Brenda and Will Allen's joint birthday in London before we left for China
It was Chinese New Year's eve when we arrived in Shanghai (view from Radisson at midnight)
Next day from the Bund, towards the business district...
... and night - shortly before Brenda was pickpocketed!
New Year message hot air balloons being set off everywhere (illegally) into the night sky.
Chicken feet! Yum!!
Typical street scene in Shanghai...
Always the washing!
A 'pass the parcel' child.
Food sellers in Xi'an...
... and more.
Xi'an is the rest-stop to visit the Terracotta Warriors (pit 1) ...
Where we had a long and interesting tea stop to refresh and warm up (freezing in the vast halls over the 3 pits).
The misty mountains of Hua Shan were the highlight of the whole trip, probably.
Before spending 5 nights in Beijing - even colder!
3000km by train to the south, here at Guilin was a very welcome respite.
The son in front of the Sun and Moon pagodas at Guilin...
Where we saw the charming (but very lethargic) pandas.
Before traveling down the Li river to Yang Shuo, for 5 nights.
The river seems timeless and is used by all.
Granny is all important in child care - note the giant westerner!
An MoT is not essential for motor transport.
Cool hat - we cycled through the fabulous rural countryside around Yang Shuo one day ...
... negotiating directions. Piers being our ever helpful inter peter (no English spoken out of towns AT ALL) - we would have been both lost and probably starved without him!!
Very humbling to see a face such as this, trading a few Yuan for fruit and peanuts as we walked downstream for 4 hours...
... most of the traders are women.
We bought this picture as a souvenir for Deep Blue
This chap is 80 years old and to this day still fishes using a small flock/shoal (?) of 6 trained cormorants, which generally take 2 years to train and live for 20.
Happy with our western breakfast!
KFC, McDs, and Burger King abound in the bigger towns - this lady we were sure had received the food as a gift. (Nanjing)
Preferable to the alternative?!
The military on the move back at the Shanghai train station
Our luxury charabanc awaits us back at Heathrow airport - bless you Suzie! Yes, we three + luggage did fit!!!
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