One last 'quick' entry from China!! Beijing has been amazing, I could really spend weeks in this city... shopping is amazing, esp. the markets. We went to see the Great Wall of course which was fantastic, the part we went to was much less touristy than many other parts and wasn't restored. It was a quite a tough climb to go as far as u could go but we made it and it was so worth for the views. Other sites we went to see in Beijing were , Tiananmen Sq, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, The Summer Palace, Acrobats show [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi everyone... Sorry i haven't got some pics up yet, impossible to find a computer here with cd-rom .. they are seriously paranoid about internet here, its beginning to drive me mad. We arrived in Xian .. our last stop before Beijing. We spent 3 nights there which was great and finally back to good accomodation!!! although we were just getting used to the monasteries (says gareth). Our first day in Xian we went to see the famous Terracotta Warriors which was really amazing to see. Hopefully i will get some photos up of them. It was full of american tourists [View Full Entry]

---

---

After our 2 nights in Chendu we travelled by bus to the town of Leshan to see the biggest Buddha in the world.. its carved into a cliff,71m high overlooking 2 rivers. Its pretty cool although a hell of a treck up around it. After there we took the bus to Emie Shan, where the sacred Buddiest mountain Mt Emie is. We stayed in a monastary in the village at the base of the mountain on our first night. The monastery is really nice and peaceful, the toilets and showers are horrible .. esp the shower, a little shed with a [View Full Entry]

---

---

After our trip from the Yangzi River we made our way to the Sichaun region of China. Our first stop was a big city ( 11million) called Chengu. The main attraction here is the Panda santuary which we went on our second day.. it was so cool, We got some great photos and camcorder footage of them, they are soo cute. Mind u , i dont think i'd get to close. I got bitten alive that morning by mosquito's which wasn't much fun. Chendu is famous for its real spicey Sichaun cuisine ... HotPot. We went with the Swiss couple to [View Full Entry]

---

---

"Hello Mango, Hello Banana, Hello Lychee" ... this is what we've been hearing everyday since we arrived in china... everywhere u go. Women come up to u with baskets of fruit trying anything to sell them to u .. even when your sitting inside a pub. It can be quite annoying sometimes but amusing all the same. Our last update was from Yhanshou, from there we took a sleeper train to a place called Yichang, the train wasn't too bad and i'm finally getting used to these squat toilets although i do have to brace myself for it everytime, its the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi guys.. This has become much more easier to update with fast internet here in China. Had the most fantastic day today in this beautiful town called Yangshou. Its a backpackers favourite and yes, it is quite touristy but it is gorgeous. We went for a bike ride this morning for 4 hours through the countryside, met some locals and saw ride paddies, peanut trees and then went to this place called Moon hill which was basically a bit mountain climb which nearly killed me.. but it was worth the climb in the end as the view was amazing over the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi All, Sorry we have been a bit slack updating this especially for Vietam, internet there was so slow. We have a fantastic 2 weeks in Vietnam and travelled with a really good crew of people. Will update the Vietnam notes soon for those who want a read. We flew into Hong Adrienne and Tim and went our for some chinese dumplings and noodles. Day 2, we went to Victoria Peak on the tram and got a fab view of the city. And later went to this amazing hotel to the bar on the top floor for some cocktails and watching [View Full Entry]

---

---

Some photos from Vietnam Hi Everyone!! Well we finally have arrived to the starting destination of our long trip home to Ireland. After a fantastic weekend in Canberra and some very sad goodbye we arrived safe and sound and still hungover in Saigon, Vietnam. It was a big culture shock for us both... millions of ppl everyone and millions of motorbiks driving crazy ways on the streets. We went out on a boat with this Kiwi guy we just met to the poorer side of Saigon and went on Cyclos' ( bike things ) for an hour. It was amazing to [View Full Entry]

---

---