Malaysia's Marvellous Meals

In Malaysia, where hibiscus is the national flower, flipflops are the national footwear, traffic is crazy with lots of jams, not raspberry or even mango,and sadly the people generally not as smiley and friendly as in Thailand, with the cultural mix of Indian, Chinese and Malaysians the food was "the best". 

My friends Teck Wah and Shu Huae

 
ensured that  I tried every type of meal,fruit/veg most of which I enjoyed especially if it contained coconut or chilli or both. Normally I enjoy spicy food but by the end of this trip I was able to eat crushed dried chillies! Even chickens' feet were quite tasty in Malaysia and I was surprised that I was able to eat cockles. I discovered that there are different types of durian and Jack fruit and many segments inside the spiky skins. My preference was for Jack fruit.  Public buildings usually ban durian due to it's strong smell                                                                    It was great to catch up with my friends and meet their family and church family. It was also fun helping to entertain, Ashleigh, their 2 year old granddaughter. 

 My personal guides helped me to explore KL by sky train and by car at weekends when it was quiet enough to drive around.  There was lots to see and do and of course eat: the museum where I learned about Malaysia down through the ages; the twin towers which sparkled far into the sky at night but were outshone by the fountains and park in daytime; an exhibition showing KL in miniature by night and day; aerial views of the city from the KL tower as the rain swept over the city; the old station with it's Victorian style white buildings; Chinatown adorned with lanterns, many stalls and Chinese food ("crockpot" chicken was delicious, Chinese burgers?!); the night markets selling a mixture of food and clothes;  the bird park where I saw my first hornbill (they are huge!) and was able to film small, colourful birds close up; 

a sample rainforest set up with most types of tree and vegetation preparing me for the real thing in Borneo; the local park with a childrens' play area, jogging tracks, forest walks, a pond housing terrapins and fish and monkeys looking for tit bits; a swimming pool in a condominium complex with the standard 36 floors of flats/condos; a huge shopping complex with the biggest Ikea in the world outside Sweden.


From KL we visited small fishing villages built on wooden platforms selling their catches, homemade fishballs (didn't like the texture), tasty prawn crackers and deliciously fresh seafood meals;


a town with a leaning clock tower (a London clock) illuminated colourfully at night, a hawker's market, Gluttons' Square, where stalls sell different food around a main eating area and I tried a refreshing iced dessert made with kidney beans, coconut milk, sugar cane and colouring; a holiday resort popular with  Malaysians for its nearby  a historical town from Portuguese times reflected in the style of the buildings and with a bustling "walking" street.  When out of the city much of the land was used for growing fruit and veg, sugar cane and huge plantations of palm trees (coconut and oil.) Also saw many birds, mainly egrets and swiftlets often flying around special concrete buildings for them to build their nests as birds nests are a lucrative business for birds's nest soup and no, I didn't try it! Traffic drives on the left and the roads wide and in good condition possibly due to collecting many toll  fees.                                                                                                                       
Instead of Japan, my friends suggested East Malaysia (Borneo) which was a cheaper and "different" option.  It was cheaper and faster to fly given the time frame but although the planes were bigger than I'd expected for the short flights they flew low enough to appreciated the remaining dense virgin rainforest. Most of the towns I visited were on the coast or rivers and longboats were the main form of transport. Some children travelled for 11 hours on these to get to school boarding there until the weekend. My friends also used these boats to travel to the interior with all their gear and food for childrens' camps which sounds like no mean feat. How we take our  transport systems for granted despite delays and pot holed roads!

In Sarawak, Kuching is attractively situated on a river with fishing boats and river "buses" services to the more traditional villages opposite (wooden houses on stilts made from bamboo and rattan), leafy promenade, parks and an assortment of old and new buildings. It is a cat lovers' paradise being named "cat city" with a cat museum and many cat statues, souvenirs and some of the "real thing".                                                     From here there are various trips like seeing the largest flower in the rainforest and visiting an orangutan reserve but, in the time available, I opted to visit a cultural village. Here you could walk round and through different styles of tribal houses 

 set out attractively in a park where people in tribal costumes demonstrated cookery, music and craft work finishing with a colourful cultural show featuring music, dance and drama.  This was followed by a torrential downpour where it seemed like buckets of water were being tipped out from the sky. 
                           
Miri, had a few pretty parks but mainly acted as a link to Mulu, a UNESCO world heritage site. However, Mrs Lee, manager of the hostel, made up for the town's lack of character by her friendliness and helpfulness even treating a Korean student traveller and myself to a lunch near the market which specialised in cooking rainforest roots and plants, taking us to the "fresh" market where these plants were on sale and dropping us off at the local Olympic sized swimming pool.  Enjoyed a foot massage and a full body massage (5 pounds) and all the more so when it was so cheap. Also the town  did sell reasonably priced batteries and memory cards for my camera and serve the best satay from a well established family run restaurant. Enjoyed chatting to some Malysians over dinner and also some fellow travellers tho' still no Scots in sight! 


Mulu was one of the highlights of trip with the rainforest experience on canopy/ board walks spotting  lizards, 1 snake, a huge stick insect, a lantern bug, pygmy squirrels and exploring 5 limestone caves with many amazing illuminated formations inside, the one leaf plant outside and millions of bats of different species which on a "good" evening fly out in funnels hunting for food along with swiftlets. We were fortunate to see this spectacle lasting for about an hour at dusk and to see some hornbills flying over too. Walking back alone in the then darkened forest was quite scary being unable to identify the various "songs" but then came across a film crew from KL who were trying to promote this area to the Malaysians and so got back in one piece. We were then rewarded with an amazing sunset followed by a sparkling night sky set against a velvet backdrop. Another highlight was to glide along the peaceful river on longboats through leafy vegetation with only the occasional "hiccup" when grounded on stones. As well as cruising to some of the caves by boat we visited a small native village where ladies, some with huge holes in their ears, were selling their crafts. It would have been good to have spent more time in the village but maybe the "locals" found it less obtrusive this way.
Accommodation was mainly homestays and with mine being near the river it was easier to wash there than to have a bucket shower although care had to be taken not to be swept away by the strong current. Meals were served in the longhouse (rice porridge and fresh fish and vegetable dishes) letting us see how the wider family functions there.  


For connecting toManilla I'd to fly further east to Kota Kinabalu (referred to as KK) in Sabah, with it's famous Mount Kinabalu and surrounding islands with white sands and good snorkling.  I ventured over to one of these islands on a bumpy speedboat but have no photos of this having decided to leave my camera in the hostel.  My mask was uncomfortable, the snorkle mouthpiece too large (can you believe that?!) causing me difficulty in breathing and water intake but by using just the mask it was possible to make short dives. I found that when swimming through large shoals of fish it was freaking me out although I did appreciate the small colourful fish and live coral.There were also interesting shells to add to my collection which by now will have reached Scotland. I was glad to return to the mainland on a smoother crossing but later while at dinner in an "eatery" overlooking the sea I was amazed to see  boats still operating in very blustery conditions tho' life jackets were provided.

My friends suggested that I use KL as a base for a future trip as it's a central hub for flights and cheaper than Singapore so I may be back...

Meanwhile, with my clothes all much tighter, it was off to Manilla for my last stop in Asia.

Ps Sorry for the delay in getting this posted and for the blue underlined section which I can't seem to alter. Hope to get the next post out before leaving Oz.

Revamped itinerary

Whew, after numerous attempts, managed to get some photos on the blog for Thailand and now may be able to go back and add some to the previous blogs so watch this space! Also might be able to improve the presentation by using a different template.

Have mentioned to a few folk that when trying to switch the travel dates to Japan with the Philippines it wasn't possible which made me rethink the trip to Japan and realise that it wasn't fair to land on the Nakahashis when they had just moved to near Sendai, their house needs attention and they're looking for work.

Meanwhile, my friends in KL have let me stay on longer with them and have helped me to plan an alterative trip to Sarawak for 8 days. From there it's possible to fly directly to Manila and then Perth by transitting through Singapore (after 3 weeks there once there's no need to return) and  rather than doing a stopover which takes me to 16 October.  This will all work out cheaper than going to Japan but hopefully in the future I can visit Japan in the spring for the blossom and see how my friends have settled into their new home and hopefully work.

From Perth hope to cross over to Melbourne, Adelaide and then Sydney taking about 2 months. From there it's over to NZ for 3months leaving 2 months to travel in the US and to Thetis Island, off Vancouver Island, to see my nephew who starts at a theological college soon for 6 months.  Need to be back in London by the end of April and, if not "travelled out", may spend May travelling home via various friends and relatives.  Remember if any of my trip appeals to you let me know we could team up.  Can hardly take in that it's been nearly 5 months of travelling already.

Thanks to all of you who have been in touch keeping me up to date with local and national news. Some messages may have got stuck in my old email box as when travelling I'm using a gmail address (acraig56@gmail.com) but think I will continue to use this even when home although I have been able to contact some of you through Facebook.

Thailand Tales

The "kindness to strangers" theme continued in Thailand through
Thai English speakers interpreting for me on long bus trips; helping with  my luggage after my accident; accompanying me to the post office to help me post more parcels and directing to me to the right bus/station after being misdirected.

However when rating kindness, my friends, Jan and Bob, came up trumps as they helped me to recuperate after falling out of a white water raft and badly bruising my right hip and side on the rocks (had been enjoying the experience up until then in very scenic area) when they themselves had just moved house and were settling back into life in Thailand. They also helped me be more aware of and thankful for God's protection and help on my travels. It was good to visit a few of the many churches with them as they have watched them being formed and grow over the last 30 years.

They gave me a lift to Bangkok and encouraged me to join them at an OMF guesthouse on the beach which they were managing for a week. Wow, I only once remember staying right on the beach and that was at Achmelvich YH.  After the busyness of Bangkok it was so quiet and soothing to fall asleep to the noise of waves lapping on the shore. It was almost like having a private beach. 

The white sand, 3 rocks offshore, shells and jellyfish (small to large, clear with darker tubes inside) reminded me of North Berwick except the water was warm and there were coconut palms. 
As "fresh" markets are few and far between in Scotland I enjoy wandering through then in other countries, usually finding something to photograph.
With so many more exotic fruits and veg being imported to UK I
was amazed at just how many fruits and veg were new to me in Thailand -suppose soft fruits aren't so easy to export. (Still waiting to see watermelons growing.) Most leaves and flowers are used for cooking (banana leaves in particular are used for plates, wrapping and displays)

as well as many things which move. Saw tubs of live frogs, skinned and flat packed frogs ready to cook and pairs of cooked frogs on skewers.  Eating frogs legs long ago in Edinburgh was easier than seeing eyes staring at you from the stick so didn't succumb to buying them. Two other tourists encouraged me to try silk worms and crickets

 
but the silk worm didn't taste so good and the cricket was just crunchy.  Plucked but not cooked chickens were displayed on top of cages containing live ones. With 2 fellow travellers experienced a hot pot one evening (a metal semi-sphere upturned in a bowl of water over a pot of charcoal) and, once we realised the need to melt fat on top first to prevent burning, we cooked a selection of  meats, veg and noodles more successfully. It reminded me of fondues.  
Tried drinking from a coconut, eating dragon fruit which is such a dark pink with white or black seeds but not so tasty and sampled Thai ice cream-more like fruit sorbet. 

Also enjoy exploring other types of markets especially if there's a bargain to be had but the weekend night markets in Chiang Mai were even a challenge for me. After 6 hours I still hadn't seen everything and by then it was midnight so I conceded defeat and with my few bargains tried to find my way back to the hostel which took longer than I'd remembered as the streets in the old city are like a maze. Some folk from the hilltribes dressed in their national costumes with very ornate
headgear sell their crafts at these markets and passed through some of their villages with their wooden houses on stilts en route to white water rafting.

At this time of year Thailand was very green with many plantations of bananas, coconut palms, sugar beet, paddy fields (hadn't remembered rice being bright green), mangoes, papayas, rambutans (not orangutans) to name but a few. In the paddy fields gangs of folk under coolie hats would be bent over working on the rice.  Although oxen and water buffalos pulled carts there were some tractors and combines in use which has a knock on effect on labour and costs.  Central Thailand is famous for it's water buffalos and host large markets there.  Wandered through an orchid house but many folk have orchids growing in their garden. I love the way they plant hanging gardens on tree trunks and branches and so many of the flowering shrubs and trees have beautiful perfume.  The Thai are very good at displaying  food, flowers and plants and doing topiary.

Around Chiang Mai, in the North, it was more touristy with plenty of opportunities for extreme sports and close encounters with animals.  Learned how to ride, feed and wash an elephant after overcoming the initial fear of riding bareback so high off the ground. The elephants had peach coloured ears with dark spots and thick bristles around their heads. I was disappointed that they didn't hose me down although we apparently needed another command for them to do so.  Later on at the beach resorts I saw monkeys in the wild for the 1st time - or had I seen them in Kenya?
One troupe were small baboon types which were quite aggressive but responded to a Burmese tourist who pointed a magazine at them until it was snatched away by one of them. (Don't think he wanted to read it as he was holding it upside down.)

The other troupe were spectacle monkeys (white circles round eyes) which were more placid but were getting fed daily by humans. There were baby monkeys in both troupes and it was interesting to watch the interaction with the mothers who made sure they were securely clinging under them before they swung off. Saw butterflies of all sizes and colours in butterfly world, but mostly in the countryside and gardens where they flitted around so much it was hard to film them. Spotted a few different birds: hoopoes; fantails; flycatchers; egrets and spotted redshanks (or were they stilts?) amongst some more familiar species.
With Thailand being a Buddhist country there were plenty of opportunites to visit wats and stuppas and shrines can be seen in many gardens or at street corners. Some of the statues look so menacing that I couldn't bring myself to film them.  In Bangkok there is a very ornate palace which took a few hours to visit once we'd crossed the city by MRT, BTS and ferry taking another few hours on a good tranport system in the midst of  myriad of  rickshaws and motorbikes.  Artists were touching up some of the intricate art work on the walls with very fine brushes and using a stick with a padded head to support their arms. Wow, that must take some patience and precision. Here too was the Queen's Silk Museum where I discovered that silk comes from the worm's cocoon and is not spun like the thread from a spider.  Everyone, not just children, was ushered through to the activity room where you could dress in Thai costume so why would Pedro, my Brazilian companion for the day, not dress up? Also visited a massive reclining Buddha in a nearby wat where again I could appreciate the art work but find it hard to understand the attraction in worshipping statues. Had to take shelter here when there was a massive thunder and lightening storm - the nearest place being just outside the mens' toilets. Some enterprising folk were paddling around trying to sell us umbrellas and/or plastic raincoats despite seeing my umbrella.  Think that must have been the biggest storm I've experienced. The thunder was so loud and the flashes of lightening so bright that it made you wince. Also noticed that white t-shirts become see through in the rain but was able to double up the sarong, given to me by receptionist at the hostel to act as a skirt in the palace/wat, to make a dress and thus keep my dignity. 

Found a new art and cultural centre in Bangkok where the art exhibition tho' entitled "Crossstitch" was a multimedia exhibition by Thai youngsters. The centre was also exhibiting photography for "the blinds" (plastercasts of the photos for them to feel) and hosting a free short video and film festival so watched 1.5 hours of a variety of films (introduced to bee boxing in one) directed by Singaporeans.

Managed to fit in a visit to a small touristy floating market mainly selling seafood for lunches but giving me an idea of how they live in the houses on stilts and use the canal - spotted someone moving house by barge.

Was surpised that the traffic in Bangkok was less crazy than in China and only experienced motorbikes on the pavement on one occasion. Visited some giant supermarkets and Boots but not Tescos altho' they were there. Shopping in these stores felt liked I'd been tranported back home.

Thailand is also home to limestone caves and it was amazing to see the network/formations in one, along with the bats. It seemed to be undersold to tourists as it was a case of hire a torch for a DIY tour. Some of the caves are around the shoreline and it was fun crawling through one trying to avoid being slashed by the razor sharp barnacles on the rocks whilst trying to spot underwater life.

Enjoyed beachcombing for shells but had to choose a small selection for sending
home. What enormous oyster shells they have and beautifully patterned and shaped shells. Did wonder if some of the pearly pieces could be used to make jewellery once back home.

Before I knew it the 30 day visa allowance for Thailand was running out so I wrenched myself away from the idyllic beach resort and took an overnight bus (seats reclined to bed) and day bus (given a food pack and shown films like on flights), so much more comfortable than ones in UK, down to my friends in KL. Malaysia here I come...

Travels in China

Throughout China I was reminded so many times of the Lonely Planet book entitled "The Kindness Of Strangers" so read on and spot/highlight instances of this and there could be a prize for those who notice them all ... oops, the teacher's talking!

Kashgar will remain a milestone in my travels as I finally managed to post off 10kg of luggage in different directions and fit the remaining 13kg into a medium sized rucksack, thanks to Lorna and Maggie's suggestion. My HUGE pink, flowery suitcase was wheeled off by the helpful postie and said his son could use it for going to university. Guess there's not a colour code in China, nor does it seem in the rest of Asia, so where did we get such stereotyped ideas for colours in UK, I wonder? And so I bade farewell to my cumbersome companion of 3 months standing/wheeling. However the first time the backpack was lifted when packed a strap gave way - you just can't get the quality these days.  I'd spied a tailor in the market earlier on but when I looked again I couldn't find him but spotted a lady working on a tapestry in a 2nd hand furniture shop and she was only too pleased to fix my bag refusing to take anything for her efforts.

Kashgar itself, despite not being particularly Chinese in its appearance, was an interesting city to explore from a hostel beside food stalls in the old town where there's an on going huge renovation project which will make an even more interesting visit in the future. Opted for AC in the dorm as the temp was beginning to rise.  Was aware of an army presence as it was the anniversary of some trouble 2 years ago but didn't ever feel threatened or anxious.

Explored the famous Sunday animal market where folk bring their animals and show them to interested parties and make their own deal which seems to be standard practice in Asia. Disappointed that it was mainly huge bulls, different breeds of sheep and only a few goats, donkeys and yaks but still a worthwhile experience trying to move between flocks/herds without being trampled but hard to watch the animals being loaded onto different small vehicles involving lots of prodding and sometimes with the animal's leg left stuck between the bars.  Saw so many of the sheep with the big bums bred specially to suit the Asian tastes.  When they walk their overhang behind wobbles so is a weird sight.  Had a fun ride back to town in a cart with a friendly family who shared their fruit pickings with us (apricots and plums).  

Spent another day wandering round a big, undercover market with it's colourful and interesting displays of materials, precious stones, scarves etc in an the area beside the river where a JCB was dredging and gathering quite a crowd of spectators.  With assistance from the hotel receptionists it was possible to track down an ATM machine for Mastercards, memory cards for the camera and a sim card for the phone although I later found out that this becomes more complicated in China with one company operating different rates and sim cards in each province but with a little help from my friends lending me their mobiles and sorting out the muddle I'd got into with 2 sim cards.  Surprisingly most people were happy to pose for a photograph and some asked for their photograph to be taken. Was also able to film various foods being made: doughnut type twists; long noodles; crepes, where they cracked the egg onto the dough as they spread it over a girdle and dumplings and of course had to sample them all. After buying a doughnut twist I enquired from the baker where the nearest toilet was and was told I could use the toilet in her house beside her stall but afterwards had to ask how to flush the toilet...turned out to be a tap half way up the wall but at least it flushed and there was toilet paper.

After lightening my load I headed by train overnight to Urumqi (decided to give Turfan a wide berth as it's temp was 40 degrees) and at the station once through the security checks (found at every station), was immediately greeted by an English speaking Chinese man who offered to help me board the right train.  He proved to be very useful as I was booked on a hard seat and, when it became evident that there were some sleepers available, he was able to organise an upgrade for me and also guide me personally to my hostel in Urumqi although he was cutting it fine for catching his connection to Xian.  In exchange he wanted to practise his English. Another young chap on the train reclaimed my seat for me when I found someone else sitting on it. Was very relieved to get a sleeper as the hard seat was as described or even harder and there was no leg room at the window. Fellow passengers seemed alarmed when I produced my knife for making my lunch and an official quickly appeared and indicated that I should put the knife away in my backpack. Later on the same knife was detected by the screening device at the entrance for visiting a lake and had my Chinese companion not come to the rescue and suggest leaving the knife in a restaurant for me to collect later I would have been refused entry. Enough was enough so I donated the offending knife to the hostel kitchen that evening before it landed me in clink! It had served us well when picnicking around Kyrgyzstan so you'll be pleased to know I got my money's worth.  In Urumqi the hostel was near a beautiful park which had attractive floral displays, interesting sculptures and water lilies on the lake and at night buildings in the area were illuminated and there was music from the dancing held in the square.   We were also close to the night market with yummy food so I didn't actually need to explore downtown for the few days I was there. However 4 young Chinese tourists invited me to accompany them to the Heavenly Lake and even those native speakers found it hard to find the buses to take us there so I was very glad to tag along and even happier to be able to chat with real Chinese young folk. We were herded to the lake in true tourist style but by walking further than most we eventually lost the crowds and found various waterfalls, a wild flower meadow and craggy mountains. The same group introduced me to sheep's (or was it goats?) feet and were disappointed when I couldn't even suck 1 of them clean but at least I tried them and know not to order them again nor chicken's feet which I tried at a later date.

Going by my previous experience of being able to upgrade to a sleeper on the train I took a chance and booked another hard seat this time for a trip of 2 nights and 3 days heading for Xian and the Terracotta Warriors but horrors, no upgrade was available at any point on the journey although  I kept pestering them often enough for one. The only consolation was that I had slightly more room with a corridor seat but boy, was it hard! Tried sitting on a jumper and using my towel as a pillow and got a few hours sleep the 1st night but by the 2nd night I was ready to jump off the train but managed to contain myself and took my mind off it for a while by helping to amuse an 8 year old with some card/drawing games. But I'd learned my lesson "the hard" way and vowed to fly if there was no sleeper available on  future trips.  Through amusing the 8 year old folk round about started taking more interest in me and some let on that they could speak some English.  One of the students was also disembarking at Xian and offered to take me to my hostel which was in a back lane and hard to find so was grateful for his assistance.

Xian was an interesting city with lots of history and plenty evidence of being in China. Actually could have spent another day there exploring more of the old city with its artists' quarter surrounded by walls and forts although I did manage to explore a little of this area on foot and then by tuk tuk as the driver drove round different areas trying to find the hostel.  The hostel was in a residential area enabling me to to enjoy eating pancakes and dumplings with the locals for breakfast and sample delicacies from the food stalls in the night bazaar.  Also managed to fit in a show featuring Chinese music, dance and drama all performed in colourful Chinese costumes.  Thoroughly enjoyed the show despite 2 Chinese Mums and their sons chatting all the way through it. Does this sound familiar to some of you?

A young worker from Beijing, from my dorm, showed me round the illuminated Drum and Bell Towers and the night bazaar in full swing.  I returned to view the interiors of these towers by day and hit the jackpot by arriving at each tower when there was free musical entertainment: drumming in the Drum Tower and various Chinese instruments being played in the Bell Tower not just bells. I was also able to take a German and a Chinese tourist to one of these performances as they hadn't realised there were on.  Could being a tour guide be my next calling?

My Chinese dorm mate also took me by bus to the Terracotta Warriors en  route stopping off at an intricate Chinese palace complex which was photogenic with it's waterlily covered ponds under curved bridges and travelling to a nearby viewpoint by cable car.  Kept meeting folk we'd seen earlier on the buses and also the 2 Dutch guys from the Torugart  crossing just after I'd been told how many millions live in China.  Was surprised that in China I never found myself in such a huge crowd as I'd experienced in the London underground when one of the lines was down and you had to wait for the person beside you to move but I suppose China is vast enough to contain its millions.   In Britain if you travelled for 3 days by train you might land in the sea  and most of the Chinese provinces are bigger than Scotland.  I just hadn't appreciated the vastness of the country before.  The Terracotta Warriors were amazing although it was very hot and difficult to keep focussed.

Before I left Xian I tried a hairdresser across from the hostel in a deluge-saved washing my hair.  The guy gave my hair a good crop for £2, so I will be expecting to pay £1 in Thailand as the prices seem to be decreasing as I travel south but still not worth the flight over for a cheap hairdo. Guess things will change once I reach Japan and Australia so better make the most of shopping while the going is good which may mean more trips to the post office with parcels.

With no sleepers available from Xian to Shanghai it was back to flying.  No hitches this time with the flight except for being slightly late.  For the 1st few nights my Chinese friends, May and family,  had booked me into a posh hotel for me to rest before going to stay with them and even once with them I was thoroughly spoiled.  Had my 1st tummy bug (amazing that my stomach had coped for so long when trying so many different foods mostly from street stalls) so sadly was unable to make the most of the HUGE buffet breakfast the 2nd morning and had to stick to tea and toast. However at breakfast I met a young Chinese student, soon to start university in the area, and was able to take her with me to her first orchestra, a Chinese one with very pleasant music played on mainly special Chinese instruments at the reasonable price of £5. The conductor was apparently famous in China.

 Had a great 2 weeks with my friends getting to know and play with 1 year old Steven, meeting my friend's Mum and various other relatives and seeing a Chinese family in action.  We tried so many different Chinese meals, mostly yummy and nothing like British Chinese food, that it was great to find an exercise/dance class outside the flats in the evenings (also on in the mornings at 0630 but guess what, I wasn't up then) to help combat the food intake and inactivity when the temp hit the late 30s.  Also was invited to Steven's 1st birthday party, a huge banquet for 20 family members and to a photo shoot in a studio for the birthday boy and on the last evening a school friend of May's treated us to another banquet in a private room in a posh restaurant which often seems to be the norm when going out for a special dinner.

In the heat of the summer the Chinese often resort to online shopping for survival. Despite the heat, with the help of AC in the car, we managed to explore some old villages beside canals crossed by humped backed stone bridges, not scenes I'd associated with China but with Holland; travel across the longest sea bridge in the world (35km) to visit the biggest market in the world (and I thought the Metro Centre was too much); visit a park beside a lake with huge lilies covering most of it; art gallery exhibiting fans, calligraphy, Chinese brush work and local history; a museum on the history of communism in China; witness special huge waves rolling into a coastal resort and visit May's home town.  

I was sad to leave my friends as I flew out from Shanghai  to North Thailand and miss my new small friend but more adventures were about to begin...

Kyrgyzstan

Trying to make up for "the long silence" in China where many sites were blocked...

Kyrgyzstan was a country of surprises: 94% mountainous rising to over 7000m in the south - a climber's paradise; a higher rainfall than Mongolia resulting in trees and vegetation growing to mountain tops and colourful alpine meadows with small butterflies (blue, brown and white) flitting by; bright blue lakes and deep, fast flowing rivers with glacial water supplying fish and encouraging water sports; a variety of people groups; the nomadic life; the hand to mouth existence for many; the number of Christian churches and persecution especially in rural areas.

For 3 weeks I was fortunate to be travelling with a personal tour guide and fluent Kyrgyz speaker , Andrew, and his Brazilian friend, Patricia, an experienced traveller and linguist. Bartering in Kyrgyz resulted in lower prices so maybe Andrew should have been earning commission and tour guide fees.

Travelling around Kyrgyzstan by big taxi or mursrudka (minibus) is quite slow and journeys long due to the condition of the roads and terrain. Many of the trips took 5-9 hours but fares were reasonable by our standards eg £10 for 9 hour trip. Often journeys were interrupted by mixed herds of sheep, cattle, yaks and goats crossing the road guided by a skilled horseman.

We visited 2 lakes which were both very different. Son Kul, an alpine lake beside summer pastures for nomads' flocks (jailoo) with the opportunity to see mares being milked and products being made from milk. Surprisingly I could drink the kumis (fermented mare's milk) and it was a treat to have homemade butter, cream and cottage cheese. Big blue skies with distant snow capped mountains behind a brilliant blue lake surrounded by flat, flowery grasslands made it very scenic and with the slower pace of nomadic life it was a good place to "chill" in both senses as the temp dropped to freezing and large hailstones fell. That was a night for sleeping in clothes with extra blankets.  We were fed fish from the lake and stayed in a yurt similar to a Mongolian ger but with colourful cushions and mats (tushuks) on the ground for sleeping and the cooking stove to the side rather than being in the centre.

In contrast, Lake Issyk kul, the 2nd biggest salt lake in the world, surrounded by nearby mountains, is more touristy although we were in a quieter spot for a few days and at 6.30pm one evening were the only ones on the beach.  And yes, we went swimming - much warmer than the North Sea but oops, we got sun burnt and had to track down some after sun lotion.  This and sun screen are hard to find in Kyrgyzstan so was glad to have some with me, thanks to Sina and Donnie. This area is known for it's fruit growing and we feasted on the cherries growing outside our local shop (permitted to eat them). A flat noodle meat dish and a sizzling meat and veg platter quickly became favourites for meals and although we spotted many plump marmots in the wild they didn't seem to make it to the menus. We walked to a boulder area and saw some ancient drawings, mainly animals on some of the boulders. At the far end of the lake, in and around Karakol, there was more evidence of Russian style houses with painted wooden shutters on the windows and stucco decoration above and more of the gigantic statues and building structures. En route to and from the lake we drove close to the mountains bordering Kazakhstan but a visa would have been necessary to cross over.

Through we Andrew gained access to the Peace Corps network who kindly provided us with accommodation on a few occasions and reduced prices in a hostel near the lake. We were also able to meet up with some of his English students who gave us more insight into the Kyrgyz life.

With various friends I had 3 hikes in beautiful valleys beside icy flowing rivers and tall trees and once we reached the  flowery meadows we'd find nomads with their yurts and animals. Also met some "local" holidaymakers hiking with their families who showed me different "mushrooms" and a hairy caterpillar. They were also thrilled to see so many young, wobbly foals.

Enjoyed exploring villages/towns with my camera at hand. From Naryn in the mountains we visited Tash Rabat, a caravanserai from 15 century in remarkably good repair, for travellers on the silk route. it was set in a remote but scenic valley and the challenge was to count the 40 or so "rooms"-failed.
In the North we climbed the Burana Tower, a large minaret from 11 century and one of the 1st of it's kind in Asia again with a backdrop of mountains.

Returned to Bishkek to retrieve the famous huge, pink flowery suitcase and needed assistance in getting it down from a 5th floor flat. It was still too expensive to post stuff back from here so waited until reaching China.  Not even sure if the 20 pcs from here reached their destinations as I'd stuck stamps on the cards and think they should have been sent inside envelopes? 

Had an exciting 9 hour trip in a people carrier to Jalalabad travelling up and down mountains and through many tunnels of up to 5km to reach the fertile plains around Jalalabad. One town seemed to be the centre for watermelons and so our transport was loaded up with them providing us with an interesting balancing act.  We then slurped our way through a melon and took some photos to mark the occasion much to the stall holders' amusement.  When we eventually reached Jalalabad after our "meloncholy" trip it was good to catch up with my German nursing friend whom I'd met in the hostel in Bishkek and people spot as many Uzbeks live there. Also took lots of photos of the displays in the market and the unusual products as well as the walnuts, a big part of the economy mainly grown in the huge forest at Arslanbob.  It was also good to meet some of my friend's friends: her adopted Uzbek "Mum"; a South American couple and a German running an English centre.  Seeing lots of job opportunities if I did the TEFAL course?

For a few months I had been communicating with folk through Lonely Planet's Thorntree forum to find companions to share the costs for crossing into China from either Osh or Naryn and eventually it was through Naryn which worked out best.  This involved 10 hours by taxi over the mountains in two stages to Kazerman  where the road is only open for 4 months of the year. Some of that ride was on the edge but fortunately not over the edge. Had an interesting stay in a CBT house stay (like a B&B) and was surprised that in a smart, newly furbished kitchen the running water was to outdoor sinks and shower- a case of different priorities? The second stage was the shorter 4 hour trip to Naryn when 5 of us were squashed into a taxi bouncing over the next lot of mountains. And so with 3 guys, 2 Dutch and 1 French, we had an exciting time crossing into China over the Torugart Pass as there were fewer tourists than lorries and an uncertainty about us being allowed through. We were kept waiting for 3.5 hours at the pass for our transport into China but fortunately it was a sunny day and with about 50 varieties of wild flowers and some butterflies it was a photographer's paradise and so the time passed quickly.  It was a few hours before the Kyrgyz influence left the countryside and even once we reached Kashgar after the 13 hour trip from Naryn there were more Kyrgyz and Uyghur influences than Chinese.

And so here ends the mountain trails of Kyrgyzstan. Let the exploration of China begin...

Bishkek

Why Bishkek for 3 weeks? It was in between travels, the hostel was home from home with hot water, showers, flushing toilets with seats, a washing machine, a microwave and wifi (sometimes).  I was nearly classed as staff as the receptionists didn't speak English. Also arranged some sight seeing tours for some of the "new" hostellers and collected some maps to leave at reception.  The manager did speak English but only appeared to sort out repairs (a light exploded in the toilet; the toilet ceased to flush and was wobbly). At the end of my extended stay Anya, the oldest receptionist, cooked me a farewell meal of potato and onions and special doughnut like twists rolled in icing sugar (a form of borsok)and  requested I visit her should I ever return to Kyrgyzstan but maybe I'd need to learn Kyrgzys first.

Thanks to a link from home, at church I was introduced to a lady who oversees a centre for the homeless so with time to spare there was a mountain of clothes to sort and dishes to be done once the soup had been served.  This was a new experience for me and it was great to work alongside the Kyrgyzs folk on the team and humbling to see them working so compassionately with the homeless.

Bishkek is set out in rectangular grids so along with the backdrop of  mountains, when not shrouded by clouds, and clutching a map (2nd one nearly in shreds) navigation was fairly straightforward. 
Many of the buildings in the centre are large and block like along with tall flats (got to live on the 5th floor on my return thanks to a contact) and some interesting architectural structures in between with wide tree lined streets to provide shade in the heat of the summer.  There are also many statues, some larger than life, and parks filled with trees and, at this time of year, brightly coloured flowers, especially roses which along with the lime trees provided sweet aromas. People often sat on the grass under the shade of the trees in preference to the sun soaked benches.  The main square was memorable with its dancing fountains; 2 guards, who changed over a few times a day, under the national flag and a large national museum.  Here vendors sold balloons; bags of puff candy and ice cream or would offer to take photos for a fee. At night the square became even more alive with cyclists, roller bladers and remote control cars.

Pavements are rough with dips, bumps and open manholes (some homeless live down these) making a torch a neccessity at night. Isn't that right, Andrew! There are some road crossings but sometimes you have to "brave it" and hope that the traffic will stop although driving did seem slightly saner than in Mongolia.

In the summer, not surprisingly, more women wear dresses and skirts than in Scotland although with being the capital "anything goes".  The girls and younger women are very thin considering the fatty food they consume but then they become rounder as they grow older.  Often "babouskas" seem to look after the children but maybe because the schools are on holiday from June to September.

The minibuses (mursrudkas) are the main form of transport if you don't mind rubbing noses with others who are squashed in the aisles but there are also buses and trolley buses and taxis (sometimes shared).  The train service seemed to be limited to one short route to Lake Issukul.  The markets are fascinating and in some areas narrow like the Moroccan souks.  One huge market is like "container city" built entirely from ship containers (but how did they get here in a land locked country?) and with no obvious landmarks I ended up getting lost and taking a taxi back as I couldn't even find the buses.

Had an enjoyable hour of classical music (200 com) in the Philharmonia where a German guest celloist played exquistly.  Also attended a free 60th anniversary concert for the local radio station in the Opera House featuring some Kyrgyzs' poetry, songs and dances.  Andrew and 3 friends performing a popular Kyrgyzs' song but he was still prepared to act as my guide on our travels despite his stardom.

With fluctuating electricity and wifi connections I could often be found at  "Expresso", an internet cafe with real coffee (hard to find ) and ate my way round various Kyrgzys' cuisine. Apart from Bozo (a fermented wheat drink) and small sour cheese balls I enjoyed everything else.  Food and meal prices seemed cheap for us but it seems that most Kyrgzys folk struggle to make ends meet.

Eventually I left "home" and started to explore the countryside...

Ulaan Bataar

Still catching up on my blog from Mongolia and this time it's from Ulaan Bataar which has expanded immensely since my friends visited 11 years ago.

My friend Fiona's accommodation was beside a new fun park with it's roller coaster and wheel acting as good landmarks when walking to and from the centre marked by a towering glass building. From the park Big Ben chimed on the hour which was rather strange.

The city has tightly packed areas of tin roofed houses and gers leading into a more modern and spacious centre with many tall buildings and tree lined streets.  Throughout the city are tall cooling towers for the centralised heating and electricity unless house have their own boilers and generators. With the large mining industry there were many factories producing related equipment/machines. It was surprising to see high mountains and trees surrounding this industrial city.

Fiona whisked us around various squares, statues and buildings in between finalising the 12 day trip to the countryside and finding ATMs which would spit out money using my cards.  We did use some taxis and my friend's driver who took us up to the local monastery with its many prayer wheels, huge Budha, 2 large feet and intricate art work.  We also visited the Black Box a very modern and versitile theatre and centre for producing commercials.

A couple of times we met up with an IWAM group, international women who support various projects in UB. At one meeting we met a Mongolian Mum with her healthy Mongolian toddler  who'd undergone a major op funded by the group and also heard about funding for wheelchairs in Mongolia.

Can you believe we attended 2 Scottish country dancing classes run by an English man in a Scottish pub?  I managed to hold my own with him for Strip The Willow not quite getting him on the floor but then frustrated him by getting sequences of other dances muddled up as soon as the fast music started. Maybe I should have attended the after school club run at South Lodge.

One day we got wind of the driver's daughters' graduation ceremony which turned out to be an amazingly colourful talent show with confident younsters singing solos, dancing and reciting poetry.

We visited an enormous statue of Ghengis Khan on horseback an hour away from UB.  Here we had fun dressing up Mongolian style and an indoor lift took us to the top of the horse's head from where we got stunning views of the green mountains and valleys around. The nearest ger camps to UB were in that area (one with a dinosaur playground had been a favourite when Fiona's family were younger) where we enjoyed some Mongolian flat pasties and a noodle dish in a chalet style restaurant and later visited large rocks in the shape of a turtle. We also had the experience of holding eagles and vultures for photos but as the vulture was heavier than expected my photos were not very flattering.

One evening we had an Indian cookery demonstration and were able to sample the products along with other Indian food brought along by a local restaurant owner who also introduced us to some of  his Indian friends who were interesting to chat to.

Just before leaving we fitted in a Mongolian show at a small theatre featuring music, songs, dances and a contortionist who ended up with her whole body in the air supported by her teeth/mouth gripped round the top of a stand.  It was hard to watch and at times difficult to work out which side of her body was on view.  My performance at yoga hasn't reached that stage and guess it never will.
  .
Our last meal was in a Mongolian restaurant-a hot pot meal consiting of a selection of meats and veg which we cooked in boiling soup over a small burner.  We had one or two scarey moments when the flames got out of control but it was a fun way of eating and very tasty too although we declined the tripe and penis. Back at the apartment Dylan's (Catriona's boyfriend) famous lemon meringue pie was our tangy dessert.

And so we flew out of UB with my head full of so many new sights and experiences and although the cabin was rather warm I did manage to stay awake and gaze out at the scenes below which became more impressive as we flew over numerous mountain ranges in our approach to Kyrgyzstan.  Next stop Bishkek...

More On Mongolia

Finally got the time, computer and wifi access and electricity to update my blog and now hopefully can write impressions rather than a blow by blow account or diary.

Mongolia is massive and so after scootie Scotland it was amazing to be driving through vast landscapes free of people and houses not even gers (Nomad's round tents) for what seemed like 100s of kms.  Across this steppe land mountains sometimes soared in the distance and, in the Gobi, towering sand dunes.  Covering around 30,000 kms meant seeing a comparatively small area of Mongolia but it was filled with a variety of landscapes and everywhere there was a trail of vodka bottles, shredded tyres and some horses' lower legs and hooves.  Often driving was on sand, gravel, over rocks, along river beds, across rivers and up and down mountain tracks over terrains where we would normally just be hiking at home. In the countryside we spotted 1 signpost (Why didn't I take a picture?)and so the driver used a compass, his knowledge of the area and nomad nav (local form of sat nav) which gave more opportunities to check out nomad life.  Occasionally there were tarred roads but that could mean dodging the potholes and oncoming vehicles who were playing the same game. Once while the driver drove over boulders in the mountains we'd a half hour walk to catch him up in freezing conditions. Maybe Scottish roads are not so bad after all.  Our driver, Baggie, performed a "good Samaratin" act one day when another van had a burst tyre for the 6th time and he helped to change it.  However soon that tyre also burst and Baggie gave then his spare tyre and collected it from the next garage.  It appeared that the other van's tyres were not suitable for such rough terrain.

Travelling before the start of the tourist season allowed us to stay in family gers (often families have spare gers for visitors or for cooking but not for cooking the visitors!) rather than in ger camps which gave more of an insight into family life.  Some gers have a satellite dish and solar panel but all have a motorbike, van and/or horse and cook on their stove in a huge wok in the centre of the ger.  Fuel is generally dried dung (smells like peat and was stored in mounds) and also wood in the few forested areas.  Families sit/sleep on beds round the walls of the ger or on mats on the floor although 1 family was sleeping in their van.  The men wear a cap or hat and dressing gown type garment maybe because they spent a lot of time sleeping.

On arrival at a ger visitors are shown to the left and offered food from a dish on arrival. This is when we tried curds (rather chewy), cheese and cream/yoghurt and also their milky tea with salt.  When there's a shrine in the ger you sleep with your feet away from it ( Buddhist/ Shaman). Water is collected from wells and stored in plastic canisters or large barrels. We had fun pumping water into our canister at one well and filling it from a bucket at another well but had many disappointed customers (100s of goats and sheep) at another well when the bucket was full of holes but it was a good photo opportunity. Inside a ger there are often barrels of animal fat, milk churns (animals are milked in the summer), boxes of dung, a sink, some cupboards/drawers, cooking utensils and sometimes a TV or radio. The walls are made of latticed wood and often clad with felt covered with colourful material/rugs. Toilets are within walking distance of the ger and range from a cabin with a long drop toilet to a 3 sided structure at chest height (toilet with a view) and "natural" toilets. Expectations of these "facilities" changed along the way and with travelling in the windy season the 3 sided toilet quickly rose in our estimation in preference to the "natural" one. (Oops, forgot to pack a trowel!)  Carrying toilet paper/tissues became essential with access to a shower once on the 12 day trip and so did wipes altho' we were occasionally near a river...sometimes frozen.  However sometimes the sand was blowing so hard that it acted as an exfoliator and when recently finding that I'd bought some exfoliating cream by mistake thinking it was face cream my skin has been given a treat.  I came to the conclusion that I wash too much in Scotland and will aim to have less showers on my return.

At the gers it was mainly couples sometimes with a young child and sometimes the grandparent/s, as the older children would be in town during the week for school. Most pupils seemed to have very smart uniforms  and graduating from school was cause for celebration with gifts and prizes and a concert. Families have at least 1 dog and an assortment of sheep, goats, horses and in some areas, camels.  A 3 day old goat shared our accommodation in 1 ger and various goats and dogs tried to visit us at other times.  Nyamka, our cook was very skilled at cooking on the ger stove and on a camping gas stove (We were sleeping in tents a few times - challenging with my snoring and when the river beside us froze overnight but fine when the temp rose to 25 degrees.) The meals contained more vegetables and less fat than expected usually served with mutton or different types of salami and tinned fish along with rice, noodles or pasta.  Breakfasts were interesting and varied: hot fruit salad using a mixture of fresh and dried fruit; pancakes; eggs; bread and jam; hot and cold cereal; salad (reminding me of  Karen's wide selection of  breakfasts) and making my cereal breakfast at home seem boring...another challenge for me to be more creative with breakfasts for visitors.

During the trip we were eased into riding bactrian camels (2 humps) by meeting the shorter ones first and then the taller ones in Gobi but each time the wobbliest moments were when the camel stood up and sat down as it bends/stretches 2 legs at a time.  The camels were from light brown in colour to almost black and some looked rather scruffy as they were shedding their coats. Near the ger in the Gobi there were lots of baby camels(calves?) crying for their mothers to give them milk. Whilst in the Gobi we scrambled up the highest sand dune (300m) with difficulty but had fun running back down bare footed.  We saw a few sandy coloured lizards sunbathing in this area before they darted off and in other places had fun spotting marmots, pikkas (small mice), ground squirrels and hamster like creatures popping up from or sprinting for cover in their holes. One day we had a chilly horse trek over the mountains to a frozen lake.  Mongolian horsemen stand in the stirrups to ride their horses but it was ok for us to remain seated.  The nomads are very hospitable and so the guide's family fed us lunch in their ger nearby and gave us the use of their summer ger near our camping site so were able to escape the Siberian wind that night. Our travels took us through a few National Parks, one being where they are trying to reintroduce the cream coloured Takhi horses and the other where they'd found dinosaur eggs and fossilised wood. We watched the sunset over a mini Grand Canyon (Red Rocks) as we clambered over them. We travelled through a few gorges with little room to spare and were camped in one when motorbikes and vans roared through and then another tourist van arrived and set up camp round the corner- not quite the M1 but busy enough for us after not seeing vehicles for many kms. Eagles too liked this area.  Old nests were evident and often the eagles circled above the cliffs. In another gorge we saw peregrine falcons trying to catch their prey and we disturbed some wild goats and elk en route. With no trees or high vegetation for kms a few boxes on tall posts had been positioned for nests and 1 housed 3 chicks, possibly eagles or vultures.  We also visited a few monasteries which had some colourful art and Buddhist sites where it was sad to see so many people with false hopes in rocks, statues and rituals.


The towns we passed through varied in size and consisted of small houses and gers surrounded by fences made of wood, bashed out metal barrels and bricks, a selection of shops, a school and some other large, official looking buildings. Shops didn't have windows to advertise their goods so apart from the Mongolian script it was hard to work out the types apart from opening the door and gingerly checking inside.  Some of the towns have large (black) markets where we saw household goods including flat packed gers, clothing and various food products with understandably a limited selection of fruit and veg and fish. In the butcher's shop was a huge lump of fat which was a camel's hump and also camel, horse and goat meat but none of these featured on our menus.

Around the outskirts of the towns black kites circled over the piles of strewn rubbish. Eagles were often sitting at the roadsides on the open steppe land but didn't hang around to be photographed.
Flowers were beginning to emerge after the severe winter: carpets of miniature blue and a few yellow irises; low lying yellow vetches; shrubs like yellow broom; small alpine flowers like gentians and spikey grasses in the sandy areas. In the desert mirages of lakes and rivers were often evident caused by reflections from black stones or salt deposits. However in other areas we did see a few rivers and lakes with cranes, golden ducks and black and white ducks with red markings before the cattle stampeded into the lake for a drink.

And so 3 happy, tired and smelly campers arrived back in UB where Fiona acted as the perfect hostess nursing us back to civilisation and preparing us for our onward flights.

Around Mongolia

Last night arrived back in UB after a very adventurous trip exploring some of Mongolia's vast countryside by 4 wheel drive with 2 friends, a very cautious/careful driver and helpful interpreter/great cook. More details to come when I've more time in Kyrgyzstan. Then the challenge will b 2 ad photos!

Thanks to those of u who have been in touch thro' blog or email so giving me ur email address. Discovered it's 40p/ text for me and free for u to receive it but cost from ur end will depend on ur network.

Craig's Country File:

Craig's Country File:

Dingwall to UB

Finally made it out of UK after 2 weeks of frantic activity to get ready for "take off" and  a few hiccups with visas and house insurance. However despite an hours sleep b4 flying out of Inverness (clear flight over snowcapped mountains, managed to bus it over to Heathrow with the help of a humourous bus conductor to the correct terminal, travel with a few more hours sleep to Beijing in the company of a Malcolm F "look alike", a lawyer from Amsterdam (married!) and cope with a cancelled flight in Shanghai and change of terminals in Beijing's huge airport complex to meet the Dransfield's driver,Chow lee, thankfully as had no way of communicating with them!

Had a fun time with the Dransfields meeting the extended family of 2 guinea pigs and a hamster and some of their friends and enjoying being part of their life for a few days.  Zonked out the 1st evening so had a late start to explore the Gr8 Wall with Marianne about an hours drive away.  Not as busy as expected and after a few attempts found the 4 seater gondola (similar to the ones on the Nevis Range) for the ascent, wandered around amazed at the size and structure and then took the hour walk down.  Blossom was beginning to appear and we had clear views into the distance where the wall was more neglected.  Had iced tea at Chow lee's Aunt's restaurant and managed not to succumb to any souvenirs. Then it was time to pick up the children from their huge British School which carefully monitors the pollution levels and has domes for the children to play in if the levels become too high for playing outside. That night I was the only one in the household who heard a terrific thunder and lightening storm at 0200!  On Friday it was an earlier start with Chow lee to the Bird's Nest (Olympic Stadium) for a photo shoot of both it and the surrounding flower gardens and then the rest of the day in the Summer Palace with lots pretty blossom at this time of year, ornate buildings and an exceptionally long "corridor" full of art work beside a large lake. Found bargain shorts en route home as by then I'd realised I'd need more than 1 pair to cope with the heat!  In the evening in true Dransfield style we cycled to a nearby (10mins) restaurant with yummy  "real" Chinese food minus dumplings as the dumpling chef (conjures up a funny picture!) was absent cycling home in the dark without incident.

 Back to an early morning start on Saturday to catch the train to Ulaan Bataar and with the help of Marianne's Chinese managed to navigate our way through the ornate station building and up the long steep escalator to the platform for the K23 train.  The train had 14 coaches with 2 classes of Pullman compartments with 2 beds, a chair and a toilet or 4 beds and shared toilets.  I was in the latter and as it wasn't that busy was sharing with just one passenger, a Mongolian lady, with a few words of English.  There were 2 ladies in charge of each coach for cleaning, air conditioning, supplying sheets and towels and topping up the hot and cold water supplies in the coach.  Met folk from Melbourne, England and Mongolia and enjoyed chats with them and viewing the ever changing scenes once passed the industrial suburbs of Beijing although I did eventually conk out by the afternoon.  We reached the border at 2230 and until 0200 there were officials dealing with passports and men changing wheels so didn't waken properly until around 0930.  When stopped for about 20 mins at one Mongolian station there were food and drinks sellers and a boy selling chunks of stone eg jade? Altogether the trip was a memorable experience!

Humphing a big case around is not ideal so now trying to think of ways to downsize and have already sent some stuff home with the Dransfields when they return in the summer.  All suggestions welcome...

and there's more...
August Flight Manila -Singapore
Train or bus Singapore-Malaysia and Thailand
Thailand -Malaysia-Singapore
October Flight Singapore -Japan return
November Flight Singapore -Perth
Flight Perth -Melbourne
Train/bus Melbourne -Adelaide
Possible trip to Darwin
Train/bus Adelaide-Sydney
December Flight Sydney-Auckland
Flight Auckland-Wellington(Christmas)
March Flights Wellington-Auckland -San Francisco
Flight SF-New Mexico
Flight New Mexico-Seattle
Ferries/buses Seattle-Vancouver
April Flight Vancouver-Chicago
Flight Chicago-Halifax
Flight Halifax-Boston
End of April Boston-London
Trains to relatives in the far south!
May Flight London-Inverness

This itinerary is a rough guide and at present it's difficult to be more specific.

NB In each country I will buy a mobile phone sim card for contacting folk within that country only as charges can be quite hefty for both calls/texts sent to and received from UK. 
However I do hope to check emails/blog comments regularly and may even try to skype folk!