It's a Wild World: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Longqing Gorge: Nature, Chinese-style

In the past 2 weeks, temps have definitely warmed up in ye old Beijing. They are definitely nowhere near Texas levels of heat, but it is pretty toasty. We wanted to take the kids out for some nature, but preferably nature in the mountains outside the city where cooler temps prevail. I have a fabulous new book called the Beijing Excursion Guide, which details day trips and weekend trips around the city. It includes basic driving and travel directions, descriptions and pictures. This is pretty indispensable since most travel guides about Beijing are written for tourists, not for folks who live here and can wander a bit farther afield. We chose Longqing Gorge for this excursion because it is relatively close to the city, has water and promised to be about 10 degrees cooler than the city itself. Located in Yanqing County about 85 kilometers outside Beijing proper, Longqing Xia is known for its limestone karsts. It is supposed to resemble the famous Three Gorges along the Yangtze river in the south. I can't speak to that resemblance, but it was very beautiful.

The trip there was pretty uneventful as far as Chinese road trips go. We brought along an extra child whose parents were crazy enough to say OK when we suggested we bring him along on a trip to possibly nowhere, but hopefully somewhere. Of course we didn't know exactly where we were going, but we had a decent idea and a GPS unit and there was a highway going most of the way there. Along the route, we passed several relatively small sections of the Great Wall as well as the very famous -- and insanely crowded -- Badaling section. It was thrilling to drive along the highway and then see the wall clinging to the tops of the mountains surrounding us. We stopped at a building labeled "Beijing Tourist Information" to attempt to use the restroom -- fail since it was apparently not working or closed or something -- but we were encouraged to see pictures of the Longqing Gorge on brochures in the waiting area. Encouraged because we did appear to be heading the right direction. Using a combination of the brown road signs that identify cultural or historical attractions and our GPS, we did finally end up in the parking lot of Longqing Gorge. Once there, things were a bit iffy since there were plenty of people, but no clearly identified entrance or place to purchase tickets for the attraction. Well, it was clearly identified in Chinese perhaps, but not English. We wandered around a bit and attempted to ask at an information kiosk but they didn't speak English and we reach the limits of our Chinese quickly. At this point, one of my children who shall remain nameless, got a bit irate and wondered loudly why on earth we go to these places without any type of advance planning. I pointed out that clearly I had planned enough to get us here, but that the details such as where you enter, how much it costs, etc. are just something you have to figure out as you go along. After watching the crowd for a few minutes, we figured out that we needed to buy tickets for some battery cars that would then drive us to the entrance of the attraction. That is, indeed, exactly what happened. When in doubt, follow the throngs.

At the Gorge, you get on a giant escalator encased in a dragon. This takes you to a boat where you cruise the river for 20 minutes or so. It then stops and you get out to look around at some temples or do bungee jumping if you are extremely brave (i.e. foolhardy -- Hello, this in CHINA!). We hiked a wee bit up the mountain, but my son's friend is clearly not used to the breakneck pace at which our family rolls. After hiking for a few minutes, he suggested that he was tired and asked if we could call it a day. Of course NOT since we had just gotten there, but we did cut him some slack and stopped actively climbing up the mountain. We didn't get to see the famed Illusion Pavilion, but we did purchase ice cream and shore up everyone's morale. We also took our first Chinese cave tour. Caves in the United States are a very serious affair. They put a lot of time and effort into preserving their natural state and the guides admonish you constantly not to touch any part of the cave. Um, not so much in China, where the entire cave had been turned into a giant diorama full of stuffed pandas, peacocks, cheetahs, tigers, elephants and winter cabins. I think the theme was the 4 seasons. Whatever it was, it was brilliantly hilarious and we all enjoyed it. Then, we all took a toboggan slide down the mountain and finally called it a day.

The Gorge really was beautiful and relatively uncrowded. It was also very kid-pleasing. I mean, who doesn't love boat rides, giant dragon escalators, trippy psychedelic caves and slides? I highly recommend this excursion for folks who want to see a bit more of the Beijing environs. I'm always stunned by just how scenic it is and how quickly it all turns pastoral when you get just outside the city.

Lovely temple in the park dating from the 11th century

Yes, this park included a petting zoo of sorts. There was also a squirrel on a leash?!

How awesome is this Chinese tiger?

Psychedelic peacock!

Everybody in the boat had a parasol up to protect them from the sun. They were quite pointy.

Awesome dragon escalator.

They had a guy on a motorcycle with another dangling below him just randomly happening up above us.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Hong Kong

We took a short vacation to Hong Kong to break up the summer a bit. Chris can't really take a proper vacation this summer because they are so busy. Anyways, I honestly didn't know what to expect. Nor was I initially that excited. I mean, it is still China, right? With crazy traffic and a baffling language. Well, I am happy to report that while Hong Kong is still very Chinese, it was very different from the mainland. The public transportation system was efficient and well laid out, there was lots of English spoken, lots of helpful people who could tell you where things are located and how you can get there. The air quality was great compared to Beijing. Plus it is a free and diverse society with public Facebook access and Twitter. When we were out and about, nobody gawked or photographed us. We were just one of the crowd, which was nice.

Anyways, we had a fabulous time. Life seemed super easy and it was far less stressful than moving around Beijing. We did a lot. There was no language barrier and there were always friendly folks available to help. As a result we used every form of public transportation (ferries, trains, bus and metro) and went tons of places! The kids, with some whining here and there, did a good job of going with the flow. Travel is always grueling and rarely fun while it is happening. There are delays, long lines and plenty of time spent lugging heavy bags from place to place. It is always worth it though -- hopefully the kids agree.

Day 1. In Transit

So, we went to Hong Kong because Chris did a rotation in the Guangzhou consulate. This meant that we had to all fly into Guangzhou, then take a train to Hong Kong. Although we did know this going into it, Wednesday was a loooong day. We flew to Guangzgou, took the metro there to the train station and then took a train to Hong Kong. Then we took the metro there to our hotel. We left for the airport at 6:30 am and made it to our hotel around 7 pm. Nobody had much breakfast. They got a granola bar for lunch. Then some food at the train station for dinner. We did walk around the Temple Street Night Market when we got there. Pretty cool. There were tons of fortune tellers set up, as well as Cantonese Opera singers, karaoke, and tons of food and knick knacks.

Day 2: Disneyland Hong Kong

Although this wasn't originally part of the plan, we decided to surprise the kids with a trip to the land of the mouse. They are still young enough to be thrilled with it all and we know that this phase will pass all too quickly so we went for it. The park is much smaller than the Florida ones so it was easy to do in a day. The one thing we didn't think about was how hot it would be here in July. Especially compared to the north where it hasn't been that warm yet. We were just sweltering by early afternoon. We managed to stay for the parade and then caught the metro home to rest! The one really frustrating part of the day was when this elderly Chinese woman actually pushed Violet aside at the start of the parade. Then stood in front of her and took pictures. Who does that?!! I guess it was a reminder that we were experiencing a truly Chinese Disneyland. The kids were worn out so we rode the metro back and grabbed some noodles for dinner.

Day 3: The Giant Buddha and Tai-O

We decided to head to Lantau island for the day. Disneyland is also on this large island, but we were heading to the less crowded side. We took the metro to the base of a mountain, then boarded a cable car for a 25 minute trip up to the Ngong Ping plateau to see a giant statue of Buddha. It was quite foggy so visibility was poor from the cable car, which probably wasn't a bad thing for those in our party who were afraid of heights. We hiked up to visit Buddha, then had a vegetarian lunch at the Po Lin Monastery. I hate to say it, but it was a pretty bland meal. The type that gives vegetarianism a bad name. And remember that I am vegetarian so I was initially quite excited about it! Then we boarded a bus for the fishing village of Tai-O. Once there, we hopped on a boat and took a quick ride through the village so we could see the houses on stilts. Pretty neat! We strolled through the village to check out their expansive array of dried seafood. Then hopped another bus to Mui Wo, a beachy village where we were able to catch a ferry back to Hong Kong island then another ferry to Kowloon and our hotel. Once there, we decided to walk to our hotel so we took a 30 minute stroll down the very crowded Nathan lane. We stopped at a Shakey's Pizza along the way for beer and pizza. Are you tired yet? We sure were!

My tips for planning this excursion are to book the cable car online and print out your tickets. It will save you some time in a monstrous line.

Day 4: The Peak and the Hong Kong Museum of History

After an overpriced but tasty hotel breakfast buffet, we hopped on the Star Ferry for a ride to Hing Kong island. Once there, we hopped aboard a double decker bus (and scored the top front seats) for a ride up to the top of Victoria Peak. At the top, we walked the 1.5 hour loop trail for scenic views from every vantage point. We grabbed some smoothies and rode the Peak tram back down the mountain. We then headed to the museum where great exhibits helped give us all more insight into HK's very interesting past. We ate dinner at a Thai restaurant then went to the Tsim Tsui promenade for the evening laser light show. The harbor was gorgeous at night and it was just nice there to hang out there and admire the views.

Day 5: Dim Sum and the Bird Market

I decided it would be some type of travesty to depart without enjoying a traditional dim sum breakfast so Sunday morning we strolled to a neighborhood spot recommended by our concierge. Luckily there was an English menu and we stuffed ourselves on dumplings and steamed buns. Hold the chicken feet! I feel compelled to state that while we all like Chinese food, it isn't our favorite cuisine in the world. We all tire of it pretty quickly since there is an element of sameness IMO. It also can be pretty daunting if you are vegetarian since it can be difficult to find out exactly what is in your dumplings or steamed bun. Pork is in everything, even the tofu dishes. And even in stuff that doesn't specifically mention pork. I'm quite easy going, but definitely have my limits.

After leaving Hong Kong, we spent about a week on Shamian Island in Guangzhou, which looked a lot like New Orleans. Chris worked and the kids and I ate and strolled around the parks. It was very restful after our very busy Hong Kong week.