Next stop Shaolin, with a few problems along the way. Our bus got stuck for 6 hours in one spot at a toll both as they weren't letting anyone through the other side, then because of that, we missed the next bus we were hoping for to get so had to stop overnight in a hotel, however all the cheap places wouldn't give us a room because we were foreign, so ended up staying in a 4 star hotel for about 5 times the price we wanted to pay. 

Shaolin, the home to martial arts, is within the mountain in Henan province. We were really looking forward to seeing the martial arts and expected some spectacular shows, but Shoalin was one of the places which had been touristed over. We thought we'd see the monks out in the open practicing their martial arts and be able to have a go, but it was all done on one small stage at no large scale. What they did do was still impressive, and they were all really young, giving what they did that extra edge. Within the Shaolin scenic spot is the Pagoda Forrest, containing over 200 pagodas of all sizes and shapes. The pagodas were really impressive, and gave the area a very historic feel. Although the day hadn't been what we expected, it was still nice to see part of the martial side to China's history.