Christmas 2009

Ok ok so it has been a while since I really Blogged..... I just wanted to get all the CHina trip up first before I added any new posts. It has just taken a while to get it all typed up!!

Christmas this year was in Sydney with the McFadden clan. Lots and lots of fun!! The Brains and Chris and Shen all stayed with Deb and Jeff. Their new house is just lovely!

It was an exciting Christmas Eve with Chris and Shen announcing their pregnany as did Holly and Rob! I am sooo excited for them all, I just hope poor Shen feels better soon!

It was fun watching the cousins together. Jake and Lachie are just gorgeous and well loved by their big cousins!!

All in all it was a lovely time!

Day 13 Friday 16 October

As we got closer to Sydney we were served breakfast. We landed at 10:10am Sydney time (7:10am to us! China time).

After some delays in getting our luggage (the conveyor broke) we finally got it all (except for the two missing bags from earlier) and headed through customs.

I thought customs would be quite difficult to get through – not so. All they did was ask what we had and then let us through! They never even looked, so not what I was expecting!!

We said our good byes in the terminal and all headed our own ways. We caught the shuttle bus back to the Mecure and picked up the keys and the car before heading to Deb and Jeffs.

It was such an amazing holiday!!!!!!

China Day 12 - Thursday 15 October

Our last day in China! We had to be on the bus by 10:30am. It was the last chance to buy from the local merchants. The girls bought up big on bags while Jason found some more watches!

The bus trip to the airport gave us the chance to say good-bye to Ting Ting. We gave her an aboriginal painting as well as her tip. It was nice to thank her for her enthusiasm and passion for her country.

We had a long wait to check in to Beijing airport for our flight to Shanghai. We had to stand at the counter for well over an hour. While we were waiting Ting Ting got a phone call from her manager to let her know she was needed elsewhere and had to go. Lots of hugs later we let her on her way. We also had to say good bye to Amy as her plane left from a different terminal. So we were left on our own :o It was very unnerving being left on our own. We still hadn’t been given our passports or boarding passes!

We eventually made it through the security checks and to the right gate. We were not sure what meals we would get on the planes so many of the group grabbed some lunch.
The flight wasn’t too bad and we made it to Shanghai. When we went to get our luggage we discovered that 2 of the girls bags were missing! Plus two other bags were badly damaged. It took over 2 hours to sort it all out. The fact that little English was spolen by airport staff really didn’t help things. It was the time we really needed Amy!

Once that was sorted out we had to figure out how to get on our flight to Australia. Once again we stood unmoving lines for ages trying to work out if it was where we were supposed to be. Very frustrating!!

Eventually (after a whole group of people were put through in front of us!) we had our baggage checked in and our boarding passes sorted. We found our boarding gate and sat and waited. Most of the group went to spend the last of their money on dinner. I was over it all and just lay down across the seats for a rest!
Jason finally got his stubby holder and we used the vending machines for snacks with the last of our Yuan.

We boarded the flight and found we were a bit spread around the plane. Jason was on the isle in the middle of the plane; I was next to him and sat next to a young Chinese girl. The others were here and there around us.

We were served dinner early in the flight and then the lights were dimmed and a movie was put on. I had taken ½ a sleeping tablet so was lucky enough to sleep through most of the flight. Poor Jason didn’t sleep at all.

China - Day 11 – Wednesday 14 October

This morning we headed to the Summer Palace. This was an imperial garden and palace used by the Royal family in summer. It was called the “Garden of Cultivated Harmony”. The royal family would be carried from the Forbidden City by sedan chair to the port and then taken by boat to the Summer Palace.

It is situated on a large man made lake. The dirt form making the lake was used to build a mountain behind it. The lake is in the shape of a peach as it means longevity and the mountain shaped like a bat for happiness. Together they mean “longevity around happiness”.

Ting Ting told us a wonderful story about the Empress Dowager CiXi. She was a very clever woman who ruled China from “behind the curtain”.

At the age 13 she talked her family into letting her go to the palace for the beautiful girl line up – where the emperor choose the girls to work in the Palace who caught his eye. While she was not beautiful, CiXi was clever – she held a beautiful perfume and used it to catch his attention.

The girls in the palace were paid a wage which they used to buy jewellery etc to make themselves beautiful for the Emperor. CiXi used her money to pay the Unics to tell her where the Emperor would be each day. In this way the Emperor got to know her and remember her due to their frequent encounters. She became his concubine.
CiXI was very clever and helped him with state affairs so when he spoke he sounded very important and knowledgeable that his status became even higher.

CiXI gave birth to the Emperors son who was the only son of the Emperor as the Empress could not bear children.

The Emperor died at the age of 35, meaning CiXi’s son was the new emperor. As he was only little, she made all the decisions from behind the curtain. The history books claim she was very ruthless and did all sorts of terrible things like having the Emperors favourite concubines killed after his death. I have done some reading since getting home it this seems like it may be doubtful.

CiXi had the Summer Palace decorated ornately. Traditionally the dragon (symbolising the Emperor) was above the phoenix (symbolising the Empress) but she decorated it in the opposite way.

Her meals were prepared by 120 chefs, who each prepared one dish. They were all served to her, some to taste, some to smell, some to look at. The food would have fed 5000 peasants! It included things like butterfly wings.

During the war the government reduced the amount of money she could spend. CiXi is said to have built a naval base in her lake and then took money from the government to pay for the training of the navy – except no one ever was trained! This is another story that seems doubtful in my reading now home.

When her son reached 18 he was considered old enough to take over ruling China. They say she was so angry at the tought of loosing control she had her son poisoned. Then she adopted her sisters child and again ruled from behind the curtain.

The storeys about her just fascinated me and since I got back I have done a lot of reading on her. She led a fascinating life, although it seems she was not the “Dragon Lady” she was portrayed to be.

The palace itself was set in stunning grounds. We walked around and were able to look in a few buildings, but they were dark and sparely furnished so there was not a lot to see. The walk around the lake was lovely! Parts were a covered walkway that had ornate woodwork and paintings.




The area was full of vendors flogging fake brand watches. Nearly everyone in the group bought some – we bought 9!!! The only problem was they were also passing fake notes. When you paid them they complained you gave them a ripped note and demanded you swap it. Instead of giving your note back they gave one of a similar colour, but is wasn’t a Chinese 100RMB! They tried on us but by then we had been warned and refused to swap!

We caught a dragon boat across the lake to get back to the gate and the bus. It was really nice to sit back and enjoy a different view!

Our next stop was a quick photo opportunity at the Birds Nest and Water Cube from the Beijing Olympics.



I really enjoyed lunch again. It was in a nice restaurant with nice clean toilets!! Always a bonus :)

The afternoon was our chance to visit Beijing Zoo and see the Panda’s. It was actually quite sad as they were in small concrete cages and some seemed quite distressed. The Panda’s that had been rescued from the earthquake were the cutest! Three of them were let out into the area while we watched and started eating their bamboo. They were cute!





Our time at the Silk Market was interesting. It wasn’t as scary as the Pearl Market – but some vendors were still intimidating. I ended up getting my silk scarves (3 for 80 RMB down from 8000!) 2 pearl necklaces and 2 pairs of pearl earrings. Jason got two pairs of sunglasses and a table runner that he got down to 50 RMB. He was a bit disappointed he couldn’t get a scope for a price he was willing to pay.

Dinner was supposed to be at the Hotel, but Ting Ting gave us the opportunity to go out for Peking Duck. Di, Jess, John and I took up the offer!

We caught a taxi to the restaurant where it was full of Chinese people – we were the only Westerners. A good sign! You could see into the kitchen where they were roasting the ducks in wood fired ovens. There was also an area where they were making the paper thin wrappers.

The food service and atmosphere was wonderful! It took a lot of convincing, but we did get Ting Ting to join us. The meal started with cold appetisers – cooked, cubed pumpkin and jams, shredded duck in plum sauce. There was then hot dishes of peas with duck meat, duck liver, crumbed and fried and mixed mushrooms with duck meat. Yum!!

The Peking Duck itself arrived at the end. It was paper thin wrappers that you placed the pieces of duck (that the chef had carved in front of you), shallots and sauce (a Chinese BBQ sauce) down the middle, rolled up and then ate! It was delicious!!! I just loved it.

The whole meal was then finished off with Duck soup. Ting Ting was good company and even bought us a bottle of Great Wall red wine.

When we got back to the hotel it was the usual gathering in Fiona and Idos room with plenty of beer and food and laughter!!

China Day 10 - Tuesday 13 October

Today we had a sleep in as the bus didn’t leave till 10am! It was nice to have a relaxed start to the day.

Ting Ting delivered our personalised stamps this morning – although ours wasn’t flat and we had to send it back to be re done. Luckily it was done by the afternoon.

This morning we went to the Temple of Heaven. We were expecting just another temple, but the gardens around it were wonderful!!

The gardens covered 270 acres and 80% is covered wit trees. It was built in 1420.
The gardens are used by retirees in the mornings for exercise. It was a great set up! What I thought was a child’s playground was really exercise equipment!! The area was filled with older Chinese people exercising – they were using the equipment, stretching, playing hacky sack , a bat and ball game or just walking around. It was wonderful!! We had a go on a few of the pieces of equipment – it was great fun!

From there we walked towards the Temple of Heaven. The area was filled with dancers, singers, people playing cards or dominoes, knitting – all sorts of things!!
There was a large group dancing ball room style. This really caught Maureen and Leonies eyes! Some of the dancers were dressed in costume and looked wonderful!



The temple itself was just another Temple really. Impressive that it was built with no nails- all dovetailed joints. The design was very similar to what we saw at the Forbidden Palace and Ming Tombs. Similar coloured decorations on the buildings and the three white marble balconies leading up to it.

It was only used by the Emperor and high ranking officials. They prayed for good harvests or rain. Women were not allowed in as it was considered bad Fen Shui.
The view from the Temple was good – the smog had been blown away so we could see across Beijing and to the mountains.

We then wandered back through the gardens to watch all the people again. It was such fun to see!

There were lots of vendors running around selling things as always! This time most of us bought little feathered hack sacks (or keepy uppies) They are so cute and the Boys will love them! Jason also bought them a racket and ball game we had seen people playing around the gardens.

Lunch was wonderful, a nice change! While it was still the dreaded lazy susan, the food was quite different to what we have been having. There were dishes like duch meat dumplings, rabbit cooked in hollowed out bamboo and tipped from the bamboo onto the plate at the table. It was nice a spicy! There was also sticky rice cooked in a pineapple.

There was also music and dancing while we ate. I really enjoyed it all.


From here part of the group went on a ric shaw tour while the rest of us went to a free market “The Pearl Market”. It was very intimidating at the market. Vendors would grab your arm and drag you into their stores. I found it all too scary. I did buy myself a knock off D&G handbag for 140 RMB (around $28) and Jason got his calligraphy brushes and inks.

When we got back to the hotel some of us went for a walk to the “Merry Mart”, a supermarket about a block from the Hotel. The supermarkets here are strange! Shop assistants everywhere. In the meat section there were many butchers working out the back, then out the front the assistants were ready to put the unpackaged meat into bags for you. There were other sections that had pigs trotters, snouts, tails etc as well as dried meats, ducks and “Aquatic animals” LOL.

I was hoping to find a baby section to get Deb some Chinese baby soap or powder or something – but the store lay out made it hard to find 
We bought water and snacks for our nightly get together. Things like chips, cashews and kitkats!

After a wander back to the Hotel we had a rest before dinner. Dinner was pretty awful again. We were glad to head back upstairs to our beer and snacks!

China Day 9 – Monday 12 October

Early start today – on the bus at 8am to head out to the Great Wall!

Our first stop was a jade gallery where we were shown different types and colours of jade. It is the soft Jade that can be carved. Jadite is ornamental but is too heard to carve. Jade comes in many colours but the local jade here is pale green. They told us Jade is called a living stone as it absorbs water and oils and so the colour darkens over time.

Some of the carvings were amazing! Each piece is carved from a single piece of jade. One was a massive ship. Jason and I loved a pair of lions – one male 9with a ball under his paw) and a femail (with a cub under her paw). Pity they were $12000 EACH!



The drive to the Great Wall was quite quick! The first sight of it was breathtaking!!!!! Such an amazing image as it snakes through the mountains.
The mountains themselves were a sight to behold! They were quite steep and went on and on.

The bus dropped us off and we were in a valley between two mountains. The Great Wall steeply rose up in the two directions.

The climb was steep and tiring! I didn’t make it to the top of the mountain – although I climbed my share of steps! The step were really uneven – some were tiny rises while others required a very large step up to negotiate them!




It was just amazing to think that over 2000 years of history was below our feet! The section we were on was built in 206 BC and was renovated in the Ming dynasty between 1368 and 1644. The wall itself is 10000km long and goes through 9 provinces. It is the longest cemetery in the world as when workers died while building it, they were buried in the wall!

We took lots and lots of photos! While I sat on the terrace where I stopped I was able to take photos of those who continued up to the top.



The walk back down was quicker and we had time for a quick look through some shops just outside the gates. I couldn’t help but buy an “I climbed the Great Wall” T-shirt!

Our lunch today was dreadful! Very oily, greasy food that few of us could eat. The soup was the worst thing I have tasted on the entire trip. Yuck!!

The good news was I finally got through to Deb and Jeff and found out they had had a baby Boy while I was on the Great Wall of China!!!! Lachlan James. I was soooo excited I ran around the shop telling everyone! I even got a bit teary....

Our next stop was the Ming Tombs. This was the tomb of the Ming Emperors and Empresses. There is 13 Emperors buried here and 23 Empresses plus many many concubines.



It was nothing compared to the Qin Tomb (terracotta warriors). The grounds were lovely though and the buildings beautiful – but it was all a bit boring really.
By the time we headed up spirit road it had cooled down, the wind had got strong and it was starting to rain.

The spirit road was used to carry the Emperors body in his coffin through. It was to ensure his soul went to paradise. There were statues along the road with 12 human pairs and 6 sets of 4 animals – two standing and two resting.



They were quiet spectacular – but due to the weather we very quickly walked through.
Dinner was back at the Hotel – although we were late due to the terrible traffic!
After dinner Ting Ting organised massages for us. I found this one quite painful but Jason was very disappointed in his masseuse. Mind you at 150 Yuan (under $30) it was very cheap!

As is becoming a habit, we finished the night with pi jiu and snacks in Fiona and Idos room!

China Day 8 – Sunday 11 October

We pulled into Beijing at 7:20am and were met by our new guide Ting Ting.
We were transferred to our hotel – The Rainbow Hotel – but couldn’t get into our rooms! We were given breakfast but no chance of a shower – most of us were still in the clothes we had worn the day before – Yuck!

The bus took us to Tiananmen Square – OMG it was so so so so crowded. They say it can hold 1 million people and I am sure it was close to it!




It was the last day of their autumn festival. The whole of the square was decorated with flowers, floats, giant screens and 56 pillars (to represent the 56 nationalities that make up the Chinese population).

We walked through the square, but it was really unrecognisable to pictures I have seen before. I was a bit disappointed to be honest. We did get a photo taken there which we had to buy along with a book of the area.

From there we entered the Forbidden City – the Royal Families Palace of 9999 rooms. It went on and on and on! We were all so tired and grumpy. I found it all a bit to much!!



After lunch we were finally transferred back to our hotel and had our showers!! Some of our group went in taxi’s to do some shopping, while others went for a walk and some of us just slept!!

Dinner was at our Hotel and then a few of us walked over the road to a small merchant who was selling beer for 5 Yuan a bottle (600ml).

So we took our beer and left over snacks from the train to Ido and Fiona’s room and started a nightly tradition!

It has been very hard to find wine in China so I have been drinking beer with the meals (each meal has come with a glass of beer or soft drink included). The Chinese do not drink cold drinks. Every time we ask for bing pi jiu they are shocked. As it is cooler outside they believe they should drink warm drinks – so they don’t refrigerate soft drinks or beer!

The weather has been very different in each city. Shanghai was hot and humid. Xian was cool and rainy (and very smoggy) and so far Beijing has been overcast and a little cool.