We arrived at Xi'an (pronounced shee-an) around 7am after sleeping on the train with our noses on the ceiling (at one point I thought I had fused with the light). Almost like magic a hostel rep started to talk to me so I told him to b***** off, then once I realised his hostel was the one we actually wanted, I had to do some groundwork. The hostel was perfect, located just by the 'Bell Tower' in the centre of Xi-an. It had loads of facilities including free p...

After leaving UB, we got back on the Trans-Mongolian train for the final leg to Beijing. Ant was asleep for most of the day sleeping off the night before. The scenery became more arid, dry and hot as we made our way through the Gobi desert. I read, played on my DS, woke Ant up a few times and listened to music. Later that night we came to the Mongolian - China border - again a mound of paperwork to fill out. I tried out my chinese phrases on the customs offi...