Scenes from our trip to China - part I

There is nothing like learning about a culture than visiting its country. And boy, did we experience the good and the bad on this trip. Overall, we learned a lot about China and had many new experiences.

Our trip started pretty rocky. Due to a schedule change as a result of NW being bought by Delta, we missed the cutoff time for check-in by 2 minutes and lady won't check us in. But by God's grace, we were allowed to check in by a manager.

J and W were really troopers through the whole trip. Daddy says it is "boot camp" training for them with all the walking (you should see how fast the people, even the elderly walks faster than us esp on tour and tour guide seemed like she was flying) and waiting in lines, and dealing with all that many people. ha-ha. The tour is also entirely in Chinese so the kids and hubby are lost in the lingo so to speak most of the time. But pictures are worth more than a thousand words, right? Despite everything, the kids were happy campers and enjoyed their trip.

Day 1 in Shanghai, at upscale cafe. All I wanted was a cup of coffee to go but was urged to sit and wait. Little did we know, once you sit down, everyone had to order at least 15 yuan (or approx. $2) of food/drink. At least the view is not bad.
We also had to hunt for a cell phone right away. Am I glad I did get one as there was no way we could have made it in China without one.

Day 2 in Shanghai (visiting my grandmother's grave) with relatives. I should mention my dad took the kids for some shopping as I was too jet-lagged to tag along. He was very impressed that J didn't ask to buy any toy or clothes and said she have enough. Instead, she remembered I wanted a scrubbing board which my dad was able to find one for me. Grandpa got W a jacket because it was much colder than I anticipated.


Day 2 night on the over night train to Beijing. Problem was grandpa could only secure 3 tickets (=3 bed but 1 was not in the same segment of the train). Can you see the hard bed in the back? There are 3 levels with different prices. Finally we were able to secure 2 extra beds in the worker area except no children are allowed in the area. Luckily, our 2 other ticket was very close to the workers bed area so I can hear the kids call me and help them.

Meeting with a friend in Beijing. He was nice enough to pick us up from the train station and send us to our hotel. But alas, no reservation for us could be found. After a lot of phone calls, we finally settled in another hotel. Later, he took us to sample some authentic Beijing dishes but I think our taste buds are still used to Chinese food in the US. But the kids did love the wide variety of Chinese snacks.
The first time we took a taxi, the kids were super excited but after then nth time, the excitement died down.

Day 1 of our Beijing tour. This is also our 1st tour. Every day our day started between 6:30-7:00am on the bus and ended at 6-6:30 pm at the hotels. This is also a rotating tour so our 1st day is really the last day for some of the other folks.
J at the bird's nest where the 2008 Olympic opening ceremony was held.
On the very first day, because our tour guide forgot her flag and did not bother to count her people, right after we got off the tour bus, there was a split and we lost our group. It took us quite a while to find her because the phone # given to us was used previously by another tour guide and she didn't try to call us. Very frustrating. After that, we learned fast to really pick up pace and glue ourselves to her while she found a scarf to use as her flag. There are gazillion other tour groups all around us.

Day 2 - the rickety carriages, J and W loved riding these.

Day 2 Stopping at a scenic spot for a quick picture then continue touring Beijing's old style houses.
Day 2
This is "si he yuan" which are the old styled houses of Beijing. W is standing in the court yard. The actual rooms on the four sides are fairly small. Only the very rich can afford to live here as it is in the very center of the city and these kind of houses are extremely limited. Beijing, as the tour guide explained is deeply rooted in the art of Feng-Shui (strategic location). Everything in the city is planned around it. It was a fascinating history lesson as every new emperor who came into power used feng shui to eradicate the power/root of his predecessor.

At the court yard of Prince Gong's place. The place is huge, with numerous twist and turns, gardens, hall ways, room after room. One can easily get lost.


At the theatre house inside Sheng He's place. This is where he greeted some of his guests. He is the famous smuggler who smuggled an astounding amount of goods. When he was caught, he had what is the equivalent to over 10 year's worth of the country's total $$.

A brief rest: watching acrobatics- he was rotating that big pot around his head.

There is a Fu (or good fortune) hidden inside these rocks. It is designed so that the Fu could not be removed from here without causing irreparable harm.

One of the many hall ways

Back of He Sheng's house. By looking at the design of his windows, He Sheng knew what was hidden in each of the rooms.

Next stop: Great Wall of China and much more