Hello everyone!
Sorry that we haven't been updating the blog recently but the Chinese government has blocked the website (and facebook). We landed in China with no problem whatsoever, (we were expecting them to be really strict but it was easier than getting into India. Simon and I met up with Colm and Rob at about 11pm after being ripped off by a taxi driver, he was the only driver there and he got out the motor and turned the engine off so we had no choice bu to give him what he asked for!! It was really nice to meet up with the guys and its definately completely different to travelling with just the 2 of us!
The next morning it was up and out to get the visa's for Vietnam, the one thing we hadn't sorted before we left. When we finally got round to getting to the embassy they told us we couldn't pick them up again until Monday (5 days later). It wasn't a bad thing really because its meant that we've seen loads of different sights in Beijing. The first thing we went to was a section of the great wall. Walked all the way to the top and then back down again, which took about 1.5 hours. We got lunch and a trip to Mings tomb included in the price.
The following day we went to the Forbidden City which was really close to Tian'amen Square which is in turn really close to the hostel. It was quite good looking round but it was really cold, the wind is the worst thing, I've had to buy a coat and Simon's bought a hat and a pair of gloves. We did walk to the top of a hill that gave us a really good view over the city. We also went to the national stadium (Birds Nest) which was really spectacular and then when the lights came on at about 6pm it got even better.
We're hoping to get some pictures uploaded pretty soon but for some reason it doesn't seem to be working.I'll try and get up in the morning and put them up if I can manage it (its a bit tricky working out wha the computers telling me when its all in Mandarin characters)
Paul, Simon, Colm and Rob (uploaded by Richard)
Pictures on photobucket tomorrow (hopefully)
Hey. Aw man, I miss China. Where abouts are you guys staying? It's so weird looking at those pictures... I have the same ones of me standing in basically the same places! Was the Forbidden City ridiculously overcrowded when you went there? I think it was some Chinese holiday when I was there. Look out for these pancake things you can buy from small vendors on the side of the road. They are dirt cheap and taste amazing! Though some are really spicy. Definately rent bikes and see if you can navigate your way to the Summer Palace.
ReplyDeleteHello guys,
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping us awake until our flight to Xi'an. I am glad you managed the Great Wall after that night.
Sorry for not having sent you our review of Xi'an earlier. Anyway, this part of the trip did not go as planned for us. Our plane was delayed 5 then 8 hours. It finally took off 10 hours later...only to announce half an hour of flight later that "Due to bad weather conditions, the plane is returning to Beijing. Thanks for travelling with Tianjin Airlines. We wish a pleasant stay in Beijing. The temperature is 2°C.". Instead of taking another plane the next day and have only half a day to visit Xi'an, we flew back directly to Shanghai.
Enjoy the rest of your trip!