Day 20-22 (April 1-3) The overnight train journey to Beijing was comfortable in our 4 berth soft sleeper. We were split up a fair bit as the trip to Beijing is popular. We shared the cabin with two Chinese ladies who didn’t speak any English, however when our leader came to make sure we were up the following morning they had great fun repeating the phrase “wakey-wakey” to us. Beijing is such a different city to all the others we had seen in China. There are great wide streets everywhere giving the city an expansive feel. It appears very clean (not dusty) and not chaotic. There were many more traffic lights and more people seemed to obey them (well some anyway). We reached our hotel which was located ideally close to Ti’anAnmen Square and the Forbidden ... read more

Day 15-16 (March 28-29) The following day we took a flight to Hangzhou. The weather was still wet but we headed out anyway. First stop of course was lunch - noodle soup, dumplings and peach juice. We waited for a boat to take us across the lake watching some squirrels play around a tree. Reaching a small island in the middle of the lake we saw another of the currency sites. It was 3 lanterns set in the water - 3 moon mirror pools. There were some interesting legends involving theft of light and recapturing the light from the moon as well as another that involved a woman who was a snake who fell in love with a man and married only to have a local monk discover them and after several dramatic twists they became ... read more

Day 9-11 (March 22-24) We set out the following day for Chongqing by train, 4 hours. It was very comfortable and good to look out at the scenery. Lunch was of course noodles on the train which is the staple fare for train travel. Our leader arranged for the local hostel where we were going to have dinner to pick us up (better than the crowded local bus). Arriving on the Yangtze waterfront winding down from the hill. The tide was well out and so there were many pontoons aligned to make a pathway out to our Cruise boat. We were lucky to be able to check in early to stow our luggage before setting out for an early dinner. As Chongqing is built into the hillsides that rise from the banks of the Yangtze there ... read more

Day 4-6 (March 17-19) We set off about lunch time via a local train to the border. Here we passed through customs leaving Hong Kong and then walked through a no-mans land to the Chinese border in Shenzhen. We experienced no problems at the border and proceeded on to the station. We were to catch an overnight sleeper to Guilin, so of course the staples for the journey had to be purchased (two minute noodles, but real Chinese flavours & chilli). We waited in a pretty comfy lounge until boarding time. The train was comfortable and smooth, with firm beds. We arrived in Guilin around 6 and onto a bus for the hour and a half journey to Yangshuo. Apparently they used to base the trips in Guilin but it has become too over run with ... read more

Day 12-14 (March 11-13) From Hiroshima it was on to Kyoto via Shinkansen of course (just love them). On the way making a stop at the famous Himiji Castle. We were met there by an English speaking guide who was able to share the secrets of the castle. The castle was designed as a fortress to protect the Shogun in time of attack. There were many gates to pass through to even get to the castle proper and the paths were designed to lead you in the wrong direction. What looked welcoming and going up often led you to dead ends, traps or places that you could be shot at from above or have scalding water or stones dropped on you. The castle itself was quite sparse as it was not designed for living in so ... read more