After an amazing two weeks I suppose it had to end. I flew to China with my girlfriend and her family to see all the sights and sounds of China you usually only get to read about in books and watch on T.V. travel shows.
We flew from Cork to Heathrow, London where we got a connecting flight direct to Shanghai. The long flight was nasty due to the cramped seats but we made it in one piece which is all that matters. When we arrived in Shanghai we had our own personal guide in the form of my girlfriend's sister, as she is living there. This was perfect for us as she helped with translations and showing us exactly where to go for the great deals!
After Shanghai we moved to Beijing, China's capital. This was a lot more consumer driven than I had imagined with high market stores everywhere - Gucci, Prada, Rolex, etc. We went to see the Forbidden City and the Great Wall while here. The Great Wall was stunning and definitely one of the major highlights for me.
Next up was Xi'an and the Terracotta Warriors. We only had 2 days here in Xi'an but we made the most of it by travelling to see the Terracotta Warriors and the Hot Spring Gardens. Both of these places made the trip to Xi'an worth it. Xi'an as a city didn't do much for me after being in Shanghai and Beijing and we all found it quite difficult to find decent restaurants and shops while here. We also noticed that not many people in Xi'an speak english so this made getting around a bit difficult.
Hong Kong was our final call. I was looking forward to Hong Kong for the entire trip and, although not what I expected in terms of the city life, it was a tech paradise filled with cheap electronics (which, let's face it, is all that matters :P). We did a few tours while here to see the city and catch the Symphony of Lights that happens every evening.
All in all this was one of the best trips I've been on. The Chinese were all extremely friendly and welcoming and I felt safe at all times. I was surprised by how expensive it can be in China. A lot of shops don't display pricing and when you ask how much something costs they take one look at you and if you're white they jack up the price. This might seem unreasonable but once you get into the haggling it's an amazing feeling to get the real prices and know you've grabbed a bargain. The only trouble we have now is deciding where to go next! I have uploaded loads of pictures over at my flickr account so head over by clicking here and leave a comment!