A two hour flight North from Guangzhou, which yes could get you to the south of France from the UK, meant we reached Xian, our first destination. A Chinese City known for its City Wall, history of the first Political site of Ancient China and the Terracotta Warriors uncovered beneath a field of pomegranate trees.
Our hotel, PuSu Boutique, was about a 50min drive from the airport and was situated near the South gate of the city wall, with the wall right outside the hotel. The hotel was quite chic in terms of the decor and was quite a small hotel which meant that it was quiet and we were well looked after.

Wasting no time after checking in we checked out the ancient city wall. We hired tandem bikes to cycle around the 12km of wall which was definitely the most time efficient way. However, the ride was perhaps not as comfortable as having your own bikes with the uneven laying of the top of the wall and lack of rear suspension! But it certainly was a novelty and it was nice to take a short break every now and again! The views were cool looking at the surrounding parts of the wall where it was the new part of the city with the high rise buildings in contrast to the older parts enclosed by the wall. It was definitely worth doing and it was good that the weather was not too hot either as it is very exposed on the wall.

I thought Elaine should experience my China life!! Checked out a different nail bar which was more Chinese style than a more modern boutique I usually go to. They had a big flat screen TV though which was different and we watched 'Wonder' whilst having our nails done. They do such a thorough job over here vs ones I have been to in the UK and for over half the price! So it is always a lovely treat - but a long one, 2 hours later we were home!!

Seeming to be a common time for family and friends to visit, we took our guests to one of our favourite restaurants (another Chinese classic of Turkish food...) Doors. A lovely evening had by all and what a way to celebrate the end of Term 2 in Guangzhou, how lucky to have such wonderful friends and company.

What better way to introduce our China life to our lovely visitors... going out for a Japanese meal!! I was also new to this experience and can't wait to go again. We had our own VIP room (thanks Steve and Bella) with our own chef to cook all the dishes we chose. Anything from Sushi to brandy bananas and ice cream!! We enjoyed an amazing feast of beef steak, seafood, rice, sushi and of course those bananas, which make an incredible finalé for your meal.

After spending a few days in Hong Kong the Slater's arrived in Guangzhou! What better way to explore and show them the city we live in than on a bike for 12km! The tour starts at a branch of The Happy Monk in the West of the City where we were met by Nicole and Andrew to start our tour with about 8 other people. It took about 4hours and that included several stops at key places in Guangzhou, where Nicole (who is Cantonese) ad Andrew would explain the history and facts about these places.

We stopped at some of the oldest buildings in Guangzhou in the tour of the Old Town and cycled down some of the narrowest alleyways dodging cats, dogs, washing and people! We stopped at a wet market which was an eye opener with alligators, tortoise, fish, meat, scorpions all for sale!! In People's Park we tried some Chinese snacks and played traditional Chinese games before being whisked to the square where we all joined in with some Chinese song and dance!! Very funny but not so much when I thought I had got the embarrassment over with...and then was pulled back in by the lady playing the music!! But it was Elaine who was accosted by a local Elvis look a like and was shown all the latest Chinese moves!

From the pictures above you can see we kept pedalling through the back alleys and streets of GZ and on the way met a 92 year old man who had lived in that house all his life, and saw a house which had a tree growing through it!!

After our journey through Old Guangzhou we made our way to the river. Here we followed it along and across to the prestigious Ersha Island with the rich greenery and people...finishing up at the New Town opposite the Canton Tower before our last stop at Social and Co. With it being a long cycle and food so tasty there, we had dinner and oh...it was happy hour! So after lovely food, company and a few glasses of The Ned later, our Sunday adventures were over for this week. Would highly recommend this trip around the city, so much to show and tell about itself - but perhaps wear some cushioned bottoms to help on the bumpy streets!!!

Think....Top Golf UK and you're pretty much in the same place but the authorised of the world!! I would say this is more of an upmarket version vs. the one in Woking (sorry Stu!) but the concept is still the same. We had the upstairs area to ourselves so we could log into any booth by scanning the barcode using WeChat, and then next time could load up our scores as well which is good!

We could play individually or scan in for a group competition or pairs etc. The only downside I thought was that they should have trackers in the balls for how far they went as if you over shot (or under at times haha...) the netted holes it was a miss. I mean, there is an argument to say that golf you need to actually aim for the hole buuuut us amateurs like to hit and hope for the best!!! A good night had by all. But the best part for me was when Lincoln, who had never played before, let go of the club when hitting the ball and we watched it spin off through the air onto the course!!!!! It was great to do something a bit different here but also familiar to us and you did not feel like you were in China at all which is so strange. I think we will definitely be going back...

I wrote an entry last month about the new Turkish restaurant 'Doors' and I was excited to go back to celebrate Bex's birthday! We ordered pretty much everything on the menu....which means you get to try even more delights...and it was so lovely to see lots of people outside of work :-) and celebrate with Bex. It also satisfies my hummus craving for a while hahaha.

​With Matt's parents out on Friday, John's dad here and Steve's parents out next week, we have decided to go back again next Thursday so they can experience the delights of Doors too.

A town just outside of Guangzhou only about an hour away (in good traffic - not a Friday night!!) and can be reached on the metro as well. It is known for the founding area of Kung Fu! And has a lot of history within the town and also some lovely newer areas too. Kate and I headed down for a few nights stay in the Marco Polo hotel. It is in a really central location to all the main tourist attractions and a 3 minute walk from the lively courtyard areas of the restaurants and shops, which I can describe as a lesser version of the lanes in Brighton. So I would definitely recommend this hotel to stay in.

On arrival we headed straight out to the restaurant area to a Tripadvisor recommendation: 
The Locksmith. And it didn't disappoint. Great decor and design in the restaurant downstairs, which makes you feel that you are in your own dining room the way the booths and tables are arranged. There is an extensive cocktail and drinks menu as well as delicious selection of food too, the waiters are also very attentive, no dehydration for us two!! Upstairs there is a cocktail bar which has so many different drinks and the whole design of the place is really quirky and fun. 

There was also a night market with trinkets and small things for sale and an area behind the temple, just below our hotel, selling food and drinks.

This is the biggest tourist attraction in the area - and I can see why. It is a beautiful Ancestral temple which dates back to the 1300's!! Here it has a museum dedicated to the development of Kung Fu in the area, as well as memoirs of the Song Dynasty and Ming Dynasty. The whole site is vast in flowers, buildings, relics and ancient Chinese architecture. It felt good to see a bit more of old China and it was much more like the China I imagined (and watched on Mulan ha!) 

Here they also do a Lion Dance show 3 times a day and a Kung Fu show - just make sure you look at a map so you know where in the compound to find it so you don't miss the start!!

This is regarded as one of the four best gardens in the Guangdong Provence and is absolutely beautiful! Walking around it was pretty peaceful considering it was in China!!!

Nails done with some complimentary free flowers - thank you Chiltina (our local nail bar).

Kat and I made the couple of hours car journey to Shenzhen to watch John Legend at their sports stadium and boy was he worth it!! We had minutes to spare when arriving at the venue to grab tickets and get to the concert, but we did it... The acoustics were fab and our seats were good too. John Legend did pieces with the live band, acapella and just singing whilst playing the piano. I could not take my eyes away from the stage, he had such a presence for a solo artist! Really glad we made the trip and even though Wednesday was a bit tiring, it was worth the school night adventure and I would do it again!