And so it starts

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Greetings from Beijing, where we’re now warmly settled into our hostel after a fun if somewhat enduring 18 hour journey here.
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We had a 4 hour stop off at Dubai airport, and it was about 2am when we realised we only knew two card games that work well with two people – Rummy, and snap. Since Laura’s an ace at snap, that was out – and it turns out Rummy can get a little dull. We’re going to have to do some research on some alternatives, or we’ll go mad… On another games-related note, it turns out that Tetris (on the in-flight entertainment system, and multiplayer, no less) is still a winner. Brings back the days of Tetrinet at uni!

Our flight from Dubai was on an Airbus A380, a massive new superjumbo. We reckon the engines are bigger than the flat Laura and Patrick used to live in (but a bit more drafty).

All’s pretty good here so far – we’ve got beds, the hostel’s small and lovely with a courtyard and in a quiet suburb, and this evening we went for some mandatory Peking Duck. Total bill for a whole duck and drinks between the two
of us? £10. And Beijing is expensive, we hear!
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Right, time to use the best feature of the hostel – a shower, and then get some kip. 29 degrees tomorrow, and we’ve got some exploring to do…

Simon & Laura