China trip part 8

The last day of touring... We went to the temple of heaven and shopping for souvenirs. The kids were eager to spend the remainder of their money. We took them to a street where they could have a snack of scorpions but they said no thanks. The last day of the trip they spent doing a children's day dance and song. The flight was at 445pm but we sat on the Tarmac for an hour. The boys were asleep when we landed and groggily made their way into dada's arms and home sweet home.

China trip part 7

The day we went to the summer palace was a cloudy day. It rained the night before and temperatures were lower. Again we had the crowds and the people who have never seen western kids wanting to take photos. By now when the locals say hello the kids are responding, no hello, no hello. They are missing home and food they are familiar with so some of them gorge on too many chips, sweets and junk food. Needless to say I had to tell them where the meat of sausages come from and two kids felt sick after their binge and one threw up. Weds was zoo day which henny and I snuck out of. She went shopping and I went to see Christine who was coincidently in Beijing. We had a few nice hours catching up on life and she is still based in south Africa now doing more business w Zimbabwe.

That nite was roast duck night and most of us was counting the days to going home.

China trip part 6

Tackling the great wall.... This wall was thru the valley and so there was a steep climb. Nate made it to 6 guard stations. Luckily we started early as it got really crowded but the nearer you got to the top the less people there were. Some steps were higher than Ike's knee so he stopped at station 2, where he had an ice cream break...

China trip the weekend

The boys forgot to pack their backpack so until this point I gave them my laundry bags to use to carry their stuff. We all went to the silk market which is actually 6 floors of stuff from jewelry to toys to bags to clothes and shoes. Managed to get. Few small gifts for the Canada trip. On Sunday we headed to xidan and then a long taxi ride back to the school to see the kids cone back from the homestay.

Since I got in earlier I sent nates Chinese paintings to et silk borders and an additional layer. It turned out really nice an I hope that motivates him to paint better.

China trip part 4

The days start to blur around this time. I can't remember why we all attended a clay making class to make strawberries but some kids turned theirs into chillis.... They then played tag and what time mr wolf. I think some nights were devoted to writing emails to parents as well as practicing for children's day. The sun rises really early in Beijing and I usually was up by 5 though once at 4 and it es bright! The mornings Ike and I will get hot soya for me and milk for him and 2 hard boiled eggs. We found the small shop selling other stuff like cookies or ice cream about the middle of the stay.

We also visited the farms that huijia owns where the kids got to pick cucumbers and cherrys as well as go horse riding. I think in the afternoon they followed their buddies home for the weekend.

Ike and me along w henny the other mom and her daughter angel headed for the city. We stayed in a services apartment near wangfujing. Ahhhh wifi and comfort along with laundry! We took a bus in w the huijia kids and got dropped off at an intersection that was a huge jam. I spotted a building near our apartment and so we walked instead. An ice cream break and 40 mind later we arrive a bit dustier and stronger after dragging our luggage for about a km.

China trip part 3

Day 3 or 4 brought us to tiananmen and the forbidden city. As rising incomes continue in china, so does the domestic tourism. It is crazy that now 80,000 people come here everyday. Lots of spit as these guys like clearing their throats everywhere. As the kids looked foreign, many locals wanted to take pictures with them. They would join in our group photos and luckily this time no kid was grabbed and dragged away to take pictures. We had to keep a constant lookout as well as block people from harassing the kids. At one point there were so many people pushing against a railing to look into one of the halls that we had to evacuate them. The toilets though in the major tourist areas are q clean.

China trip part 2

We went to the natural history museum to see the dinosaur bones. There is no natural history museum in Singapore and its good that the kids get some paleontology into their system. I remember as a kid having to see the bones in Chicago and my friends in Malaysia insisted that dinosaurs are a myth! What I do like about the Dino's in china are that the have Chinese names like beijingasaurus, named after places they were found. The kids headed back to classes in the afternoon and the dinner was Beijing noodles.

Ike had to stay w me at the teachers dorm and it was nice that we had our own bathroom tv and mini fridge. Oh an Aircon too but I didn't figure out how to use it till week two.

Cnis china trip part 1

The kids left on the 4pm flight from Singapore and arrived around midnight. I met them at the airport as I had flown in a day earlier from hk. The next morning the itinerary allowed for them to sleep in but I found Nate up already and following his buddy to class. The afternoon we headed out to the science museum near the birds nest and many of the kids fell asleep at the IMAX theatre show...