Enchanted China May 30, 2010

[Q's My Princess]

Thanks...and one can never have too much information. We are avid travelers and find that the more first-hand, personal feedback on a location we receive the more prepared we are. We recently spent a month in Guatemala and between reading travel guides and speaking with people who have traveled extensively there, we were very prepared and had an exceptional trip. I hope others who have been to China will give their feedback as well.

Very interesting about the reaction to a tip...as for haggling, we are well versed since our trip to Guatemala.

Did you do any tours in Beijing before the ABD portion that you would recommend?

Thanks again!

 

[toothbrush]

We flew to Xian to begin our china trip since at that time disney did not include a day trip to see the warriors. spent 3 days xian. then we flew up to Bejiing for either four or five days before ABD tour. We had plans for Xian but we had no set tours in Bejiing. The hotel (grand Hyatt which was awesome)(amazing grotto style pool beneath hotel !!) had an extensive concierge desk with a variety of tours,drivers,guides etc. you could piece together ,very easily, anything you wanted to do at reseonable cost. I suspect most major hotels offer the same. It was weeks before the olympics so we went to see the facilities, birds nest water cube, we shopped the major olympic related stores, we hired a driver for the day and went to the Buhda temple, confuscious temple, silk market . we got drivers on different days for different amounts of time ,tell hotel where and what and they tell the usually non english speaking driver what you want. Once again maps really help nothing like visual aids. we took some tips from Anthony Bourdains travels (refer to his Bejiing episode)and went to the Hu tong to the famous hole in the wall duck restaurant, we went to the "Noodle loft", we went to a high end duck restaurant where visiting dignitaries eat such as President Clinton, Everything was very cheap by our standards. Hotel can set up everything.

 

[toothbrush]

Duck was amazing , we decided that it may even qualify as our pick for "last meal". Will try to dig out the names of the restaurants.
we also spent an afternoon wandering around the temple of heaven which is like their central park. Parks are incredibly social, so much culture, hard to describe but definatley worth your time .
I also got up early on the weekend and went to a very cool "flea market"
quite interesting if you like that kind of stuff. Hard to believe that a country so old can have no pop culture, no movie memorabilia, no lunch boxes, no pez's, no toys to speak of , really no fun items, except if they come in the form of General Mao, clocks watches posters, he is mr pop culture. Still worth the trip to see this spectacle.
By the time ABD tour started we were acclimated to time zone and culture shock, i think it really helped the kids settle right into the spirit of the tour.

 

[Birdie1981]

I am looking to do this adventure for my 40th. I see you enjoyed a lot. I am going on my 1st ABD to Hollywood in June. I can't wait. thank you for all the feedback.
Since you have done it once, when if the best time of year to go?

 

[WeLoveABD]

June wasn't too bad--I know it got hotter and more noticable air pollution in July/August. I think if you could swing it, May (assuming they have May China trips--haven't checked lately)

 

[Mommy2three]

I had the opportunity to go to China in June of 09. I did not go with ABD....I flew back with my Chinese exchange student to take her back home (the whole trip was paid for by her parents). The flight from Chicago to Shanghi was very long...about 14 hours, and then another 2 hour flight from Shanghi to Xi'an, where my chinese exchange student lives. I spend a wonderful 10 days there in Xian..although that was not nearly enough time and I hated to have to leave my exchange student! I got to stay in the home with my student with her mom and dad (who spoke no english), and really live the daily life that they do. I did get to see quite a bit...the warriors, the budah temple right outside of the warriors, the "big goose pagado", the "flea market" area in Xian...ate at restaurants pretty much everyday...even went to an invation only pre opening of a french restaraunt.....felt like a movie star there...walked the red carpet..had to sign the wall...got pictures taken by the media....most everything was paid for by the government (her dad is the 2nd head of the cities government in Xian).

One thing I hated was crossing the streets!! Talk about dangerous! Cars will come within an inch of hitting you before stopping! Crazy!
Yes and make sure you drink only bottled water! Or the water has to be boiled before you can drink it if its from the tap. Although chinese believe that drinking warm water when your stomach feels sick is good for your health.. Try the blackberry juice if you get a chance! Oh and try the Durian! Just walking through a Chinese market (grocery store) you can smell the durian....but its an experience just walking through the chinese market. In xian they even have a home depot! In the actual city of Xian...walking through downtown, bookstore, etc...i felt like an outsider...everyone stared. one guy at the bookstore actually followed me around and would stop a bookshelf away from me and lean his head on it and just stare at me! They aren't used to seeing "foreigners" in the city...I only seen a few foreigners actually downtown...but many many many foreigners at the warriors. Have a great trip! I would do it again..and plan to again someday and take my kids and hubby with me!

This summer my student and her mom are coming here to WI to visit. So now her mom will get to experience america (she speaks no english only can say Hello). Her family actually wants to purchase a home here in my city because her dad has to come to the USA alot for government stuff.

 

[toothbrush]

I actually cannot believe how much i remember from so long ago. that trip really made an impression on myself and my family, As i write about it many more memeories flood into my head, so much to share.

 

[Q's My Princess]

That is exactly why I love to travel...creating lifelong memories for myself and my family!

Blackberry juice and durian...note to self...try!

I choose to take our DD out of school so we wouldn't have to experience the heat and humidity of July and August. I figured it would better in May/June. I sure hope so! Toothbrush...another question...how conservative do people dress there? both locals and tourists? Trust me when I tell you I am not going to be walking around in shorts and tank tops laughing... I know my 5'11" height and red hair will be out of the norm...poor DH!

 

[toothbrush]

Never really noticed anything formal, people dress plainly not formally.Self expression "loud" clothes just have not taken hold in their culture yet. we travelled in whatever made us comfortable. Red sox hats, sport teams shirts, university logos t shirts , shorts,etc. 99% of the chinese had no clue what our words or symbols meant. Our group was a spectacle regardless of what we had on, the big group following the "Disney" paddle kind of set us apart from the regualrs. They do recognize NBA stuff, i was wearing my Boston Celtics shirt and got quite a few smiles and finger pointing from younger chinese people in the big cities.
It is a shame that we could not buy much clothing, the sizes are not meant for anyone with "curves" or shoulders or stomachs or i guess body fat. when their shirts increase in size it is only the length, not width. were unable to find sizes in what would be an american XL so i could not buy many of the cool tshirts or formal shirts to fit me, such as the olympic shirts, panda reserve shirts, cool asian shirts, etc. Fortunately, at the Hard rock cafe hong Kong they had all the bigger sizes so i could at least get those shirts ( they actually have one or two that can only be purchased there and not online store, be sure to ask which onesif you decide to go), by the way after three weeks of chinese style food, the burgers ,fries,nachos, etc, never tasted better, we didin't realize how much we missed american style food until we ate that last night at Hong Kong hard rock cafe. we actually felt a bit homesick.

Red Hair, wow that should be interesting , it will be like the circus came to town!!!

To Birdie1981, not sure what the best time is to go, we had hot weather but no rain, according to our guides ours was a first. Really plays a role when you go to the great wall because they bus you to a location way up in the mountains and unfortunately if there is or has been a lot of rain fog can be an issue because of the huge deep valleys, ours was the first group to actually be able to see miles and miles (to the horizon) of the wall and i tell you it was breathtaking, if this was the only thing I did in China i would have been satisfied, i wish that we had an entire day to hike along the wall, that is actually top on my list should i ever return to china. Probably my favorite day of the tour next to the panda's

 

[Q's My Princess]

Thanks Toothbrush...
How did you prepare your kids for the trip? both culturally and educationally...
I have picked up some of the books ABD recommended, but am hoping to prepare our DD for the history she will be seeing. Do the ABD guides do a good job sharing the history with the kids?
Speaking of the guides...is the information they pass along geared more for the kids or for the adults?

 

[garyqu]

hello. i am Gary from ancient mythical country-China. i work at the home of Terra-Cotta army as a professional English tour guide.I can serve as a window into ancient China by bringing the history of these lands to life. Furthermore, I know where we can find the cheapest and most appropriate room, board, and travel arrangements. if you have any question about touring this city .FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME! i am glad to offer my kind help.
phone No 15929446802
skype: gary19821121
my web:w w w .y e l l o w r i v e r t o u r s . c o m
email:g a r y 1 1 2 1 @ 1 2 6 . c o m

 

[kennythepirate]

We are all booked for the May 30 trip! Me 42, DW 42, DD 12, DS 11.

 

[Q's My Princess]

We are all booked for the May 30 trip! Me 42, DW 42, DD 12, DS 11.

Great news!! Congrats...My family is starting to get VERY excited for this trip!
Have you booked your flights yet? If so, are you arriving prior to the 30th?
We fly in on the 28th. Look forward to meeting you all!

 

[kennythepirate]

Great news!! Congrats...My family is starting to get VERY excited for this trip!
Have you booked your flights yet? If so, are you arriving prior to the 30th?
We fly in on the 28th. Look forward to meeting you all!

ABD is working on flight options right now. My daughter won this trip with the Flat Stanley contest, so it's all free for us and we are super excited for our first ABD trip. We've done domestic parks a lot and one Disney Cruise last year.

We look forward to sharing this experience with fellow disers!

 

[sayhello]

ABD is working on flight options right now. My daughter won this trip with the Flat Stanley contest, so it's all free for us and we are super excited for our first ABD trip. We've done domestic parks a lot and one Disney Cruise last year.

We look forward to sharing this experience with fellow disers!

Flat Stanley contest??

Sayhello

 

[DisFan10]

Flat Stanley contest??

Sayhello

Here is some info about "Flat Stanley".

Adventures by Disney and HarperCollins Children's Books launched a new promotion called "The Search for Flat Stanley's Next BIG Adventure" based on the character of children's literature of the same name...

http://www.travelpulse.com/Resources/Editorial.aspx?n=62357

 

[Q's My Princess]

ABD is working on flight options right now. My daughter won this trip with the Flat Stanley contest, so it's all free for us and we are super excited for our first ABD trip. We've done domestic parks a lot and one Disney Cruise last year.

We look forward to sharing this experience with fellow disers!

Cooooool!! Congratulations to your daughter...she is a winner!! How fun! We can't wait to also travel with some fellow disboarders! See you soon!

 

[Q's My Princess]

The trip is fast approaching!! I can't believe we leave in 50 days!! Yikes, I had better get those visa taken care of. Almost everything else is done, just have to finalize the return flight to Beijing at the end of the trip.

Kenny, are you close to a Chinese consulate to process your families visas?

 

[Q's My Princess]

Did anyone else received their travel docs, backpacks, etc. today??

 

[sayhello]

Did anyone else received their travel docs, backpacks, etc. today??

Waaaah! I haven't gotten any sort of anything from ABD for my Med cruise, and it's 35 days out! Maybe we *aren't* getting the box? That would be so sad!

Can't wait to hear about your trip!

Sayhello