I finally took my tour yesterday to Shaolin temple. It is about two hours from Zhengzhou. I think you would be better off staying in Dengfeng for a night. I booked the tour through my hotel so it was your typical Chinese tour complete with flag waving tour guide. Everyone on the tour seemed excited that a ‘laowai’ (foreigner) had joined their group.

In movie star fashion people wanted to take their pictures with me. It was fun at first but it did get a bit tiring as the day worn on. Another guy said how good I was at taking pictures, so I had to take his picture at almost every attraction with his camera.

It was impossible to understand any of the guide’s explanations, but it was fun trying to chat with the other people in the group. Everyone wants to know where you are from, what you are doing in China and if you are married. I think for most Asians it is difficult to understand why someone would want to travel by themselves. At least in China you are never alone for long!

We visited a couple of other temples before going to Shaolin Temple after lunch. Lunch was at the ‘Fair Restaurant’. The temple itself was fairly ordinary. I caught the end of a kungfu performance. The theatre was packed so I could only see from the back.

Young students actually train at the temple and watching them train outside was perhaps the most enjoyable, away from the throngs of Chinese and Korean tourists.

I caught the overnight train to Xian where I arrived at 4:30 in the morning, where I have spent the last couple of hours in McDonalds which is open 24 hours.

I think this is Songyue Pagoda. One of the oldest pagodas in China.

My guide for the day. Unfortunately she didn’t speak any English.