sarahandsi

Hello,

Just having a relaxing evening, the chinese people in the YH are playing really loud and bad music so this wont be long.

Went to see the Reed Flute Caves today, got a bus and a strange chinese guy attached himself to us to 'practice his english'. the caves were good, lots of stalegtites and nice scenary. We also stopped off at some 'givernment run' pearl museums. These pearls come with a guarentee so... mum: your master card bill will have some nice surprises : ) I got my birthday pearls, and i got gradma some, she owes you aboyt 33 pounds (but she gets a guarentee with them).

We also found a supermarket so we had instant noodles for tea followed by fruit in jelly and a snickers : ) also bought a cheap washing up bowl to soak our feet in.

I'm feeling ok, my colds clering up a bit, Si's trying to watch lots of chinese football : ) 'trying' being the operative word. ha ha.

Love
Sarah and Si x

Hello everyone,

We arrived in guilin this morning at 6am following an overnight train and very quickly went back to bed to catch up on sleep. We're now in cantonese speaking china, so if i wasn't buggered before, i certainly am now!! haha.

Had a great time on the cruise ship, saw the three gorges dam, got pulled upstream by muscely men and ate 'all you can eat chinese buffet' three times a day for 4 days!!!!!! I was losing weight on this trip but i think the scales have just been tipped in the other direction. It really was 5*, we had a nice cabin and unique chinese entertainment every evening- one guy managed to split his pants dancing....oooohh eerrrr!!! (he was coincidently called simon!)

Sarah's not feeling too great at the minute, we both picked up a cold on the plane to chongqing. Luckily mine occured on a nice 5* ship, sarah got the bulk of hers on an overnight train journey (thats not mentioning the mosquito she got trapped in her trousers which bit her 6 times on one leg!!!)- everyone give her sympathy for being ill, and give some to me for having to put up with her! :-)

Sarah: Simon makes a pathetic nurse!

Off to Yangshuo tomorrow which is a scenic spot with hills and markets! We're probably going to hire bikes if sarah's better. Current photo count is approx 500+, Nat i can see you getting worried!! We have a few movies too- the one of my chinese dancing is the best!!! :-)

Love sarah and si

Hello,

we arrived safe and sound after our flight, has a bit of a trek to another hotel to book the cruise but ti should be ok, i think we'rwe on an all inclusive 5 * boat but we'll have to see what its like when we get on tomorrow. They are picking us up from our hotel so its cant be that bad. we're off to check out the pool now!

Glad to hear you dont have to drive down south again mum, save your energy for driving me to York : )

Hope your all fine,
Love Sarah and Si x

Hello,

Just a quicky, we're all packed up and will set off for our flights soon. Might not be able to write anything for the next few days (unless they manage to connect the internet on boats)

Glad to hear your all ok,

Love Sarah and Si x

ps. Mum, got u a teracotta warriors little book.
pps. also saw a guy in a BWFC shirt at the teracotta warriors - typical!

Hi,

Another update for you so you can keep up to date with things. Decided today was the day to go to see the teracotta warriors. Got a bus from the train station in Xian and set off on the 1 hour journey. Not too bad on the bus but one child managed to be sick in the aisle. The chinese method for clearing it up- put newspaper on it, let it go soggy and get soaked up, then chuck the newspaper out the bus window whilst its driving along-classic!! haha. The warriors was very very impressive. Its amazing that these things have been hidden for so long!! Just back at the room before going to the bank later and also trying to find somewhere for tea.

Love Sarah and si x

Hello,

Just a quick update... we've been pottering around Xian and trying to organise our onward travel. The trains to Chongqing are all booked up so we're flyinh out (China Southern Airlline) on the 31st Aug it was 80 pounds for both of us, which we decided was worth it (the train was 40) so we're not too much over budget. We also booked a hotel when we get there... Chongqing Hotel 4* so it should be nice, it was only 15! bargin!

We're off to see the teracotta warriors tomorrow, bought a table cloth today and a small nap sack.

Will try to get the pearls etc, not sure if we'll see them again though.

We're pretty tired today, so we're just having a relax.
Update you soon,

Sarah and Si x

Hi

The shift key won't work on this keyboard so we won't use any capitals :-) just a quick update to let you know that we've arrived in xian at 6.30 in the morning!! we're just sat in the youth hostel lounge waiting for our room to be cleaned. not quite sure what we're doing yet today- i'm starting to smell abit so i think a shower is in order (sarah smells like roses?!?!) the night train was fine but no air conditioning though- i braved the toilets but i'll say one thing "never again!!" haha.

thanks for the bolton scores but i managed to find out before any of you emailed me- much to sarah's annoyance!

Dad: I notice that the bolton fixture against man city has been changed and won't be on before i go back to uni (is this because of Uefa?!?). If it is, can you instead get me a ticket for the european game on the 15th (think its the next day i'm home)?? Thanks. Hows the internet stuff going, you managed to connect yet???

Gill: Thanks for the updates, we're glad you're having a good time, sorry we're not with you.

Love si and sarah x

27th August
So we arrived in Datong at 7am following the night train which was ok - I slept well but Si didn't, he was cold because we were near the air conditioning, but was too stubborn to take his sleeping bag out. (he's sat next to me and has found the chinese equivilant of custard slices)

There was a change of plan as there are no tickets for trains out of Datong so we booked our tickets for a bus the next day. We then took a tour (very cramped minibus) to see a Hanging Temple and the Yangung Grottoes which took all day virtualy, but they were worth seeing. We then found a small super market and got some food before heading back to our hotel - which was quite nice, the toilets have been fine - but Si managed to temporarily block this one!! The hotel was oposite the train statin and a building site so it was very noisy - Si slept and I was kept awake this time!

28th August
So up bright and early today - At7.10 we got a bus to Taiyuan where we needed to change for another bus to Pinyao (so the man in the Travel office said!) From there we can get a night train (tonight) to Xian. The first bus went well, but we soon realised there were no "Official" Buses to Pingyao and squahed into another minibus for the drive of our life! Lets just say that it beat any ride at alton towers... at one point the three lanes from the opposite direction switched to our side of the road!
We're just sat in a hotel in Pinyao where we are getting train tickets, we can leave our bags here too. This is a really nice little walled town so we're off for an explore before our night train to Xian at 9pm we'll get in at 6am tomorrow.

Having a Ball : )

Love
Sarah and Si x

Hello,

Thanks for your comments everyone, we're melting today as it's about 32C again - BBC predict 34C in Datong and 35C in Xian where we're off to next.

Had to get up later today because we drank to much Coca cola last night and couldn't get to sleep till gone 2am!! Packed up and vacated our room and headed off to the Jiangshn park- sarah's chinese was so good the taxi driver even understood where she wanted to go first time!!! (She never ceases to amaze me!!)

We climb the peak in the middle to a buddha in a Pagoda (not a real one, mind! haha). Would have got some nice photos but beijing was covered in thick smog, as it is most days- and i also miscalculated the battery time on the camera (e.g. both batteries were dead!!)

Then went to the Lama Temple which is one of the oldest temples in Beijing and survived the cultural revolution. Then headed out to Hongqiao which is a shopping/market building which sells pearls, bags, electronics etc.. Sarah spent a fortune on pearls and some lovely (???) enamel vases(40 pounds!!). I nearly reverted to tying her hands together because everything she touched she bought- and she touched alot of things!!!! haha.

Anyway, catching the train to datong tonight after dinner so we're just back at the youth hostel to freshen up (for what its worth-i sweat as soon as i move!! haha)

Love sarah and si x

Hi

Got up later today so we could have a better sleep and got a coach to the Great Wall. The coach took about 3 hours to get there but luckily it was air conditioned!!! We took a chair lift up to the wall as over 900 steps didnt sound too appealing, and had about 2 hrs going up and down etc. There was virtually no one there which was good (we could walk slowly : ) It was boiling though, the hotest day so far 32 ish. Anyway, instead of getting the chair lift back, they have this tobogan slide... after some pursuasion regarding chinese safety standards (Simon) we slid back to the bottom - lots of fun.

Quite an arduous 3 hrs bk to the centre of beijing to gte Si pork an noodles for tea. Also pottered round a night market, but Si has still to get his head round the bargaining etc (we havent bought anything so far : )

Off round a temple tmz and then getting a night train to Datong tmz night.
Thanks for your comment Nat, Si wants to know if your parents have the internet yet? I'm sure High Wycombe is fun (cant you take one of Chris credit cards into London?) Are you going bk to Bolton this wkend, your mum mentioned something?

Love
Sarah & Si x