Foshan Nov 2014

Obligatory dragon screen pic!

I'm going to try to catch up a bit on blogging today. In November we visited an ancestral temple and ancient kiln in Foshan, a nearby city. Some friends had gone before us and highlighted the ceramic toilet wall, so we talked it up to our increasingly tourism-phobic kids.

The temple was quite beautiful. Afterwards we went to lunch in a lovely touristy area, and then headed to the kiln.

So the kiln (left) was cool and all...

But this (right) was really why we came. Yes, a giant wall made of ceramic toilets.

Marine Ball 2014

Last month, we celebrated the 239th birthday of the U.S. Marines at the Marine Ball, only the second held in Guangzhou (when we opened our New Consulate Compound last year, a Marine Security Guard detachment was assigned to Guangzhou for the first time). My husband was in the Marine Reserves, so this is a special occasion for us.

It was a very elegant affair, held at the Four Seasons Hotel. 

The dress was a source of drama for us ladies. Many friends had dresses made by tailors at the fabric market, but I didn't know how to navigate that whole process yet, so I just decided to order online. However, the dress I fell in love with was sold out of the smallest size, so I ordered a larger size and then worried for 3 weeks that it wouldn't fit. It didn't, but the tailor who made Daniel's tuxedo was able to alter it. I didn't love it, but it was good enough. 

We had a lovely time!

Thank you, Marines, for keeping us all safe!

Halloween in China

We've been very busy lately! But I figure I'd better get these Halloween pics up before the next holiday arrives!

We had a packed Halloween, with a Consulate party, a party at our apartment complex, and trick or treating in between! The Americans in our complex organized trick or treating at our different apartments and it felt like we were right at home.

Using a tip I learned from a photography class I took this year, I held a little Halloween photo shoot a few days before the holiday. I'm so glad I did, because that night is always so hectic.

And so I present, our Jedi and Spidergirl!

Why are they battling? They are both good guys. 

In case you are wondering, I was Mittens the cat from the movie "Bolt," and Daddy was a shark.

Here's my family at the Consulate party. 

At the apartment complex party, they handed out pumpkins and people were expected to get to work carving. It was a little funny, because most of the Chinese guests didn't know how to carve them. I only managed to do one, because they were pretty hard. But it was nice to be there. 

All in all, a great Halloween. But I have to confess, I missed the trunk or treat...

Incredible Hong Kong

Last weekend we took the train to Hong Kong and like many people before us, fell in love. What an interesting, beautiful, vibrant, place! And oh, the food! I can see why many officers go there frequently. We were there for a First and Second Tour (FAST) officers weekend, but we mostly did our own thing and joined the group for dinners.

We arrived on Saturday morning and made our way to the Airbnb apartment we had rented, right in Central. Our first stop was lunch at an American style diner. Then we walked over to the Central-Mid-Levels Escalators, and the IFC Mall. The escalators are the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world, and as you travel up, the street scenes and restaurant options are amazing.




















Later we took a cab to Deep Water Bay Beach for a BBQ. The kids took a dip in the warm water. I was surprised at how close it was - I thought it took hours to drive to the southern part of the island, but it was only 15 minutes.

On Sunday morning, we decided to take the Cable car to the Big Buddha, because it sounded like a fun outing, and it was. We chose the cable car with the clear bottom, and the kids were enthralled! It's a good 20 minute ride over the bay.

Upon arrival, there is a nice (albeit touristy) area where you can have lunch and buy souvenirs. After lunch, we headed over to climb the 268 steps to the Buddha, a major center of Buddhism in Hong Kong. It symbolizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature, people and religion. The kids were impressive and made it easily to the top. We were very proud of them.

(*note: if you do this, buy and print your tickets in advance. The lines were long!)

View from the top of the stairs

That night we took the Rainbow ferry to Lamma Island for a seafood dinner. It was definitely not what I was expecting, but awesome all the same. Then we headed home and fell into bed!

The next morning, we took the Star Ferry with our bags over to the train station. The whole trip (Hong Kong-Guangzhou) took more than four hours door to door. But it was so worth it.

I can't wait to go back.

More Beijing

We only had 48 hours in Beijing, but we managed to see a lot! The family arrived Friday afternoon and headed straight to our apartment in the Caofang area of Beijing. We decided to give Airbnb a try for the first time, and the experience was overall positive. Our apartment was in a large complex where few, if any, Westerners live. So it really felt like a cultural immersion!

After the Great Wall, we napped in the car while driving to the Summer Palace. I wasn't sure we would have enough energy to walk around this sprawling garden retreat, but the kids, of course, have limitless energy, and the parents revived after a cup of coffee. 

We kept walking until we came upon some truly impressive buildings. It didn't appear possible to climb to the top, but we just kept going! The view on this clear day was spectacular. And the details on these buildings and gates! Unbelievable. 

On Sunday, we took the subway to Tiananmen Square and the Palace Museum (Forbidden City). With two young kids, we couldn't really learn much about the history, but it was still cool. 

To keep the kids interested in this huge maze of buildings, we decided to hunt for the Nine Dragon Screen. We asked M to navigate- he took to this role quite naturally.

We had some lunch and then headed back to our apartment and to the airport. What a great weekend!

Great Wall of China at Mutianyu

Last week I went to Beijing for work, and we decided to fly the family up for the weekend to do some sightseeing. My heart is still full over the absolutely unforgettable, beautiful day we spent at the Great Wall at Mutianyu and the Summer Palace.

We woke up to the most perfect blue sky, low pollution, 75 degree day you could possibly imagine. We had hired a driver with Wild Great Wall Adventure Tours  and he picked us up at 7am to get an early start out to the Wall (it's about 90 minutes from Beijing).

There are many places to access the Wall, but after some research, I quickly honed in on Mutianyu. My kids have recently started to complain about sightseeing, so I wanted to make the trip as appealing as possible to them. My son has read about the Wall in his "Most Amazing Things on the Planet" book, so I knew he would find it interesting, but the opportunity to ride up to the Wall on a cable car or chair lift and ride down on a toboggan (!) was the clincher for me. (My strategy also involves ice cream, Sprite, souvenirs, and other treats).

Boy, was it worth it. Because the chair lift and toboggan are run by the same company, we decided on that combo (you can buy one-way tickets for the cable car/toboggan, but it was too much of a hassle and more expensive). I rode with L, while Daddy rode with M. She kept exclaiming, "Mama, this is so fun!"

Because most people choose the cable car, which arrives at a different part of the Wall, we were alone when we first got there. The kids scampered around, peeking through holes, exploring the watchtowers, climbing hundreds of stairs with determination.

We spent about 3 hours in total on the Wall. What an amazing place. The whole time, the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and we couldn't believe our good luck.

I will never forget this day.