Well lets see if I can remember exactly what went on in China whilst I was there. It seems like such a long time ago now, I have been very lapse on the updating of the blogs but then Im sure anyone who has travelled will tell you there just isn't enough hours in the day!!

I went to train station nice and early for my first Chinese train experience and it all went relatively smooth. When I arrived at station you wait in a waiting room (funny that) and like an airport check in they open the gates up once the train has arrived. This made getting on the train far easier then in India where it was a free for all especially given that every carriage has staff on the door showing you the way to your seat..... very efficient and very much like boarding an aircraft. Once on board there was music being played into the carriages and although set up very similar to Indian trains the hygiene levels were on a totally differant level!! The train arrived at station next morning at 9am andI was still dozing. I rolled over to find my Chinese counterparts had all left and I was on a train on my own, cheers pals for waking me up and telling me we had arrived!! Man on platform was waving me off train and this together with the emptiness of the train made me decide there was either a problem with the train or we had arrived at Xi'am, luckily for me it was the latter of the two.

I showed the taxi driver the flyer I had picked up in Beijing of the hostel I wanted to stay at whcih had address written in Pinyin and of we chugged to what I thought would be my hostel. Taxi driver stoppped car and pointed down street so assumed at destination. Turns out I was not and he had randomly dropped me off in town, git! I walked over few streets and found a hostel which turned out to be cheaper anyway then one planned to stay in and very nice bar in it too. That evening had a few beers in bar with a chap from my dorm called Nick who was from just down the road from me at home in Arundel. Myself and Nick together with a guy from Virginia then headed out and went to a club in town. Quite good night and were given drinks all night by locals who proceeded to challenge us to drinking competitions. Needless to say we did not let the English contingency down.

Went on tour the following day to the Terracotta Warriors and they did not dissapoint. Really spectaculor display of many many warriors although the whole theme park type set up kind of takes a little bit away from them. The guy who discovered the warriors (a farmer who was digging a well) was sat in entrance hall and he did not look to pleased, apparently he does this everyday and signs books people buy....

Anyway Im sure maybe more happened then this but it was nearly 2 months ago now so who knows, this was certainly the bulk of it mind you.

next up we have Luoyang watch this space.