We were lucky enough to have very good friends (Valentina and Lorenzo) living in Rome. New Year was the perfect occasion for a bit of a China reunion so Moira, Nathan, Vicki and I made our way over. We benefited greatly from being in with the locals! the food was amazing, especially breakfast at the local bakery. Lorenzo and Valentina were far better than any tour guide, even providing drives through the red light district! New Year was fantastic, having a lovely...

Istanbul is somewhere I'd always see on Holiday programmes and always want to visit. So I jumped at the chance to visit. Even better, I was able to meet Nurlan on his way back to Azerbaijan. Perfect excuse! I had no idea Turkey, was such a wonderful country as a whole. I had a fantastic time, being a genuine independent backpacker, meeting lovely people on route. Despite common belief, it's fine being a lone female traveller in Turkey. You do get a bit of...

Beijing is fantastic and developing by the day. Everything is very fast moving in this up and coming capital, it's difficult to keep up. We were there when it was chosen to host the Olympics and witnessed the grass being painted green! The sights here are so famous that they're hard to take in. Tiananmen Square is colosal and extremely powerful when you imagine the events that passed there. The Forbidden City is breathtaking, though does become rather rep...

I love Shanghai! It's so exciting. The bund is just magnificent. European colonial buildings on one side of the river then extremely modern buildings on the other side. Looking over towards Putong at night must be one of the most impressive sights in the world. It's also a lot of fun because lots of Chinese tourists come to have their photo taken with you. The tourist tunnel that goes underneath has to be done. It has nothing to do with Shanghai or China ...