Ni Hao,

 

Well, China is quickly coming to a close and to be honest, we couldn't be happier because China is kind of cold! We are looking forward to the warmth that shall come with South East Asia. I have been wearing two pairs of pants and three shirts every single day so far and I am often still cold. That being said, China has actually been really awesome. We landed in Beijing a week ago and once we had a chance to get our bearings we visited the Forbidden City. It looked really close to our hostel on the map so we decided to walk there... um... yeah, it was an hour and a half away. Well, that kind of sucked since we were quickly realising it was kind of like... cold! On the first day I bought some snazzy ear muffs (like the 180*s that go behind your head) and they have become invaluable. When we eventually reached the Forbidden City we were elated. It was really quite cool but very large. Upon first impression of China the people are very helpful and willing to try and direct you even if they do not speak English and even if they don't have a clue what you are saying. Beijing is not as 'bad' as it appears on TV or as people say. There was no smog and it seemed quite clean. However, it is quite common for little children to go to the bathroom on the street, they have split bum pants so they can just go when the time  comes... good  for the environment I guess because no diapers but kind of gross and their bums must get cold!!

 

On our second day in Beijing we headed to the Olympic area. It was so cool! Both the water cube and the bird's nest were quite impressive. I was surprised to see that they were right next to each other though. On TV it looked like they were blocks apart but instead there is only a square in between them! Everything is still set up with the barriers, the hundreds of toilets and the traffic warden. Kind of funny since it looks kind of abandoned and yet set up for an event. After we jumped back on the subway, connected to a bus and headed to the Summer Palace. It was absolutely incredible!! All of the pagodas were painted intricately, there were arches and bridges everywhere. I bet it looks even better in the summer. On our way back to the hostel we had a small confusion with the bus driver. They wouldn't take our money to pay for the ticket to ride, we weren't sure why or what would happen but when our stop came we just got off. Later that night we met up with some friends that I had previously met in Egypt. They just happened to be in Beijing at the same time as us.

 

On our third day in Beijing we headed out to the Great Wall. We hiked the 10km from Jingshaning to Samatai. It was intense. I am pretty sure it was more than 10km because there were so many vertical ups and downs. Parts of the wall are in utter disrepair and literally crumbling off which made for an interesting hike. It was absolutely beautiful though and incredible to think we were hiking on the Great Wall of China! It took 4.5/5 hours and needless to say we slept well that night. When we got on the bus Teresa and Dylan were actually on there with us so we hiked with them and an NZ named Anthony.

 

On our final day in Beijing we wanted to see the Lama Temple and Tianaman Square. The Lama Temple was cool with all these prayer benches and incense burners. The temple is one of the most important Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the world and houses an 18m tall Buddha carved from one single piece of Sandalwood! It was pretty huge.

 

Later that night we boarded our first overnight train, this time to Xi'An. We had booked two soft sleepers and ended up having the entire cabin (of four beds) to ourselves so it was quite restful and nice! Shocker, I know! We had been a little worried about having roommates because in China people.... spit. Like, great big hork up and spit on the ground, train, store, etc. We didn't think we could handle that over our bunks.

 

When we arrived in Xi'An our hostel was not there to get us and we had to find our way there by ourselves. Once there (it was 6:30am) we were able to shower, change and relax a bit before Dylan and Teresa's train got in and we could head out to see the Terracotta Warriors. The Terracotta Warriors are very interesting but cause you to ask so many questions! Pit 1 is very awesome with lots of standing warriors and horses. It was cool to see the variation (no two are alike) and the sheer number. Pit 2 was okay but Pit 3 was just a bunch of dirt... literally.

 

Yesterday, our last day in Xi'An, we headed to the Great Big Goose Pagoda, the Drum and Bell Tower and the Muslim Quarter. The Muslim Quarter was by far the best part. Lots of little stalls and a really authentic feel. In general Xi'An has a much more authentic Chinese feel than Beijing did. I really liked Xi'An.

 

Last night we boarded our second, and last, overnight train in China and headed to Shanghai where we are now. Only a couple more days in China and then on to Vietnam (and hopefully warmer weather).

 

Sorry this is so quick, I am short on time at the moment. I hope all are well.

 

Lots of love from China,

 

Ashley