J: Our flight plan to Vietnam had to change due to flight being cancelled, not a problem; we are travellers and took it in our stride. Once we flew to Kunming and went to check in for the next flight the fool at the desk told me I needed a visa to get into Vietnam, I had it under good authority (my wonderful wife) that we could simply get the visa at the Vietnam airport. After defending my position & reliable source (after all I was right and this fool was w...

S: The night train to Chengdu was 16 hours long and we both knew it was going to be a long one in a chair. We started to play cards and the Chinese couple across the table from us soon became very interested. James started to show the man our cards for trumps. After 5 minutes and no English being spoken he knew how to play the game. Let's just say the time passed very quickly. He soon didn't like me as I kept winning and every time I won he made funny noises at m...

J: We arrived in Xian in the morning after a night train, just walking the streets to find a hostel. We went to the Great Mosque of Xian, which is the oldest and most renowned in the country built in just 742AD. It's really unusual as it's completely Chinese in its style. We found some of the smallest Muslim market streets yet which where brilliant to walk around and get food. The specialty on the street was cold nutty noodles. We went to the drum and (separatel...

J: We made it to Beijing City. We visited Tiananmen Square; where clearly the protesting there never really stops and the police security is impressive, although interestingly the Chinese clearly don't see us as a risk and just usher us through without a pat down. The Forbidden City is a stunning palace, which still has rooms with original furnishings untouched for hundreds of years. Next door is Jingshan Park, which is a beautiful park with a temple at the top, ...