It's freezing in China!!! We had fantastic weather in Vietnam and had a really good time. Only when we got as far north as Hanoi did the temperature drop and we bought hats and gloves. Sapa was really cold (or so we thought until we reached China!)

We had snow in Shanghai. I've heard that it's made the news in Europe too. Apparently it's the worst snowfall they've had in the south of China for 20 years and it's causing havoc with the transport system. We almost got stuck in Shanghai as all the trains to Beijing were cancelled for a couple of days. Luckily we were staying with a friend who helped us find tickets when they became available again. Not easy, as there were hundreds of people queueing outside the railway station. Many had been there for days, stranded between destinations. All were trying to get home in time for Chinese New Year. We met a student from Beijing who'd got as far south as Shanghai, but then couldn't get any further. After 3 or 4 days in Shanghai he decided to give up and go back to Beijing.

We've had to get a flight ticket for our next journey to Xi An, as it's impossible to get a train. Oh, well... the Great Wall looks pretty in the snow!

A&J