we met at the hostel at 10.30am at checked out of beijing hostel to go to zhongwei. we left the station at 12 and began our 23 hour train journey!! the hard sleeper trains consist of small compartments of 6 tiny bunks, me tony dave sarah jonny nd katie were in together and julkiet and xin our leader were in a separate one. staright wawy drama as xin told us we HAD to show our tickets and 4 of us had misplaced them (including me and tony!!) after 5 minutes tony found ours in his hat!! everyone found their staright away!! Time went by resonably quickly as tony and jonny played chess, played lots of poker with cocktail sticks jonny and tony brought and then 3 of us went for dinner in the dining cart. Poor juliet though found herself a stalker, he actually would not leave her alone!!at about 9pm we all went to sleep, whcih was kind of comfy, better than our bed in the hostel!

We arrived at thehotel and there was an option to go sheepskin raftinmg but me and tony wanted to explore so at 1 everybody left and we arranged to meet for dinner. Me and tony went to the small temple opposite the hotel, Gao Mai temple, and it was a really great experience. Buddhist monks still live and pray there and were walking around and being really helpful. They had incence burning and it was a really nice effect, created a great atmosphere. the small walkways went over roofs and we got to look at many different statues it was amazing.We went into an underground bitthat had really strange statues and sound effects and pictures depicting things and punishments of the past. there was even a bit with walls of funny mirrors, kept me very entertained.( i must add that whilst trying to pay an old begger kept hitting me in the leg with a stick as he wanted money!!) after this we had a look around and had some AMAZING dumplings, they were delicious, even though we were given 20!!we even brought 200 ciggarettes for 2 pounds!

we then went to a really nicely decorated bar all black and red with sofas and tvs and 60p beer! The men next to us were playing a chinese version and drinking game of rock paper scissors and drank a LOT off beer. they offered us drinks and cigarettes then disappered upstairs. then a woman went with a cgirl and lots of bedding!! you can tell what we were thinking! or thoughts were confirmed when a man came in, paid 200 yuan and dissappered upstairs for half an hour!! we left then!

we had an amzing dinner in the muslim quarter and after xin took us to fin bars, but we only found strip clubs and women offering us 'private room with girls' so we went back to the bar in the beginning!we drank a lot, chatted loads and had an awesome night. i went to the loo, heard smashing glass, came out and 2 drunk women were having a fight and had thron bottles that had saseh ion the walls! the women were taken upstairs, we heard to loud bangs and thought theyd been shot! but they reappeared a while later and were kicked out! at the hotel me n sarah got in the lift a a drunk woman hit her husbad in the back of the head and they had a bust up! very eventful evening!! what a fun day though!