Currently writing this in Xingqinggong Park, Xi'an. Been sat here about 15 minutes and been asked to pose for 3 different photographs! Still cant get used to be looked at funny haha. The hostel I am at is Han Tang Inn and it's only been open 3 months and is soo nice. It's like a hotel room with an en suite except there's 4 bunk beds in it. Someone is in another bunk but I didn't meet them, so it's only the 2 of us so far. The hotel is pretty quiet because it's 'd...

Well it is 7.00 am and I've arrived in Xian after a surprisingly comfy train journey. The beds were softer than the dorm bunks in Sanlitun! Mum - I used the pacsafe for the first time you'll be glad to know! I shoved all my valuables into it when I slept and it was fine. I didn't need it at the last hostel because there were lockable safes in every room :) Outside the station i bought a bottle of water and what i thought was a bread bun (actually a battered de...

Ok so I accidentally deleted this post arghh so will try and re-write what i originally put. Started the day having breakfast and saying goodbye to the canadian girls before we headed off our separate ways. I'd agreed to meet Daniel (off plane) for a drink and to catch up with what we'd been up to since we landed but I had a bit of time to kill first so went on a hostel computer to book 2 nights stay in xian. I managed to book a really nice hostel for the 13th ...

Today we'd booked a tour to go to the Great Wall of China, so the tour coach picked us up from the hostel at 8.30 and drove for around 90 minutes until it got to the wall. We'd chosen to visit a stretch of the wall called Mutiyanu which is a little further out but it is usually less touristy and not as repaired as more popular parts such as Badaling. We paid an extra 80 RMB (£8) for tickets to get a cable car up to the wall and for a toboggan ride down! The wal...

Started off a bright day visiting the summer palace. It was mahoosive but amazing, and all of the lakes within and surrounding the area had frozen over so people were makeshift ice skating or skiing on the ice, looked fun but a bit dodgy.. We also ended up tagging up with a Philippino couple - Nico and Charm, so the 5 of us went around together. Most of the time we ended up climbing over lots of steep rocks to get to where we wanted, only to find a pretty mild s...