Sun Shine Hyatt Hotel Datong

... was predictable but for the Tori Amos song "Silent All These Years" (though the video had a Chinese girl singing it). I sang it and surely made those in the room next door think Tori had come to China. After having sung all the good (few) and tolerable (a solid handful) English songs, we headed out. Though our karaoke machine had technical difficulties twice and we had to switch rooms as well, this was ignored when we paid. So much for that good customer service China is known for.<br>

... we found, whiuch turned out to be a western style one (terrible attempt at anyway).. finished it off with McD's burger for dessert.<br><br>Went to the Hanging monastery and Matu Pagoda the next day, which were both very impressive. Hanging monastery is built on a sheer cliff with wooden poles supporting it, and the pagoda was 67m high all-wood (tallest in ...

What an **** cracking experience we had in India 7 hours on the floor of the train followed by 12 hours on a hard board seat our backsides where numb and we found it hard to sit anywhere for at least a week afterwards. Well Alex decided we should do it again - he managed to pick up the highly sought after standing seats for a 6 hours train journey from Beijing to ...

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... in Chinese with the rest of the coach, the leader woman had a flag and everything, see pictures of us blending in seamlessly to a chinese tour group. Our free lunch was at a jade museum / shop scam kinda place, but there was free rice and fish that we had to eat with chopsticks at a table of actual chinese people. How embarrasing. Still not totally mastered the chopsticks... Declan let the side down and used Emma W's spoon, poor ...

... These photos, combined with the cheap train ticket were enough for us to want to try it.  About 10 miles outside of Datong are the Yungang Caves.  These are a string of caves, grottos, and niches that stretch for more than a half of mile that contain more than 50,000 Buddha images and other religious figures.  They were carved into the sandstone cliffs mainly during the 5th- century Wei Dynasty.  They are an overwhelming sight upon first arrival and become even more amazing and mind ...

This is going to be short as i've been on the internet for hours now! We arrived in Datong quite late in the evening on the 2nd October, and the hotel we wanted was full so we ended up in a cheaper one down the road with no ensuite and some pretty nasty public toilets! We met a chinese guy called Simon who tried to sell us his tours (he was a taxi driver) but he was interesting to talk to and gave us some useful information. He was the guy that ...

Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya Today was one of my simple days and a day of rest. My sandals were placed against the wall and my feet hung high. Yeah right, only jokin mate, I can't believe you believed such a silly thing! Not a bus or taxi paid for or used and the only things used to transport me from here to there were my sandal clad feet. I can tell you that right now they are not ...

Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya I sit here after another day that has made me sit back in wonder at how lucky I really am. Several days ago I was stampeding around one of the most famous and sacred mountains on earth and today I visited one of the oldest wooden buildings on this earth. I wonder, does than make me one of the luckiest people on earth? I guess that depends ...

... had been standing beside for the last forty minutes. At least we found out before it left. So for those who want to know the latest information on how to travel the thirty minutes from Datong City to the Grottoes you no longer have to take a bus from Xinkaili Bus station. Well you can if you are near that station, but if you are near the ...