Hello, Well I think we have gotten over the initial culture shock of China, though there are a few things which are difficult to adjust to: 1) Being starred at. Some people literally stop in their tracks to stare at us, while some children (who are clearly learning English at school) shout hello, which is quite sweet. We've even had some children run over to take our photo (no chance to pose!) celebrity status for us! 2) The toilets. Most public toilets (and I now have several days experience) are quite gross (or minging as we say up north!). Most don't have doors or partitions, and i've noticed that even when doors are available, the locals don't seem to use them. There's no room for shyness! 3) food. Since language is such a barrier it's hard to communicate what you want, or infact, what it actually is that you are eating (and there is some funny looking meat about!) I've copped out a bit by dining at KFC every day (now that's definitely chicken!) Today we travelled by bus to Dali, which is a sweet little town by the mountains. We were fortunate to meet an American who was taking the same route as us, and just so happened to speak the local language, so we clung to him as if our lives depended on it! Well, tomorrow we shall explore the area; i'll report back soon Claire