So I have finally sat down in Krakow on one of days off ready to write up a storm.

Today it will be probably China and Ulaanbatoor.

The thing that we did in Beijing is probably not worth mentioning. Mother was sick when we first arrived. This was ironic because all this time I was badgered by to not get sick. Other than the frequent blood noses (heat), I was encountered no dramas as we tried to patch up the things we did not visit last time we were in Beijing. The highlight was and still is the 2 tailor made suits and a tailor made winter coat that we were able to make before we left the country. That truly was amazing.Oh, almost forgot to mention the club and bar tricks show that the club had on display....the way they set a huge pyramid of crinks alot was prettz amazing

The dramas for our europe adventure were only going to unfold on the day we were meant to departing on Ulanbatoor. To put it without any explicatives.....we were delayed for 16 hours. of which 10 of those was spent in a hotel as the airlines were kind enough to transfer us back INTO the country.....when we arrived at the airport the second time, we were delayed again.....and those 6 hours are evident wen you see the photos of me and the train and matty been a horse.

We arrived at Ulaanbatoor at 3am in the morning. My first impression of the people were raised wen we found out that our guide had waited for us and had gone through the same debacle....Mende was there at 3am and we were extremely grateful.

Nothing can truly be spoken about a place when you first arrive at your destination. However as the airport had only one terminal and the airport was named Genghis Khaan, I was very much bracing myself for a country that was not.....the capital of a city.

We were well and truly on a tight schedule after our delay and so the next morning we piled sorry bodies into the car and setoff into the National Park )Teralj. We were here to experience living in a yurt as well as visit the nomadic families that still live out there. Horse riding of course was also on the agenda.

Reading from my diary, I was blown away by the vast grasslands that dominated much of the ca journey to the National Park. After listening to Mende, we found out that the life of the Nomadic Mongolians was hard and the landscapes was shaped by the harsh snowy winters. Trees were sparse and at times no existant. As the mountains enclosed around us, the valleys just felt like a bowl.

One of those bowls turned out to be our campsite. Comfy....relaxing as well as the most excellent meals really provided the perfect romantic moments in these hills. Been unaware and totally ignorant of these things, supposedlz thats what happened with Mende.....with me. All I will say is that I did not lead her on....just my friendly self and Mongolians are very forward ppl. If you truly want to know the details (weirdos!), ask personally.

Impressions of Ulaanbatoor and the yurt camps? Well first of all the yurt camps were all hooked up to electricity and the TV. Modern yes, but it was heartwarming to see that they still kept to their traditional ways. A camera did not give credit to the beauty that was in front of my eyes throughout this trip into a country many would not contemplate. The ppl were verz gruff yet kind. Their langage made it sound they hated you but not their actions.

As we borded our train, my mother and I were in tears. Matthew was also in tears. We had truly started our trip into the unknown and it hard not to get emotional as I ventured into the heart of Siberia.

Yu