Hi all. We are now in Beijing, staying in a hotel in a central part of the city. We have had a busy pace but at least it is not quite as hot and humid as Chengdu. Yesterday we spent the day in the Forbidden City- a series of Imperial Halls and and private quarters and gardens where the Imperial Emperors of China once lived and ruled. An enormous area of beautifully preserved Chinese history - a fascinating history. Interestingly, as you leave the front entr...

Hi, thankyou for your blog entries. It was great to hear from you. We are at Ning's parents new home where Tom and Ning are staying while we are in Chengdu. This is a more modern apartment with internet access so have a bit more time to write a message. It is unbelievably hot and humid here!!! The humidity is really quite tiring and difficult to adjust too. I am just getting used to being really sweaty and smelly all the time and washing clothes everyday....

Hi all, this is a quick entry. Access to the internet is not very easy. But just to let you know we are staying with Ning's parents in the city of Chengdu. It is very hot and humid, we are sweating all the time! The traffic is unbelievable. Not quite sure what the road rules are but I'm quite sure they are not following them! The toilets are pretty much all squat toilets and taking quite a bit of getting used to. The food is great - not sure what I am eati...