Well we are here!!! Honestly, never thought we would make it, only dreamed we would. So different to what we have done over the last 2 months. Firstly we have spent our whole time walking in the shade because the sun has been to hot, 35-38c.. Now we spend our time looking for the sun to walk in because it's "bloody" cold, 10c. Had to go out and but long trousers and fleece tops. Now I can hear you all saying "didn't she do her home work?". Yes I did and yes we knew that's what we would have to buy warmer things. Bev wanted to pack some but I didn't want to carry them all over Asia first, (see did think about it!!!) however it has still come as a bit of a shock to the system!!!
We have had two full days here so far, walked miles, (so hope to have lost a few pounds!)  Darling harbour is "darling". Lots of expensive boats and restaurants!! But love it, has loads of open space for kids and all very clean. They love thier fountains here, one on every corner! (almost).
Today it was the opera house and the bridge. We had planed whale watching but due to rough seas it was canceled, even so there was still loads of idiots that we're walking over the top of the bridge!!! Can't fathom out if they have a death wish or plain stupid.
Both were beautiful, but honestly, the bridge is just a bridge, not a patch on London bridge.
We are finding everything very expensive. (be warned any one that plan a trip here, on par with London.) hope it will get better when we get out of town, else we will loose weight because we will be living on bread and water.
And so the next part of our journey will begin!!!
Ps another warning! Wifi is hard to find, or expensive to buy!!!!

These last few days have flown by. It always seems to take a few days to find your way around a place and then your off again. The hotel is ok but a bit out of town, we use taxis mostly and then we discovered the metro!!! Still the closest stop was a good 20 minuets walk and it's to hot to be going back and forth. I think that more signs and more street directions would help tourists get around. We found that some of the best sights are not advertised very much or hard to get to unless you take a tour. The first day we took the open top bus city tour. That helped to get your bearings a bit. Not having much time ment we had to prioritise the things we wanted to see. But then how do you know what to see if you don't know it's there!! I am confused!!! I wanted to see Raffles hotel and Bev the war museum!! (happy sole!). Again we only forum one map stating HOTEL, and only one stating MUSEUM. Raffles was lovely, I love old buildings with history, and this didnt disapoint. White wall, quiet gardens, pure class. But everyone and it's mother was there, so cueing for aftnoon tea was a no goer! The war museum on the other hand was sobering. It took an hour to get there, in the middle of nowhere next to the prison. We asked several people for directions, but very few new where it was, anyway we wouldn't let it beet us and when we did find it it was very interesting, but not really the type of place to visit unless you have some sort of connection to it!!!
Our high light was the Garden by the Bay. Went there on the off chance because on the bus tour we saw some big sculptures from a distance and thought it would be interesting! UNDERSTATMENT. Fantastic. Only opened last October but it was a wow wow wow, we walked around the green houses and the gardens. I have never been to the Eden project, but if this is anything to go by, we must go next year. However it will have to be good to beat this garden. Please google it as my description would not do it justice. All I can say is, you know how the americans love to be the best, well they would be hard pressed to better this!!!

Way hay I have found the paragraph break, much easier on the eyes!!!!

iPad keeps cutting out, anyone have any ideas why or how to fix it??
Well the last week has been a wirlpool! First the great surprise at 1.30 in the morning, when Fay and Luke walked into our room. We were then whisked off to Penange, on day one where we had a week of planed fun to get through. Day two the National Park! More of a jungle hike. We pushed our way through the jungle like natives, just glad we didn't know what could have been in the bushes!! We arrived at a beautiful deserted beach where we all stripped off to our underware and jumped in the sea!! We though this was our destination and was disappointed when we didn't see any monkeys! relieved when a "local"appeared and said "not monkey beach" that's why he looked at us strangly!! Or was it the underware!! To our horror we had only reached half way!!! Too far to turn back!!! Any way another 1-2 hours we arrived at monkey beach and yes called so because of the monkeys that live there!! (dint see that many!!) we could not have walked back so we jump on a boat to go back around the bay and home again!! The boat owners are on to a good thing, just sitting there waiting for stupid tourist to come through the jungle, knowing they would not make it back to the begining again on foot, so its a nice little earner!! We were gone at least 5 hours!!!!
Day three was the temple! "thought, if you'v seen one!!" But this one was pretty impressive and was huge! We wondered round for 2 hours. It is a shame tho as every open space they have filled with a "tat"shop! There is only so many gold Buda a person could buy!!!
Day four was a chill out day. Bev and Fay hung around the hotel, swimming, eating having a foot massage and then ended up in the Hard Rock Hotel next door for cocktails and beer. Why next door you ask? FREE wifi that's why!!! Luke and I took of to the butterfly farm, wonderful! Hundreds of flutterbys. Loved it. Butterflys have always fascinated me, they are so delicate, and colourful. Back to the hotel for afternoon tea.
Day five, a leisurely walk around the botanical gardens, very nice park with lots of different plants and monkeys!!! Saw a big green snake in a tree!! Afternoon tea again in a big hotel on the beach, where Bev had his first Guinness since we left home. Then back to the hotel to pack!
Next morning a good breakfast and a walk down to the beach before our pickup to the airport. The holiday nearly over, a few tears shed and the reality that we are on our own again set in. I am sure this good buy was harder, having experienced some tough traveling, and knowing we still have several months and coutrys ahead of us!!
Still here we are having said our goodbyes, we are in Singapore. We have booked into s "shabby sheik" boutique hotel. Very nice but we are on the front of a busy road with no glass in the windows, just shutters. We didn't get much sleep last night, so for the second time in two months we are going to ask for a change of room!!!!

We have been in Malaysia now for 3 days but it feels like forever!! The first shock came when Fay and Luke walked into our room at 1am the night we arrived! If any of you have seen the Vidio on FB you will know how shocked I was. Bev seemed to be quite calm but later he said how chuffed he was that they had traveled half way round the world to spend a week of our adventure with us. I was completely dumb struck, shocked whatever I felt, I know I must have been the happiest person on earth at that moment! So we took a back seat and have allowed them to organise us, as they seem to have it all planed out!!we traveled by plane to Penang, a town in north Malaysia where there used to be a heavy British military presence, Bev had wanted to see what it was all about, but to be quite honest there is nothing left to say "we were here". (I don't know if he's disappointed or not!) All the Keefe's love to "have a plan!!!!! So the plan for the first real day was the national park and monkey beach. We thought "little foot path, lots of big tropical leaves, and it didn't dissapoint! In fact it was more. The park although "looked after" was hard, like a real jungle!! We climed up and down, swung from ropes, over rocks, through muddy bogs, yes a real jungle. Half way round Bev froze! Which ment that we had to coax him to take every step. Luke was panicking, but bev did fine, then as the drus kicked in, he took off!!!!! Luke panicked even more! Our first evening we ate in a fish resurant "to die for", last night we ate in the local market, both meals were amazing both for quality and the price, two ends of the budget! Luke wasn't happy at the cost of the first, however he enjoyed it just the same! Today we went to visit the biggest working temple in Asia! (Bev and I are all templed out and could have easily have given it a miss, however Luke really wanted to go!!!) in actual fact it was really quit impressive! HUGE! Tomorrow it is a down day, I might take off to the butterfly garden!!

Today is our last day in Viet Nam. Two weeks has been enough, I think it's the holiday syndrome, you usually go home after two week. So for us it's time to move on!! (wounder how we will feel in Australia we plan to have a mounth there!!) We are having a quiet day, a quick trip to the post office first, which cost me another £39.00! However it was quite a treat, the building itself was worth the visit, beautiful, very colonial, high ceilings which keeps it cool, good job because there were no fans and no air con!! Here you don't pack a parcel and send it, no THEY have to pack it for you! It is good to watch a man who loves his job! 1st he selected the box, just long enough to fit the parasol in, he then gently packed the other items, having a good look as he went, asking "for your daughter, how old" he questioned, " why the teddys" when I told him how old Fay was!! Then he cut down the excess height with a very sharp knife and a skilled hand. He carefully folded each side down and stuck it with yellow tape. He then went round and round and up and down with wide white tape! Covering every inch of the box, nice and secure. When you think about this simple job, it gives life to so many people, the packer first, the box manufacture and the sticky tape maker, who going by the use in the post office, they have a job for life! And then the girl that takes the money and so on and so on, A pleasure to watch, good luck Luke when it arrives, you will kneed another sharp knife and lots of patients! Who would know that a simple visit to a post office would justify a half bage blog!!!! We headed out taking pictures as we left. We were planing on a visit to the war museum but Bev decided that it was to hot and to far to walk, so we headed back via the famous Ban Thanh Market. I parked Bev in a nice Hotel with a nice cold drink. (no telegraph tho') I went off for an hour to see what it was all about. You would have thought I had died and gone to heaven, wall to wall materials, clothes ,bags, shoes, but the thought of another trip to the post office reigned my spending in, I left half an hour later having only bought cottons and two new pairs of shorts!!! (I am so board with wearing the same clothes every day!!! But remember "no big size lady") some times too much puts you off!! When we got back to our hotel, Lele asked if we wanted to eat, just a snack we said!! Out came home cooked chicken curry with noodles, to die for, cooked in coconut milk with sweet potatoes, we both wished we could have done it justice but really it's to hot to eat at midday, especially as she also brought out spring rolls, "meat" on skewers, liptons tea (because she knows we like it) and followed up with sweet water melon. Wow all we want to do now is Sleep!!!

The Mekong Delta, what images does that name congur up for you? For me it says American movies, drugged up and mad service men. My favourite was The Deer Hunter. Dirty little bars in the harbors of Sigion, Russian roulette, willing to blow thier brains out for the next fix!!! Well the Mekong is huuuuuuuge so the only place I can imagine the troups wadding waist high in brown water, is through the coconut groves. As we went through on the little rowing boats, you are ALMOST waiting for Al Pachino or Jon Hurt to jump out at you, but that is the end of the similaritys. Really there is no evidence of any war in "recent" years, except every now and again an old face, way older than thier years, has a look of a hard life and you Think and wounder, what did they go through and WHY!!!! The Mekong is big, green and fertile. Everywhere you look there is crops growing or little industries thriving. The people are so friendly, waving as we go by and happy to show us how they make a living. The cynic in me says of course they do, they want you to buy, and yes we do, but not until they have worked for it, and I have knocked the price in half!! The sad thing is they openly beg, our boat "rower" asked for a tip as we were about to land, and yes we would have tipped if he hadn't asked, but it puts my hackles up so I firmly said NO and stuck to it. Tips are given as an acknowledgment of good work or service and not to be asked or begged for. But the Mekong for me was everything I expected. Ho Chi Minh is still being called Sigion by the locals, it's almost like they want every one to know that a name won't change the people that they are, mostly happy and mostly proud. It is only the few that hold thier hands out! The streets are busy and chaotic, colourful and load. It's the type of place that never sleeps. (and keeps us up all night) tomorrow we visit the tunnels, but I won't be crawling through any!!!!

I had a great day today. This morning I spent time booking a hotel in Ho chi Minh. Then leaving Bev in bed went for a wander. Not far just a few streets, but it was quiet and nice to have some me time! I had lunch with Bev then left him sat by the pool reading a book while I went for an afternoon at a craft workshop!!! I loved using my hand again for something other than face book!! Firstly I had an hours painting lesson with a famouse artist.( well they tell me he is, has 2 gallery's and building a third!!!) anyway with a small paint brush and charco paint he taught me how to paint grasses, a boat and a sunset, loved it loved loved it! My second class was making a lantern, the ones you see in the shops or hanging in trees all over Viet Nam! Well I covered it anyway. The bamboo frames came all ready assembled. We just cut squares of see through material and glued them on, most of the hard work would have been making the again I loved it. It was a charity workshop where the proceeds go to help disabled children from very poor homes. Well worth doing. If there was something at home the same I'd like to help!!! It was very inspiring. Anyway I came away feeling relaxed, and about £50 lighter!!!

Hoi An what a little gem. Why has the world not heard of this place !! We left Hanoi on the 7pm sleeper, well if you could call it that, no one really sleeps!! The trains are a moving health hazard, filllllllfeeeee dirrrrrtyyyyyy!!!!! I didn't take a wee from 6pm on the tuesday till 12 pm, lunch time on the Wednesday !!!! (thank god for a good bladder) We had to share a cabin with two strangers, lucky for us they were English, he comes from Burwell, loves Cambridge and has drunk in the Cock in Gamlingay. Small world. Anyway we turned the light off and settled down. Half way through the night Bev was russeling in the bag between us. I thought he was looking for food, as we had brought sandwiches from the hotel to have for dinner and breakfast, you don't dare eat the train food, else you would have to visit the loo a dozen times, and as I said I don't do Viet Nam train loos!!! In the morning he told me that he wasn't looking for food but the four legged furry thing that came to visit was!!!! So glad I slept through it but Bev didn't get a wink after that. Well the sun shone through the dirty windows, which making photos hard to take. The beach sceens that we awoke to were to die for! Stretches of clean white beaches and blue blue seas. (hay it was 6am and we were to far away to see any rubbish, but I assure you it was there!!!,)arriving at Da Nang was an experience. As we unloaded the wheel chair, the train that was no less than 6 inches (yes inches) away from us started to move. We all had to stand still untill it had moved out, then we stepped over the tracks to get to the platform!! Like stepping back to the 17/18 hundreds!!! We were picked up as prearranged and drove to Hoi An. What a gem. Clean streets, smooth roads, 75% less motorbikes, restaurants that really do tempt you to GO IN TO EAT! Clean table cloths, clean floors, etc etc. 2/3days are enough though, as the only thing here are Taylor's and gift shops, the beach is only 4klm for those that want it but we find it to hot. I think that has been the only drawback, we are finding it a struggle, 36/37c every day, makes you tired. The sweat runs off you, and you just can't drink enough cold water! We look to what we can do indoors or by air con cars, but most things here are reached by bike, and mostly the type you have to peddle. We think about it but not for long!!!! But truly a gem. In my opinion, give Hanio a short stay and move on to the countryside, The real Viet Nam.

Tam coc

We have just had an amazing day out!!! We booked a trip to a lesser Known tourist destination called Tam Coc. 3 hour drive west of Hanoi. They have nicknamed it Ha Long in land, and on a smaller scale they are not far off. We didn't mind the tourist so much on this trip mainly because the town has not been spoiled, stil quite basic and in my eyes quite run down,(but I think they like it that way or just don't know any better!) the boats we traveled in were all man powered, no engines at all. So, we had this lady rower who sat behind us and rowed with her feet!! Must be easier than with her arms! Bev kept calling her mama san, but when i looked at her she only loked about 20. We traveled slowly and peacefully though the lotus fields, bright pink flowers that at the moment are just in bud. Then between the paddy fields, lush and green and ready for harvest. Above us the rock formations was huge, also covered in lush vergitation. Slowly we rowed until we reached the cliff where the caves appeared and we traveled, almost laying on our backs under the rocks through the caves until there was "light at the end of the tunnel". It was quite spooky but the rower new exactly where she was going, and the water was only about 2-3 feet deep, nothing to worry about! When we got to the "end" we turned around and came back, the views look different from a different angle!! At the "turminal!" there were several ladies in thier boats selling stuff, trouble is they take it for granted that we will pay for the rowers food+drink as well! Then after I paid, the seller started asking for money for her, begging its called!! I had already had a run in at a pits stop when this woman wanted to keep my change!! I am afraid I wasn't having any of it and keeps on at her untill she gave me back what was rightfully mine, the money is not the issue, it's the fact that they see us at rich and don't like it!! It's the principle as well, a price was agread on and she wanted to break that agreement!!! It kind of leaves a nasty taste in your mouth. Makes you want to not buy any thing, this was just over a bottle of water!!! Any way it was such an amazing day that we would not let it spoil the day. It was so peaceful, so relaxing. More of those please.

Well today has been a bit of an odd day!! Started well, went out-came back!!! Had a sleep!!(was tired as didn't sleep ever so well on the boat). Went out again, walked to the lake to sit and have an ice cream and just chill. That was ok but the waitress had a face like a slapped ass! As we were sat in the garden, just chilling, something caught my eye, didn't take much notice but then a few minuets later, a dirty great big rat came back and shot down a hole about 4 feet away from us. We did not hang around for the second visit!! It was hot so we decided to give the cyclo a go. Some poor chap sat on a bicycle with us sat in the front buggy while he peddled like mad, through all the traffic to get us back to the hotel, I giggled all the way!! Face time at six with Fay and the family, left me amazed at how tall Jack has grown, he has now taken over Amber, he hated being shorter that her!!! Then we went out for dinner. First we visited about six ATMs before one of them would give us any money. Bev thought that he had take out about 5000000 about £150.00, when we sat down to dinned he checked and had only taken out 5000 about £15.00 but that was ok as 2 sweet and sour chickens, two rice a large beer and a sprit came to less than £8.00. However this was the funny way to end our day! We chose this restaurant that was only 2 doors up from the hotel. We had eaten our way through most of the hotel menu!!! Anyway it looked quite modern so we figured the kitchens should be ok and also it was a sports bar with sky tv, no customers but Wimbledon showing. So we ordered and sat. The dinner took ages but the tennis was good so we didn't mind the wait. The chief turned up then left again. 20 minuets later we saw him trotting up the road with a tray of cooked food, we could not believe our eyes. He had gone to another restaurant and ordered it from there. If you could see some of these street kitchens you would understand our reasons for not eating out very much. Anyway we ate it and it was actually quite good, just hope we don't need the Imodium tomorrow!! So now sat in bed hoping to enjoy the tennis to have it rained off! Why dont they keep the roof on, the amount off rain you'v had this year, it would make sence!, If it makes anyone feel better, we have had rain every day we have been here!! Even thunder and lightening. As I said funny day all in all!,

Ha long

We have just got back from HaLong Bay. It's the place they photograph for all the travel brouchures, but it makes you appreciate the types of cameras the pros use and of course their experties and patience to get that correct shot, (also a bit of set management and I expect a great amount of air brushing!!!). The place was fantastic, there has a been a few places where Bev and I have sat back and thought, yes this is what it's all about, and Ha Long was one of them, awsome!!! I wanted to take so many photos, but I just couldn't do it justice. The place must be on par with the Grand Cannion in size. I am just unsure about the amount of site seeing boats, I know we were one of them, but they are in grave danger of spoilling such a natural beautie. For instance part of the sell is anchoring overnight in a secluded lagoon and watch the sun go down before dinner, yes nearly right, along with 13 other boats anchored overnight!!!! But the setting sun was amazing and dinner was delicious. 2 out of 3 not bad. Midnight came with thunder and lightening, and it rained non stop all the way back to our lovely hotel in Hanio. It was almost like coming home, the staf greeted us as long lost family with cold drinks and our bags,(left in the store room overnight) had already been taken to the same room we had before. Service with a smile!!!! We as a country could certainly learn from it. On the boat were several europeans back packing through Vietnam, very nice people and we exchanged stories and plans. I must say tho they make it sound hard work, carrying those huge rucksacks and sleeping in hostels and eating on the streets,!! Not for me I am afraid!we are both pleased that we have now started to see the real Vietnam and not just the hassle and bustle of Hanio.

HELLO VIETNAM! Or at least from Vietnam. We arrived Sunday, but it feels like we have been here forever. The first night was late so just ate in our room which had been pre-booked. Not a cheap hotel, so we were both thrilled with how comfortable the bed was. In China and hong Kong every night felt like we were sleeping on the floor. I didn't mind and actually slept quit well. But bev didn't have a full nights sleep until we got here, we just sunk into it, and the pillows, all feathers!! The first day in daylight we venchered out to the streets. We were only booked in the hotel for 2 nights so first job of the day was to find hotel no' 2. We almost considered staying put but at £83.00 a night, 2 was enough. We used Tripadviser which has been great, loads of reviews. So short listed 6 to visit. (after Sri Lanka we have learnt not to book without seeing the room first!!) so off we set, 2nd job of the day, new bags. The green one was far to heavy and had started to give up. (coarse that could be something to do with the amount we were lugging around with us, so we have dumped quite a bit and sent home a huge parcel!!) we took a good street map from reception and set ou. We found the one road that seems to Be the road that leads to all roads! But if you stray off you end up in a labyrinth of little roads not even on the map, ( great fun ), wall to wall street shops all selling more or less the same, but know one in a hurry to actually sell you anything! In some shops the owners were asleep in the chair or on the floor, very trusting, but then with so much stock held, would they even know if anything had been knocked!!! Anyway we visited a few hotels on the list and also a few that we're not. We ended up in the Angel Palace Hotel. Anyone planing a visit to Vietnam aim for the Angel!! It is a palace. (photos on FB) once moved in we don't want to leave. Popped our heads out for a few hours in the morning to visit the museums and will wander the streets when it gets cooler later in the afternoon. We ARE the only ones in the hotel!!! They have only been open two months and I don't think anyone has used our room!! We have a terrace balcony that looks out over the city, queen size bed and a jacoozy in the bathroom. All for £41.00 a night. We have booked for two nights but will probably stay for 4 as we need the time to sort out our trip to Hanlong bay and south, and to rest. Buy the way found an amazing market where we got two good bags. I bargained hard and got both for less than she was asking for one!!! (Still have the touch!!) now need to loose Bev for an hour to go back. Trouble is we neither of us feel we want to go out alone yet, it would be so easy to get lost, maybe tomorrow. The streets are as I expected, in need of a lot of repair, so trying not to use the wheel chair. What we weren't expecting was the number of small moter bikes. They out number the cars 10 to 1 at least, of course you have to have a death wish to ride one, as they have no rules at all. They even ride them on the foot path! The shops on the main road all look pretty glam, and at first I didn't go in because I am not into buying designer stuff. However saw a handbag that I liked so just went in to see how much, listen there is no way a real Burburry bag only cost £12.00!!!! I might treat myself after all, I can feel another parcel coming home. If I keep them small I could send them airmail, as the one sent yesterday will go sea mail and will take 2-3 months even then it cost me £26.00. Hanoi is really about shopping I feel, we need to get out of the town to see the real Vietnam. Will keep you updated!

Back again!! Well the surprise we woke up to was where we had docked over night!! It was still raining hard and there was a fog as thick as pea soup, as they say. Mind you that could be pollution , as China is well known for it. They are trying tho and have introduced an electric moped, which every one runs an extension cable from the house to the bike out side, IN ALL WEATHERS!!!!. Anyway back to the "great landing". We were a few 100 mt away from the bank, so we walked, with our luggage across at least 4 floating "bridge" things, with no sides to stop us falling in the Yangtze, they were metal wet and very slippery. ( ever seen its a knock out !!!) once over the landing bridges we preceded to climb up the wet muddy banks, where some kind sole had thought that pieces of plywood would help, whereas they just became soggy, wet and just as slippery! when we made it to the top of the bank,we then had a climb of at least 75 steps. I don't do steps very well at the best of times, and by the time I got to the top, there was only one family behind, they had a small baby and two oldie who were in their 70s, they struggled!!!! ( when they got on the bus the mum fed the baby solidly for two hours, which brought on projectal vomiting, mum who was still not happy about the muddy climb, took the worst,and world war 3 broke out with the husband, as he was sat in the front, 3 rows down, and she was covered in sick, we laughed) any way we all made it to the bus without taking a dip!! We then had a two hour drive to meet up at our original destination and the new driver to take us to the hotel. The next day was the Pandas. This was nothing like a zoo, thank goodness. It was a breeding centre famouse for trying to stop the pandas from disappearing. It was a lovely place, they had loads of room to wander, to climb or just to lay about, which is what they do best to conserve energy, (don't know what they are conserving it for, it's not like they make use of it!!!) they were so cuteeee I fell in love with each one, my camera was steaming at the number of photos I took. I could have stayed for hours just watching them eat and sleep, sleep and eat. The rest of they day was free so we made the most of it and sleeped ourselves. The next day we flew to Hangzuo to see the famouse west lake. We tried to cycle around but Bev was too unsteady and a large part was on the road with cars etc, so we told the others to go on and we just poodles around one end of the lake, watching the world go buy, eating ice cream and drinking cold coke. We loved it. Our final journey was again by train to shanghai arriving early pm where we just wandered and took in the sights. Shanghai is a very modern city, with lots of very impressive buildings. Of course there is also the famouse Peace Hotel where it is said that Charlie Chaplin visited with several different mistresses, all at different times of course. And that was the end of China. The next day we flew back to Hong Kong for our connection to Vietnam. China was definatly a different country and so huge!! I have many lasting memories. Good ones like the villages, the lovely people,, who often came to my rescue with Bev, the gorges, the Pandas and the vastness of the country. A country full of contradictions. I will also take the bad memories, the noise, the smell, the spitting and the toilets, as Luke said you have to take the rough with the smooth. But my final memory will be as I looked back at that dirty rushing river, and thought I must have a screw loose to be doing this at my age. So would I do it again, yes but I would have to be at least 30 years younger.

Having got over our train journey, the village we stayed at was amazing, this country is definatly one of contrasts. The people seem to live poorly, all in one room at the back of the shop. However they all have mobiles,tv, fridges, freezers, and yet each morning the women go down to the river to do the back breaking job of washing the clothes. Thats why all the towels are grey!!!!The houses are of the old style, on stilts. The whole place comes alive at night, but we were the only Europeans there. (All week it was the same until we got to Chengdu and then even we were surprised to see other "white" people.) While staying here we visited a mountain village which was amazing,we walked through to the fields behind and after a tough walk we came across a wonderful waterfall and small lake. While we were on one of our days out we stoped for petrol in a brand new station. They were just opening the shop, they had two photographers hungry to take pictures but had noone to open the store!! So they asked us if we would mind posing for the camera, well being an avide shopper how could we say no, bev said i was a natural!!!! They wanted to give us loads of goods to take away, but knowing we would have to carry it we said no, but we still came away with a few things each, i had a jar of manderins of all things and an iced coffe. I am adding to the cv "avaliable for supermarket openings as seen on chinesse bill boards!" the next day We boarded another train to get to the Yangtze river for our boat cruise, again we were the only Europeans. The Chinese were surprised that we ate every thing the same as them and did all the same trips, they were very friendly, to start just nodding, then asking questions. They loved it when we learned how to play marjone, and stood behind us itching to help, so to keep them happy we asked for help now and again. I loved the game, we only learnt the basics but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, before we knew it we had been playing for 5 hours!! It was dark out side so we weren't missing anything!!!. This river trip was awesome, every corner was a new view. We took trips out twice, once to see an amazing dam and locks that we actually went through that night, Bev loved it. We also took about trip through a smaller gorge that ended with a walk. This was fantastic, I loved the size of it, and it was just what I expected from the trip. We were sorry to be finishing the trip but as the weather turned nasty and wet the views became hazy. We docked early, not where we should have been, which moment the next morning a big surprise was waiting for us!!!! See you tomorrow.

Hello again. Now left China so able to access blog and face book. I missed not keeping a record on line so wrote a diary every day, something I have never done before. I am finding that as the weeks go by country's blend into one, days are lost in travel. All ready the first week in China is fading and I need my diary and photos to remember. ( or is that the old cronie in me!!) well I will keep china brief, but will start with the first day as that was horrendous, how we didn't pack up and go home I don't know!! When we set out on this trip, we packed light, 1 medium suite case, a small holdal and hand luggage, mainly for Bevs pills, and the travel wheel chair. (thank god we did, as that became our luggage trolly!!!) We had already sent home several things that we hadn't worn in the first few weeks so thought we were doing good! The day our tour in china started we were told that we kneaded to take the subway to catch the bullet train. No taxi I asked, to far she replayed! So we walked dragging our own bags down the street, down stairs to the subway,( very few lifts in these places!) then we changed to train. No'2, then we had to walk through customs into China to board the bullet train. Great I thought if the rest of the train journey is as good as the bullet, we would cope! We were lead into a false sence of security! After going in and out of afew different stations, up and down several more stairs, pushing and shoving, hot and bothered we fought to get onto the sleeper. Our bunk was booked, but we're told that the food was not to good on board so to bring our own, (another thing to carry! Well for those of you that know me, I was not best impressed! There were no "cabins" just open corridors, six to a compartment, as the oldest we were given the bottom bunks, Bev would never have got up and down in the night for the loo! As it happened he didn't go many times and I only went once in 16 hours. I was to afraid of fainting with the smell. They were appalling, and that is an understatement. No air con, just open windows in 33-35c. It was a living hell. People coming and going all night, and they don't talk they shout to each other from the other end of the carriage!! We had bought Chinese "pop noodles" which everyone seems to eat, so we didn't go hungry, thank god as the "chief" went up and down with a dirty old cart serving food, open to every cough and sneeze going. At 4 in the morning, very British we had cerial and a very British cup of tea, also having carried it in our luggage. I couldn't wait to get off, and was very worried that the whole trip was going to be this bad, fortunately it got better as the days went by. But the Chinese are NEVER on time for any thing so off course we were two hours later than expected, all I wanted to do is shower and change out of the clothe we had slept in. before we could we had an hour and 45 minuets drive to the hotel. The driver was a mad man and my placid, calm Bev had just about had enough, and shouted at him to slow down and drive better, we both wanted to arrive in one piece! We had a few minor hick ups after this day, but mostly it did get better and I am so glad I visited this huge huge country. You have to take the rough with the smooth!!!