The begining of the beginning...

---

The journey over from Manchester was a long one, although the first leg to Abu Dhabi was brightened by films and ice cream- Well done Etihad, you did us proud!!- the second leg was not so fun. Lack of sleep and inability to find a comfy sleeping position without setting off the "help" button made me extra popuar with passengers and flight attendants alike.

I arrived early into the new and shiny Beijing city central airport which although huge, was as eerily empty. I breezed out into the arrivals lounge expecting to see an Ally shaped face waiting for me but there was no sign of our noble champion. After some faffing and 1 1/2 hours of standing hopefully in the same obvious place with no word, no answer and no reply to the multiple frantic texts, I concluded that the hero of the hour had either overslept, or was dead. Either way, he was not coming to my rescue so after consulting the lonley planet under "what to do when your only friend abandons you" I got on a bus and headed for the centre of Beijing.

Of course at that point Ally; 3 hours after I landed, had finished reading his book decided that he had better ring me and find out if I was ok... Turns out through all my level headedness and logical response to the crisis, I had simply not put +44 infront of his English number which he was using. Anyway having failed to find each other when we had been but a few yards away in the ariport, we thought we'd have a go meeting up in the centre of Beijing. Finally, only 4 hours 10minutes after I landed, we met outside Beijing Train station. Well done "gifted" young people, you have passed the real world test.

The next three days were spent jetlagged as we failure to go to sleep before 2am resulted in an inability to move before midday. (Perhaps a normal teeenage sleeping pattern, but under the guise of jetlag) We went round the Summer Palace, the Silk market and to the Lost sea with out helpful guide and friend Allen.

Ally and I rented a small motorised boat and putted round the Lost Sea (Houhai Lake) Being back on the water did result in a hulk-like transformation in sailor Ally as he bellowed in his finest english the rules of the sea; "Port to Port" and "Its our right of way, we're moving upstream" yet the poor chinese in their meagre peddloes could do nothing but smile and wave at pompus english and their fancy motorised boat...

With Ally safely despached this morning for the long and ice-cream-less journey back to London (see...Etihad rules!) I checked into hostel where I will be meeting the Intrepid crew tomorrow.

P.S Photos will go up once I have worked out how to do so... in chinese!!

---