At the end of September, we took a family trip to China for 8 days! We left the day after Parker and I returned from our trip to Hawaii and Tripler Army Medical Center, so it was quite a bit of traveling for the two of us (3 if you count the baby!) Our itinerary: Beijing, XiAn and Shanghai. We took a small plane to Shanghi on China Eastern airpline. During the flight, they brought lunch – fish or pork. I thought that was funny because when you fly into Japan, they offer chicken or beef. Anyway, it was somewhat scary and I ended up eating some rice and some cantalope. Corey actually ate the pickled octapus tentacles in the little salad portion. When we got to Shanghi, we had to take a shuttle across the city to another terminal – with traffic, it took 1 hour and 40 minutes. By the time we checked our bags (after they made us go to a back room and open them so they could search through them) and got through security (where they tried to confiscate a jar of Gerber carrot chunks from Parker because you can’t bring produce into China), we had about 25 minutes until boarding. Corey tried to go exchange money and grab dinner at the KFC in the airport, but the currency exchange was apparently located OUTSIDE of security, and he didn’t have enough time. We got by on trail mix and granola bars - I had no idea at that point how glad we would be that I had packed snacks!
BEIJING:
After walking through the Forbidden City, we climbed up to a temple on a hill overlooking the city.
This was inside the walls of the Forbidden City - one of the many buildings in the amazing, elaborate city.
Lakeside on the grounds of the Summer Palace. Notice that Parker took her shoes off. This was a common event and more than once, we had to backtrack to find her shoes. From now on, I will pack a back-up pair on trips!
The Great Wall of China.
Visiting one of the Ming Tombs.
The Ming Tombs.
Parker's fans :)
Corey and Parker as we fought the crowd up the Great Wall.
This was our view from the hotel in Beijing.
Mommy, Parker and Daddy at the Beijing Zoo.
This is at the Summer Palace - I think Corey took this to demonstrate how many people were out and about. It was literally hard to walk through the crowd at points.
This was at the base of the Temple of Heaven.
Parker survived on fruit and "snacks" and we found a place to buy her a banana in Beijing.
Tiananmen Square.
Standing in Tiananmen Square outside the walls of the Forbidden City.
This is a large marble lion inside the Forbidden City, or as Parker would say, a "Roar."
This is a view of the crowd in the Forbidden City.
The gardens of the Forbidden City.
When we got to Beijing, we met our tour guide Wong. He was nice - we were the only people on the tour that week, so we were picked up by a private driver. Wong had a huge cavity between his two front teeth, and I could smell his breath from the backseat. Other than that, his English was good and he was pretty patient with Parker. They took us to our hotel and we exchanged some money and bought two bottles of Evian water – for about $13. Our room was pretty nice – small, but nice and cool view. You have to insert your room key into the wall for the electricity, so the air conditioning was only running when we were in the room.
Our first full day was a national holiday, so we rearranged our itinerary and went to the Ming Tombs and climbed the Great Wall. It was a long day - Parker woke up at 2:30 am local time and Corey was up with her playing and reading. We met our tour guide at 8 and got stuck in traffic for 2 hours going to the Ming Tombs, which let Parker nap and Corey and I also tried to sleep, although it wasn't extremely comfortable. The tomb was interesting, but not stroller friendly and most of the Chinese were more interested in Parker than the tombs. They took us to lunch at a restaurant that was pretty good - beef and rice. It tasted fairly similar to "beef and brocoli" minus the brocoli. In the same building, we sat through a traditional tea ceremony and the ladies who worked in the tea area played with Parker. Then we climbed part of the Great Wall. Corey had Parker in a baby backpack that Karen lent us and we couldn't have done it without that. She fell asleep and then people were touching her face and hands all the way up. It was pretty steep, so we stopped at the first major tower and turned around. Parker woke up, and a bunch of the late teens/early twenties Chinese kids asked for their picture with Parker. I told Corey that we should charge money for each photo with Parker. She's like a celebrity in China. On the way to the restaurant for dinner, the guide said he would take us by a local jade factory. They showed us 2 stations and then a huge showroom. It was very pretty, but we don't know too much about jade pricing and hadn't really planned to get anything. In the end, we didn't buy anything, but they were desperate to make a sale. We are able to get quite a bit of jade in Okinawa, so it didn't seem like a one-time opportunity. By the time we got to the restaurant for Peking Duck, it was 6 pm here (7 pm in Okinawa, midnight in Honolulu) and Parker had been up forever. She was horrible. We were trying to take turns eating, but then the guy at the table next to us started smoking and I asked for our food "to go." Our guide came over and talked to Corey, but I had already taken Parker outside. I guess the manager yelled at the guy, but we were ready to go home. I felt bad for our tour guide... it was probably rude, but Parker was a nightmare and they don't seem to have highchairs here, so we were passing her back and forth as she squirmed and tried to grab our plates and chopsticks. The duck was okay, but I ended up not eating too much and then having a granola bar at 3 AM when I was starving :)
The next day we went to the Beijing Zoo and then the Summer Palace. We just had breakfast in our hotel, which thankfully has some pastries and fruit along with random items such as baked beans, hot dogs, fried rice, soup and fried egg rolls. Parker did well - mandarin oranges, part of a waffle, and eggs that I picked out of the fried rice. She slept from about 8 pm to 3 am, then we gave her milk (bad for her teeth), and then she slept again until 5:30. In the hotel room, I gave her stickers and she put them on the paper and then moved them around a few times before she became satisfied with the placement.
The Beijing Zoo is not for animal lovers! The animals were not in habitats. They were in cages or small areas of grass. There was a section called “hand rearing” where they had baby animals – a chimpanze in a little kids outfit in a space about 4 x 5 feet with a rocking horse and astroturf. I wanted to take a picture of how awful it was, but I felt so bad. Our tour guide was all smiles, saying “cute!” There is also some weird thing about potty training here in China. Some little kids wear pants open from front to back. It is very strange and a little scary. I started realizing to watch my step and the whole zoo smelled like a bathroom. Speaking of bathrooms, only the handicapped stall has a toilet, and only a select few have toilet paper. The floors are always wet. I think I am going to bleach the bottom of my shoes when I get home, or maybe just throw them out. Back to the zoo – the Olympic Panda Pavillion was the nicest display, and it didn’t look like a panda habitat at all. It had tire swings and a jungle gym, which didn’t strike me as anything the pandas would play on... but who knows.
After the zoo, we headed to the Summer Palace. This is where the emporer stayed when he wanted to get out of the Forbidden City. It had a huge lake and dragon boats and was pretty, but it was really too crowded to appreciate anything. The zoo was crowded, but this was worse. Again, our tour guide said that the national holiday was making things much more crowded. To generalize (and stereotype?) I’ve noticed that Chinese people appeared very rude. I don’t think they intended to be, so maybe it was more that they are very focused on themselves. In the airport and everywhere else we went, people just cut in front of us. On the shuttle, no one moved an inch when I stood there carrying Parker over my pregnant belly. Similarly, people would walk up the handicap ramp and stop to take photos or smoke and ignore me when I tried to pass with the stroller. In Japan, it seems to be the opposite. People are extremely polite, and when I was traveling through Tokyo by myself with Parker, people went out of their way to help us.
Parker’s celebrity seemed to grow over our stay in China. I caught people sneaking photos on their cell phones, and we had people actually squat in front of the stroller and take pictures or videos. Our tour guide said that the Chinese are not allowed to use Facebook, but I guess they do a lot of blogging. I got frustrated with people touching her face and hands and started blocking their reach and saying “no touch.” I’ve seen firsthand that most Chinese don’t wash their hands after the bathroom or don’t use soap (thank goodness for hand sanitizer) and I didn’t want them touching Parker.
We had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and then went to the Temple of Heaven. This was a place where the emporer went once each year to pray for a good crop. Corey got some good pictures while I hung out with Parker and Wong. Wong told me about the family plan instituted in 1978 that limits each family to one child. He was very curious about our pregnancy and kept asking if I want a boy. I told him that I would like a boy at some point, but if this baby is actually a girl, I will be excited for Parker to have a sister, especially so close in age. He told me that most Chinese prefer boys but that the younger families are starting to actually like girls.
We had a little time to kill before dinner and found some local fruit. We bought an apple and a banana and then walked up and down the sidewalk with Parker. It was actually pretty cold, so Wong asked the restaurant to let us in early. The itinerary said Chinese Imperial Dish. They served rice, bokchoy, cold beef, sweet and sour fish (unknown fish, looked like octapus), ground pork sandwich/roll thing (bland roll, didn’t try the pork) and egg drop soup. I had three bowls of soup and some rice. After dinner, we came back to our hotel and bought two pieces of cake at the restaurant – I was still hungry and glad to have cake and an apple! I don’t normally consider myself a very picky eater, but I’ve decided that if I travel in Asia again, I am bringing more snacks!
The last day in Beijing, we got to hang out at the hotel in the morning because our flight got pushed back and the guide didn’t want us to sit at the airport all afternoon. After our last experience, I figured it might be better to get there early. Lunch was our responsibility, so Corey walked a few blocks from our hotel and got personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut. After lunch, we checked out and headed directly to Tiananmen Square. It was beyond crowded and probably worsened my impression of China. According to our guide, lots of “common people” were visiting the area due to the holiday. Apparently they need more public restrooms. We had Parker in the backpack again which was good because she couldn’t get away and bad because she was eye-level for people to touch her and take pictures of her. We walked quickly through the area and took a series of tunnels and winding walkways to the line for the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City was impressive and very ornate.
Parker learned that lions say “roar,” so we heard lots of “roars” from the backpack as we passed all of the lions guarding the entrances. She also liked to point out “dogs” or the dragon gargoyle-like protrusions from the marble. Parker actually pointed to lots of things on this trip. Most of the time, she pointed out a “baby” (which she applied to any child under about age 6), “dog” (any animal other than a cat or lion) and “ball” (anything round or spherical.) Parker learned a new favorite word: NO. This applied to changing diapers, taking away choking hazards and trying to hold her hand. She also learned “nice” and started giving kisses complete with a smooching sound.
After we exited the Forbidden City, we walked through a garden and climbed up to a temple on a hill. This is apparently where one emporer hung himself and is very historic. The view was great but we were tired! We got back to the car and headed to the airport. We discovered that the Beijing airport had very cheap water and snacks so we stocked up before we took off.
XI'AN:
Outside the government factory authorized to reproduce the Terracotta Warriors.
Parker (and Elmo) as a Terracotta Warrior.
Parker loves horses (Neigh-Neighs) and got to ride a little replica.
There were 3 buildings were excavations were underway - this was building one... it was EXTREMELY crowded!
Wild Goose Pagoda.
Inside the city wall of Xi'An.
Standing on top of the city wall. When we got to Xi’An, we met our tour guide Tony. He seemed much more professional than Wong, and the same could be said for our driver. We stayed at the Howard Johnson, which was by far the nicest HoJo I’ve ever seen! It had a small bathroom, but it was marble and glass and the bedroom was very nice. We also had a great view of the city wall and the gates. It was around 11 pm when we arrived, and it was beautiful with the lights on the wall and guard towers. The next morning we had a decent breakfast (not as diverse as our hotel in Beijing) and then headed to see the Terracotta Warriers. First, we stopped at a factory where they make the official reproductions. I had to drag Corey out because they had a retail section that also included lacquer furniture as well as other Asian furniture, much of which is available at Bazaars in Okinawa. It costs a little more in Okinawa, but if we decide we want something like that, I’d rather take it home in person. The salesman came and said, “let me show you what your husband likes” and I told him “it won’t matter because I am pretty sure I won’t like it!” For those of you who’ve known us since we met, you know that Corey has an obsession with Asian art and furnishings. The majority of his art and decor was Asian, and while we kept some select pieces, several went into [permanent] storage. The bottom line: no new purchases. I
The Terracota Warriors were impressive and very commercialized! The buildings that house the excavation sites are isolated – one path in and one path out. Along the paths, there were multiple shops selling souveniers and food. We managed to dodge most of the sales people, and I learned quickly to just be blunt and then ignore the others. It was amazing to see how well preserved some of the statues were after 2000 years. Another interesting thing – the mountains/valley where the warriors were discovered is apparently very famous for pomegranates. There must have been well over 100 vendors lining the pathways and the highway in and out of the area.
After lunch, we visited the Wild Goose Pagoda. There were monks meditating and it was in a very pretty area. Parker was a popular attraction once again. There was a little boy running around without any pants on and his parents wanted a picture of him with Parker. They told our guide that he was 13 months old. Both Corey and I were really nervous. We can’t figure out how these people know when their kids are going to pee. Luckily, we managed to get through it without an accident. The problem with letting one person take a picture with Parker was that a crowd started to form. Tony was very good about telling people that we were leaving.
Our last stop was the south gate of the city – the original city wall still stands, and it seems to be a recreational area for the locals. You can rent bikes and ride along the top of the wall or walk the perimeter. We were fortunate to catch some entertainment due to the holiday. Parker had fun bopping to the music.
SHANGHAI
Parker in the skyline.
China's building at the World Expo.
Malaysia's building at the World Expo.
Parker loves Daddy!
Parker loves Mommy!
The Poland building at the World Expo.
This is Parker playing on the bed at the Crowne Plaza in Shanghai :)
We arrived in Shanghai mid-day and met our tour guide - I think her name was Sharon but I can't remember! She took us into the city so we could see the Bund and get some pictures with the skyline. Afterwards, we went through a local shopping district and a really beautiful garden. We had some time before dinner and got Blizzards at a Dairy Queen in the shops. It wasn't exactly like a blizzard in the states, but it was the closest we were going to get since we can't get those in Okinawa! We had another local Chinese dinner (food was decent - I actually ate some of the chicken) and then we went to the circus. It was pretty cool - some of those guys are amazingly flexible. Parker was very well behaved and ended up just falling asleep on my lap. I was a little concerned that we were going to have to leave early, but we made it through the whole show!
Our last full day was free day in Shanghi. We decided to head to the World Expo despite the guarantee of a large crowd due to the holiday (it was the final day of the national holiday.) We caught a taxi from our hotel, and 30 minutes and $8 later we were at the expo. The entry was a bit confusing but we managed to get in without getting stuck in line for China; we’d heard that the wait was typically 3-4 hours to enter the Chinese pavillion. The expo was basically one large commercial fair. Each featured country created it’s own pavillion and showcased facts, cultural aspects, and famous citizens. Some were much more interesting than others although we didn’t wait in line more than 10 minutes – if the line wasn’t moving, we just kept walking. We went through Indonesia, Finland, Poland, Cambodia, Luxemberg, Belgium, and the African pavillion. We were there for about 5 hours and tried Belgian fries & mayo, Irish soft serve ice cream, KFC chicken sandwiches, and a Belgian waffle (for Parker, although she didn’t love it – I think it was too sweet.) The food was pricey but the water was cheap – 50 cents per bottle. I think in total, including the tickets, taxis and food we spent about $100. It was a neat experience, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit a world expo again. I heard that some of the countries had pretty cool artifacts, but the wait was up to 9 hours for some pavillions, and I just don’t think that anything could be worth that kind of wait! We got back to the hotel, relaxed for a few hours, and then ordered a pizza from Papa Johns. No kidding. We don’t have Papa Johns in Okinawa and we were tired of Chinese food. It’s strange how some things are so expensive and others are not. A medium specialty pizza delivered to our hotel was $13. We’ve certainly paid more in the states for our occasional Papa Johns. Anyway, it was great to get a little taste of the states, even if it was from Shanghai!
We just thought this outfit was too funny. Corey got Parker ready for bed, and she just looked so cute in these jammies!
Parker got this stuffed lion at the Kids Cottage (Navy gift store.) Right now, his name is "Roar" and he has a built in belly button that Parker loves to dig her finger into and laugh :) She also still loves boxes.
Parker helping Mommy cook!
Parker and I have matching skeleton pajamas for Halloween. 
One afternoon, Corey's clinic had a wiffle ball game down the street. Parker and I went to cheer Daddy on (and make sure he didn't get hurt.)
We're trying to encourage using the spoon. We're also smarter than we were a few months ago. Check out the full upper body coverage :)
