So we arrived in Beijing at about 6.30am on the 3rd April, after a two-leg flight from Adelaide and a 7 hour stop at Singapore airport, which sounds boring, unless you've been to Changi airport before yourselves that is!! It's awesome and you could spend more than 7 hours wandering around as there's so much to see and do. They even have a transit hotel at each terminal where you pay for a room for 6 hours, to have a kip before your next flight. We tried to check in but they were fully booked - shame and it would have only set us back about 20 quid! Instead we made use of the free cinema they have, used one of 350 free internet computers to check emails etc and then had some dinner and played cards over a few coffees at one of the hundreds of restaurants. We could have also played on the free PS3 and many other games consoles, taken a dip in the spa and pool on the deck (we didn't have any swimmers as didn't know this was here!) or taken a free 2 hour tour around Singapore city (we found out about this too late, so bare it in mind if you're likely to be transitting at Changi airport for more than 5 hours, as it's a great idea!). Wow, that's just Singapore Airport, better get on and tell you about Beijing!! . . .

We were pretty shattered when we arrived to the hostel, which is more like  hotel by the way and for 20 pounds the room beats any of the hostels we stayed in whilst in NZ and Australia!, so we slept (or tried, as there was some really loud work going on - much like alot of Beijing at the moment in preparation for the Olympics) for a while and then decided to brave the outdoors and explore a little whilst looking for some dinner. We didn't venture far actually as all the nearby restaurants nearby were all in Chinese only and I'm not exaggerating when I say literraly none of the Chinese speak English (good luck come August when the Westerners arrive!) so we did a terrible thing and got a trusty Mcdonalds, where they had an English cardthat we could point at, at the tills. The devil getting us was that Mcdonalds was far busier than any other restaurant (they're obsessed with it out here!) and it didn't taste all that good anyway - a great reason not to have it again! Before bed that first night we decided to have a few beers in the hostel bar and gave our Mandarin a try with the barman, who seemed amused by us and helped us learn a few other words. We've got a phrasebook, so are making an effort to say what we can . . . . actually without doing this we'd be in trouble as you can't even get a taxi without having where you're going written down in chinese symbols and even that can prove to be difficult, as they seem particularly piccy with who they pick up . . . you probably end up getting the 10th taxi you hail - it's seriously annoying and again god help them when the Olympics starts!

The next day we got up early to the sound of drilling, which wasn't meant to start until 9am, but they're obviously keen to get it done, as this began at 8, a time that hasn't existed much for us over the last three months - oh the joys of travelling! We took a different direction to the evening before and found a noodle bar for breakfast, as there was nothing that resembled a western breakfast anywhere to be seen. I had chicken noodles, and James (who at this point was determined to avoid meat at all costs) indulged in the tiniest salad I've ever seen. The noodles were ok, chicken was fine and better than that from Mcdonalds, but a little weird having this dish for breaky - oh well it's all part of it I guess?! For the rest of the day we miandered round the city, window shopping and sussing out what was where etc. That evening we met with our tour guide (Jami from California) and the rest of the group - 12 others, from Australia, New Zealand, America, Argentina, UK and yep you guessed it - Germany! They seem like a really nice group, so we're happy about our company for the next three weeks. We all went for a meal together - our first proper Chinese banquet and it was amazing. We let Jami order for us, which was far easier and then we all tucked into a selection of vegetarian, chicken and beef dishes. Afterwards a few of us had some beers in the hostel bar so we got to know each other a bit better, as you usually do after a few drinks!

The next morning, we had sore heads - this was only after 5 beers (I won't mention the size of the bottles) - we're definitely not used to it!! This meant we didn't arise until 1pm - whoops! When we did we headed for yet another area of this huge city and found a food hall in one of the hundreds of shopping malls where we shared a curry pizza, washed down with free coffee - nice touch! We also explored osmeof the Hatong markets that were near our hotel (Hatongs are basically narrow alleyways that are homes to many local residents, but they have the front part of their home as a tiny shop or food stall). This wasn't that great as there wasn't much to see, but worth having a little look to see how the poorer people of Beijing live. That evening, along with a few others in our group, we headed to the Red Theatre to watch a Kung Fu show (Chun Yi - The Legend of Kungfu). It was fantastic! Probably the best show I've ever seen! The martial arts, dancing, singing and the whole set up were just out of this world and really gave us a taste of the history of Kungfu and the monks . . . awesome!

Today has been our last day in Beijing and we went to visit Tiananmen Square - the largest square in the world - it's 122 acres and consists of vast concrete space (as you'd expect from a square!), monuments, other historical buildings and a Mausoleum, which is the home to the Chairman Mao's embalmed body (although there are rumours it could be a waxwork!). From there we walked around the Forbidden City, which is the largest and best preserved cluster of ancient buildings in China, and if you're interested is officially known as the Palace Museum. It was great to see, although it's been a smoggy day (although they like to call it fog out here!) so the photos probably aren't the best. Afterwards we had another banquet meal with 6 others of our group and then headed for Hou Hai Lake, which is a lovely area of bars, restaurants and also home to much better Hutong areas, with far more pleasing shops, food and craft stalls. Tonight James and I are going to go to a Peking Duck restaurant (as this is a must do in Beijing particularly) and then we may hook up with the rest of the group to explore Beijing by night if we get time . . . .

So far in China so good though - the change from Australia is thankfully received as we are now really starting an adventure. You have to get used the culture change pretty quickly and the main things that seem bizarre are that the Chinese people make no effort to hide the fact that they are staring at you, to the point where some actually stop in their tracks, some point and some even take photos of you! At one point a really cute little boy (probably about 2) walked past us with his parents and shouted out what sounded like 'Wow' and I'd imagine was something pretty similar in Mandarin and couldn't stop staring at us. I said hello in Mandarin and then he proceeded to point directly at me and once freed from his parents hand he came right over to me, still pointing. I thought he was amazed at the size of my big nose at this point and became a little paranoid, but it wasn't until he reached me that I realised he was stunned my Chinese tattoo! This was really funny and eventually his parents managed to drag him off, whilst we waved, laughing at how we're not sure whether to feel like celebrities or leppers! You also have to get used to the rancid hawking and spitting that comes from all directions as well as the pushing and shoving that they make no bones about - seriously who taught the Chinese manners?! The other thing in Beijing that is at first pretty daunting is the roads, drivers, cyclists and even pedestrians! There seems to be no rules about stopping at red lights and going when they're green - we've been at some of the hugest crossroads in the middle of the city, with people walking through the centre, cyclists just everywhere and the cars and buses ploughing through beeping their horns, even if the pedestrian crossing light is green! - It's absolute bloody mayhem!

Ok folks, we'll write again as soon as we get chance . . . off to the Great Wall tomorrow and can't wait!