My feet are too big!

We've been in China for almost a week and so far it's been a mixture of feelings. Coming into the country was fairly easy (apart from when they decided to fully investigate Ave's passport, apparently one of the bars was broken.) However once we were over the other side of the customs etc we couldn't continue over the pass due to the road being closed till 1am! So we had to wait until they had finished blowing up the road before we drove precariously through the night. As soon as I can get some pics up you'll be shocked by the state of the road it was well scary! It had just fallen away in places, no traffic cones to worn you oh no a piece of cotton to stop a 20 ton truck from falling down!!! Steve is an absolute legend and actually really enjoyed the drive! We stopped just before 7am and got three ours kip before moving on. I didn't bother with my tent and instead slept out. It was wicked to wake up with the sun up to find myself sleeping in the middle of what I would expect the Arizona desert to look like. It was amazing.

We then drove on to a small town called Tingli which is the closest town to Mount Everest Base Camp. For lunch that day I tried roast Yak. It was so tasty! Our Chinese guide went off to organise jeeps for us to go up to base camp. We had already been told that it would be very expensive. Turned out that he said we couldn't go. This was all a little strange because his reasoning was that there had been trouble with some Americans who had gone up and made demonstrations against the Chinese government in Tibet and that the travel companies have been closed and so there was no companies going. This turned out to be rubbish and after a 2 day struggle and having signed a disclaimer to say that we wouldn't go and cause trouble we were aloud to go up. So at 4am we all piled into 7 dodgy jeeps and made the four hour journey to base camp. It was so unbelievably worth it! We were some of the lucky few people to get a view without clouds. It was so overcast as we arrived and it gradually became clearer till it was all on show. It was absolutely breath taking and even brought a tear to my eye! After the struggle we had had with the guides to let us go it was without a doubt the best $100 I have ever spent! Tiptop!!!

We then moved onto a small town called Shigatsi, I had my first wash in 6 days (strangely didn't feel all that dirty!) and got my hair cut! For under three pounds I had my hair washed (with head massage for 20 mins) and cut! Oh and then blow dried and curled into the cutest head of curls! Bloody bargain! Sadly Shigatsi isn't the most happening of towns so we couldn't go out. Hey ho.

We are now in Lhasa which was the main city when Tibet was not under Chinese rule. I have visited the Potala palace which was where the Dalai Lamas used to live and many are buried in there also. Their tombs were humongous. The 5th Dalia's tomb was over 12m tall! And had smaller tombs with statues surrounding it all made of solid gold, he must have blown the budget because the 6th, 7th and 8th Dalai's tombs were each about 1/4 of the size! Very few of use went into the Palace because it was quite expensive, we almost didn't get tickets because there are thousands of people queueing up each day to visit.

Today has been spent shopping (not just for me! I had to buy a fancy dress outfit for someone on the truck.) I did however get the cutest little dress that I don't think anyone else in the world will ever have. Going to wear it out tonight. Somehow (I really have no clue how) Stuey is playing a set a a local night club so we're all going down to support him! It's going to be wicked, can't wait!

Oh and I have just sent an hour in the biggest shoe shop I have ever been in only to be disappointed that my feet are too big! lol! My shoe broke this morning when I was walking into the old town thought it would be so easy to buy a new pair, how wrong was I?! lol! I now have no shoes to wear with my new dress, may have to go bare foot! (No dad don't worry I wouldn't be so silly!)

We've now got 6 days bush camping so I'll be very smelly by the time I write another blog!

Oh and I am very very very excited about Vietnam. The government will let us take the truck in but for a mega amount of money so instead we have the option of sticking together as a group or doing it independently. I'm doing it alone! I brought a book in Kathmandu and have planned my journey down. I'm so excited to be choosing my own route and spending time where I want. I'll be meeting up with everyone in Ho Chi Mihn City before heading across the boarder to Cambodia. I can not wait!

So that should do for now......

lots of love

Nicole xxx