The Forbidden City, Great Wall, and Terracotta Warriors - Ancient Wonders Through China

China boasts some of the most ancient history in the world dating back more than 3,500 years ago and has the 3rd highest number of World Heritage Sites with 43 total. Exploring the beautiful countryside along with learning the rich culture that has shaped the world was a great experience and we were so glad to take advantage of our time left in Asia with one last trip to China.

Tips Before You Travel: Bring a roll of toilet paper (you can thank me later) China has about 98% squatting toilets that you can smell before you see. At what point does a modern city not dispose of bodily waste in a hole in the ground!?!?!?

The subway system has been upgraded and has all signs written in pinyin (English form of Chinese characters) so it is easy to understand and follow. Most trips anywhere you go are CNY 2 ($0.75) person around the city, so quite economical. Signs around the city are not written in English and people don’t speak English, so have a map and plan of where you want to go.

Oddities in China: Parents dress their babies in pants that have a hole in the seat instead of wearing diapers. If they have to go to the restroom, they simple squat in the middle of the street and go…interesting way of potty training I suppose???? Kaes and I both saw it happen several times and still couldn't believe it. I didn't want to take a picture as it felt violating, so use your imagination....

We flew out after work on Thursday, May 23rd and took the Malaysia Airlines flight at 6 pm from Kuala Lumpur 6 hours to Beijing and arrived a little after midnight. After dealing with taxi drivers, we finally got to the hotel around 3 am. During our stay in Beijing, we stayed at the Novotel Xin Qiao which was a great location to walk out to the Chongwenmen subway station (Lines 2 and 5) right outside the hotel. It is an easy walk to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City (if you start off in the right direction)

Since we got in so late, we slept in a bit and then decided to venture out towards the Forbidden City. It turns out my poor sense of direction (due only to baby brain) led us walking in the wrong direction for 1.5 hours.

A beautiful garden we past walking in the wrong direction ;)

I was also a bit over ambitious at my ability to hike through the streets of Beijing, and therefore, was pretty tired and ready to head back to the room for a nap to recharge. We were both very tired from jet lag so came back to the room and took it easy. After a brief nap, we went out in search of dinner on the famous Wangfujing street and night market.  Not exactly what I had in mind for dinner...you can get any insect/small animal deep fried from worms, scorpions, seahorses, and starfish to baby ducks... 

Saturday we finally made it to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, or what used to be called the Imperial Palace. It was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty, located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government. The Forbidden City is one of Beijing’s largest landmarks and in 1987 was declared a UNESCO Heritage site. It earned its common name from the fact that ordinary citizens were not allowed to approach the complex during the 500 years of its use. Entrance fee of CNY 60 per person ($10 USD)

Tiananman Square spring flowers

Sunday was another busy day to first the Temple of Heaven. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. Next we headed to the north part of the city to the Bell & Drum Tower and to Olympic Park. The Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) & Water Cube were home to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Ground was broken on the Bird's Nest on December 24, 2003. At its height, 17,000 construction workers worked on the stadium and the project overall costs US$423 million to build.

Drum Tower performance

National Stadium - "Bird's Nest" and home to the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics

Water Cube built for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics

Monday we got up early to catch the 877 express bus (you can also take the 919 public bus, they are all lime green; either one costs CNY 12/pp or $2 USD) on an hour ride from Dongshenmen Tower to the The Great Wall at Badaling  It was a clean bus and fairly comfortable for such a bargain price. We started our climb at the entrance to Bear Park at Tower 10 CNY 45 ($7.50 USD with an optional Gondola ride back down for CNY 60/$10 USD) We opted for the Gondola ride down at Tower 8 as it was a feat for me to climb straight up steep stairs and inclines at exactly 5 months pregnant!!!

20 Weeks pregnant climbing the Great Wall

Our morning was quite strenuous and tiresome, but we didn't let that stop us! Our next destination to hit was the Summer Palace on the way back in the afternoon from The Great Wall. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres, three quarters of which is water. Longevity Hill is about 60 metres (200 feet) high and has many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is rich with splendid halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty. The central Kunming Lake covering 2.2 square kilometres was entirely man made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill. In the Summer Palace, one finds a variety of palaces, gardens, and other classical-style architectural structures. In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List

Longevity Hill

Tuesday was an easy day as all of the running around and climbing got the best of us. We had a nice lunch and then went to the Yonghegong Lama & Confucious Temple in the afternoon. 

Wednesday morning we took an 8 am flight 1.5 hours south to Xi’an. We stayed at the Grand Noble Hotel which was very nice for ~$88 USD/night for a 5 star quality hotel. Since we got in late in the afternoon, we checked in and opted for an early dinner at Papa John’s with {REAL} pork and shopping at Wal-Mart to top of our first day. Not exactly like home, but interesting none the less.

Tip: If you are staying near to the center of the city (close to the Bell Tower) take the bus one-way for CNY 26 /pp ($4.25) for a clean and economical ride. Taxis will not use the meter and try to charge you CNY 200 (~$35 USD) 

Thursday we opted to hire a private car and a guide for CNY 450 for the full day ($75 USD) to take us to the Banpo Museum, artifacts from first signs of family life, and the main ancient attraction of Xi'an, The Terracotta Warriors -  $25 USD/pp entry fee. The Terracotta Warriors were sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first and most ruthless Emperor of China. The army was buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC with the purpose to protect the emperor in his afterlife. There are over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses that took over 700,000 people to construct.

 

Xi'an is well known for its Chinese dumplings, so that night we went to the Tang Dynasty Opera  for a Dumpling Dinner & Cultural Show and Dance. The show had 10 different cultural performances with majestic dancers and beautiful costumes. Definitely a must see if you make it to Xi'an.

Unfortunately, I started feeling bad and very tired so we took the day easy by walking to the Bell & Drum Tower in the middle of the city not too far from our hotel. Dinner at Papa John's was so good the night before, we had to go again, then headed in for an early night.

Bell Tower in Xi'an at night

Saturday we left around noon to get our flight back to Beijing. We had a long layover of about 7 hours, so decided to take the Airport Express train CNY 25 ($4 USD) into the city for dinner. It is said that if you come to Beijing and don't try the famous Peking Duck, then you haven't truly experienced China. After much research, we decided on a restaurant in the financial district well known for Peking Duck called Da Dong Roast Duck. We ordered a whole duck with all the condiments along with a caesar salad and it was absolutely delicious! A chef came to the table and spent 10 minutes precisely carving the duck so that each bite was a perfect proportion of skin, fat and meat. The savoury crispy skin paired with white sugar melted in your mouth. It was truly a wonderful dining experience we were glad we didn't miss!

Beijing and Xi’an were both completely full of loud people, polluted streets and air, and people that spoke very little to no English, but despite some of the small setbacks, we had a great time learning some of the world’s most ancient history. It was definitely a memorable trip and one we were glad to experience as our last trip in Asia before moving back to North America! 

See the full album of photos from China here

Hong Kong & Vegas of the East

Destination: Hong Kong & Macau, Special Administrative Republic, China

Date: February 3-7, 2012 – Prophet Muhammed’s Birthday (6^th) and Thaipusam(7^th); both public holidays

Getting there: Air Asia – 3 hours 45 minute fight from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong; 1 hour ferry ride from Hong Kong to Macau

Where we stayed: Cosmo Hotel Mongkok, Kowloon – small, but clean, affordable and in close proximity to MTR (Olympic) station

Time spent: 4 nights, 4 full days (1 day in Macau)

Currency: $1 HKD = ~$7.75 USD

Things to know before you go: The Octopus card is a great card to purchase ($50 HKD refundable deposit) if you are going to spend more than a few days in Hong Kong and is used on all MTR (train) stations, buses, and can be used at many convenient stores and fast food restaurants. Very handy to have and use to travel in between the islands and throughout the city.

Our first trip to Hong Kong was a nice change to cooler weather (55 - 60˚F) away from the “winter” months of KL where we have been seeing 85-90˚F. We decided to go for a 4-day weekend and left after work on Friday evening and stayed through the two public holidays on Monday and Tuesday. Friday night was a late night by the time we arrived and checked into our hotel, so we were ready to crash for the night and start our site seeing the next day.

Saturday morning I planned for us to tour around the sites closer to our hotel, so we went to New Territories area of Hong Kong to the Po Fook Hill Cemetery and hiked straight up a hill to the Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery. It is said that there are actually closer to thirteen thousand buddhas, all with different faces and expressions!!!

After the Ten Thousand Buddhas monastery, we decided to head north to the (very local) Tai Po market for lunch. We ended up finding something to eat, but it was so local that we were only able to convey what we wanted by pointing, smiling, and hoping for the best ;) It hit the spot and turned out okay. After lunch, we took the MTR back down to Kowloon area to walk down Tsim Sha Tsui where there are cheap restaurants, local shopping and markets.

Victoria Peak, or The Peak, is the highest peak in Hong Kong with a beautiful view of the city skyline on the edge of Victoria Harbour. I had planned for us to try and arrive in time to take the 120 - year old railway, the Peak Tram, up in time to watch the sundown and the city lights as they come on lighting up the sky. It was very windy and chilly, but a romantic way to end our wonderful first day.

Our second day in Hong Kong, we started the day off watching part of the Standard Charter Hong Kong marathon. The next site we were anxious to see was the Tian Tan Buddha, or most commonly known as Big Buddha and the Po Lin (Precious Lotus) Monastery. We were not able to ride the Ngong Ping 360 cable car up to the Big Buddha but were able to reach it up in the mountain via a bus. For a small entry fee of $3.50 USD, we were able to walk up to Big Buddha and were given an ice cream and bottled water at the end of our tour. Big Buddha is on Lantau island and shows such a beautiful and more serene side of Hong Kong.

Big Buddha was definitely an incredible site, being the largest sitting bronzed Buddha in the world. After we got back to town, we watched a laser light show over Victoria Harbour, then got a little taste of home with a delicious dinner at Outback Steakhouse to end the night.

The next day was our last full day in Hong Kong, so we decided to take a 1-hour ferry ride (via First Ferry - $20 USD each per way) over to explore Macau. Macau is known as the Las Vegas of Asia for its glamorous hotels,  casinos (a favorite pastime of the Chinese) and plenty of shopping.

Macau was a former Portuguese colony, both the first and last European colony in China. Like Hong Kong, Macau is a SAR (Special Administrative Republic) of China and Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover in December 1999. The Basic Law of Macau stipulates that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.

The SAR means that China is responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy. According to The World Factbook, Macau has the second highest life expectancy in the world with an average of 84.36 years.

MGM Macau - Fortune Dragon of Spring

Portuguese inspired cobblestone Senado (Senate) Square in Macau

Kaes and I in front of the Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral

Our last day half day, we decided to take the MTR over to the financial district and walk through Hong Kong Park. They day was clear and crisp and we picked up some lunch and headed over for a picnic in the park. Kaes just got a new 100mm macro lens and tried it out for a close up on these little guys warming themselves in the sun.

Our delicious and relaxing picnic in the park was a perfect end to our long weekend getaway to Hong Kong and Macau. 

You can view the rest of the pictures at the following link
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3214728854676.2152660.1459951651&type=3&l=e512311434

Halfway Around the World...My Trip to Houston via Beijing and Vancouver

After a 5 hour flight to Singapore, a 6 hour flight to Beijing, a 12 hour layover in Beijing, a 12 hour flight to Vancouver, a 12 hour layover in Vancouver, and a last 4 hour flight, I finally made it to Houston! Only 50 hours of travel time!!!

My journey began as I left Perth on Wednesday afternoon (Perth time) 30 June. I first flew to Singapore on a 5 hour flight, then had about 3 hours to spare before my flight to Beijing. What does one do when they have time to spare in the Singapore Airport??? You go to a Fish Spa!!!

The Fish Spa is a type of spa where a type of Turkish fish (with no teeth) suck the dead skin from your feet, legs and anything else you put in the bath to help with blood circulation and put you in a relaxed state. It was quite an odd sensation at first and I had to get over the mental anxiety of fish swarming my legs, but after the initial shock wore off, it was quite nice. After about an hour it was time to head to the gate, China bound!

Fish Spa in Singapore

Note: NEVER fly Air China! Old planes, no TV’s, and bad food. Luckily I was exhausted and slept the majority of the flight and when I woke up, it was time to land. I have to say I am a bit spoiled as well flying Singapore Airlines most of the time. The service and staff are so nice, you forget how nice you have it until you end up on another airline that doesn’t take hospitality as serious as Sing Air.

Beijing
Best of: Seeing the Forbidden City, visiting a silk factory and experiencing a traditional Chinese tea tasting

Worst of: The cloudy and rainy weather

My first trip to China was welcomed by hot, humid weather. Oh how I don’t miss those balmy Singapore days or the August summers in Houston. Luckily, it was overcast so the heat wasn’t as bad as it could have been. I met up with my English speaking tour guide Anly and we headed off to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in downtown Beijing. Tiananmen Square was massive having two large LED screens in the center of the square to show the World Cup. The square is between the Parliament building and the Forbidden City.

In front of Forbidden City

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. For almost five hundred years, it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government.The Forbidden City is one of Beijing’s largest landmarks and in 1987 was declared a UNESCO Heritage sites.

Next we visited a traditional Chinese tea house to understand the proper way to drink tea and the different types of tea that are found in China. China is known to have the longest history of tea dating back more than 3,000 years ago. I tried Jasmine, Lychee with Rose, Black tea, and Oolong Tea. Some tea has been “aging” for over 100 years. There is fruit tea and handmade tea with Jasmine leaves rolled into a tight ball that after sit in hot water, open to a beautiful flower that can be used as decoration for 7 days or longer after you enjoy the flavor of the tea.

The last main site was of the Temple of Heaven (above) The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for good harvest. It is regarded as a Taoist temple, although Chinese Heaven worship, especially by the reigning monarch of the day, pre-dates Taoism. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998 and was described as "a masterpiece of architecture and landscape design which simply and graphically illustrates a cosmogony of great importance for the evolution of one of the world’s great civilizations.

You quickly forget how long 12 hour flights are when you haven’t flown them in several months...this is also where I vouch to not get on a plane anytime soon; only to realize I have to get back home...

Vancouver

Best of: Seeing some of the country's celebrations for Canada Day (Independence Day)

Worst of: Being exhausted!

I landed in Vancouver on Thursday, 1 July 2010 which happened to be Canada Day; which is our version of the 4th of July. Parades and celebrations were under way with Canadians enjoying the beautiful weather. During the summer months in Vancouver, the sun doesn’t set until around 9:30 at night, giving them 16 hours of sunlight. It was perfect for me to be able to not only enjoy the nice weather, but to have plenty of sunshine to make up for the bad weather in Beijing!

My first stop was to Granville Island. The Island is actually a peninsula on the northern tip of Vancouver, not far from the city. The island is known for the famous market with heaps of restaurants, bars, and shopping or great places just to sit out on a bench to enjoy the scenery.

View of Granville Island Markets from an overhead bridge

After grabbing lunch at The Sandbar Seafood Restaurant and spending a few hours walking around, I decided to head off to Stanley Park, just a few more miles northwest.

Stanley Park is a huge park with ponds, lakes and outdoor activities to see and do.

A lake at Stanley Park

Below is a picture of handmade totem poles in Stanley Park.

Just as I was about to leave, I caught this beautiful picture of the sun setting over one of the lakes at the entrance of Stanley Park.

Last stop, Houston!!!