Wende Business Hotel Xi'an

... a little fun. The bar in our hostel was really nice and we had some sweet shots that they lit on fire for us (adam said he burnt his mouth with the hot glass ha). The clubs were crazy and crowded but we had some fun dancing and getting stared at by all the chinese people. While we were dancing they would all circle around to watch (only to find out were really not that interesting! haha). We had an amazing time doing everything we could in ...

... is not yet done in fact, and thus not visible) are interesting. just the imagination of the greatness of this underground army protection the tomb of qin shi huang, china's first real emperor, is awesome. however, what has been done out of this place in terms of a touristic site is either disappointing or just shake-your-head weird. the area devoted to the place is huge - okay, there are three pits to visit, from which two are interesting, the third has just a ...

... boiled eggs went down very slowly. Our guide met us downstairs and we were off to another hotel to pick up another couple. They were Gini and Konstantin from Athens, Greece. Our first tour was to the Big Wild Pagoda, a place on our to see list. It was originally built in 652 during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it functioned to collect Buddhist materials that were taken from India by the hierarch Xuanzang. The reason why it is called Big Wild ...

... The scenery, however, is absolutely beautiful. It feels like it is in a rainforest/cloudforest, high up in the mountains. There is lush vegetation, creeks, rivers, and waterfalls everywhere, and plenty of cool critters to stare at. There is a part of the trail where monkeys are infamous for inhabiting. The are notorious pickpockets and beggars for food. there is a bit of novelty to being surrounded by monkeys, and i don't think Eric and I reacted to it particularly well. As far ...

... After finishing my ride I climbed to the top of the South Gate Tower and took some photos of the city from there. I met up with Katy, Rich and Dean (the other New Zealander) and we had a pot of tea together before Katy and Rich left for the train station. Dean and I decided to head out for dinner and went to Wuyi Resturant which was basically just a huge food court. We enjoyed dinner and then went back to the hostel and had a few more drinks. We had decided to head to Hua Shan ...

... really, really cute. The dinner was tasty. After the dinner we were treated to a Tang Dynasty music and dance stage show . It was lovely, really. But, I was so tired that I had trouble staying awake except for a few acts--like the Quarreling Ducks and some of the dancing and each time the show's master and mistress of ceremonies made their announcements. We were dropped off at our hotel around 9:30 pm and were set for an 8:30 start the next day.

... of that, it would take 29 hours. Sod that! I asked around to find out if anyone knew if there was an airport nearby but everyone just looked at me confused, even after I added some arm actions! I wandered around looking for somewhere to use the internet but I got the same reaction again, even with my typing hand actions! I couldn't even find a telephone to call the Mother to get her to go on the internet for me. After my fruitless search I headed back to the train station ...

... her what a word meant, or how to say something. In return though, I taught them a few things about Beijing. Well, warned them about a few things to be more accurate. The look of horror on their faces when I told them that you can't flush toilet paper down the loo because the sewage systems can't handle it was very cute. I told them the general rule is, if there is a rubbish bin next to the toilet that's what it's for. The horror, if possible, increased. "But there's ...

The following morning didn't start the way I had hoped, the train wasn't moving when I woke up. We had left Beijing, on time and I didn't understand what was going on. The people on the train, didn't speak English, I was lucky though as there was a group on the train, with a guide that spoke English, that explained the train was delayed by 8 hours. I finally made it to Xi'an, where I met my guide Wallace. Driving through ...

... the Friendship Highway 318 Lhasa to Kathmandu to a permanent camping spot called the Last Resort. The huge military tents were very cosy with 2 beds, raffia carpet, bedside tables, a luggage rack and a couple of deck chairs out the front. The tents were spaced well apart giving you lots of privacy. There was a great bar and restaurant area, clean toilets and funky showers overlooking the valley. You just chill or indulge in the bungee ...