Hi, My time in China is just coming to an end. Thanks again to all who have written. I've just caught up with the replies today as I've been on a boat with no internet access over the past 4 days. I can vouch for the fact that my chopsticks skills have been finely honed over the past two weeks. I may have to relearn the old fork and knife routine... Last time I wrote I had arrived in Beijing( formely Peking). Major problem for the tourist in the city is that s...

Hi all, Bit of a step change this week. Flew to Hong Kong(HK) last Wednesday and then onto mainland China (Beijing) on Friday. HK was a massive change of scene. It was overcast. No sun on my head all day and no rickshaw drivers/merchants in your face every 10 seconds. HK is a mainstream western type city. The best way I could sum it up is that it seems to be a massive version of Chinatown you would see in any western city. All the main stores/banks are there. ...