To kick off our series of family travel adventures, We decided to take the children on their first overseas trip last year – China. Matt had spent a fair amount of time there for his job and was keen to introduce the rest of us to the culture, food, people, sights & delights. Our booked dates happened to coincide with China’s Golden Week which begins with their National day on 1st October. Lonely planet advises westerners to avoid travelling during this holiday due to most Chinese workers taking their annual holidays at this time therefore the tourist sites get exceptionally busy – oops!
Staying in Beijing, The Great Wall of China was on the top of our “must do” list – so we went 30th September and it was perfect! We drove to the Mutianyu section, about 80km from the city. This area was very clean, lots of markets, restaurants, tourist operators & a museum. To get to the wall we had to ride a cable car and once on the wall, we were free to walk as much or as little as we wanted. It was quite a surreal place to be, not just it’s history, purpose and size but it was so quiet!
Chinese National Day – we had no idea what to expect in regard to crowds so we decided to make an early start and head for the Forbidden City. Steeped in history this Grand Palace housed Chinese emperors for 500 yrs. Inside the high external walls within the moat, are Museums, galleries & halls painted in red with Vibrant coloured detail. We finished our day with a visit to Tianamen Square, where security was tight & preparations were underway to host the Chinese president along with a grand parade where China’s armed forces display their impeccable military precision. Yes there were a lot of people, everywhere! But still not as busy as my first (and probably only!) experience of being in a Tokyo train station during Rush Hour!
Our Bullet train trip from Beijing to Shanghai was a wonderfully relaxing way to travel, roughly 5 hours on the train travelling at speed up to 320km per hour its a great way to see the countryside. Shanghai is a bustling city with modern & striking skyscrapers. The Bund is an area of waterfront stretching for a mile along the Huangpu River, The architecture of the buildings in this area are a stark contrast to the opposite side of the river being mostly Romanesque, gothic and some Art deco. The French Concession district was one of my favourite areas, with its lovely tree lined streets, European influence, cafes and bars it is popular with expats.
Our Visit to China was a great introduction for our children to the world outside little old New Zealand, to experience ethnic food in its home country, be surrounded by foreign language which we struggled with but managed fine, travel by underground trains and negotiate motorbikes and cyclists which have their own set of road rules to vehicles.
Noodles and Notepads 