Flying in to China was an experience we'd love to repeat.We stood back in amazement and observed the full-on scuffle of the Chinese, pushing and shoving to get as close as possible to the conveyer belt to reclaim their over-sized plastic suitcases.Despite being four people deep, petite women in diamante heels pushed out their teeny elbows and heaved their way to the front.We were highly amused and bemused by the tottering, pottering, nattering, chattering crazy nation of billions.

It's hard to describe China as a beautiful country.We were amazed by the number of power plants, mines, quarries and dams littering the landscape, they are a frequent eyesore in rural China.The result of these is a feeling of industrialisation in towns and cities and a clinging smog that regularly makes it impossible to see the sun.

Our first stop was the modern city of Chengdu in Sichuan province.Famous for spicy hotpots and the Giant Panda, we spent a few days here, eating our way around the city, visiting temples and a day at the Panda breeding centre, very interesting despite the sheer volume of yapping Chinese tourists with huge cameras.

From Chengdu we headed north to the Jiuzhaigou National Park.This is a hidden natural gem in the midst of a ravaged land.Crystal turquoise lakes with green woodland and mountains surging in the background, we spent a full day walking through the park admiring the beauty of the place.

With just over a week left we hoofed our way to Xi'an, a city which hosts the infamous Terracotta Warriors.At over two thousand years old, they are a magnificent sight, despite the area looking like a theme park with cafes, souvenir shops and hawkers.Our few days here were spent milling around the city, walking along the ancient wall, tucking into dumplings in the sweaty street markets and shopping for a few quintessential souvenirs from China, a teapot, a silk kimono and tea!

From Xi'an we headed to Beijing, with a brief stopover in Pingyao, a lovely old town surrounded by a decaying fortress.The buildings in the old town are beautiful and picture-postcard-perfect, with ornate roofs, narrow alleyways and old men with pointy hats smoking, drinking tea and playing cards.The flip side to this is that unfortunately, where you find an historic site in China, a modern city will be slapped next to it, undoubtedly concrete block buildings, non-descript apartment blocks and shops crammed with plastic wares - in short, dull, grey and congested.

With only 4 days left of our trip we caught a super fast train to Beijing.Sitting in a modern train next to business men, wearing walking boots, stained clothes and slurping instant noodles was quite a reality check, we were heading back to modernity, to one of the fastest developing cities in the world.Beijing is a fabulous city - vibrant and cool yet proud to celebrate its heritage with ornate buildings showcased to tourists, traditional dancing and public parks full of tai chi practitioners, massage and acupuncture.To both celebrate and commiserate the end of our mammoth trip, we splashed out and stayed in a plush hotel suite for a few nights.Being bored and surprisingly disgusted with the gloopy and greasy Chinese food, we became regulars of the hotel bar, gorging on tapas, steak and burgers!

A visit to China would not be complete without a trip to the Great Wall.Easily accessible from Beijing, we headed out on a day trip to the Mutianyu section.The 6260km wall is a breathtaking sight - snaking through the lush countryside as far as the eye can see - it's a colossal building feat.

In a little over two weeks from what we saw of China, it's true to say that the land of manufacturing is indeed a manufactured land.Construction and excavation is everywhere and it saddened us to see landscapes destroyed in order to accommodate China's huge demand.Of course, being one of the largest countries on the planet, in the short time we had we didn't scratch the surface, but we do feel we got a good taste of Chinese life and culture, and will one day return to pick more at that ancient land.

It suddenly hit home that we were going home, and we were upset with the realisation that our trip was over and with the excitement of seeing friends and family again.Two years ago it was difficult to comprehend this part of the trip, the preparation of returning back to reality.However, nothing lasts forever and we've shared an amazing two years together, with experiences that will last as memories for a lifetime.We're excited yet slightly apprehensive to return to the UK to see what awaits for us in the next chapter of our lives.