Eating with Kiddos in China; Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Beijing, PRC

Eating with Kiddos in China

Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Beijing

PRC

The most significant source of fun and frustration traveling with kids is eating.  We were delighted at how willing they were to experiment. We were willing to give them a "break" from Chinese and also avoided the obvious.  That formula seemed to work. 

Familiar foods were always a great place to start.  Our first delights were donuts and dim sum, something our kids are used to and love. We sold them on dim sum for years before we travelled. 

Easy staples, available everywhere, included fried rice (although staying awake during jet lag made this takeout),  noodles, wonton soup and common dishes like sweet and sour or veggies without sauce are everywhere. 

Dumplings are the nexus of kid friendly and adventurous.  Fillings ranged from typical pork to intestines.  Staff know American kids are not used to the later, and will not offer unless you ask.  

Meals like Peking duck were more for the adults and the experience.  They tried it, but settled on duck spring rolls and  veggies. 

Then there is the Andrew Zimmern "off the map"; watch daddy and Nic try stuff.  I am a big believer in modeling and moderation. So, I let them watch me try a cricket, not a scorpion.  

Our goto fast food break in the states is Subway. Clean, relatively healthy (compared to McD or KFC) and there is always something they like. We were fortunate that they were everywhere.   We did DQ one time too.  Sometimes kids just need a little home, a playground, the pool.  Meatballs on sub rolls so hit the spot for our boys. 

Sometimes daddies just need their iced coffee too without worrying about water born bacteria in their ice. When it's 100 and feels like 115 because the humidity is 85% I am thankful for a little slice of home too.  

"Chinese" Disney,Disney Land, Lantau Island, Hong Kong, PRC

Disneyland Hong Kong

Lantau Island

Hong Kong, PRC

What do you do with an afternoon to kill near the airport in Hong Kong and you need the kids to stay up late to adjust for jet lag?  Why, head to Disneyland!  It just so happens that the two ladies on this trip are South Florida residents who went to "Florida" day in Orlando as an annual rite of passage. 

So what makes this different from Disney World?  Umm, it's in Chinese for starters. Everything is in miniature from Sleeping Beauty's Castle to Tomorrowland.  But more importantly it also includes Mystic Point, Toy Story Land and a number of "Asian" themed restaurants.  

Like most of the rides. Grizzly Gulch was a more modernized runaway train than Orlando's.  Mystic Manor was a fascinating take on the Age of Exploration in a Haunted Mansion fashion.  Toy Story Land was beautifully anchored by Tinkertoys giant Slinky the Dog rides and your fav toys from growing up.  

But the highlight of this cool, sea breezy evening was Kam's fav "It's a Small World." (Ok, having a planet named "KamiandSeth" as the main act of an animated Stitch show was pretty cool).  Shockingly there was no wait, and the diversity blew away its Orlando partner.  From the Pacific Islands to the Middle East, the representations were fantastic!

Dinner and dancing were the magical "Chinese" cap on the night. What better way to spend our last night in China than with piggie bao and fireworks!  Let's see what Tomorrow brings ...

Guangzhou Bubba Gump ; Tai Wen shrimp Farm, Guangzhou, PRC

Tai Wen Shrimp Farm

Near Huadiwan Subway Station

Guangzhou, PRC

My boys love to fish.  It is not that I don't like fishing, it just happens to play into all of my weaknesses (i.e patience and all of it's related friend categories). My boys on the other hand could sit with Uncle Lon or Grandpa Barry for hours (as they did today). 

Lon is a masterful fisherman.  The entire time we lived on Lake Cochituate we caught a total of five or six.  One day we left Lon home with the canoe.  He filled the boat and we ate wonderful Thai fish a thousand ways.  Yet in Guangzhou his newborn has kept him from exploring fishing ops. The boys love to fish with him, so today was a perfect chance for him to explore his new hometown. 

How he found this place I will never know. Something about looking for a fishing hole, a cabbie and a neighborhood that looks like a scene from "Brokedown Palace." He makes friends with fisherman everywhere he goes.  Somehow, just a ten minute walk from the Huadiwan subway station he found this shrimp farm.  

Shrimp fishing is not as easy as it sounds, even though they were in a pool (yes, shooting fish in a barrel). The boys caught a bunch of big ones right out of the gate. I of course lost at least six trying  to pull them up before they had the hook on their shrimpy little mouths. 

We caught fifteen or so, they threw in another pound for dinner (they would  have cooked them there but Lon is also a trained chef). So we headed home to their place for some Thai chili shrimp. What a great last night in Guangzhou!

Move Over Williamsburg; Redtory, Ghuangzhou, PRC

Redtory Artists' Center

128 Yuancun Sihenglu

Guangzhou, PRC

My kids fancy themselves artists and as such, they love a good artist collective.  Like MassMOCA in North Adams, MA these folks have made mastery out of industrial space.  Guangzhou has always played second fiddle for its industrial past, but this outpost of post-modernism is a vision for old Canton's future. 

Unlike our obnoxious neighbors in Williamsburg who are DYIing designer pickles, these people are making the space the art.  For fans of Japanese animation classic "My Neighbor Totoro," your kids can even get in on the fun at the ceramic studio.  

The beauty and uniqueness of this space is its quintessential "Chineseness."   The giant Buddha with hair, the distinctly Chinese angels in this masterful open space, covered with sandy floors and the kitsch she trending western has plenty of eastern spin. 

Like Williamsburg, this too shall pass. Redtory will not be secret for long.  The most interesting space, a reconstructed old train depot and cars was the site of simultaneous photo shoots while we passed through.  So if you're passing through soon, get the kids there before it becomes home to million to million dollar condos that artists could never afford. 

Escaping Beijing; The Summer Palace, Beijing, PRC

The Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven
Beijing, PRC

We were warned.  It will be hot.  It will be humid. It will be overcast.  The pollution is off the charts. Perhaps this is why the last Empress Dowager Cixi of China was willing to rebuild the Summer palace instead of her navy.  Seems as though this didn't help her beat the Brits, but it sure did make for a fabulous escape from the city.  

Unlike the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace is open, spacious and downright breezy.  As our two lady guides paddled us across the lake, the boys and I felt like the Last Emperors. 

Almost as impressive, in a light and airy kind of way were the dumplings at the Du Yi Chu Imperial institution, opened in 1738 and discovered by the Emperor on his way home from a field trip a few years later. The pork dumplings put American buns to shame. 

The Imperial splendor of the Mings was also on display at the Temple of Heaven. Despite the long day, the boys were still willing to run up the stairs to this incredible monument to Confucius practice.  The surrounding cypress park, some trees over 800 years old was equally tranquil and inspiring.   We will miss Bejing and the Mings as we make our way back south.  

A lil' Canton Colonialism: Shamian Island, Guangzhou, PRC

Shamian Island

Guangzhou

PRC

As one comes near to the end of an adventure, you tend to slow down a bit. Reflect, get an iced Americano and dream of home. So too, did the British as they neared the end of their global imperialist exploits. Shamian Island is a bizarre amalgamation of this same end of an époque architecture and modern non-western life that you across the old Empire from Rangoon to Penang.  

Where once a beautiful park sat, surrounded by high end hotels, the Bank of Taiwan and the British consulate, now sits a lovely mini track and work out area.  Where there was a stunning neo-classical facade is now drying laundry hung over peeling paint.  The hotels gone, the most magnificent Starbucks in the world moved in (yeah they own the whole building, including theta lovely veranda we sat on).   

Old Canton was the centre of the Eastern empires for years.  It hosted the Brits, French, Germans, Portuguese and yes even imperialist Americans (clearly we won, there is both a stunning Starbucks AND Subway).  All of this fun; the Opium Wars, the Nationalist revolution under Sun Yat Sen and the Communist insurgents under Mao has made for a fascinating intro to Sydney's understanding of geopolitics.  

Liji was fascinated with the tanks of swimming spoonbills, giant bullfrogs and snails all headed for the dinner plate. "Don't the French eat frog legs?" "Yes, but I doubt they invented it."  So for a lovely stroll back into a fascinating era of China's past, hit the European island of Shamian. 

Noodles, Monks and Subways; Modern and Ancient Guangzhou, PRC

Temple of the Six Banyan Trees

Liurong Si

Guangzhou, PRC

We set off on our first Guangzhou (formerly Canton) adventure today with a little help from Uncle Lon, who makes life simple, clear and stress-free. We started the day in modern, central Guanzhou by the brand new Opera House, the Guangdong Museum and the stunning Canton tower.  This enormous central section of this ancient city barely existed before the Asian Games came to town just a few years ago.  It is a bizarre mix of cutting edge architecture and capitalism gone amok with a creepy underground mall, acres long with only a Starbucks and a few empty, half-built store fronts. But the boys were most excited by the clean, quiet and bustling subways that shuttled us quickly across this giant metropolis of 12 million. 

Old Ghuangzhou is a different story.  Winding back roads, beautiful ancient temples and endless jade markets gave the kids hours of entertainment. They were as amazed by the forty foot Buddhas at Six Banyans as they were by another healthy dose of noodles and "slippery shrimp" dim sum that has had them eating their way through Cantonese delights.  

We were particularly impressed with their questions at the Guangxiao Temple as they wandered the halls of hundreds of giant, golden Buddhas with various states of facial hair and expressions; "why did the Buddha have so many different looks?"  "Why do people burn incense?"  "Why do people leave big bags of rice for the monks?"  Tomorrow we leave for Beijing via the bullet train, but we can't wait to get  back to Auntie Nina and Uncle Lon's hometown of surprising delights.  

Getting Lost in the Forbidden City, Beijing, PRC

The Forbidden City

Dongcheng

PRC

The Forbidden city in Beijing might just be one of the grandest monuments built by mankind. Versailles? Miniscule. Buckingham Palace? peshah!  The courtyard at the Gate of Supreme Harmony held room for an audience of 100,000 for the Emperor. It took us forty minutes just to walk around the walls to the appropriate entrance, even though our lovely hotel The Lee Garden Apartments was just two blocks away.  

Did we hire a guide through this labyrinth?  No, we relied on our trusty bestie Auntie Nic. Nicole has served as BFF, partner in crime, playmate, cricket-eating challenge companion, but most of all a wonderfully patient travel companion for every member of the clan. Today, she made imperialist grandeur come alive. 

Here we are ringing the bell...

After guiding us through the maze of the largest string of palaces on earth, Nic took preggers Kam back to the hotel via rikshaw. The boys and I decided to run up the steps of Jingshan park for a stunning view of the entire walled city below. We then skipped down the five-block long Beiheyan Dajie park, sandwiched neatly between the uptown and downtown lanes of this enormous avenue. For a night-cap, I thought the hotel pool would wear them out, maybe the Peking Duck will. 

Transportation Alternatives with Shorties in China

Getting Around China with Kids

Transportation Alternatives

Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Beijing, PRC

Like many Americans, I spend way too much time in my car.  Sure, I ride my bike, the subway, I've even taken the Acela to Boston a few times.  But also like many Americans, my perceptions of China are frozen in time back in the Nixon visit. I imagined a sea of bikes streaming through every city.  Tough for kids in an urban setting, tougher for a preggers mommy.  Thankfully, I was wrong. 

Let's start with the FUN!  We rode double decker busses and trolleys through Hong Kong. We rode ferries like we had never been to an island before. 

We took gondolas up to see a Buddha and to mount the base of the Great Wall. 

We took an old fashioned tram up Victoria peak for stunning views of the HK harbor.

But, best of all, we got mommy/Auntie Nic-ferried on a paddle boat for six at the Summer Palace. The girls even managed to find a rikshaw home from the Forbidden city when the taxis were full of Chinese toursists. China has a million fun options for kids to get around. Also, it added a taste of the new Eco-friendly ethos of China to a heavy carbon footprint trip.  

All of the hype you have heard about the transit revolution in China is true.  The new high speed train from Guangzhou to Beijing was a mere eight hours of stunning mountainous, rice paddy-filled views.  Fifteen years ago, when my bud Leo was here, it was a twenty-two hour local; no videos, flush toilets or dining cars with chefs, braised cod and an assortment of ramen wonders. 

Now even the local trains have come a long way from what I heard they used to be (picture the film Ghandi for imperial comparisons.  Today, they are clean, cool, efficient and timely.  We took one from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and it was nicer than Amtrak.  We also rode myriad taxis and hired a car in Beijing, which was reasonably cheap by US standards, but a luxurious way to hit three spots in one day, with two kids and a preggers mom. 

But the biggest surprise was the extensive subway systems in every city.  While incredibly crowded, they were very easy to navigate.  And they were less than a dollar a ride everywhere, $0.30 in Beijing.  

So I suppose we could have tried the camel rides, rented  the motorbikes, or that motorboat at the Summer Palace, but I think we mounted enough forms  of fun.  So if you make it here, know that the transit options are extensive, enticing and enjoyable for kids and parents alike.  We have a lot to learn in the good ole USA.