Here's an update from Hania:

China so far has had it's ups and downs, right now we're in a fantastic little town called Yangshuo. The landscape is beautiful, the people are friendly , the food is delicious and we've got the best hotel room in town. Pete and I plan to stay here for about a week.

The boat from Japan was far better than we expected. We had a private cabin, the sea was calm and there was plenty of time to relax and get ready for the sensory assult of China. Going upriver into Shanghai was pretty amazing, with hundreds of ships and small boats, and the high-rise apartments and skyscrapers becoming more and more densely packed.

Shanghai was dazzling, with lots of great modern buildings, good food, and optimistic people. We stayed at the East China Normal University International Service Center - a dorm for visiting students , but it was more like a hotel, with a private bathroom and daily cleaning service, 24 hour security, the works. The campus of ECNU is beautiful: landscaped gardens and couples stolling hand-in-hand among the students. What an oasis after dealing with the traffic and noise outside the University's walls! Other highlights were cocktails at the Cloud 9 Bar on the 88th floor of the Jinmao Tower, walking along the Bund and stopping for a beer in the sunshine, Brunch at M on the Bund, visiting the fake market (Columbia, North Fake, Pashminas & Gucci...). Our friend Shin took us out for dinner at a Silk Road restaurant on our last night. Great food, impromptu music and dancing. People from Sanxi apparently like to have fun!

Hard sleeper train to Xi'an: hard to sleep. Highlights of Xi'an were the Muslim Quarter and seeing the Terra-cotta Warriors.

We booked a Yangtze river cruise with the hotal manager from Xi'an. Took the train to Chongqing, a hilly place. Checked out a temple, took a cable car across the Yangtze and hung out in a riverside park most of the day. Boarded our boat & began floating down the Mighty Yangtze.

On our second day of the boat cruise we transferred to a smaller boat and went to the Lesser Three Gorges, and transferred yet again to am even smaller wooden boat for the "Mini Three Gorges." The scenery was spectacular, though being part of a Chinese tour left much to be desired. We got back to the big boat and continued our trip, disembarking again in the eveing for a tour of the TGP: Three Gorges Project, a euphemism for the Damn (sic.) Without getting into details, that's where China and more specifically the tour, really started to gnaw on my patience. As soon as we got off the boat in Yichang, we got on a bus to Wuhan.

Wuhan seemed full of friendly people, smiling offering help and - even - lining up for tickets in the tran station! Yes, people in Wuhan stood in line! None of the elbowing and budding and pushing we saw elsewhere. We had a great lunch and got on yet another night train.

In Guilin we rested a bit, then got on a bus to Yangshuo. And now, here we are, climbing karst peaks and enjoying the relaxed easy pace of life in the most beautiful part of China.