It has now been a week in since Katherine and I walked ‘The Great Wall of China’, however I know there are many still waiting for the report so here it is. We travelled 1 hour 25 minutes from Beijing to reach the foot of The Wall. On the way in the bus we learnt that The Great Wall stretches 6,700 kilometres from east to west of China and part of the wall have a history of more than 2000 years. Originally built to defensive walls to ward off Mongol tribes and other nomadic enemies from the north, today The Wall remains as one of the most appealing attractions in the world because of its construction size, architectural style and historical significance.

Upon arrival we discovered that it was around eight degrees, so we rugged up and began our assent. We started with a lot of energy and vigour, however, after a short time climbing we began to feel the affects of the extremely high steps. However, we soldiered on with our determination to reach the top. After a few pit stops and some friendly words of encouragement from other tourists on the way back down, we finally made it - and let me just say the feeling at the summit was worth the effort.

Here are a couple of pics as prove that goals really come true.

What an amazing day!! It started out visiting Tiananmen Square, a place of many historical moments in China’s history. The square, in the heart of the city, holds one million people. While walking the temperate was a very cool three degrees. But I totally loved every shivering moment.

From there it was onto the Forbidden City. If you have seen the movie ‘The Last Emperor’ then you would be very familiar with this place. Constructed in 1407 and with 9,999 rooms inside, 14 emperors of the Ming dynasty and 10 emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. The self-contained city is massive (almost 1 kilometres long and 750 metres wide) making it the world largest palace. Click on the pics to see close ups.

Having worked up a major appetite it was off to a great restaurant to enjoy one of the most famous Beijing delicacies - Peking Duck. Ummo!!

In 1974 some humble farmers, while digging a well, unearthed an unusual piece of clay - little did they know it was going to be one of the most important and biggest archaeological finds in the world. Excavation revealed nearly 8,000 life-sized terracotta warriors and horses, made to guard the tomb of the first emperor (Qin Shihuangdi) and protect him in the after life. Even more incredible was the fact that no two warrior faces were made the same and they were found holding weapons and lined up facing east in battle array. It is estimated that some 720,000 workers were involved in this undertaking that lasted several decades until the emperor died in 210 BC.

Now that you’d had a quick history lesson let me just say that this place is absolutely incredible and if you ever come to China this is a must see.

I am writing to you today from the 58th floor of the Grand Hyatt Shanghai - the world’s tallest hotel. The hotel actually starts on the 54th floor and goes all the way up to the 84th floor. Also it lays claim to the title of having the world’s highest pool, the world’s highest gymnasium and the world’s highest bar. Now can you believe that right now I am looking out my hotel room and all I can see is clouds - not ones off in the distance, I mean we are so high that right now we are in the clouds!!

Last night we had a very yummy six course Chinese meal, while at the same time we watched some of the most amazing Shanghai acrobats and kung-fu performers. Check out the pictures - can you image holding up a person who is up-side-down with your mouth, while at the same time spinning eight plates on some sticks?? Well that is what these incredible girls can do. (Click on the photos to enlarge).

Katherine and I are off on a tour of the city in 20 minutes so stay tuned for more updates!!

Being in Allianz Stadium in Munich to watch Australia take on Brazil was an absolutely awesome!! Three days later we travelled to Stuttgart to watch Australia play Croatia and head into the next round of the World Cup. The celebrations continued well into the night and will be something that I will remember for a very long time…

Guten Tag is HELLO in German incase you are wondering. I am now in Munich Germany after a few days travelling. Just to give you a very quick update, we arrived in Frankfurt and then travelled by car to Stuttgart where we picked up our Camper Van which will be our home for the next 2 weeks.

From there we travelled to Nuremburg and then onto Munich where we met two of our friends that flew in from Rome. After a few hours of settling in (watching soccer) and map reading, we drove to Prague (the capital of Czech Republic). After a great night in a club which had 5 levels, we had a few hours of sleep and then hit the pavement for some site seeing in that amazing city.

Four hours later and some very sore feet, we drove back to Munich, watched some more soccer and did some more wandering. Anyway today is the big day - Australia v Brazil. We are all busting out of our skin!! I will try and put up another post in the next few days with a summary of the atmosphere from inside the statium… Cheers!!

In just three days from now, myself and three of my best-friends will be embarking on the trip of a lifetime. A journey to the holy land of Germany and to what some people say is the greatest sporting spectacle there is … the 2006 FIFA WORLD CUP!!!

Of course we will be supporting what can be only be refered to as the dark horse of the tournament… the mighty SOCCEROOS. Over the next two weeks I will be doing my best to put an handful of posts (and even some photos) on this blog. So make sure you check in every couple of days so you can follow my adventures.

Today was an awesome day. My wife organised the most amazing surprise for me!! Firstly we took a ride on a Helicopter (my first time ever), which was simply spectacular and at any other time would have been the highlight of my week! However, the helicopter ride was just the transport to our actual destination…

The magnificent “Fox Glacier”, one of the few glaciers in the world which is actually growing every year! For over two and a half hours we walked on this moving river of ice (moving at a speed of 2 meters a day down the mountain), through crystal blue ice caves, over glacial paths and past magnificent waterfalls. The world is a wonderful place!