Upon arrival, the first thing I noticed was that Shang Simla looked like a place that time had forgotten. If it wasn't for an ugly transmitter mast on a hill outside town, Shang Simla looked like it could have still been in the era of the Sim Dynasty. As such, it did not look as if it had been affected by the Cultural Revolution, nor was it a mecca for nectar-guzzling tourists.

I would have preferred some creature comforts as the accommodation was no luxurious hotel and the tour company I went with would not even drop me off at the door. I found myself dumped by a notice board that was situated at the foot of a long winding flight of stairs up to what looked like it had been a monastery. Its purpose now seemed to be a self-catering base camp for those who were seeking adventure.

At the time of my arrival, I still was definitely not in an adventuring mood. My original plan had been quite simple. I was going to go over the bridge into the Forbidden City, find the market place, pop into the relic store, buy some cheap fossils and then be on the next flight home. However, as I'd paid to be here for three days and despite the accommodation being so spartan, it made no sense for me to head home within hours of arriving.

Instead, I chose to have a look at the noticeboard and see what the big deal was with adventuring. As these adverts were in Simlish and not Simdarin, it was no bother to understand what the locals wanted. Some local had wanted some relic finding, but only by someone from out of town. Perhaps he was too embarrassed to let his friends know what he wanted finding. An outsider wouldn't know who to gossip to about it in the first place. So, I decided to take the opportunity and report in.

According to Katie Melua, there are nine million bicycles in Beijing. That's a fact, so she says and I'm not questioning it. According to me, though, it looks like there are ninety bicycles in Shang Simla. If people are not running or walking from one place to the other, they travel around on bicycles. I did not see a single car or bus while I was here.

Anyway, The guy wanted some relic finding that was in a tomb under the Hall of the Lost Army. I was given a keystone that he said I would need in order to get in. So, off I went to the place he told me to, which is a large imposing building in the heart of the Forbidden City. Some footplate - obviously placed in the middle of the hall - was very inviting. Once I stood on it, a long staircase opened up leading down into some tomb. I followed it down.

I found a place for the keystone and the chains locking a door in front of me magically broke. Time seemed to flash past while I adventured in this tomb. I thought "Montana Miller and the Temple of Gloom" was just Simmywood hype but I found adventure and excitement. I found secret doors, cleared a pile of rubble to reveal a switch, swam through an underground tunnel, found ancient coins, gems, bags of money, small relics and some not so small. An ethereal glow seemed to lead me to the treasure chest inside which was the relic that the mysterious patron wanted. One day of adventuring was a hundred times more exciting than spending a week collating the company's annual tax returns.

On this occasion, I needed to pull the statue onto the floor switch in order to break the chains on the door in front of me.

I spent my next day looking around the Forbidden City and visiting the market. I sampled some of the local cuisine from the café, bought some fossilised fruit from the relic shop, got a few books from the local bookstore and stocked up on some adventuring provisions from the general store. I even got a treasure chest of my own. The storekeeper said they would ship this out. Perhaps there are only so many things I can put in my inventory.

I never really stayed at the base camp. On one of my nights, I stopped at Camp Chrysanthemum, which was one of the several campsites dotted around the countryside. The facilities were rather basic. A tent, a public convenience with male and female rest rooms and a fire pit where I was able to roast some food. This stay did prove quite profitable as I was able to pick up some uncut rainbow gems that I found laid nearby.

Further up the hill was an abandoned barn. Next to it was a pond that was teeming with koi. I couldn't resist the opportunity to try out some fishing and I did manage to catch a few. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw some nasty looking red bugs although when I turned to look directly at them, they seemed to have vanished.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end and I had get the next flight back to Sunset Valley as my Zero Level Visa had run out. However, I had a Level One Visa if I chose to return and then I could stay longer. I knew at the first chance that I could get to return that I would. This time, there had been so much to see and so little time to see it all in.