Suzhou by e-bike

MJ and i went for a quick ride around our side of the lake to capture some of the scenery.

Guanxi Province - Rice Terraces, Yangshou, XingPing

Guilin - Pingan

Pingan Village

The flight from Shanghai to Guilin is about 2.5hrs long so not so bad and then the drive to the rice terraces was another 2 hours.  The rice terraces are commonly know as The Dragons Backbone Rice terraces.  We stayed in a really small cute village called Pingan which is 600 years old.  We slept and ate at the Longji Holiday Hotel.  This is a family run hotel and was really good value for money.  Many of the hotels are owned by big corporates which made this place a little special and we certainly got great service from An Mei.  We booked on booking.com and emailed the hotel to orgainise our transfer.  We were lucky enough to be travelling with Annette Gubbels and her two children Ella and Rafiel and Jane Finnimore, Lachy, Violet and Lila Pye.  

Rice Terraces on route to Zhonlu

Well deserved Beer

Car access to the village is really limited so we walked in the dark for about 25 mins up this cobblestone path which added to the adventure.  Lucky we thought ahead to book bag carriers.  We spotted some glowworms on the way up which the kids loved.

The next day we walked through the rice terraces to a village called Zhonglu which was good fun.   Bevan was a legend carrying Samuel on this very long walk - we tried to hire a donkey but alas couldn't.   Later in the afternoon after a rest and some wine/beer we walked to some closer rice terraces which I felts were just spectacular.  We ate at the hotel that evening and enjoyed some good home cooked food by An Mei.

Li River

We drove for about 2 hours from Pingan Village to the Li River where we took a ride on motorized "Bamboo Rafts".  These infact are plastic tube rafts but even so were still fun.  Samuel purchased a water gun for the ride - not sure if this was a good idea!  

The scenery on this journey was breathtaking  We saw Kast limestone peaks and had fun imagining what they were supposed to look like.  There is a picture of some of them on the 20RMB note so we all had this photo taken.  The kids enjoyed this part of the trip and I dare say the water gun kept them entertained. We stopped ashore part way and Mackenzie had her photo taken with the Comorant bird which is used by fisherman in the area.  They tie wire around the birds necks to prevent them from swallowing the fish.

The boat docked a short distance from a village called Xingping which is over 1000 years old and was very quaint and idyllic - great place for another beer stop.  We then had a relatively shortish drive to our accommodation in Yangshou.

Yangshou

We arrived at our accommodation Yangshou Mountain Retreat which really was a treat.  It sits alongside the Yulong River and has awesome views of the limestone karst peaks.  It was really peaceful and energising to be at this place and was pleased we took the recommendation from a friend.  To sit on your balcony in the morning with a coffee and look at the view is something I will remember forever (I guess now I have written it in the blog I will).  

We arranged a bamboo rafting and bike excursion the following day with www.bikeasia.com who I was very happy with.  They arranged the bamboo rafting, transfers and lunch for us together with a guide which made for a very easy day.

The bamboo rafting along the Yulong river was relaxing.  We got on upstream from Dragons Bridge. Dragons Bridge is supposed to be some 400 years old but Lachy and I have our doubts on this fact due to the amount of concrete - however it was still nice.   It was a beautiful day and the kids ended up jumping in the river for a swim.  While Bevan was contemplating getting in Samuel gave him a helpful nudge.  Our guides thought this was most entertaining.  The water I gather from everyones reaction was fresh.

We pulled in about an hour and a half later at a village called Jiuxian where we had the most devine lunch at a restaurant called The Secret Garden.  This was a great place accessed via walking through a few old alleys and then through the restaurant to a 'secret garden' no less.  

We then sized ourselves up on the moutain bikes and started our journey.  It was an easy 10km bike ride although if you don't bike much that should just about do it for you.  The bike ride was alongside the Yulong River on recently paved paths and only a short distance on the road.  We spotted farmers in the fields and water buffulos on our travels.  The company bike asia also have tag alongs and babyseats.  Our family really enjoyed this day and I would say it was one of the highlights for us.

Jiuxian Village

Later that evening we went to the great impression light show which is a great show directed by the guy who choregraphed the opening of the olympic games in Beijing.  It was very well done and we were all quite impressed with this.  The hotel booked the tickets for us but there seemed to be a totally chaotic way of colleting the tickets and getting to our seats.  It was typical chinese style - orgainised chaos. 

Our final day was spent with a few hours at the Silver Caves which stretched 2km long but lucky for us were not too busy.  This was an easy 30 min drive from our hotel.  We were very impressed with the rock formations called stalagmites and stalactites not to mention the fish pond not far from the entrance.

The remainder of the day was spent swimming in the river on rubber tubes going over the waterfall.  The kids looked to be having a blast.  Lachy and Bevan were good at directing traffic in the river and making way for the bamboo rafts ensuring the kids didn't get run over.  We spent the evening catching up with friends at The Giggling Tree (a family friendly dutch run hotel a little way down the road).  A few of us then went into town to West Street which is a tourist shopping street which was typical of any.  

On reflection this holiday was one of the most picturesque parts of China that I have seen to date and we really enjoyed our time here.  It is definatley worth visiting and very family friendly we thought.

Chinese New Year Holiday in China

Chengdu

Chengdu is busy and smoggy but has a more authentic Chinese feel than either Shanghai or Suzhou. The people are busy, the roads are chaotic and the restaurants are full of interesting sights, smells and tastes. Only a three hour flight from Shanghai and it feels like a totally different country. Not having anyone around that speaks English apart from ourselves also adds to the adventure. There were two main attractions we visited, The Giant Buddha and The Panda sanctuary. Both were equally as impressive but both Samuel and Mackenzie definitely preferred the pandas. The set up at the Panda sanctuary was very impressive, clean and even the enclosures for the pandas were spacious and looked pretty comfortable for the pandas. Chengdu is definitely worth the effort to see, seeing real China never gets old.  The Giant Budha is actually in a place called Leshan which is a 2 and a half hour drive but worth it although the mini van I ordered ended up being the size of a Mazda 3 so Bev was a little tight for leg room in the back with his kids.

We stayed at the Flip Flop Lounge Hostel which was just perfect and for $40 a night we thought it was great.  Put the kids to bed then trott along a few doors and sit in the lounge for a beer.  Our original hostel cancelled at the last minute due to unscheduled building work resulting in no power or hot water however they orgainised this hostel for us no worries.

A memorable part of this trip was the airport transfer driver who must of been filling in for a friend as he didn't even know the way to the airport and there was an aroma in his car suggesting that he was maybe under the influence not to mention his driving style.  He turned the car off when going through a tunnel and was driving in third gear most of the way.  The other funny thing was the size of car was a Peugeot 206 - lucky we packed light and only had one suitcase and the pram which only just fitted.

Xian

The most famous site in this city is of course The Terrocotta Army which was extensive and interesting.  As you do in a country of over a billion people we bumped into a friend Mary -Beth who was also travelling around.

Our driver Jack (jackchen1971@vip.163.com) was great and also took us to Ban Po Neolithic Village and The Big Goose Pagoda.  Jack is a published poet so had a few tricks up his sleeve and we got to enjoy some poetry recitals. The price was good to at 500RMB for the day.  The Big Goose Pagoda was good to see and the views from above were great.  Bevan deserved a medal for carrying Samuel to the many many places which are just not wheelchair accessible.  We had fun along the side street admiring the statue art.

Big Goose Pagoda

View from top of Big Goose Pagoda

Muslim quarter

Muslim quarter

We stayed at the Citadines Central which was handy to the city wall and muslim quarter, had two double beds plus a room divider and McDs and Pizza Hutt just down the road.

The City Wall was very impressive.  It is 14km long although we only did about 2.5km to be honest.  You can hire bikes if you don't have small children or take a trolley tour around the entire loop.  We explored the muslim quarter which was a bustle of activity and plenty of food.  It was very interesting not to mention the Mosque.  We took a flask of Milo out with us on these cold days which kept the troops going.

City Wall

City Wall

City Wall

I must confess we made a McDs stop for dinner that evening before making our way to the trian station to catch the sleeper train to Beijing.  This was a great night as it was the eve of Chinese New Year so we saw a lot of fireworks along the way.  Unfortuately the new hat you see Samuel wearing (crazy frog we call it) got left on the train.  It was a one of a kind which we haven't seen anywhere else.

Beijing

We arrived a little tired at 7.30am straight off the sleeper train then navigated the metro to get to our first hotel.  The Marco Polo Parkside.  This is only a 20 min walk from the Olympic stadium and really close to a metro.  Because it is a 20 min metro to the city centre the price was awesome for the quality.  

It was freezing in Beijing and snowed while we were here this time.  Bevan and Samuel went to The Cube for a swim which is now Chinas biggest indoor water park.  Mackenzie couldn't go due to her broken wrist.  It was a bit pricey but worth the experience.

Lama Temple

We visited The Lama Temple which was impressive but having lived here for a year and a half we have now seen our fair share of temples.  We attempted to go to some markets but due to the Chinese New Year Holiday they were closed so we managed to save alot of money.  We then caught a taxi to a popular Hutong area called Nanluogu Xiang where we had dinner before heading home on the metro.

Our third day in Beijing felt like the coldest.  We went to The Summer Palace which was vast not to mention impressive however my feet were freezing and there was a bit of a breeze.  While the lake was not frozen completly there were spots where it had frozen over.  The Summer Palace is a really nice tranquil place and in the warmer weather would be good with a picnic.  Lucky we had the flask of milo along for the ride again.  We spotted a chap taking a swim in the lake (obviously not quite right in the head).  Not far from the metro stop there were some characters from the Rio movie which was probably the kids highlight of the day.  The kepts saying theres Nigel - I had no idea who they were talking about so this required explaination for me.

We moved into a really really nice hotel this day so while Bevan went back to get our bags I took the kids to the new accommodation which was called New World.  They didn't have an appropriate room with twin beds available so after some chatting and me explaining that my husband would be very angry when he arrived if they couldn't sort the room out they offered us an upgrade which was amazing, big and luxurious.

Bevan took us out for dinner down walking street and once he orientated himself in the freezing freezing cold he found this restaurant he knew about.  The que was massive giving an indication of how good it was but I managed to que jump somehow and before you knew it we were sitting down to duck pancakes.

The breakfast at the hotel was awesome and the kids were standing at the waffle and pancake counter keeping that chef very occupied.  On our last day in Beijing we met up with a couple of friends who live there and went to Behai park and Jingshan Park.  Jingshan Park has a man made hill from all the excavation in developing The Forbidden City.  You get a really good birds eye view of The Forbidden City in addition that it is a really good people watching spot.

Behai Park

Jingshan Park

Phillippines

Manilla

Wow after a 6am departure from Suzhou we finally arrive in the CRAZY city of Manilla.  Phillippine airlines was great on service and short on leg room.  Now that's saying something as we are not exactly tall people.  Manilla was chaotic - trying to retrieve our bags was a challenge in itself.  Note to self buy some bright coloured bags - black bags like everyone else has is not good.  I am standing where the bags come out - official job bag spotter, Mackenzie is bag messenger to Bev who is further down the luggage bay and he is the muscle.   Samuel's job is to sit in the pram and look good.

Finally we have all our bags and embark on the 2km ride to our hotel which takes 40 mins - traffic is out of this world.   Meet an Irishman who works in Poland for CBRE and his Canadian girlfriend (international school teacher).

Bohol

Alona Beach

The following day we are out the door at 7am and arrive on the island of Bohol.  Tagbilaran airport is the smallest I have seen - one plane in, half hour turn around, one plane out.  We feel happy to have arrived on Panglao (small island to the side of Bohol), connected by a bridge.  Our accommodation is everything we hope for - cheap, spacious, across from the beach, awesome pool and shop close by that sells cheap beer.  We can sit on the verandah drink our beer and watch the kids swim - good times.  The resort is called Alonaland.  The internet is having a spasm and not working on apple devices so Bevan is feeling very very twitchy and irritable.  I think it is a message from above to take a technology break.

Virgin Islands

The beach was magic, clear water, restaurants upon restaurant.  We booked an early morning trip - 6am (again) to go dolphin watching, out to Balicasag island and snorkeling off the reef.  The kids loved it.  They were great at snorkeling and very happy to see alot of nemo fish.  They also have sea turtles out there although we didn't see them - too much excitement in one daywhich we didn't see.  We also stopped in at the Virgin Islands which while pretty wasn't really necessary as it is more white sand and blue water which you can enjoy on Alona Beach.

Trip to Balicasag

Cebu

On day 5 Bevan organised a DAY trip over to Oslob on Cebu island to see the Whale Sharks.  Another early start.  I had a bad feeling about the trip as when we first turned up for the trip there wasn't enough room on the boat for us, then miraculously there was enough room.  The boat ride over was 3 hours and it was rocky, I thought we were going to capsize a few times.  I had white knuckles while it was lucky for the mood on the boat that the kids thought it was an adventure and were shrieking with laughter.  Oh to be young and just enjoy the moment without knowing the potential dangers.  Due to the rough weather the boat anchors 50 metres out and in true phillippino style there is no small boat to bring us to shore so having travelled 3 hrs to get here we take the only option which is to jump off the boat and swim for it.  Samuel and Mackenzie were amazing swimmers and made me proud.  I personally was feeling nervous but they were great.

After a considerable wait we finally get onto a small boat to go snorkeling with the whale sharks.  This is epic.  They are around 4-5 metres long and so graceful.  The water is quite choppy so we need to be careful not to bang our heads on the boat while trying to snorkel.

Once we are finished I am trying to work out a plan on how to get back to the boat when we see the coast guard standing on the beach to announce that we will not be going back on the boat due to a typhoon warning.  The next mission is to then get to a ferry port which is a 4 hour drive away.  We manage to hire a mini van to take us but between the 14 people on our tour 2 vans were organised and we only needed one.  Unfortunately they both arrive at the same time so a big conversation / debate starts as to which one we are taking.  We take a back seat and let the Spanish, Israeli's and Phillippinos sort the drama.  4 hrs later we arrive in the city of Cebu to find that all ferry services have been suspended so we find a cheap hotel and camp out for the next 3 nights while the storm washes over us.  As we only have our swimsuits and snorkels this was getting old by the third night.

The que to get ferry tickets was hours long so I use my acquired chinese style queuing and befriend an Irish guy further up the que to get tickets and get out of there.  We just make it to the next ferry out - arrived at the terminal at 6.30am and depart at 8.30am - yippee.

Bohol

On arrival back in Bohol the kids and I  take a taxi to our next resort while Bev goes in the opposite direction to get our bags from our first accommodation.  When we arrive at the lovely Loboc River Resort it looks like a war zone.  The river flooded the previous evening and everything is flooded out completely so I guess we are not staying there.  We manage to get hold of Bev and tell him to stay at Alonaland as we will be returning.  Unfortunately our spacious bungalow has been occupied but they find somewhere else for the James family.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          We take a tour around the island of Bohol and visit the Chocolate Hills - in the summer these mounds turn brown hence their name.  We stop in to see the cute little tarsier monkeys and also at The Butterfly Farm.  We have lunch at the Bee Farm - an organic farm with Bee hives.  The food is amazing.

As there are so many eating options we take turns at choosing places to eat and manage to get cocktails two for the price of one.  The kids know how to order pina colada by singing "I wanna pino colada".  Entertainment is good with no shortage of phillipino bands doing great covers.  They sure can sing up a storm.

For our last three nights we stay at the incredible Bohol Beach Cub Resort which really was a nice way to finish the holiday.  The service, food, rooms and amenities were awesome.  They had a games room with board games and a wii which was great when it rained.  They had a massage area on the beach, hammocks.  Food was to die for.  We took a glass bottom boat trip and hired a kayak - staying in the kayak proved a challenge but we managed.

The kids loved swimming in the pool although Samuel needs to work on his swimming style as twice people dived into the pool to save him and he is like get off me I am swimming just fine.  I look like the very responsible parent on the side with a cocktail.

Samuel participated in a fire eating show which was very exciting, we built sandcastles and memories on this relaxing trip - stay tuned for our next adventure.