Day 1- On the road to Beijing !

13 hours of flying , a stopover in Shanghai airport customs and a midnight car journey to the back lots of the Beijing Hutongs was all it took for us to be transported from the land of plenty (read Melbourne Australia & 14c) to the land of plenty of people (read Beijing China & 32c)

I could have called the trip uneventful if you excluded the synchronized screaming near the equator as our ageing Air China A330  quickly rose then plummeted in some torrid air turbulence - I may have even called the trip without mishap but that too would have to exclude Kev's return to form when he first left his glasses in the airport car park, secondly was interrogated by custom officials about his dog eared / waterlogged looking passport and thirdly took out an aisle queuing stauncheon when his backpack buckle snagged one going through customs - what a start to the trip H !

As it was we vitually crawled into our beds in the beaut looking Beijing Backpackers located in the Beijing Hutongs after 1.00a.m having secured what appears to be millions in Chinese currency and looking forward muchly to a great Chinese cycling adventure following a few days preamble in Beijing !