The incredible Beijing

Wow, at last We have connectivity. China blocks Facebook and blogging sites so we weren't able to update the blog while we were there. And now that we have arrived in London the apartments we are staying in use British Telecom, who have developed an issue with Apple devices using wifi - the use of Flash won't allow a connection to take place. So I (Troy) have resorted to using 3G on my phone to finally provide an update, so this will be brief. Beijing was amazing! Grant climbed the first set of stairs onto the Great Wall to an amazing crowd ovation. Everyone within 50 meters (and there were thousands on the Wall) turned and clapped Grant's fantastic effort. We then pushed him in his chair up to the first exit as the first section is incredibly steep. I then took on the challenge to climb to the top - about 3000 steps several hundred meters up. View was stunning but the smog made visibility difficult. Jelly legs at the top made the descent treacherous! Especially in 36 degree heat! We then went Tianenmen Square, the communist heart of China. My questions about 1989 protests made the guide nervous I think as it is dotted with police,soldiers and secret police. We saw several men being questioned and searched on the spot. We also visited a state run Silk factory, which was really interesting but we didn't get to see the workers in action. Traffic in Beijing is... Tricky. Indicators are optional - as in almost always never used. As is staying in your lane. And then there is trying to cross the road - you take your life into your own hands! Pedestrians DO NOT have right of way. It is an eye opener! And we went to the Silk Street Market on the first day. Wow! 4-5 floors of stalls where the "retail assistants" yell at you to look at their stuff, which is the same as the stalls next to them for 100 meters, and they are quite aggressively trying to get your attention. Jo, the shopping queen, was quite intimidated, as was I. Then we (I) decided it would be interesting to walk back to the hotel. Interesting, check. Hot, check! Lost, check! Haha we finally made it after an hour or more, again in 32+ degree heat. Anyway, got up at 6am this morning to leave for London - 23 hours ago. Will update with london info tomorrow. Jo has crashed and Grant has also gone to bed. My turn now. Will see if we can update from free McDonalds wifi -as suggested by hotel staff - tomorrow. Good night everyone Troy, Jo and Grant

Pre-trip welcome

Welcome to our blog! Jo, Troy and Grant are getting ready to take off on our big adventure, in 4 sleeps. We'll be heading to Beijing, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, driving the south of France, Florence, Rome and finally Los Angeles. We'll blog the things we do and see so you can can keep a track of us. So keep an eye on this page and let's see where it takes us!