Berlin-Frankfurt-Istanbul-CairoTom Griffithurl='/Videos/2635.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/2635.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'Whirling Dervish! The first thing that hit me when I arrived in Cairo was the aroma of the place - that peculiarly Middle Eastern blend of perfumes, spices, nuts, apple tobacco, tea leaves, dust, with maybe just a hint of wee. The whole place smells like a Lakemba grocery store. Everywhere apart from my hotel room, that is, which has more of a cat urine odour; probably linked to the fact that when I arrived, I had to shoo a cat out who was sleeping on the bed. The trip over from Berlin began in the smoking compartment of the Intercity train down to Frankfurt, which I knew was going to be fun when the fat guy opposite pulled out a bottle of spirits to share with h... read more

Birmingham-London-Frankfurt-PragueTom Griffith And so I find myself catching a fleeting glimpse of Eastern Europe. In one of those unpredictable moments that occasionally crops up when you're on the road, I ended up deciding to flee Germany for a couple of days, and head to the Czech Republic. I woke up from three hours sleeping on a Frankfurt airport floor, and it seemed like a great idea - hell, it was only ten hours to Prague! After travelling on five trains, and snatching myself several meals of yet-more cold meats on bread (is that all they eat in central Europe?), I had changed my opinion a little. Then, after two hours of traipsing around Prague in the sleet to find a hostel in another country where I didn't speak the language, didn't hold no currency, I was ... read more

I watched a guy get arrested on my first walk through Tiananmen Square. A man in his 50's was standing on the edge of the square, opposite the Great Hall of the People. He was shouting something (in Chinese, obviously) and about five cops jumped him and bundled him into a van. Another group of cops told the gathering crowd to disperse, but I tried to keep an eye on the poor geezer as he was manhandled into the police vehicle. Concerned, I sidled up to an English-speaking tour guide who was explaining the situation to his charges. 'He was probably saying bad things', he told them. ' They will just take him to the station and ask him some questions'. Yeah, we all know what that means. Ironically, in Chinese, Tiananmen means, 'Gate of Heavenly ... read more

Okay, here is a quick history lesson on the Chinese Dynasties from 2200BC until the present. Pay attention, as you will be tested when I get back home. First, there's the Xia, the first civilisation by the Yellow River. Then the Shang, who began developing the Chinese writing style. Following on were the Zhou, around the time when Confucius did his thing. Next were the Qin, about 2200 years ago, when the Terracotta Warriors and the Great Wall were built. A long period under the Han followed that, when bureaucracy began to flourish. The minor Wei, Jin and Sui dynasties leading in to the Tang, which is known now as China's golden era. Next were the Liao, then the Song, and then another Jin, who were toppled by the Mongol hordes under Genghis Khan. The Khans ... read more

Religion, history and tradition are all inextricably linked in China. Although officially an atheist nation, there is some tolerance of China's indigenous, and imported, religions. You still have to be a professed atheist to join the Communist Party (and therefore get into any position of power), but things are a lot rosier for China's Buddhists, Muslims, Taoists and Christians than they were in the tradition-wrecking days of the Cultural Revolution. Hua Shan, a stunning mountain not far from Xi'an, is one of Taoism's five sacred peaks. Taoism is generally agreed to be China's one true native religion, as Confucianism is considered more of a philosophy, and Buddhism originated in Nepal. I can't tell you much about Taoism, except this: the whole basis of the religion is the tao (the way), and it cannot be expressed in ... read more