Trip Report
Spring Break Destination: China!
In
March of 2006, my family took a spring break trip to China. My 12 year old
son was studying World History and was most interested in China. This was
a dream trip for him.
We
flew DragonAir from Hong Kong to Beijing. Nice staff, comfortable seats, decent
food...who could ask for more? In Beijing, we stayed at the Holiday
Inn Lido. We stayed on the Executive Club Level because I made a mistake
with the reservation. We arrived a day early, and we were told that all the
regular rooms were booked. My mistake turned out to be well worth the extra
cost because we received breakfast, drinks (soda) and some dry cleaning in
the price. Most importantly, the Executive Club Level staff was outstanding.
For example, they were worried about my son and I going out alone at night,
and they wrote out all the directions in English (for me) and Chinese (for
taxi drivers) so I would be able to get where I was going and back without
any trouble. (I know most hotels will do this, but they spent a lot of time
making sure I was going the easiest, quickest, safest, etc. route possible.)
We chose the Lido because a friend recommended it for being "comfortable.”
It is a huge complex with good amenities: indoor pool, bowling alley, coffee
shop, restaurants, shopping, etc.) It was nice, but I can't recommend it because
it is so far away from everything. The cost of taxis isn't the problem...it's
the amount of time getting anywhere! But we got a really good rate so I'm
not complaining. It was a good transition hotel!
For the first few days in Beijing, I was disoriented. It took me several days
of following the route the taxi drivers were taking on my map plus just wandering
around on foot before I thought I had a feel for the city. We only had two
days in Beijing before my husband and older son had to return for school.
His teachers were very inflexible about missing days.
We spent our time at the Great Wall at Mutianyu, Forbidden City, Tiananmen
Square, and the Silk Market. Only my 16 yr old bought anything. He had fun
bargaining for a few souvenirs, and I was glad to check it out and be done
since I really hate shopping anyway!
My
12 year old and I were able to relax and explore the city more after they
left. We still tried to fit in all the historical sites but at a more leisurely
pace.
The Summer Palace is beautiful with gardens, a lake, and many buildings. It
is huge so give yourself plenty of time to explore. I also think that the
Temple of Heaven is a “must see.” The buildings are a pleasure to look at
with their brilliant colors.
One of the best days we had was when we walked from the Drum and Bell Towers,
down Dianmenwai Dajie, over to the Shishahai area, and down through Behai
Park. Spring was beginning to show in the flowers and trees. It was fun peeking
in the hutongs, watching the old men playing chess, kite flying and teenagers
playing some sort of hacky sac. The boats out on the lake in Behai sure looked
fun!
From
there we caught a taxi to Wangfujing Dajie. We didn't do any shopping, but
enjoyed the time just watching the tourists. On the street, there is some
sort of sling operation going that propels the brave upward, and you watch
them bounce. Very touristy area, but my main purpose here was Snack Street.
There are restaurants, souvenir shops, but the draw for us was the open-air
food stalls. You can buy scorpions, lizards, beetles, seahorses, starfish
... on a skewer ... and yes, people were eating them. And no ... we couldn't
make ourselves ... my son will usually eat anything!
We also really enjoyed the evening show at the Lao She Teahouse. It is a variety
show with a lot of snacks but be prepared because the show is in Chinese.
We sat at a table with 3 other people, and they were delightful. It was one
of the only chances we had to meet Beijing residents who didn't have anything
to do with the travel industry. The teahouse is just across the street at
the very south end of Tiananmen. Our hotel staff made reservations for us.
We spent 6 days in Beijing then took the night train to Xi'an (Z). The train
was great, and we slept really well. My only complaints were that it was supposed
to be non-smoking, and people were smoking up a storm (so if you're sensitive
to that you may not want to take the train.) Also, the bathrooms were the
worst we saw in China. Both ways, the bathrooms were filthy. This is a good
website to get info about trains
in China.
I didn't know what to expect in Xi'an. I had been given a description that
was not complimentary so I was pleasantly surprised. I think it is just a
lovely city. We saw festivals going on, a lot of flowers and trees, and the
people we met were very friendly. I planned to take a taxi from the train
station to the hotel, but the place was absolute mayhem. We were lucky to
be escorted by "Jim Beam" to the Lu Dao Hotel / Youth Hostel a couple of streets
away. We just followed along with a couple of other Americans because Jim
warned us taxis would be difficult. He hailed a taxi for me, and it ended
up being only 17 RMB to the Sheraton. (A side note here: We ran into the Americans
at the Terra Cotta Warriors the next day. They thought the Lu Dao Hotel was
about a 2 star and very clean. It was certainly convenient. Jim Beam also
set up whatever permits and travel arrangements they needed to get into Tibet.
He told me he was in the Lonely Planet Guide. I couldn't find a website so
here's his phone number: 0-131-8603-5637.)
The
Sheraton Xi’an is the friendliest hotel I've ever stayed in. Seriously.
The staff greeted us by name and made sure we settled in so we could go right
back out on our tour. The Sheraton is outside the city walls, but since we
were only there one night that wasn't a problem for us. The hotels down by
the Drum and Bell Towers may be better for someone who wants to go out at
night, but we were back at the pool! Nice pool at the Sheraton.
I planned to take a tour to see the Warriors. However since I wanted to fit
as many things in as possible, the Sheraton set up a private tour with a driver
and English-speaking guide for $125 USD per day. He was very flexible and
willingly accepted all my "suggestions" for the itinerary. He dropped us off
at the train station on the second day and even helped carry in our luggage.
It was nice to have the local history, but a guide wasn’t really necessary.
Because
the night train has an early arrival, we began our tour at about 9 am. The
first day we went to the Shaanxi
Museum, Big Goose Pagoda, Bell and Drum Towers, City Wall, Mosque and
Muslim Area.
The second day our tour included the Huaqing Hot Springs, Terra Cotta Warriors
and the Mound. My son and I enjoyed every single one of these sites. Rain
had cleared the air on the night before we arrived so everything seemed fresh.
The landscape and locations filled our senses. It was impossible not to feel
the history surrounding us.
After a restful night on the train, we were back in Beijing. We got a bite
to eat then headed off to the airport for a noon flight back to reality! I
have to say this was a successful first trip to China. My 12 year old is a
trooper and will be able to take me anywhere in my old age!
Here is my top advice for first time travelers to Beijing/China:
1. Be careful catching taxis. We had a hard time
at tourist areas getting taxis to use the meter. (At the Silk Market and Tiananmen,
we never did find one who would use the meter.) I was only cheated once, but
it made me very wary. So here are the rules that my son and I made for ourselves:
*Only take a taxi that you approach
*Only take a green/blue and yellow or red taxi, not black
*Only take a taxi that has the drivers photo license on the dash
*Walk 2 streets away from a tourist location before trying to catch a cab
*Always ask for a receipt then get the license number if you have a problem
2. In Xi'an I was told that you can't buy any medicine without
a prescription, so bring any medicine you think you might need. I brought
Advil, Immodium, and a small first aid kit, but we needed a decongestant.
In Beijing, you may be able to get what you need at a pharmacy, but I don't
really know.
3.
The water in Beijing is not safe to drink or even to brush your teeth.
4. The teahouse scam still seems to be going on so make sure
you know the prices before you order. I met a man at the airport who paid
1500 RMB for tea. (How many cups of tea can one guy drink?) He thought the
charge was going to be 100 RMB.
5. Learn some Chinese phrases before you go. My son and I
took one private lesson and listened to some tapes, and it was immensely helpful
to be able to use some polite phrases. It was nice to be able to say "excuse
me" when getting off the subway train, or "where is the bathroom" or "please
bring me some tea.” "Hello,” "please" and "thank you" are givens. It was more
of an ice breaker than anything, but we had a great time and only said one
bad word that we still don't understand!
6. The hawkers (people selling things) can be very aggressive.
It is better to completely ignore them, or you encourage them. We thought
they were the worst at the Forbidden City, but others have said they were
bad at the Wall or Terra Cotta Warriors. Just be prepared. I didn't realize
that there are hawkers ON the wall. They tried to stay out of your pictures,
but it threw me. We went on a day where we only saw 3 other sets of tourists
in 2 hours but probably 10 or more hawkers.
7. The subway is very easy to use. There is always an English-speaking
ticket taker on duty. (We were told and found to be true.)
8. Take toilet paper with you everywhere. Most public restrooms
did not provide it.
9. Cultural Tip: Use two hands to give or receive money or
your business card
10. Translation issue? Many can read basic English versus
hearing it. If you need translation write it down for them.
| Any trip to China will be enhanced with a little knowledge of the local Culture and Customs. From Chinese Food to Festivals, Dragons and Pandas, here is your family friendly guide to Chinese Culture. |