buddhas and pandas and noodles oh my

In 2000, I accompanied my sister (and our parents) on our family’s first trip to China to bring home my older niece who is now 10. The second time around in 2003 I was pregnant with Sweetpea so had to hear from afar about the circumstances surrounding my younger niece (now 7) joining our family. A few years ago my sister took my two nieces on a return trip to China to expose them to the culture and country of their birth – this current journey is their second “homeland” trip.

This time around we are travelling with five other families, visiting tourist destinations and also introducing some of the girls to the province/cities of their birth. My parents are accompanying us this time around as well (this is their fourth trip to China). When my sister asked last summer if we would be able to travel with them, we decided it was too great an opportunity to miss, both as a family and an educational opportunity for Sweetpea to experience a culture completely outside her experience.

Because my sister is doing a stellar job with her China travelogue, and because I didn’t want to bring my laptop on this trip, and because internet access is patchy, and also because - to be honest - I’m lazy, I’ve just been taking shorthand notes in a little notebook and recording my observations of Sweetpea’s reactions to the Chinese people and cultural differences with which we’re being confronted.

We started our trip in Hong Kong, which other than the fact that it is filled with Chinese people, felt more like a Western city. I first visited Hong Kong about 22 years ago and my only clear memory, other than the culture shock of being immersed in a large city after spending six weeks in a small town in the rice terraces of the Philippines, was the novelty of being fitted for a leather jacket one day and having it custom made and delivered to my hotel the next day. It was also a blur this time around as our three days there basically were comprised of recovering from jetlag and fighting annoyance with our guide who kept delivering information inappropriate to her target group - families travelling with young children – comments about the red light district and the topless sunbathing on the beaches.

Our most vivid memory there will be of visiting the giant Buddha on Lantau Island (and Po Lin Monastery) after a half hour cable car ride through freezing rain and buffeting wind. Sweetpea was entranced by the Buddha, poor weather or not, and bought her first souvenir (a small crystal cube with the Buddha etched on it), expressing sadness that the Buddha died. Thankfully there was a Starbucks (yes, really) where we huddled afterward clutching hot coffee and cocoa.

Since Hong Kong, we have visited the cities of Guilin (GuangXi Province) and Chengdu (Sichuan Province), and are now in Hefei (Anhui Province). In two days we move on to Shanghai for the last leg of our trip.

I'll do a photo highlight of the trip once I return, and also a wrap-up including our observations of the culture, food and people of China. Sweetpea in particular has learned what celebrity status is all about, given her honey colored hair and fair skin. She is photographed everywhere we go.

More soon. I hope.