Xmas in Xian - how many warriors does one man need??

Our last day in Beijing was spent stolling through the streets and alleys and the Temple of Heaven. We made our way to the enormous Beijing West train station to catch our train to Xian which was much easier than we had anticipated. The trains all have a train number which is written in English so even though you cant read the Origin or Destination you can still find your train, however their are trains leaving to dozens or destinations all within minutes of each other and the platform numbers arent always correct. So always double check your train number with a staff member as they wont come and collect your tickets until the train is on its way. The overnight trip took just under 12 hours and was very comfortable in soft sleeper. Soft sleepers have 4 beds per compartment, hard sleeper 6 beds per compartment. The farms enroute where thick with snow and we arrive the next morning in a freezing Xian (below zero). I find an English speaking worker at the station who assists me in buying our onward ticket to Chengdu. We ask the local police if they know where we can buy a town map in English, they load me and the boys onto their golf buggy police vehicle and take us all around town, the lady police officer running in to shops and hotels asking in chinese if they have a map for us. They dont give up and after 45 mins of scooting us around town in their buggy they finally find us one. Hows that for service!!! Now with map in hand, we find our way on foot to our accommodation and then set out to visit the Drum Tower, Bell Tower and the Muslim Quarter. It was xmas eve which unbeknown to us is actually the biggest night of the year in Xian. Thousands of people fill the streets letting of fireworks and fire balloons. The party and fireworks carried on to the early hours of the morning. Unfortunately we were so cold we had to retreat to our hotel fairly early. Xmas Day we visited the Terracotta Warriors to gaze in awe at this amazing accomplishment. It truly is hard to get your head around the scale of this tomb and its contents. Truly one of the great wonders of ancient time. We jump aboard a bus returning to Xian and seem to be on the one taking the scenic route heading down dirt tracks in little villages, past schools, workers, markets and more. It was a very interesting journey. On our return we took our freezing bodies out shopping for some more layers and find some great ski jackets $5AUD for the kids ones and $10 for mine. They didnt have anything big enough to fit poor Paul so he's still cold. We find a local cafe where not a soul speaks or understands English, we mimic chickens and cows to the staff who find this very amusing but then produce the most beautiful chicken and beef meals for us. Once again all our food including several beers and soft drinks comes to around $2AUD per head. It is now our last day in Xian and tonight we are on the overnight train to Chengdu which takes around 16 hours. http://www.byokids.com.au/ ...your family travel gurus

Beijing China

Brrr!!!! its a bit cold for Queenslanders but absolutely loving beijing. Visited the great wall and ming tombs yesterday and pretty much had the place to ourselves, it has been snowing but wasnt at the time of our visit, which dissappointed the boys. Managed to find our way on foot, with our chinese map, to tianamen square. We met a guide by chance, named julia who showed us around. She was really knowledgable, very informative and a lovely person. Our 2 hours lasted about 3.5 and we ended up all drinking tea in a cosy walm cafe. We then said farewell to julia and told her we where going to catch the bus to temple of heaven she was so worried we'd get lost as we had to change buses that she came with us on the first one to ensure we made our stop and got us on to the next one with a chinese written note for the driver so he told us when to get off. It was quite an experience the little bus was crowded and we all had to stand. the driver stopped suddenly and paul fell backwards nearly taking out the whole bus of chinese passengers which they all found very, very amusing, they are still laughing at us now I think. We went to see the chinese acrobats, Julia had told us it was not far from our hotel but again was worried that we wouldnt find it so she went out of her way to meet us that evening and walk us to the theatre. As practically noone speaks english and there are no signs in english, we are also yet to find a map in english, we were very grateful for our new friend, Julia. We've found a fantastic little cafe where the food is sensational, nothing like the chinese food back home, we go each night and enjoy the atmosphere of this crazy little place where everyone laughs and yells. They cant speak English but we manage to get feed and they try to teach us chinese and we teach them english, we eat and drink for hours and the bill is under $10 Australian... we love Beijing but tonight we are back on the train to Xian for christmas

The train Hong Kong to Beijing

We boarded the train at Hong Hum station in Hong Kong, we've booked a sleeper compartment and are very suprised at the standard. Our train ride to Beijing will take over 24 hours so we settle in for an evening of UNO and pass the pigs. The dining car was serving suprising sensational food and with cans of coke just 40c the duty free scotch was going down well. The soft sleeper beds were very comfortable and we all wake in the morning refreshed. I wake and look out our train window and see the most beautiful sunrise, a huge orange sun rising over a flat plateau of farming land. Birds and everywhere and shepperds dot the land with their bamboo crooks and small herds. We see the occasional village and people riding bikes along the paths between fields. The small mounds dotting the farms are graves and some still bear flowers on the top many are older and are starting to lessen in height. There are many trees although they have lost their leaves now for winter and as we get further north the snow becomes quite thick in the fields. Wow this is not the China I imagined, we know its a diverse country with deltas, plateaus, desert and cities and a massive population so we are certain this serene scene will soon change. Our train arrives dead on time and we walk out into the buzz of Beijing, there is not another westerner in sight, no-one speaks english and not a single sign is anything but Chinese, the challenge begins.... www.byokids.com.au ....your family travel gurus

Hong Kong Airport and Disneyland

We headed out to stay at the Regal Airport hotel for a night which was fantastic. The hong kong airport has 140,000 people go through its doors daily and the place is an attraction in itself. They've got an aviation discovery centre thats fantastic for kids and adults, very educational and interactive, as well as a massive shopping centre, dozens of fine restaurants and bars, a cinema and more. The following day we head to Hong Kong Disneyland and it was every bit as magical as you'd expect Disneyland to be. Its hard not to get caught up in the fantasy of songs, characters and childhood memories. Careful you are likely to break into a chorus of M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E at any stage during the day. The stage shows and parades were fantastic, the 4D movie and space mountain definetely or pick of the rides. We stayed at Hollywood disney for our full dose of disney mania with everything from the slippers to shampoo bottles bearing the famous mouse ears. We head off the next day to catch the train direct from Hong Kong to Beijing, China. www.byokids.com.au ...your family travel gurus

Hong Kong Island and Kowloon

We jumped aboard a ferry to Hong Kong from Macau. After going through our third lot of customs in 4 days we are getting pretty efficient at the whole process. We arrive into Hong Kong and pile onto the city tram with our backpacks and find our hotel. We spend the next few days taking in the sights of Hong kong theres heaps here for families, the zoo and botanical gardens are great. We take the peak tram, a cruise on the harbour to see the symphony of lights (a light show to music that many of hong kong's city buildings take part in). We've checked out Lantau Island and are off to disneyland tomorrow before heading into China. We know we are in Asia now as we' ve been ripped off by a taxi driver, charged double in a restaurant and are now in the land of sqaut toilets... but thats what its all about, different experiences and its all good. www.byokids.com.au ...your family travel gurus

Singapore and Macau

oh dear!!!Where are we staying... We arrive in Singapore early morning. We collect our bags and head into the airport cafe for some breakfast. when it hits 6 am we jump on the MRT the kids have only had a few hours sleep on the plane but are trouping on, happy to explore. They've been to Singapore before and know what to expect. Small problem... due to our late decision to take this trip there was no accommodation left, I checkecd all out allotments but nothing. Just one week short of flying out I was forced to book our accommodation on the internet. Hey it looked great in the photos!!! And really the room was very nice however on elighting the MRT we wondered why a family all lugging backpacks were getting such strange looks.. I'd landed us right in the red light district oops.. Not that we dont feel safe because we do its just a bit of education for all of us. Firstly dont book your accommodation over the internet and dont leave it so late to book!! We check in anyway knowing nothing else is available and jump back on the very efficient MRT to the city and join a river cruise. The growth of Singapore is amazing and we love watching the blending of old and new. Anyway we are absolutely exhausted and settle down for a good nights rest before an early departure for macau.
After an easy 3 and a bit hour flight from Singapore we touch down in Macau keen to explore this country. We've heard much about Macau of late with the huge increase in casinos making the news. The Macau airport sits out on its own island with bridges linking to the main island. We'd booked into the Grand Emperor Macau, one of the older but stylish hotel casinos in Macua. You must visit this place, the beefeaters at the front entrance, the royal carriages and the gold bars embedded into the glass floor all make this place an attraction in itself.We set off on foot to explore Macau taking in the local markets including the red market and small street stalls. We watched elderly ladies cleaning fish near the fish docks and stacking shark fins in piles on the sidewalk. We dine in a small street side cafe where a meal for a family of 4 is just $7 which includes rice, meat, vegies and tea. They serve us a beer with "possibly the best beer in the world" written on the can, seems they aren't quite sure. The greyhound racing track is well worth a look for its unusual exterior walls made to look like a coleseum from ancient times. We visit the Macau museum which was really interesting and interactive for kids. As night arrives we venture out to see what they call the Las Vegas of Asia with casino lights ablaze everywhere. Of course we never reached our destination, Pauls nicknamed me compass I somehow manage to miss one street and we end up somewhere way off track. However this isnt really a problem when you have no real destination.. we ran into the fantastic water show out the front of the Wynn casino and found an unreal restaurant down near the water. All Good!! Macau is very interesting and is growing at a huge rate, I'd suggest you get in and explore this fascinating country before its developed to much. the people are lovely the food is fantastic and they cater for every age with playgrounds scattered amongst the township and even kid sized exercise equipment along the waterways. When I figure out the new video camera we bought in Singapore I'll upload some footage onto youtube and some pics. www.byokids.com.au ...your family travel gurus

BYOkids Asia 2007/08

Hi Leah here from www.byokids.com.au ...your family travel gurus. In just one week today myself, Paul and the kids depart on our next journey. This trip will take us to Singapore (for just one night) Macau, Hong Kong, China, Borneo and Bali. I am planning to post as often as possible on this blog, but its not always easy. Internet cafes can be hard to find in some parts of Asia, as we plan to get off the beaten track in China I imagine it may be difficult there. Hope you enjoy the blog and follow our travels
cheers leah
www.byokids.com.au
...your family travel gurus