Off to the desert.
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"A
journey of a thousand miles begins with one step"
----
Chinese Proverb
LIVING
abroad is a challenge. Children are a challenge. Travelling
with children in Asia is too much for some people to even
contemplate.....!
But
sharing China and learning about Chinese culture with your
children will ensure a happy and educational experience while
you live or travel in this huge country wherein lives one-fifth
of the world's population.
Many
foreigners who live in China only think of returning to their
home country or heading for the beach if they plan a vacation
with their children. Although both are appealing options,
there certainly are many other choices that your children
will learn from, will truly enjoy and will remember forever.
Have kids -- will
travel. |
Perhaps
the idea of heading out, youngsters in tow, to less sophisticated
places -- where there are no MacDonald's, no fancy aquariums,
few Western restaurants -- is daunting. But it doesn't have
to be.
Consider
taking along your ayi! Presumably the kids like her, and for
sure she is reliable, used to looking after them, knows their
limits and so on. Otherwise she wouldn't still be your ayi.
In addition she speaks Chinese, can describe your needs to
hotel staff, knows how to order food that your family will
eat happily, is capable of handling a medical situation involving
the children, and above all, will be thrilled with the chance
to travel. Taking Ayi with you means that you could have a
game of golf, a night out exploring the town, maybe a candlelit
dinner or attend a not-for-kids activity. What more could
you want?
Travelling
by car is great because you can stop for picnic lunches, "energy
runs" or just because you see something you want to investigate.
However, consider how much of a holiday the actual driving
will be for you.
Kindergarten recess. |
Today
there are many freeways and improved secondary roads and so
in some respects driving is easier than before. However, it
is also important to note that as roads improve, traffic increases.
Once you are off the highways, routes are changing everyday
and construction is a common interruption. You should:
*
restrict driving to daylight
*
be prepared to take twice as long as you plan
*
refill gasoline only at reputable dealers or at locations
with other patrons
*
carry excellent and complete accident insurance for yourself,
your passengers and your car
*
speak some Chinese
*
and have a backup plan.
If
you love driving, if your family enjoys long trips in the
car, and if you have the time and flexibility, then climb
in your car and go travelling ... itกฏs
worth it!
However,
there are other travel options that overall might be a better
use of your time and money.
When
you consider that an overnight train means you don't spend
money on a hotel and that you travel while you sleep, train
travel makes a lot of sense. Soft sleepers are great for family
travel. The kids love the top bunks, they can spread out their
books and games and keep themselves amused for hours. And
when they need to stretch, they can't go far or get lost.
Their little foreign faces ensure that someone will either
know where they went or bring them back to you. If your family
plus the ayi won't fit into one compartment (they hold
four people) then buy two - you'll have lots of room!
Learn to make jiaozi.
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Of
course there are flights to nearly every city in China and
travel by air is generally timely. The planes are clean and
safe. But the cost is about twice the price of train per person.
I
don't recommend the choice of public bus for families with
children. It is too restrictive for active little bodies and
the washroom facilities are not convenient. You need a lot
of time, patience, cultural understanding, Chinese language
and a huge sense of adventure. Altogether too much for most
kids!
Now that you have
solved the handling of the day-to-day needs of your children,
and you have decided how best to travel, -- where will you
go? Many of those "must see" sites in China are
perfect for youngsters if you prepare them. It is pretty hard
for them to wrap their minds around Han dynasty, Silk Road,
holy mountains and so on. Probably the school library
will have some great storybooks that accurately describe China's
history in handfuls that are the right size for the kids...and
maybe also for you! There are several good books in English
available at local bookstores describing sites such as the
terra cotta warriors of Xi'an in story form suitable for children.
Bearing
children in mind, the first places that come to mind are Xi'an,
Pingyao, Shaolin Monastery, the water towns of Zhejiang and
Jiangsu, and Harbin during Ice Festival.
Today I belong to
a mountain tribe. |
In
Xi'an, at the museum of the Terra Cotta Warriors, the children
will be totally absorbed by the wrap-around movie screen with
a film that runs continually through the day, and describes
in Hollywood-style, the battles of the Qin emperor, the building
of the underground mausoleum, and the enormous terra cotta
army of soldiers that accompanied the emperor to the afterworld.
If you can drag the kids out of that theater to the exhibition
halls, they will again be enthralled as they discover the
unearthed legions of those same terra cotta soldiers. The
actual site of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang Di is great fun for
kids. There are hundreds of steps to climb to the top of the
mound. The provincial museum is also superb, well-laid out
with excellent descriptions, and there is an outdoor grassy
area where you can take a break from culture when it gets
too much. Xi'an has a famous jiaozi restaurant -- a
much better option for children than the famous Tang Dynasty
Dinner show, which is heavy on glitz and glamour and has expensive
food that they won't like anyway.
Pingyao is a charming
Ming city, still completely enclosed by a wall. This UNESCO
world heritage site is well-preserved, very small and completely
tourist friendly. Your children will feel as if they
have walked into a storybook! They can run through cobbled
streets, ride bicycles or rickshaws on the top of the city
wall, explore old buildings, climb into underground bank vaults,
watch old style performances in law courts of long ago and
in the Temple of the City God and so on. Pingyao is a living
museum, one that you can all become part of for a few days
of your life. Choose to visit one of several restored family
mansions located in the same area, another perfect place for
kids to be at home with their imagination.
The
famous Shaolin Monastery excites even the most timid children.
The stories of Kung Fu masters and their student monks
come alive if you time your visit to coincide with the performances
that are arranged for tourists. Shaolin Monks put on well
choreographed, colorful and dramatic performances that occasionally
travel to major cities in China. If you have a chance to take
the kids to one before or after you travel to the monastery,
you will win many points! While in the area of Shaolin you
should visit Longmen Grottos with thousands of carved statues
in all sizes, shapes and postures. Your children will enjoy
climbing the many staircases, posing for photos with statues
50 times their size and be amused by other carvings as tiny
as their thumbs. And all the while, they'll be unconsciously
learning a bit about Buddhism, about the resilience of people
thousands of years ago, about erosion of rock by weather,
and so much more. Luoyang area has many other sites to visit
that are highly suitable for children.
A special angle for
kids. |
The
water towns in Eastern China provide more opportunities for
children to absorb history while they play. Travelling in
gondolas through tiny towns with canals for streets, hunting
under countless ancient bridges to find lions and other gargoyle-like
creatures that guard the waters, wandering down alleys that
are only wide enough for a pint-size person, fishing for the
tiniest minnows with a long-g-g bamboo pole -- those are dreams
that children have -- dreams that you can make come true in
Tongli, Tunxi or Xitang.
What
fun for children to visit Harbin during the winter! Ice sculptures
built by teams from all around the world turn Harbin into
a glistening winter wonderland. Yummy food, fresh air and
lots of snow will ensure that they happily sleep all the way
home.
China's
ethnic peoples are fascinating to young and old. The richly
decorated and colorful costumes, the strange customs and exciting
festivals are a perfect recipe for a memorable vacation. Bull
fights, dragonboat races, song and dance competitions, mountain
climbing and water splashing holidays are educational and
lots of fun! Most often tribal people live in remote areas,
and so, as you set out to participate in minority festivals,
you will venture deep into beautiful mountain regions and
rain forests, far from the smog and the hustle and bustle
of modern China.
And don't hesitate
to go to China's wild west! How about visiting a bird sanctuary
on an island in the center of a salt lake so vast that the
shores are not visible. And there are giant, spectacular
sand dunes to scramble up, gangling camels to ride, watchtowers
of the Han Dynasty Great Wall to climb. Distant ruins of ancient
cities whisper secrets to modern explorers as they wander
in and out of faintly distinguishable houses, temples, stables
and passageways. Caves still containing Buddhist paintings
and statues from as far back as the 4th century are awesome
discoveries. Empty deserts stretching endlessly will fire
the imagination of your children as they travel the winding
roads of their minds.
So
don't leave the kids at home! You will become your children's
best teacher by simply taking them traveling to exotic destinations
and encouraging them to get lost in their dreams. As you also
get lost in yours, travelling together will bind you to your
children in ways you won't expect.
Where
are they hiding? |
From
Beijing:
Xi'an,
Shaanxi is an overnight train or 16 hour drive.
Pingyao,
Shanxi is an overnight train or a 7 hour drive.
Shaolin/Luoyang,
Henan is an overnight train or a 10 hour drive.
The
water towns of Jiangsu, Zhejiang are an overnight train
or about 18 hour drive.
Harbin,
Heilongjiang is an overnight train.
The
wild west, Qinghai, Gansu, Xinjiang could be a 1 to
2 week journey by train or car, if you are a really
adventuresome family.
Find
a good travel planner to help you put together an itinerary
to suit your children. Buy the kids a camera and some
books and GO TRAVELLING!
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