We drove for a coupleof hours from Jinghong to Mengla today, through a neverending series of randforest-covered hills. The streams and rivers are red-brown like the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolaten Factory (I suspect the water doesn't taste quite the same). I can't imagine having to use such dirty water, but as we were driving through town I saw one womanbrushing her wet hair by a small hut beside the river, I can only assume she must have just bathe...

We had a much better day today - the sun was out, we could see even more blue sky, and after walking around for around an hourwe suddenly found Kunming's "Flower Market".We had been ust about to give up, content having found a street of stalls selling everything from meat skewers to tupperware - nothing we actually wnated of course, but interesting to take a look all the same! We wandered wearily down a dirty street selling mostly knives and guns and ra...

I beginning to get a bit sick of all these cities. It seems like abit of a shame, we are travelling riht through China, but only really etting to see one aspect of their culture. To be sure, there are unique aspects to every city we have visited - but when you get down to it, a city is a city, and these cities may as well have been in Europe. We've seen some pretyt quirky stuff - like an aerobics class on the corner of a busy intersection, in the middle of the ni...

We took an overnight train from Chengdu to Kunming, and after 23 hours I truly, truly could notwait to nget off that f**king train lol. Every now and thensomeone would leave the door iopen to the toilets, and a disgusting stench would waft into our carriage. It was best to hold your nose (and roll up your trousers) when usin the train squat toilets, especially with so many big bumps! (gross, eh?) Because of the earthquake, we had to take the old-fashioned slow tr...

So the highlight of chengdu was def. the PANDA consevation center! We all gathered early in the morning in the hotel lobby (spiral staircases, iumspressive marbnle pillars....and two purple, plastic "chandaliars"?!) and everyone was bouncing around with excitement, which probably wasnt helped by the breakfast "juice", which tasted and looked like pure cordial. The pandas were incredible, so adorable and it was just so cool to be so close to ...