Welcome to fairy land! It is breathtaking. The most magical place I've ever been to though absolutely freezing (-30 degrees!) I had the opportunity to wear some delightful padded thermal underwear. We ended up looking like a bunch of Michelin men, in contrast to the Chinese people who still look tiny even with 10 layers on!

You just can't believe it's all made of ice. It's huge. All overlooked by a majestic ice castle. It's quite a death trap making your way up the ice steps to the top but well worth it. Then you can slide down, just as long as you're watching you don't fall over the side! Only in China!! I got to hug an arctic fox :)

Harbin is a fascinating city. It's very Russian, being near the border. Extremely different from other places in China. We had an adventure/activity day where we went skiing, flying, and sledging. I am useless at skiing, so useless that the persevering instructors eventually gave in and let me wander around in the boots, minus the skis. I was much happier then! There is a huge huge lake which freezes completely over and just turns into one huge ice rink of fun.

Played in lots and lots of snow, up to my waist at some points. The snowflakes were beautiful, just like the ones you can make by cutting holes out of folded paper. Every one was a different shape.

Finished off our stay with a tasty ice cream!