Hello again. Nothing's really happened since my last entry but I wanted to comment upon some general things. So yes. I do really like China so far. I'll definitely be back for a bigger tour one day. One of the funniest parts are the great 'English' signs that hang around everywhere. The best examples include an advert for the 'Beijing Sterility Clinic'. I hope that's now really what I think it is. And at the airport, there was a 'Welcome to China' sign which read 'Laws are enforced fully and service friendly'. Haha. In that order, I presume. Read: Yes, we are a mean authoritarian state but let's all pretend we're not. Twice almost made a huuuge cultural-based error... while waiting for the next flight at Doha, I almost said 'bless you' to this Arab guy sneezing next to me. That could have ended deadly. And in Beijing the other day, I was chatting to some Chinese people and they asked whether I've got any brothers and sisters, and I almost returned the question - only remembering the magic words 'one child policy' at the very last second, phew. My recently re-dyed red hair is drawing a lot of attention... well, I had kids pulling it at Doha airport (???) and here everyone says they love it. Well, I could have done with a little bit less of standing out. Some girl at the Great Wall yesterday actually took a photograph of me while I presumably 'wasn't looking'. Generally China is great to travel as a single woman though, at least so far and in Beijing (big qualification here then). No-one cares that I'm on my own, I've not once been asked whether I'm married or where my husband is... bliss compared to e.g. India. And I'm still wearing Western clothes, which is nice as well, hehe. One Chinese student I was talking to the other day asked what I'm studying and I said, for simplicity's sake, 'History'. What should people know of European history after all? Politics draws far too much suspicion and you always end up having to have a great discussion about everything, booh. And he asked what I knew about Chinese history, and I said, well I knew stuff about the last 50 years or so. While thinking: which probably read a lot differently to your interpretation/knowledge of Chinese history. Same student, we were on our way to Tiananmen Square, and I pointed at a huge and important looking building along the way, asking what it was. The headquarters of the political police, ooookay, no more questions, let's just move on... Finally, so far I'm also enjoying travelling on my own more than I could ever have imagined. I get to make all the decisions, if I've been walking into the wrong direction for 20 minutes I don't have to acknowledge it... pure bliss. Plus... just about all the people travelling in pairs/groups I've met are arguing, most relationships seem very close to break-up. I can thoroughly recommend it to anyone. And, I also think that nowhere near as many people would have approached me to speak to me if I'd been with another Westerner. So there you go. The morning rush hour should be over now and I'm off to see some more sights, and to finally transfer my photographs from my digital camera onto CD. I'm absolutely petrified of losing them, in a very non-Buddhist way. Hope you're all well, Jn x