Hey first off - chris tim and whately, you seem like your havin a sweet time. Jealous ofthe wakeboarding james - don't really get that over here unless some guy is super quick at paddling a bamboo raft around! China's been a bit of a different experiance so far wot with the soloing it, sleeping in people's lofts and the running from the police. Would like to point out that the police issue was not my fault i was happened to be in the wrong place at the time. Basically met 3 Norwegian girls of national norwegian day and did the apparently traditional singing, dancing and running in the streets (got more that a few stares) before heading to river to let of som fireworks in celebration. What i wasn't told was that letting off firworks is illegal without the say so from the government (nor was i aware the the fire works had been purchased on the black market). So after a while the police turned up tho luckily the siren gave us a heads up and we made good our escape. China's the sort of nice place where people help you unconditionally like putting up in their loft when you turn up knocking on their door in the rain! this was in the countryside where i went of for a little hike and got ever so slightly lost before once again knocking on their door in the dark where nice as anything they fed me a huge meal but then made me sit through the worst acting on tv in the world - which was not a pleasant experience. i am currently in the middle of nowhere but am heading back to civilisation tonight on a hard seat train ticket for 12 hours. Apparntly no tourists take hard seats cos there unbearable so have been the subject of much pity and laughter as i prepare myself for the ordeal! The laguage barrier is as strong as ever as (so far as i can tell) one person blamed france for not letting get a phone card! But then maybe its just like England - when in doubt blame france! Ablsolutely everyone smokes here and most of it the heavy duty unfiltered no nosence stuff - so am fast tracking it to a hospital lung cancer clinic i think. people also spit everywhere even on busses and in rooms - tho on the up side its a brilliant excuse to practise trajectile spitting with no disaproving stares! have also had my first case of being ill - and with a hole in the ground for a tiolet it was not, suffice to say, on my top ten experiances. Chinese tiolets are also brilliant - you dont get a cubicle you get a 3 sided wall thats about waist high and locals will have a chat to you while your squatting! The roads are a death trap pot holes gallore, bumps, humps and not a few lansides - if if no ones cleared to lanslide before you, well its out the bus and start hauling! Neways should prob go and see some of the sites here in the rain which will be fun, Edd