beijing beginnings

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Arrived in Beijing and battled our way through the bustle on a local bus from the airport in which Hywel and his rucksack took up most of the space. Like zombies went to a nightmarket where all sorts were waved at us on sticks from strawberries to scorpions and then to tiannamen square for a walk. Amazed by the throat and lung racking of the chinese followed by the customary spitting by the side of the road! Weather is beautiful today and we have spent the afternoon strolling around the summer palace and can completely understand why the emperors chose to while away their summers there away from the frenetic bustle and garish colours of the city.

Also the beer is 3 yuan a go! That's about 20p! The only English speaking we have so far encountered is a small child who ran up to us, said "Hello" then 'Bye Bye" and ran off. Hywel used chinese sign language to get paying for the cab completely wrong yesterday. Hywel's "famous" sense of direction let him down yesterday and Charlotte (a girl) had to correct him. "Finding Yourself " is proving traumatic.

Anyway here's some photos of our progress so far.....

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Comments

[Livs]

Hostel luxury
Please take more pictures of hostels to prove to Barnes that they are acceptable (even pleasant!) places to stay... :o)

[barnes]

you call this finding yourselves??!!!
-call that a hostel. where are the other 17 people sharing that room? and the cockroaches? - it's not finding yourself if u can still find the internet. get back to nature. - a worrying lack of ethnic beads. call yourself travellers. - no pictures of life long friends made along the way whilst stranded on a broken down bus surrounded by chickens and goats. i am concluding you've actually photo-shopped some travel brochures and are actually still in wales..... ps - did u remember the torches?

[deleted_18787]

call this finding yourselves??
-where are the other 17 people sharing your hostel room? and the cockroaches? -if u can find an internet, you wont be able to find yourself -no pictures of lifelong friends you met whilst stranded for 17 hours on a broken down bus, surrounded by goats and chickens -a worrying lack of ethnic beads are u two really still in wales and have just photo-shopped some old pictures? in the unlikely event you've actually left the country - hope the torches are useful!