Arrived in Beijing at 7:00 this morning and headed straight to Wangfujing Youth Hostel. They didn't have any availablity but said that if we tried again at 12:00 they would probably have people checking out. Had a coffee then headed for the Indian Visa centre in Dongzhimen. It was reasonably easy to find and they gave me the forms to fill in which I did. They then told me I had to write down my reasons for applying so long before I was going - I thought I had left it late! I put it all together and then went to submit it only to be told it would not be fully processed until next Friday! The website had said 5 working days but it seems this doesn't include the day of submission and the day of collection. I spoke to one of the managers to see if I could pay more to get it done quicker but he just spoke about getting references from England which delayed it and there was no way of getting it quicker. If I waited for the visa I will not have time to do the planned trip to Tibet and Nepal and so I ended up taking my forms away with me hoping I can get it when I arrive in Kathmandu. That was the morning gone, and in the afternoon I went to the Silk Market to buy a coat for the next couple of weeks. Ended up getting a coat with removeable fleece for a bargin 200 yuan (20 quid) and then buying some 'Diesel' jeans and a 'Gucci' top! Tried to meet with the hostel people this evening to book the trip to Tibet, but they didn't arrive and so we just went out for Hotpot.