MONGOLIAAfter a rather hairy ride to Beijing Main Station with the sticky tape the driver used in an attempt to keep the boot shut over our big bags (mind you the boot was very small)detaching itself after 5 minutes and the underside of the car grating on the road with the combined weight of luggage and people...we made it ...all wondering if this was setting the tone for the train ride...and as Sue's bag was the one that would have joined the Beijing traffic jam as it was on top she was particularly anxious! The train was waiting for us as was a stony faced railway employee at each carriage entrance and that pretty much set the customer service standard... the men on our carriage who presumably were there for the passengers, spent the whole time smoking (non smoking signs were pasted up on each wall)eating and sleeping and when we kicked up a stink about the smoking they just shut their door and the smoke seeped into the carriage through less direct means...I am sure they were glad to see the back of us(by the end of the trip we even had nicknames for 2 of them Mr Pork Bun and Mr Cane Toad...well after 30 hours in a confined space obviously we had nothing better to do).And the taxi driver in Ulaan Baatar who wanted 4 times the price for the fare is another story..we did feel bloody relieved to get to our hotel and have the hot shower that was absent from the train.After the vast panorama of the Gobi Desert with its camels and yurts the chaos and size of Ulaan Baatar was a shock....capitalism and all it's ugliness has taken hold here and a local taxi driver (a second one) after telling us how much he liked 'Crocodile Dundee" said things were not so good after Communism with rich and poor,homelessness and the class divide taking hold....more later Kath xo

BEIJING TO ULAAN BAATAR Sorry it has taken so long to get to the blog but China has put restrictions on what you can and cannot do on the internet and the site was blocked....so now we are in the capital of Mongolia all possible(well theoretically). Beijing was fantastic and I am dying to go back. The people are so friendly and welcoming and easy to deal with. The big drawback of course is that the air pollution is horrendous as is the traffic. We visited the Forbidden City (the size of a small city which makes Buckingham Place look like a shack),Tianmen Square graced by Mao's portrait ...then on to Jingshan Park opposite in which hundreds and hundreds of Chinese were collected in small choral groups singing as loudly as possible and having a great old time...it was amazing! Considering the size of the population the police and army presence is very minimal and the place has a prosperous and cheerful air. Went with Jane and Sue to The Great Wall and did a lot of climbing..it is amazingly steep and high. Luckily Jane had read about a place about an hour and half's drive from the city which is not frequented by tourists (maybe this was because the sign said this part of the wall was no go too dangerous)..really it wasn't in that bad a state and the ladder we had to climb was steep but in good nick and hey we had it all to ourselves. Gorgeous old man selling red books and Mao badges at the base of the wall reminded me of my grandfather...then on to the Ming Tombs(those Mings liked to splash out with taxpayer's yuan just a little). Staying in the old Hutong district of Beijing and enjoying great food....off to the train station early in the morning for the 30 hours to Mongolia.....stay tuned... Kath and the comrades xoxo