Time is certainly flying; another few weeks have gone by, as have our stays in Yangshuo, Chengdu and Xi'an. We are currently in a place called Pingyao which is a lovely walled town- just as you imagine traditional China to be. It is composed of a series of cobbled alleyways bordered by authentically ancient doorways upon which red and gold lanterns are hung. The city walls are intact from the Qing Dynasty and the streets are empty apart from the odd bicycle and motorbike taxi which career around the bends and wiggles in the old roads... It's like we've stumbled upon the set of Mulan! Before Pingyao, we were in Xi'an, the home of the Terracotta Warriors. We spent a few days there, wandering through the Muslim quarter and appreciating the pagoda-like Bell and Drum Towers. We dedicated an entire day to visiting the Terracotta Warriors which were astounding. Led by the tip of the Lonely Planet (which has been like a Bible to us!) we did the pits in reverse order, leaving the first, and most impressive pit 'till last. Life-sized statues of soldiers and horses stretch in organised rows for miles. Along with the three military pits they have also discovered an "entertainment pit" which is filled with statues and skeletons of strong men, acrobats an exotic animals. It's crazy to think that the Emperor was only 13 when he ordered for his extensive tomb to be constructed... Mind you, I guess it would be pretty cool for a boy of 13 to have the entire population working on what is essentially a giant set of toys for him to play with in the afterlife... The building commenced in 3rd century BC... I simply can't get my head around how long ago that is. Prior to Xi'an we spent 3 nights in Chengdu. We were staying in a great hostel which was very sociable and despite its central location, hidden away behind tall blocks of flats and shopping centres, there was a terraced garden and rooftop bar. While in Chengdu we spent our first day visiting the world's largest Buddha in Leshan which was huuuuge. Apparently one of his toenails is bigger than a standing man, but unfortunately I am unable to confirm this as due to the national holiday masses, we didn't have time to wait for over 3 hours to reach the bottom of the Buddha.... It's head was very nice though...! The following day we visited the world leading panda breeding and research centre. We woke up early so we could get there in time to see the young having their breakfast. They were so funny; they seem like such comfortable animals to be, no matter what position they rolled into, however awkward, it still looks bliss! They had several different enclosures; for adults, adolescents, mother and cubs, and red pandas. You could even hold a panda cub... But that would set you back £130...! After a morning with the pandas, the sun came out and we visited "People's Park" which was full of children fishing, elderly people dancing, picnickers and little girls chasing butterflies. We visited what was supposed to be the best tea house of the province. I, however, decided to be adventurous and managed to choose a tea which tasted poisonous, great. We had a fantastic time in Chengdu, which made our epic journey from Yangshuo totally worth it. From Yangshuo to Chengdu, we spent 31 hours across three busses, the longest of which being an 18 hour sleeper bus on which we felt like battery hens due to the narrow and shallow bunks we spent the night in. Despite Alice fainting whilst waiting to embark our final bus and having to endure the driver's seemingly constant hacking and spitting into the bucket beside him and our fellow passengers tucking in to preserved chicken feet at ungodly hours we eventually arrived in Chengdu safely and with our sanity in tact... Just. We ended up staying a week in Yangshuo (instead of the 3 nights we had initally booked in for...) as we had fallen in love with the towering hills, the friendly hostel and the rare opportunity of being able cycle everywhere! We spent our last few days bamboo rafting, going to see the "Light Show" (directed by the same guy who was responsible for the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics) and being taught to cook dumplings "Yangshuo style". Despite the several hours spent on trains, busses, boats and taxis, China is proving ever-diverse and continues to enthral us at every step. Next stop, Beijing! JHJ