Destinations

The last and final leg of our A&K China Family Holiday was bitter sweet for me.  I was excited to finally see Beijing but I also know that the end was near.  Arriving in Beijing early evening, our guide took some of us for a walk through the nightlife in the Dongcheng district of Beijing.  The street felt alive and bustling with people and activity.  If dinners was our interest there were open aired food venders selling skewers of chicken, fish, and pork.  But by far the most interesting sights were the deep fried skewers of scorpion, silkworm cocoon, and sea horse.

As hard as it was, we passed on these delectable treats and instead chose dinner at a restaurant that was a little less exotic for our first night in Beijing.  We started the first full day with a visit to Tiananmen Square.  It was the perfect location for our group Photo op. and then off to see the Forbidden City.  The Forbidden City was designed to be the center of the ancient walled city of Beijing.  Later we were able to relax with a Pedi-cab ride through the Hutong district.  Many of Beijing’s ancient hutongs still stand, and a number of them have been designated protected areas. The older neighborhoods surviving today offer a glimpse of life in the capital city as it has been for generations.

Our late afternoon would not have been complete with out the option to do some bargain shopping at the Hong Qiao Pearl and Wholesale market.  Up early and on the road for our second and final day in China, we started at The Temple of Heaven.  Our group learned a few steps of Tia Chi and then we were at our leisure to stroll around the grounds and watched as others exercised and even partake in these miscellaneous activities.  Back on the bus and off to see the most impressive site in all of China, The Great Wall of China.  After driving approximately 45 minutes, and taking a cable car, we walked up to a viewing area where we were able to take photos of this historical site.  Finally my family and I were off to walk the Great Wall.  As we were walking all the while we were all commenting, “when would we ever have the opportunity to this again”?  Knowing the historical nature of its existence we felt we entered in the past.  Feeling the intensity of the labor involved in its resurrection we were sweating with each step, not to mention the incredible heat and humidity.  We walked as far as our feet would take us, or as in my case, my daughter was willing to walk.  Then back to the viewing point, down the cable car through the relentless peddlers pushing their wears and all the way to our bus for the long ride back.  We stopped for one last photo opportunity, the National Stadium and Aquatic Center fondly known as Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube.  From there we road back to our hotel, readied ourselves and went to the farewell dinner

Our Family China tour continued with 1 day in Xi’an and 2 days in Chengdu.  We departed Guilin (see Shanghai and Guilin blog) late afternoon the day before.  We awoke early in Xi’an, and headed off see the Terra Cotta warriors.  First stop was a local pottery factory where our children were given the opportunity to make their own replica of the Terra Cotta Warriors from clay.  The only challenge was getting them back to the US in one piece.  Next we were taken to the Museum of Qin Terra Cotta Warrior and Horses.  We started in the museum where we viewed half size scaled models of real bronze chariots and over 1700 gold and silver pieces of ancient artifacts.  From there we went to Pitt 1 and what lay before us were ten partitioning walls separating an underground army into different columns.  Within the columns were more than 6,000 terracotta warriors and horses. The pit size was approximately 3 football fields in length.  The warriors represented the Qin Dynasty 221 B.C to 206 B.C.  It is thought that the warriors were meant to safeguard the emperor’s passage to the afterlife and protect his kingdom from attack.  From there we went on to the Han Yang Tomb and Museum.  Found in this tomb were color-painted nude pottery figurines, and 90 large subordinate burial pits.  Next we were taken to the airport for our flight to Chengdu.

First day in Chengdu was spent at the Giant Panda Research and Breeding Institute.  Please see my blog about Giant Pandas.  In the afternoon we had a brief tour of the Tea House in Peoples Park and walked through Wanjiank Lau Park.  The next morning we were taken to S.O.S. Children’s Village in Chengdu.  We toured the property and then broke into 3 groups and each group met with an individual family.  The family is comprised of one woman who dedicates her life to these orphaned children.  She raises them as if they are her own.  They live in a single dwelling were they eat sleep and work as a family.  We lavished the children with all the treats we bought the day before.  In the afternoon we were off the Beijing.

I find it impossible to write a short blog about our A&K China Family Holiday , so I am going break it into 3 parts.  Starting our tour we spent 2 full days in Shanghai, where we were loaded up on our bus and whisked off to the Yu Garden and old town. This is the oldest part of Shanghai, dating back to the 16th century Ming dynasty, with the first city walls being erected in 1553. The gardens are beautiful with many pavilions linked to corridors and bridges situated over ponds.  From there we peered into the future by looking at the skyline from the Bund.  The only thing missing was space cars jetting around, through, and in between the futuristic skyscrapers.

Our second day in Shanghai started with a visit to the Acrobatic Training Center for the Shanghai Acrobatic Circus.  We marveled as the athletes twisted, contorted, and lifted their bodies in ways some of us could not even imagine.  Onward we went to the Silk Tapestry workshop were we learned how those beautiful carpets are woven into extravagant designs.  We saw how the silk goes from worm to thread, and complete the process by purchase the goods made from the tiny creatures.  Rounding out our day we took a leisurely cruise though the water town on Zhujajiao on the southern side of the Yangtze River, and at night we watched a performance of the Shanghai Acrobatic Circus.

The next morning we were off to Guilin and were we had an opportunity to see Elephant Trunk Hill, and Tunnel Cave.  Both are a creation of limestone rock.  Tunnel Cave is limestone rock weathered by the climate for more then 100,000,000 years.  Wondering through the cave we looked at the beautiful stalagmite stalactite formations.  After doing all that walking it was a good time for a foot message and where better then Guilin noted for its Foot Reflexology.  At night we watch a performance of the ancient art of Cormorant Fishing.   Our second day in Guilin was an exquisitely beautiful and peaceful four-hour cruise down the Li River giving us the opportunity to see China’s true beauty in its purest form.  Our 3rd day in Guilin was rounded off with a tour of Children’s Palace, an enrichment facility where young children can learn extra curricular skills.  Afternoon was at our leisure and then off to the airport for our late afternoon flight to Xi’an.