Helloooo!!! So its been a while:-) we've covered a lot of ground since Beijing, so theres a lot to catch up on. So first things first....the sleeper train!!! We survived the 12hrs and 30minutes and even made a friend who was on her way to see some famous yellow blossom flowers just outside of Xian. In all honesty the journey was very comfortable and we quite enjoyed it. It was a soft sleeper though (4 beds bunk style and a door)....hard sleepers (6 beds 3x3 and no door) and longer journeys still to come!! We got off the train loaded with our bags and were greeted by the sun and warmer air than what we had been used to in Beijing. Finally, some good weather.....by the sounds of it our weather started to improve just as the snow hit back at home!! :-) Makes up for our snow in Tokyo! Anyway.....After getting settled at the "Han-tang Inn" we set off to explore Xian, which was by far our prettiest Chinese city yet (The sun helped a lot). The focal point of Xian is its large city wall, which is square and encloses the inner city area. Our day on the wall is by far the best tale to come out of Xian and the photos are worth more than anything that can be said here.....As already mentioned the temperature had increased by several degrees, but we hadn't quite cottened on and didn't change our clothing to match. By the time we reached the south gate to the wall we were extremely warm. Ben had already mentioned going back for his shorts. We did stop off for suncream, but never made it back for the shorts!! (And did I regret it??!!...) We got on the wall, hired bikes and set off cycling. The views were great and the weather was perfect. Well nearly perfect....Ben was overheating a little and feeling that his jeans were the main problem and of course this was my fault as I hadn't taken him back for his shorts. I made this slightly worse by zipping off the bottom half of my pants to make them into shorts in a matter of seconds! What happened next is something which I take no responsibility for what-so-ever.....the jeans came off and the cycle continued with ben in his strippy boxers and pumps and me following with camera, although maintaining a safe distance:-) Thank goodness its China and not Vietnam! As I said the pictures do this more justice (particularly the one where he crashes into a bench and falls off!!) Just to add...the cycle around the wall took us 1hr 15mins and the jeans stayed off for the entire time....the wall was far from unpopulated!! After recovering from "the cycle trip, to end all cycle trips", we had tea at a place called fusion buffet....an all you can eat. The poor waiter didn't realise that my speciality was "all you can eat!!" We gave it a good go and tried all the chinese dishes (including stir fried crab, shell and all) before moving on to pizza and chips and the DESSERT TABLE!! Again the pictures are better than any words. The following day (my birthday) we started off with a birthday breakfast of eggs benedict and then headed off to the terracotta warriors. Very strange collection of soldiers. Really creepy in a way. The displays show how they were created and then carefully sectioned off, buried and consealed, never to be found again hopefully. Think this fits in well with the mummy films and the army of the dead. Half way around the warriors a random girl started pointing and laughing at Ben....obviously a witness of the previous days events. We ended the day with a couple of birthday white russians. Our 3rd day in Xian was a hostel change over, There wasn't enough room in the one we were in originally, so we moved to a hostel in the south of the city. After getting lost and wandering the streets for a while, we eventually found "Hanwood Inn". Hanwood and the rest of the street had no electricity, which at first wasn't a problem as it was boiling hot and the middle of the afternoon. Later on we found ourselves having beers by candle light!!! :-) The cold shower in the morning wasn't so good. Ben actually turned his fingers numb trying to get clean...I didn't bother as much. We finished off our time in Xian around the large pagoda and fancy fountains at the south end.....lots of fountains moving in time to music...wonderful! Also must add....lying down on a bench in a park area on a sunny day is not seen as the norm in China. I got quite a few funny looks before an overdressed security guard felt it necessary to tell me something in Chinese....presumably...sit up and stop making the place look untidy!! We left Xian the following day and headed for Chengdu on a 16hour hard sleeper....all I can say is.... if you are ever to attempt this, a good playlist is needed. And I cannot desribe the horror of when the battery light starting to flash on my ipod!! (I stole Bens!)