It's only 19 days until we're home - and we're both starting to get a bit excited about it all. Our homecoming meal has been planned, planned and re-planned. Nights out are being put in the diary. Just as in the US we had to think about Australia, and in Australia we had to think about Asia - here we're having to think about Scotland and all the things we'll be needing to do when we get back.

But then it's still 19 days and that means a great deal of travelling to go. We decided to forgoe the Yangtze river cruise as we have not had good reports about them recently because of the Three Gorges Dam - the water level has risen a huge amount and there is little flow turning the whole thing into the worlds biggest septic tank. We also met a girl from Hangzhou that we may go and visit which adds another destination to our list. We need to schedule being somewhere for the World Cup Final on the 11th, and perhaps the Wimbeldon Final if Murray makes it tonight (Go Murray!).

On top of all this, there's day to day sightseeing and adventuring to be done. Yangshou was fun, we hired a tandem and cycled around though I don't know how well it would work in Scotland - just too many hills. We had a very fun night at Monkey Jane's bar watching the England v Germany game with a bunch of Englishmen. Only Fiona and Jane (the owner) were vocally supporting the Germans but they got the last laugh in the end. Jane also had a Beer Pong table where the English also lost and lost miserably. It was not a good night for them.

We travelled to Chongqing overnight by train, covering the 1200km in the luxury of a BED. Who knew? I was beaten soundly by a our bunkmates at Chinese Chess but I am learning (I beat the cafe waiter today!).

Yesterday, we were struck with a day of bad luck in Chongqing. The taxi driver broke my rucksack clip, the door in our room did not work and we ended up ordering some crazy fish soup thing that meant Fiona missed out on lunch (I love fish) and we couldn't get an express train out of here to our next destination - we're stuck in cattle class on a 6 hour train instead of a zoom-zoom express train that would take 2. There must be a fluctuation in travellers karma somewhere, something we've done wrong. I hope our penance has been completed and we'll get back to some normality soon.

Finally, be aware everyone that we do not have access to Facebook or Twitter. If you've been in touch with us via either of those mediums since 26th of June then please send the message to our e-mail instead.

Toodle Pip!

Stu