Filed under: Tantalizing Travel
So, as previously mentioned, the three of us headed off on a trip to mainland China during Jason’s spring break. We began our adventure early on Wednesday morning of last week, and, about 12 hours after stepping out of our door, we arrived at our destination to visit friends! It took about 1 hour on our local train to arrive at the Chinese border, and then getting through customs and immigration (interesting to exit one country, and take a few steps to enter another…something you don’t really get to experience when you travel by air), and taxi ride to the bus station was another hour, and then we embarked on a 10 hour bus ride! I know, I know…..crazy with a baby, right?….RIGHT!! But, really, Ezri did fabulous. We took along a few of her favorites: coloring book and crayons, books, magazine, blueberries, cheese, yogurt drinks, gummies, and the ever-important dvd player! She slept about one hour each way, and the other nine, we just entertained as much as possible–a full-time job.
It is fun to note that the bus was fully equipped with what we will call a ’squatty potty’, so-called b/c you have to squatty as you go to the potty….unlike a western-style toilet. These are quite common in China….and other parts of the Asian world, as we understand.
As you can see from our pictures (posted earlier) mainland China is quite different from Hong Kong. There are villages surrounding the city we were visiting, so we took a bus ride out one day and took a scenic walk that allowed us to look out on the rice fields and other crops that the people are busily planting this time of year. We spotted some water buffalo, cows, chicken farms, duck farms…..quite interesting. One day we walked around the city and checked out this massive Buddhist ‘museum’…..looks like a temple to me! It was quite impressive. There were brass dragons on the gate outside of it; Ezri ‘roared’ at them out loud!
Of course, Ezri enjoyed the crazy attention of the waitresses at restaurants and of other people we met during our trip. The young girls go especially ‘ga-ga’ over her, and she eats it up! One of our waitresses gave Ezri her pen with which she was to write down our order!….and then actually went to get another one, so as not to upset Ezri by taking her pen back!
Oh, and if you are planning a trip to mainland China, know that there will be no signs or anyone anywhere speaking English (many of you already anticipated that, I’m sure…but it was a shocking reality)!! Luckily, we were with friends who got us around town with no problem…..otherwise, we’d have been out of luck!
