We’re currently in Mexico just beginning the ‘second half’ of our great adventure. We’ve been spoilt rotten by our family whilst back in the UK for a couple of days nad had a really great (and loud) early Christmas meal on Saturday. I had been losing weight but no longer thanks to chocolate torte, rhubarb fool, cheese, muffins, butter croissants and all manner of other naughty things.
We have also done an awful lot of travelling in the last week (Hong Kong-Paris-London-Chicago-Cancun-PlayaDeCarmen-and still going) which has given us plenty of time to work out some favourites from our China trip, so here they are:
They’re better than fruit!
Will’s Top Three Foods :
1. Locust 2. Dumplings 3. Aubergine claypot
Matt’s Food disasters:
1. Purple uncooked gelatinous dough ball 2. Enough hotpot ingredients for twenty 3. Sweet corn flavoured sweets
Through to the Giggling Tree
Ellie’s Top Three Hostels :
1. The Giggling Tree (Yangshou) 2. Mama Naxi’s (Lijiang) 3. Downtown Pack packers (Beijing)
Unexpected acts of kindness:
1. Hong Kong hospitality 2. Taxi driver taking us around Chenyang until he was sure we had somewhere to stay 3. Being looked after by our fellow tourists on our Chinese tour experience.
On your bike!
Will’s Top Four Transports :
1. Aeroplane 2. Golf cart 3. Bicycle 4. Yak
Ellie’s Top Three Foods :
1. Mama Naxi’s mince 2. Golden Monkey Sweets 3. Green pot noodle
Matt’s Top Three Places To Go Back To:
1. Yangshou 2. Lamma Island 3. Dali
Who’d like a cuddle?
Ellie’s Top Three Animals :
1. Panda 2. Yak 3. Monkeys
Jo’s Top Three Walks :
1. Tai Long Beach (Hong Kong) 2. The Great Wall 3. Huanglong National Park
At the top
Jo’s Top Four Activities:
1. Nosing at other people’s every day lives 2. Walking 3. Cycling 4. Visiting the Pandas
Matt’s Top Three Adventures:
1. Walking the wild great wall at Jinkaou 2. Bike and raft trip on the You long river 3. Trip to Longii and Changyang
Jo’s Top Three Scary moments:
1. Driver falling asleep on way back from Pingle 2. Getting back to Jiazgou park entrance, looking for our guide in a sea of yellow flags. Realising we don’t know her name, the name of the tour company, where we’re supposed to be staying or how to ask any of those things. 3. Matt leading us through the jungle near the rice terraces, thinking there may be a snake or spider or dog or horse around the next corner.
Hello Lily
Our Top People:
1. Michael and all the friends in Hong Kong 2. Mama Naxi and her daughter 3. Lily Copeland
Matt’s Top Three ‘we can laugh about them now’ moments:
1. Jo’s ‘near death’ experience with Chengdu hotpot. 2. Singing Queen songs at the top of our voices to keep a bemused driver awake. 3. Being driven into the dark countryside in an unmarked bus with a non-english speaking driver hoping to find the no-nail bridge.
Silver in her hair.
Ellie’s Top Things for 10 yuan:
1. Calligraphy brush 2. Necklace for mummy 3. Peacock hairclip
Matt’s Most Common Phrases to the kids:
1. Just leave each other alone 2. Will, sit still 3. Stop reading your book and look out the window
Eye, eye, something fishy going on.
Ellie’s food never to be repeated:
1. Sweet corn crisps 2. Cheesy wotsits that weren’t 3. Beer fish, especially it’s eyes
Matt’s Top Three Foods:
1. Salmon and crab roe sushi in Hong Kong 2. Leek and pork dumplings in Dali 3. Crispy omelette pancake, street food in Chengdu