true sign of a tourism country. The traffic to the city center was woeful - took over 3 hours - but got dropped off right outside the hostel which was handy. More expensive than China - it was a nice place. Headed out to Ko Shan Road for a look around. It was pretty much what I expected - very cool - with everything and anything for sale. The tuk tuk drivers were very annoying - took cabs all the way. On Thursday - caught up on some Internet stuff and stage 2 of the trip officially began when the 2 lads arrived into the room around 6pm. Now there are 4 of us for the next 8 weeks in Asia and Sydney for Christmas and New Years. Ross and Derek are 2 cousins from Leitrim, both primary teachers who are off for a year. Ross worked with James for the summer camp and that's the connection. Anyway - we had another night out with the lads to get to know each other, and we saw the best of the Bangkok nightlife and met a few locals and went for food with them. On Friday - Ireland were playing Australia in the International Rules series, and we found a bar that was showing the game live on the Australia Network - and good Irish food in the bar - a change from the rice and noodles was welcome. At this point the 4 of us decided to head east to Cambodia and on to Vietnam and then head north through Vietnam - hence doing the circle anti-clockwise. The next stop hence would be Siam Reap in Cambodia. Good win for Ireland in the game - and a quiet early night for a change.
Saturday was excellent - we took part in the Incredible Race Bangkok with the staff in the hostel. Basically - its a sort of treasure hunt thing around Bangkok and the hostel were sending their staff on it for team building.They wanted guests to join them so they could work on their English etc - and the hostel paid for the whole thing - so it was free for us. It was from 2pm to 9pm - so a full day of visiting parks, shopping centres, temples, etc - it was class. We had Arabian tea in the Arab quarter, lunch in a rotating restaurant on the 30th floor with views of the city - an excellent day out. At the end, the hostel even bought us dinner again ! We hence decided to stay an extra night, and leave on Monday instead of Sunday. Buzzed from the good day - we hit the town again Saturday night since we had a free day of touring. Spicy was the key. Sunday we finalized our plans for Cambodia - and then went to see a Thai boxing match with a lad from Kilkenny that we met at the hostel. There was a couple of fights on the bill - pretty cool. The funniest thing was however when the last fight was over and they were clearing the arena - a song came on over the loud speaker.....the theme from Notting Hill by Ronan Keating - not very manly for a Thai boxing match !

Bangkok is a good city - very touristy but in a good way, and I can see why. Could be back there on the way to south Thailand later in the trip, and if not, will prob end up here on holidays in the future.

Breaking for the border - Goodbye China and Hello the SAR of Hong Kong......

Shenzhen was a lot hotter then Guilin and Yangshao - and overnight Saturday night, we'd crossed the Tropic of Cancer and I was between the tropics for the first time. Coming out of the platforms - there was signs for Hong Kong as if it it was a luggage room or something! Indeed the border crossing was on foot a couple of hundred meters from the train station. We threw the bags in lockers for a few hours and said we'd soak up the last of mainland China as we only had a single entry visa - so there was no coming back - this time.

Shenzhen is where most of the world's ipods come from and is also where the first McDonald's in China was opened - so walked around town for a while and made out the said Micky D's for an ice cream. Also managed to get a pair of polarized sunglasses for EUR10/USD14 - since I'd lost my own in Yangshao - worth 10 times the price !

The border crossing was interesting to say the least. Separate lanes for HK residents, Chinese nationals and Foreigners. Once we'd been checked out on the Chinese side, we had to cross a pedestrian bridge over a tiny canal and then on to HK immigration. This part was painless enough - since Irish citizens don't need a visa for Hong Kong. Once across the border, had to get some Hong Kong Dollar cash from the ATM - a new currency to be dealing with - and then get the local train to the city center to our hostel which was in Causeway Bay on Hong Kong island.

The change from mainland China was significant - and as obvious as the British influence. Being a big expat city - we checked for an Irish pub and found one just in time to catch the Munster Vs Sale Sharks Heineken Cup game live with some good food and a few pints. It was also just like home in terms of prices, more expensive than NY - a far cry from China's prices.

Monday - I'd arranged to visit the Citi Hong Kong office on the 47th Floor in the Central area. It was good to meet the team I'd been working with over emails and the phone etc - and met former work colleagues for a few beers after in the Fan Lang Kwan area. It was great to meet 'local's' to get the inside scoop on HK, and to get the latest news in Citi and finance too - as I'd been missing all the excitement in the markets etc.

Tuesday was our main sightseeing day in HK - a city where there is a lot to do if you had the time and the budget. Took the tram up to the Peak, a mountain right behind the city which has views off all the island, the city and the more rural area's on the south shore. Did a fairly tough climb once up here also - tough mainly due to the heat - and got to what appeared to be the highest point in Hong Kong with great views. It was Oct 21st and nearly 30C - would hate to see the place in July !! Went to the cinema in the afternoon - mainly to relax for a while in some good AC - and took the Star ferry in the evening across to the mainland to have a look around - much of the same - but of course great views from the ferry.

Wednesday was a travel day - and headed out to the airport for our flight to Bangkok - a milestone since we were exactly on the road 4 weeks at this point. Took the time in the airport to get the latest on the coup's in Thailand and that - and know what to avoid. Flight was with Cathy Pacific which was heading on to Mumbi, India. All good with timing - we left HK - good bye China - and hello South East Asia.................

The 21 Speed and the Snake, and on to Shenzhen......

Got an early start Friday morning as wanted to avoid the midday heat which was pretty bad, as got a little burn on the kayaks. The 3 of us got bikes and headed off randomly out of Yangshao to wherever the road would take us. Saw some pretty cool stuff en route - ducks, farmers, buffalo etc. The countryside was actually fairly flat considering there was the little peaks everywhere - once you stayed between them! There was loads of people out farming the land, and all we could see was hills and peaks all around. After about an hour and a half - we decided to try and find where the kayaking finished so we could hang by the river and avoid the midday heat. A little late, we found the place around 1pm, got some snacks for lunch and chilled out by the river for nearly 3 hrs - even got to take a nap ! The journey back was going to be rough - as there was a little bit of hills - so the 21 speed came in handy. Saw more of the same, and stopped for pictures when the scene was right. The roads got busier as we approached Yangshao as you would guess, and also is was a busy tine - schools were finished etc. The final approach to the town was pretty mad - as you can see in the video clip!




After a very satisfying day - chilled out by the river with a beer and met a local girl who owns a cafe in the city - so had a few beers there later that night after a good dumpling dinner that was very cheap.

Saturday was our last day in Yangshao, as we had to head back to Guilin that evening to get the overnight train to Shenzhen, on the border with Hong Kong. Climbed one of the largest peaks that is right on top of the town which was a very tough climb - but rewarding and made for some great pictures. We were lucky enough to be joined by Casse, a student from south China who was also in the hostel, which allowed us to ask the locals for directions. Coming down the peak was almost as tough - but could have been dangerous as we nearly stepped on a snake ! He was a large green one who seems to have he's head stuck on one of the rocks. Travis actually stepped over him without seeing - I shudder to think what might have happened if he had stepped on it. Proved a great picture moment - until he got he's head out and darted so fast it was scary! Who knows what else was up there !

The bus back to Guilin was grand - had an hour to spare before getting the overnight train for the 12hr journey to Shenzhen Saturday night. Was much more comfortable with the train this time - and there seemed to be a way more westerners on it so less staring by the locals. The timing was better too, from 10pm to 10am - so got a good nights sleep to be fully charged for our last day on the mainland, and the border crossing to Hong Kong!

Yangshao and Kayaking on the Li River.....

The bus from Guilin to Yangshao Wednesday morning took an hour and a half - but only one hour of travelling. The rest of the time was taken up by the attendant swinging out the door of the bus as she shouted "Yangshao,Yangshao,Yangshao", in an effort to fill up the bus en route....and it worked. The bus was only quarter full leaving and there was no empty seat when we actually got on the road. I've seen a lot of crazy driving in China - but this was madness - with cars and bikes darting everywhere. I'm beginning to think that the Chinatown buses from NY to Boston are actually not that dangerous...in comparison!


Yangshao is definitely the most rural of places we've been - but its still a decent size town and popular with tourists. After a quick walk around Wed evening - we got down to business and booked kayaking on the Li for Thursday morning. Short cruises were double the price - so this combined some activity and the sights of the river.

Knew we were in the country when I woke to a cock crowing at around 5am - but went back to sleep, don't worry. I don't remember waking to that before. The kayaks were great - we were dropped off upstream, and told which direction to go in, and that's it - no guide or coach - just the river as company. The river was fairly deep in places - so stayed close to the shore when possible and tried to avoid the bamboo boats with tourists and fishermen and the likes. Half way through, we were called ashore by a local and we saw a sign for a 'restaurant'. The whole family greeted us and offered us a cup of tea! Initially accepting, when we saw the price we ordered noodles instead as hadn't much cash. When we ordered, we were told the tea was on the house - so sat down with the father and son while the mother cooked the noodles - brilliant ! It was authentic as it gets, Chinese green tea in small terracotta cups, really small ones, and we had about 10 of them. Finished up the noodles and went for a stroll around the countryside before getting back on the kayaks. This place was amazing - we were in the middle of nowhere in village with maybe 50 people. There was an old woman sitting on a stool in the shade - something you'd see in Ireland 50 years ago. Also when I looked in the door of one of the houses - saw a huge picture of Mao in the center of the room.
Got back on the river and met 2 other kayakers and travelled downstream with them to where another guy flagged us in at the end of the route - about an hour later. We had been told to follow him to get back to Yangshao - and he lead us through the most bizarre town I've ever seen, Every business had a completely open front - as if there was no front wall. We even passed a dentist's office - where we could see someone having their teeth being worked on as I looked in. The dentist had all the mod cons - so the place was a real old meets new town - no proper roads, but a mobile phone shop. We were guided onto a local bus heading back to Yangshao, which was full of local country folk, young and old. Many of them were taking boxes and sacks of rice etc to the market, They were just building the road and the bus ride was a little shaky - but this was as authentic as I've seen. Thursday evening we met up with Travis again,the guy from NZ who was on the cruise and in Wuhan, and after a very tasty dumpling dinner and a walk around town - we decided to rent bikes the following day and explore the countryside and villages around.

Wuhan, Guilian, Pandas and Monkeys!

Wuhan is a city of 5 million people, and I'd never heard of it! Ended up spending Monday there - all trains to Guilin were booked up for the next 2/3 days - and instead booked on an overnight sleeper bus that was leaving at 7.30pm Monday night for the 12 hour ride. Had a quick run around Wuhan since we were there - walked across the Yangzi once again on a huge bridge that crosses the river through the city - and checked out snack alley - where great bargains for food were available. A town not used of seeing tourists - we were a bit hit with the locals again, posing for pictures and at one stage, we were acknowledged by one girl saying "Hello beautiful boys!" - I think I could move to this country! The sleeper bus was kinda cool - more expensive than the train, it was far classier - but not really as comfortable as it was hard to sleep with the bus waving and hitting the odd pothole. Slept I did anyway - and woke in Guilin bus station to be turfed out of the bus fairly rapidly.. Once settled Tuesday morning - went to check out the smallest city we'd been to so far - as it had a population of a mere 600,000. The city was very nice - with lakes and parks that we didn't have to pay into ! Its surrounded by these funky peaks all over - a feature of this province. Met a local teacher on he's lunch break who chatting with us for an hour on local culture, the Chinese education system, the teaching of history etc. After a sushi lunch - went to climb one of the most central of these funky peaks - which at 200m provided great views of the city and the Li River.
To complete the evening - went to the Seven Star park on the eastern side of the city - which had 7 of these peaks - hence the name. The park also hosted a Panda wildlife sanctuary - and although late in the evening - we got to see some of the rare local bears chewing on some dinner. At one stage - it was like the Kit Kat ad, as there was no sign in the outdoor pen - but the bears were in for the night.


As dusk was falling - we got the idea to climb one of the peaks and get a decent view. The path up was fairly quiet - no other tourists in sight - but the view was good. As we came to the top of a series of steps however - there was a bit of shaking in the trees that was a little unnerving....at which point we noticed that there was a tribe of monkeys swinging over our heads. We were about to continue until a large member of the tribe...the size of a big dog started walking on the path towards us, and sat right in the middle blocking our way - with he's back turned. With the other lads gathering in the trees overhead - took the option to turn back and abandon the climb! On the ground - there was loads of other monkey hanging around....kinda cool - once they don't stage an attack. One day was enough for Guilin - and on Wednesday morning - we'd catch a bus to the small town of Yangshao - which is the reason we came to this part of the country in the first place......

Wuchang and Yichang. and The Three Gorges Dam ...

Saturday morning there was another 7am stop, but didn't bother getting up as there was a stop again at 2pm until 6am Sunday morning - just after the first of the 3 gorges. This was the town of Wuchang - a major climb up from the river. It was fairly busy on a Saturday afternoon - got a lot of looks from the locals also saying "Hello" and smiling at the out-of-town Westerners. Had a few drinks on the boat that night, and hit the town for a look since it was Sat night and we were in port. We were guided to Karaoke bars - as that's all that seemed to be happening at that hour - but decided not to participate - so back to the cabin. Sunday, our last day on the boat, Had another early stop at a temple - but had a walk around instead. It was a really funky rural area - with the hills terraced for farming, and oranges growing on the hills. I didn't realise we were in an area warm enough - but I guess it is October and the temp was about 22/23C (70/75F). The cruise was over at 2pm - and we departed to head straight to the 3 Gorges Dam. Had to pass security/bag check to visit the dam - and the penknife in my bag was taken from me until the end of the trip. They must have though I was MacGyver if I could do something to the largest dam in the world with a penknife ! The site of the dam is huge - and quiet impressive. It produces power equivalent to 18 Nuclear power stations and it is supposed to serve the power needs for 10% of China ! The bus tour finished around 6pm - and we said goodbye to the Irish girls who were on their way to Tibet - and we headed on a 5 hour bus ride to Wuhan for an overnight stay and an onward connection. We hope to head to Gulian tomorrow, Monday - but nothing booked yet. Prob going to skip Shanghai this time, and head straight down towards Hong Kong. Need to leave on a flight from there on the 22nd - so got a little over a week to catch the south of China.......

Hard Sleepers and Ferrys - Chongqing and.the Yangzi River..

The overnight train from Xi'an to Chongqing was some experience! The train was at 01.17am early Thursday morning - and the station was a little shady at that hour. There was absolutely nothing in English except the train number, K15 - so we just sat under that sign and waited. Around 1.30am there was an announcement and we followed the crowd to the platform where we boarded a dark crowded sleeping car. The carriage was a little smelly with berths of 6 beds, 3 levels, and a narrow corridor. Once I found my bed number in the dark, settled in for the night, and surprisingly, got a good nights sleep until 11am (it was a 13hr journey) Got a lot of funny looks from the locals that morning - they were surprised to see a Westerner on a train - and it was even worse for the girls - they had people come take pictures of them in the middle of the night ! Met a fellow traveller from NZ who was heading on the cruise also - and the 5 of us boarded the ferry at Chongqing for a 9pm departure and sailed downstream. The cruise follows the river for 350km - and runs through the 3 Gorges - and finishes off at the 3 Gorges Dam, the biggest water dam in the world.

The ferry would dock for a few hrs maybe twice a day - and the first was a 2 hr stop Friday morning. We skipped the temple here, and just went for a walk around the countryside. Nothing distinctive there except a giant statute of a Budda at the top of the mountain. We were sailing again by 9am until 8pm Friday night - so just chilled out in the cabin for the day - luckily there was 4 of us in the same cabin so we could make it home! Friday evening stop was also fairly uneventful - but got some really nice roasted potatoes - a welcome change from noodle soup! Was also able to watch a movie on the laptop from the ipod - so home theatre was the entertainment for Friday night. First full day on the boat - a bit too relaxing this early in the trip......but its still a cruise on the largest river in Asia - pretty cool.

Xi'an....The Real Capital....

The flight the Xi'an Friday evening went fine, although the plane seats were fairly small and cramped...worse than Ryanair...and got a bus into the center of the walled city. The city did remind me of Cork, smaller, more compact and claims to be the real capital! Its surrounded by a 4km X 3km wall, one of its most distinctive features and we stayed right by the south gate. After a late start Saturday, we entered the city walls, and saw some traditional Chinese performances as it was the end of the holiday week. You'll see the video of the 3 lads performing with a trumpet-type instrument.

We then walked around the city on top of the walls - total of 9 miles and it was great to see as they lit up as night fell.

Saturday night - met up with some fellow Irish travellers in the hostel, 2 lads from Kildare and Dublin, and 2 girls from Wicklow, and when you have 6 Irish together on a Saturday night with 80 cent beer - a good night was had. At this point, we began to question the plan of visiting major cities and would rather see some countryside and rural China - so decided to join the girls for a cruise on the Yangzi River for a few days, and work it into the plan once we were finished Xian.

Sunday was a slow day - walked through the Muslim quarter which was very interesting - and on Monday - took a day trip to the Terracotta Warriors - the main attraction that would bring anyone to Xian. For those who don't know, this is a tomb of an Emperor from 200BC that was found in the 1970's by a local farmer digging a well. In fact, we met the very man, a cult hero in China, at the info center as he was eating he's noodle lunch - he's over 80 years old. He doesn't allow pictures - but Bill Clinton got one when he visited the site! The bus got a puncture on the way back which was funny, a load of tourists stuck on the side of the highway. Tuesday poured rain all day - first drops seen since in the 2 weeks - so had to cancel a planned 2day hike - and just used the day to plan the Yanzi cruise.

Wednesday was our last day in Xian - spent most of the day walking around the city and doing some shopping - but went out to a water show in the evening. It was out in this park where the water moves to the music etc. The park was popular with tourists and locals, with crowds meeting to dance, sing etc - amazing stuff.

There was full on ballroom dancing in the parking with anyone and everyone joining in - with the Giant Pagoda in the background - it was pretty cool. Headed to the train station late Wednesday night to get our first overnight train.......

The Great Wall and the rest of Beijing....

The day long hike of the great wall was definitely the highlight of the trip so far. On a bus at 7am for a 2.5 hr drive outside the city, and we were on the wall for 10am to begin a 5 mile hike that was tough in places. There are closer sections of the wall to Beijing, but this was an un-restored section and better views and that, so went with an organised tour from hostel which also meant we met other travellers, mainly became friendly with the Australians,Canadians and British. The final part of the hike took us across a suspension bridge and to get across the lake, took a 'flying fox'/'zipline'/'aerial runway' which was very cool, even a little scary. Got a foot massage in the evening to help with any muscle pains which it did. Tuesday went for a proper dinner in a nice restaurant and then on to a KungFu show, which was good - local version of a Broadway play type thing. Wednesday Oct 1st was a national holiday, and we thought we'd avoid the city by going to the Summer Palace in the north-west. Big mistake, I've never seen a place so crowded in my life! All the visitors there were Chinese who were off for the holiday - so didn't get to see much. Some kids had not seen a Westerner often, and just from walking around, few shouted "Hello" with a big smile - quiet a novelty. Thursday being the last day in Beijing, checked out the shopping area, Wangfujing, and the famous food stalls nearby. As I expected, they had all sorts of food there that raised an eyebrow! I took a chance and had a bite of some snake...but was quick to resort back to some chicken and beef ! Finished off Beijing by heading out in the Sanlitun, trendy area in the west of the city, right next to where the Boxing was for the Olympics. Had a great night, locals and some westerners dancing as you'd see in the LES in NY, everything from Eminem and Dr. Dre to the latest chart stuff (but no Galway Girl!!). Still buzzing on Friday morning....make our way to the airport for the afternoon flight to Xian, and said our goodbyes to Beijing.....for now, as definitely think I'd like to be back.....

More pics here : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=78084&l=7a879&id=648737666