China 2006

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This year I took my mother Joan, son Chris and daughter Katy for two weeks to Beijing and Hong Kong. This was only my mother's third trip back in 55 years. Chris has been there several times. This was Katy's first. Here are pictures plus a journal.

Wed. May 3, 2006 - Hartford

United Flight 0199 leaving from Bradley Airport at 7:28 am
Arrive Chicago O'Hare at 8:58 am (central time)
United Flight 851 leaves Chicago at 12:03 pm
Arrives Beijing Thurs. May 4 at 2:25 pm

Thurs. May 4, 2006 -  Beijing

Novotel Peace Hotel Beijing
3 Jinyu Hutong
Wangfujing, Beijing
Telephone: (86) 10 6512 8833

Today's Pictures
Journal:

The flight out of Bradley airport was fine. Left on time, smooth flight. Got into Chicago early. The guy with the wheelchair was late and seemed to need the wheelchair more than my mom but he got us to our gate yelling at people to move. We had breakfast at Chili's and then met Chris at the gate. He came with just an enormous bag of food just in case he could not eat the plan food (vegetarian).

Our seats got separated so Nana and Katy flew together and Chris and I had separate aisle seats.  It was fine we walked around the plane and spent quite a bit of time in an empty galley area. Kids played cards and snacked. The flight crew was terrific. Going to write United about how nice they were. Food was ok, but not as great as Cathay Pacific. Also, instead of individual TV at our seats we had movie screens. Guess we are getting to be spoiled travelers. I watched Nanny McPhee (so-so), Transporter 2 (good, lots of action), Legends of Narnia (snooze fest), some movie withy Queen Latifa which was good but I fell asleep before the end.) 

We got in early to Beijing about 45 minutes. Arrived 1:45 pm (1:45 AM back east). Overcast and sprinkling. United had a wheelchair  that took us all the was from the plane right into a mini-van for a ride to the hotel. Ride was fine - got their quick.

Hotel is gorgeous as is all the 5 star hotels. WE got two rooms on the 11th floor. Chris & Katy are in one. Nana and I in the other. It is very dry so I am drinking a lot more water than usual. Chris took a shower and fell dead asleep. Katy, Nana and I ate in the restaurant. Katy, Nana and I then went for a long walk around. It is humid but rainy. Most people were not using umbrellas. I will start wearing a hat more. We went through the night market, also known as "meat Street." where they sell EVERYTHING" to eat of a cart.

We got back to the hotel about 8:30 and hit the sack.

We are staying in an area of Beijing called Wangfujing, the Times Square of Beijing. The hotel is a 15 minute walk to the Forbidden City. Today, we will just relax and walk around the city.

6:21 am. Going to get a shower soon and then hit the buffet breakfast. Kids not up yet, that we know of. Outside is overcast but no rain. Tomorrow for our Great Wall trip it is supposed to be sunny and 80. Last night I had a tenderloin steak, not bad at all, fries and veggies - 80 yuan - about $8. There will be a lot of food commentary. Mom has commented on how quiet this hotel is. Not a peep anywhere. Lots of foreign tourists. Staff speak good English. Will try out a non-tourist place today for meals.

Fri. May 5, 2006 - Beijing
Today's Pictures
Journal:

Chris got up at 1 am starving. He woke Katy up so they snacked. They were knocking on our door at 6 am ready for breakfast. Breakfast was an all you can eat buffet in the hotel (included in the $44 US each rate a day for a 5-Star Hotel). Our plans today included a tour of Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. China is in the midst of its annual May1-7 labor holiday so there are thousands of people here in the Square and Forbidden city. Katy and I thought of touring Mao's tomb but there must have been 10,000 people lined up to see it. Nana and I found the Starbucks in the Forbidden City and had coffee coolattas, which tasted like bananas for some reason.

Chris took us to Behai Park too which was with flowers including huge poinsettias. Katy munched on a cob of corn at the park. She was starving because lunch had nuts in some of the dishes. Katy has plastic covered business cards written in Chinese telling the wait staff she is allergic to nuts. It has gotten a lot of attention and has been helpful.  We wanted to see the new Silk Market too and the Legend of Kungfu show, which is amazing - www.legendofkungfu.com  or the Chinese Acrobats but we were beat. We walked about all day. None of the rain predicted and it was hot and sunny. For lunch we ended up in the famous Duck restaurant because all the places Chris used to haunt when he studied here are torn down. Lunch was pricey so we opted for small appetizers which did not make us too popular with restaurant. It was filling but bland - dozen white soft buns, bowl of hot noodles with no flavor, great fried rice and a couple of other dishes. It definitely helps to have a local to negotiate for you. Staff were great though and carried little handheld computers to take and place order. You ca\n see Katy posing beside the big duck statue.

Many of the old shops are becoming condos. We paid $1.20 at one point for a taxi ride. When we got back to the hotel Chris and Katy had a massage. I waited until after supper for a foot massage. Supper was across the street at a fancy restaurant. It is great that so many people speak English and that menus often come with pictures. So no shopping today but might make it up tomorrow.

Sat. May 6, 2006 - Beijing
Today's Pictures

Today's Pictures by Katy

Journal:

Today, our friend Tony picked us up in a Mercedes mini-van (with a driver) and took us to the Great Wall, the Cloisonné Factory.

The weather was again sunny and warm. The wall was crowded because of the holiday. Nana and I took the easier route and went about half way up. Chris & Katy took the steeper route and went right to the top where you could not go any farther. We had coffee, Nana bought a quilt and then off to the Cloisonné Factory we went. We had lunch first in a private room and then a great personal tour by Tony. See the pictures, they are amazing.

We were to a Foot Massage today at a place near the China World Trade Center. This place has been the best yet. It included a hand and arm massage, pedicure, leg massage and then back massage. Chris and Nana opted not to go and went to an art museum instead. He then went to visit a friend from Boston who is opening a bar in Beijing. The three of us napped and then around 8:30 pm we went out for Japanese food.  Tony was a great guide today and told us much about the history, which was great. Both of his parents were teachers.

Sun. May 7, 2006 - Beijing
Today's Pictures

Pictures from Christopher

More Pictures from Chris ************** NEW

Journal:

Today is was our last full day and there were so many places to see. We started off in the morning going to he Dirt Market, which is lot like a flea market. There are fancy shops in enclosed buildings, but mostly stalls or people set up on the ground to sell their wares. Katy and I shopped and haggled and met a great "chop" vendor. Chris & Nana went off by themselves. We met up later, had lunch and then went to the Temple of Heaven. That was amazing. The Harvest Building is the famous "temple" image you see all the time in the Us. It is considered one of the great treasures of the world.

Chris then went to Art Street Hutong, Nana back to the hotel to rest and Katy and I ventured the famous   Silk Market where I got into a "spirited haggle with a 3.5 foot sales girl who actually pushed me and pouted when I would not pay her price. It ended well with us shaking hands and me promising to come back. Katy was a little unnerved by the aggressiveness, but I assured her this person went a little overboard. But it was fun, and I went up a little on the price and we both ended up with a god deal. She started by quoting me a price almost 7 times what I paid for an item. WE had more fun with two shop girls that sold Katy a Watch.

We had to cut the visit short and get back to the hotel to meet with Leonard, our other friend who took us by cabs to the Duck Restaurant. Thanks to Tony & Leonard, we were treated like visiting royalty. They ordered special things off the menu. When they learned Chris had been having cluster headaches before the trip, they ordered a special ginger soup for him, which perked him right up. Tony & Leonard both are very knowledgeable about Chinese herbal medicine. It was a treat just to listen to them talk about China and they were amazingly well-versed in US politics. We learned a few things. Sadly, after many toasts, we parted ways. It was a great evening among new friends.

 Weather has been great. Chris and Katy are red from the sun. Nana and I are tanned. Vacation is tough.

Tonight we  tried the classic Peking Duck Dinner at the Qianmen Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant at 32 Qianmen Avenue, Beijing, 100051 China.

"This is Beijing's most famous Peking Duck restaurant, and also one of the oldest, having been established in 1864. The huge, plush dining hall is filled with diners eager to try this dish in its most authentic setting. A basic duck starts at CNY108, but the pancakes, scallions and sauces are extra. For CNY168 you can choose your bird before it is roasted, and get all the trimmings for free. The menu also has dishes made from every other part of the duck, save the quack. Beers, spirits and soft drinks are served, and there is a separate fast-food section."

Mon. May 8, 2006 - Beijing/Hong Kong

Flight Number: 901 Operated by Dragon Air
Departing from Beijing at: 12:20 pm
Arriving in Hong Kong at 4:05 pm
 

The hotel has a mini-van reserved for us at 9:30 to take us to the airport.

New World Renaissance Kowloon Hotel, Hong Kong
22 Salisbury Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong SAR, China
Phone: 852 2 3694111
Fax: 852 2 3699387

Today's Pictures
Journal:

Well we had our last breakfast in the hotel. We sampled everything they serve so are ready to move on to non-buffet breakfast food. Mini-bus was waiting for us. Ride to airport was easy but it was sprinkling rain today. We had great weather the whole time we were here except for rainy first night. Clearing Beijing security was easy. We flew Dragon Air which was virtually empty so we had plenty of room to move around. The plane was great and even nicer and roomier than United. Food was great. Choice of stroganoff or spicy beef. I had spicy beef but it was very spicy. Hagen Daz ice cream for dessert, choice of red or white wines or beer. Mom kept remarking how all the flight attendants were all so thin and the same size 2 and so pretty. I never noticed.

Clearing customs was a breeze but they do sniff your water just in case. Mom's knees always beep but they are used to older people with metal replacement parts. as soon as they opened the cabin door you could feel the heat and humidity.

We got one cab about the size of a Honda Civic for 4 of us plus 8 pieces of luggage. The cabbie had to leave the trunk open and tie down the luggage with bungee cords. We rode with 3 carry ones in the cab. The city has grown since I was just here two years ago - many new skyscraper apartments sprouting like asparagus stalks out of the ground. I am amazed how they do not fall over.

We got to the hotel ok. LOVE this spot right on the water. Rooms are nice but smaller. We overlook the pool. Lunch was in a restaurant in the attached New Centre Shopping Complex. Chris has come down with a small cold  Right after we shopped for drinks and snacks in the grocery store next to the hotel that I remembered. Chris and Nana went to bed and Katy and I walked the board walk and caught the end of the light show in the harbor..

We are going to have shop for clothes because they charge $9 to launder a pair of pants and $3 for a pair of socks. Plus we will need shorts since it is very warm. Mostly just tourists wear shorts so we will stick out. In Beijing nobody wears shorts except the odd tourists, who also stick out with skinny, chalk-white hairy legs.

Tues. May 9, 2006 - Hong Kong
Today's Pictures
Journal:

Breakfast was at McDonald's in the mall - interesting lunch option was chicken patty with fried rice bun. May try it later just out of curiosity. There is an excellent bakery attached to the mall so we got snacks there too. We sat on the board walk for a while watching the boats go buy. It is brilliant sunshine and very war. After was our first shopping trip. Hong Kong is for SHOPPING. We got great bargains. It is handy having my mom here who speaks Cantonese because that has gotten us further discounts.

Wed. May 10, 2006 - Hong Kong
Today's Pictures
Journal:

Journal written by Katy:

Hello! Today started the same as yesterday did, for me at least, which consisted of eating pork buns from the bakery downstairs. Pork buns consumed thus far: 6. Dad, Nana, and Chris had breakfast from the bakery as well. Chris still isn't feeling well, so he stayed in for the day to rest while Dad, Nana, and I took a Grayline tour of Hong Kong Island. The bus picked us up at the hotel complete with a dozen other tourists and a guide named Joelle. Dad realized she was his tour guide 4 years ago on his last trip to Hong Kong and noted not only was she the same guide, but she told the same jokes.

Our tour consisted of 5 stops. First was a Daoist temple which we walked through, however briefly as it was loaded full of incense coils that hung burning from the ceiling filling the whole temple with smoke. At the next stop we took a tram car up an incredibly steep hill to the top of Victoria Peak. The view from the top was gorgeous, spanning all of the skyscrapers on the island and the mainland as well as the harbor and boats. I'm constantly amazed by all of the beautiful palm trees here! After the peak, we took a boat ride around Aberdeen fishing village. We saw all of the big and small fishing boats, houseboats, sampans, and the giant floating Seafood restaurant.

After the peak was a brief visit to a jewelry factory, which was a surprise because it wasn't on the agenda. The place was full of expensive diamonds, pearls, jade, and then a small collection of dog calendars... weird. I, of course, spent our time perusing aforementioned dog calendars. After the factory we headed off to Stanley Market for lunch and a few hours of shopping. Lunch consisted of fried rice, chicken and broccoli, some sort of fish that starts with a G, and assorted dim sum. Dessert was mango pudding and coffee/tea. The food was alright, but it was worth it because we got a chance to talk to some of the other tourists. Sitting nearby to us was a girl named Michelle from St. Louis who was touring around Hong Kong while her fiancé was on business, and a couple from England who recently moved to Tasmania after retiring. After lunch, we spent some time shopping in the marketplace and then returned to the bus for the trip back to the mainland.

Tired from the 7 hours of touring, we met up with Chris and went for a swim in the pool, then headed out to dinner at a nice restaurant downtown. After dinner, we strolled through the Temple Street Night Market for some more shopping.

Another busy day! Tomorrow we are off to see the big Buddha on Lantau Island!

Thurs. May 11, 2006 - Hong Kong
Today's Pictures
Journal:

3:00 pm Hong Kong Time. Well today so far has been very interesting. Katy & Chris headed off to Hong Kong Island to see an art museum and then to Lantau Island. Mom and I rented a cab to go visit her sister. It took assistance from the hotel concierge and the Business Center to figure out where she lived in the New Territories north of here. With the address written in Chinese for us we got a cab to take us there - about 20 minutes.. He knew the area but could not find the exact block. He stopped and asked another cabbie who gave us directions, but still could not find the exact entrance. Mom could not remember how to get there. She thought she knew the name of the restaurant but no one had heard of it. Her sister left her apartment so no one answered the phone when the taxi driver called on his cell. We drive around the block for a while until we spotted 2 cops. He stopped and asked them if they knew of where the apartment or the restaurant was. They knew where the apartment was but had never heard of the restaurant. They called on their cell too but no answer. Neither the taxi driver nor the cops wanted to leave us stranded, so both cops jumped in the taxi and off we went hunting for the place. By the way it is hot and humid!! We find the building. It is a public housing complex and has about 7,000 units. About 75% of the locals live in these types of buildings. The taxi driver says the cops will take care of us. He was such a great guy. The cab meter came to $55 Hong Kong dollars - about $7 US. I gave him a $100 Hong Kong dollars and told him to keep the change. He was one grateful driver but he had really been helpful. In Beijing I went to pay the taxi driver $21 Chinese dollars for the ride and he actually told me not to bother with the $1. I gave it to him anyway, I was so shocked.

The female cop headed to the apartment. Officer Fung escorted us to the only restaurant close by. He stopped several people on the way but no one had heard of the restaurant but Mom was fuzzy on its name. We got to the local restaurant and caused quite a stir when he insisted we go in and look around to see if we recognized anyone. Needless to say people were a little unnerved as we walked through the crowded restaurant twice looking at everyone eating. The whole time, the cop is holding the piece of paper reading the address that as written in Chinese. I am sure that if I had suddenly pointed at a diner and shouted "THERE HE IS!" that they would have fainted away. In the meantime the cop suggests we cool ourselves at a table in the shade outsider. His partner returns and reports that no one is home. Officer Fung, the male cop chats with me in English about where I was from. It so happened that he had visited New York City about 10 years ago. When I asked him if he liked it, he said yes but it was expensive. After we cooled off we all headed to the apartment and found no one home. A couple of neighbors peaked out to help. As we are chatting, my Aunt shows up.  We had a nice reunion. Officer Fung was very interested in the US and told me he wanted his son to study there. He is bringing his wife and 15 year old son to the hotel Saturday to join us for breakfast.

That night Tony and May Wong (May is a sister to Sandra, my brother Ed's wife) took us to a great Thai supper in the Causeway Bay area of Hong Hong Island - the Times Square of Hong Kong.
Pictures from Supper

Fri. May 12, 2006 - Hong Kong
Today's Pictures
Journal:

We spent the day in Macau accompanied by my cousin Yan (in red t-shirt). Later than night we had a family dinner back on the Kowloon side in the East Ocean Restaurant in the mall attached to our hotel. Esmond (in green t-shirt is #11 son), Roxanne (in shawl) is Esmond's girlfriend. Erica (in long ear rings) is the daughter of one of the sons, therefore my second cousin.

Sat. May 13, 2006 - Hong Kong
Today's Pictures
Journal:

This is our last full day. Mom and I had breakfast with Officer Fung, his wife and their 15 year old son. They had a list of great questions about sending their son to college in the US, versus England. It was actually very interesting to share my opinions with them about the American education system, its strengths and weaknesses. They had done their homework! 

I had learned earlier on in China that the US does not grant Chinese tourist visas, only business visas. This is a sore point among many Chinese who would love to travel and visit the US. They do not have similar problems traveling to England, France, Australia and other countries.

After breakfast, Mom and I and the kids took a taxi to the Jade Market and made more contributions to the Hong Kong economy. We then joined Yan who had taken the day off work (she is my cousin) to take us around sight seeing and shopping. We first went to a great Dim Sum restaurant. By the way, Hong King shops and restaurants in particular have BRUTAL air conditioning. It is often like a meat locker in these places. Even passing shops on the streets with their doors open you can feel the blasts of frigid air. Only Katy was smart enough to bring an assortment of Old Navy sweaters and jackets to wear.

We walked around the gorgeous harbor area again, then went back to the Night Market or Ladies Market on temple street to shop once more. The bargains are great. After yet another huge meal, with parted sadly from Yan and went back to the hotel to pack for the trip home.

Sun. May 14, 2006  - Hong Kong/Hartford

United 0896 leaving Hong Kong at 12:45 pm
Arrive Chicago O'Hare the same day at 2:22 pm
United 0380 leaves Chicago 4:25 pm
Arrive in Hartford 7:37 pm