I arrived in Guilin after a nightmare 26 hour train journey down from Shanghai (I am so glad i don't have to do anymore mammoth train journeys for a while).  Nobody on the train spoke English and i was the only whitey on the train which meant that everyone stared at me. Anyway, I spent the night in Guilin and made the 1 hour trip down to Yangshao the next day.  The scenery in this neck of the woods is stunning.  Erect nipple like rock form...

After treating myself to a soft sleeper (I deserved it, trust me) for the 18hr (I think) train journey from Xi'an with my Irish travel companions Paul and Linda I arrived in Shanghai early in the afternoon and made my way to my hostel. It wasn't a bad little hostel with a bar and a pool table and it was only a 5 minutes walk to the Bund. I can't really remember what I did when I first got there but in the evening I had stroll along the Bund and sat and looked a...

After 3 nights in Shaghai I made the 2 hour train journey south to Hangzhou, which is pretty lame considering some of the mammoth train journeys I have been on in the last couple of months. My hostel was located on the opposite side of the lake to the city which was good as it meant that it was relatively peaceful. When I got to the hostel I had a quick look around where I was staying and headed back to the hostel and met up with Paul and Linda again (I think t...

After all the fun and games with the hostel in Pingyao cocking up my train ticket to Xi'an I made it here after spending 8 hour on the bus and not 6 like the hostel said it would take!!! Thanks Yeman hostel, I almost wet myself because of you. If I knew it was going to take 8 hours I would have planned by toilet breaks accordingly. I can't complain really as the Paddy girls had to sleep sitting up in the restaurant car of their train for 11 hours!! Ha ha!!! ...

Ah Pingyao! A well preserved traditional Han Chinese city halfway between Beijing and Xi'an surrounded by a completely intact 6km Ming dynasty city wall. I only spent 2 nights here as there wasn't that much to see. I arrived here at silly o clock in the morning again (I should be getting use to it but I'm not) and made my way to Yeman hostel with a Ham who was an Aissie (poor sod) living in Beijing. After a good 3 hours of sleeping I decided to get up and wal...