Nĭ Hăo from China!

"In all of the world that I've seen...

climbing the Great Wall of China has been one of my greatest victories!" - Meghan (Me)

Hello My Fellow Adventurer, Nĭ Hăo from China!

Following my "G'Day from Australia" post, for those of you not familiar with my recent journey - having just graduated from college, combined with the wanderlust traveling family I've gown up in, to celebrate my educational accomplishment I traveled for 30 days straight to both Australia and China - apart of a tour group called Adventures by Disney!

Not to brag, but come on, I mean just look at that photo of me up above, standing on the Great Wall! Standing on a piece of HISTORY, Making HISTORY with every footstep I allowed my body to take... from the blue sky to the luscious green trees... even in person it seemed as though I was walking in a water color painting... waiting perfectly still for me, the admirer, to leave my mark for the next century... I suppose the best way for me to describe to you just how this moment felt is for me to say I felt humble.

Having never imagined in my wildest dreams that I would visit places only learned about in school, knowing that yet still most of the world would never see in person what I've seen, makes my desire to share my travels even stronger, so that you too my feel inspired to go adventure in the world! And if you do, then don't forget to send me a postcard please!

Me - Overlooking the Hong Kong Skyline

In case you can't tell, I loved my trip to China! Every moment was truly a once in a lifetime experience... Now before I go into the details of my adventure (highlights, hotels, etc.), being the storyteller, I am, I'd like to share a personal anecdote with you... I promise, it's relevant!

Growing up, I attended an international (day and boarding) high school in the America by the name of Cheshire Academy located in Connecticut. At the time when I was a student, I would say the majority of our international population came from some predominant Asian country. Fostering my passion to connect with the world's citizens who live differently from my background, I found myself making friends with many students who were boarding at the school all the way from China. Having always loved the states as my home, I always wondered what life was like for all the international students back in their home countries... being curious, I vividly remember the day I told one of my Chinese friends I would like to visit her in her homeland someday.

The response I was given shocked me - expecting to receive something along the lines of, "Meghan that would be wonderful! When you come visit you should make sure you see...", as I would have then expected her to list on a number of popular tourist destinations.

Remembering her response came as a shock - instead of being met with enthusiasm, I was met with (and I quote)...

"Oh no, no, no! Meghan, oh no... why would you want to go to China! There are so many other places you could go! No, don't waste your time going to China, it's not worth it"... then her stunned face slowly turned into a giggle, further replying, "I mean it's a fine place but America is so much better... you should definitely travel elsewhere".

Has your jaw dropped yet my fellow adventurer... are you too filled with a state of disbelief... right about now, if you're anything like me, you're probably thinking the same question I replied to my Chinese friend with - a question and reply I carried with me all though out my recent journey...

"Just as how you've come to study in America, to visit my country, learn from my culture as an act to educate yourself further, why wouldn't I want to do the same by seeing China if only for a leisurely visit, to help me grow as an individual?"

With only a smile and nod, I knew my response to my friend had made her think deeply about the question I presented... as with no reply, I could tell that by simply her actions she had agreed - if I so desired to travel the world and visit China then I should, learn all I can and then come back to my American life so that I can appreciate my culture for what shes sees.

And in that moment is it was then I knew that someday I would make it to China, make it to the land that I've only either met people from, heard about on TV or learned lessons out of a textbook. So when choosing where to go after graduation, going to Australia & China felt perfect - and my greatest wish for you my fellow adventurer is that should you ever worry or question about going to China (safety, political, personal or even the distance/travel time), I promise it's worth it - don't believe me, just read on in case my photos haven't already done it justice!

Having spent 14 days total in China (12 being with our tour group), not only did I visit BOTH Disney theme parks (Hong Kong & Shanghai) – YES, I really did, tallying my world-wide Disney park count to 5/6 theme parks visited (story to be continued in a later post) – BUT my family, tour group and I also took 5 internal flights just so that we could see everything!

As I had mentioned, previously coming from Australia (where I embarked on 3 internal flights), my flight pattern for China went as follows… and get ready for it because no joke, we flew in and out of one city in the same day just to see the Terracotta Soldiers (which was totally 1000% worth it)… so hold on tight and buckle in because here we go...

Flights:

Me - Standing outside a local temple in Hong Kong

Arrive:

Brisbane, Australia – to – Hong Kong

(fun fact: since Hong Kong was under British rule for so long, you can read about the history of that period here – now that Hong Kong had been released to the Chinese government, even though they're now technically part of China, my family and I had to get our passports stamped in upon Hong Kong arriving, and then re-stamped again upon entering mainland China... as the two sections even have different currency, slightly different dialects among their language, and of course different airport security protocols… don’t even get me started as to how strict China’s security was… just do what they say, take out ALL your belongings, smile and keep going – don’t worry it’s not that bad, just part of the airport experience)!

Internal Flight 1:

Hong Kong – to - Beijing, China

(guess what, aside from the Great Wall, the first day we arrived in Beijing I saw 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in ONE day! Talk about making every second count, oh and did I forget to mention, we (my family, tour group and I) did it all in about 100 degree dry heat – yup it was still totally worth it… although it was this city too where I began to understand for the first time why we see so many Chinese carrying umbrellas even when it’s not raining… it’s because the sun can get really strong, and I mean REALLY strong... I even have the sunburn marks on my shoulders from the Great Wall to prove it – but again, it was 100% worth it)! TIP: pack LOTS of sunscreen & a light weight paper umbrella before you too go to China... oh and investing in a cheap hand-held fan with a rechargeable battery might be worth it too!

Internal Flight 2:

Beijing – to – Xi’an, China

(this is where we arrived in the morning, left the airport, drove to see the Terracotta Soldiers in the afternoon, then drove back to the airport to catch our next flight - it was a long day but hey you can't go all the way to China and NOT see the Soldiers... wondering what the big deal is, read all about the discovery of these beautiful historical artifacts here).

Internal Flight 3:

Xi’an – to – Guilin, China

(I swear this city looked just like Pandora from Avatar… don’t believe me, see my photo to the right… the city is so beautiful China even has it printed on their currency - brings the saying 'it's like living in a painting' to a whole new meaning)!

Internal Flight 4:

Guilin – to – Chengdu, China

(home to the Cheng du Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where yes, I saw a baby, and I mean infant, just born, Panda, see the video below) - I mean come on, just look at the photos (while I didn't see any doing 'Kung-Fu'), aren't pandas just SO dang cute!

Internal Flight 5:

Chengdu – to – Shanghai, China

(our final stop, where of course on top of visiting cultural sites I checked off number 5 on my list of worldwide Disney parks! Ps. For all my Disney fans out there, I may or may not have eaten dinner at Club 33, cried happy tears after riding Tron and Pirates of the Caribbean, and oh yah, bought some Mickey ears… who am I kidding, I did all of those things, and I pray that one day you too get the chance to visit Disneyland Shanghai because as someone who as been to every park in the world except Japan, I can pretty confidently say this was/is the best park in the world and I can't wait to go back again)!

Departure:

Shanghai – to – United States of America

(aka. home - ahh home, how I've missed my bed, american styled oatmeal - yes I like oatmeal - good coffee, my dog and of course the American 'western' styled toilet... to be explained later)!

“Wow Meghan, that really was a lot of flying! But other than the things you briefly mentioned, what else did you see/do in China”?

Great question my fellow adventuring friend!

Have no fear, I haven’t forgotten to share with you the trips highlights (that yet again I would like to point out as I did in Australia, since we were apart of a tour group, other than a handful of places, every excursion was planned for us), and let me tell you from one planner to another, giving the reigns to someone else in a foreign country such as China was without a doubt was worth it – and if I may offer a piece of advice: while I know for many the thought of traveling to China can feel daunting.. and while from a political, social and economic perspective I completely understand why, so many including native Chinese citizens included, may not want to stay, live, travel or associate with China's choices, but PLEASE my fellow adventurer, if my post this far has taught you anything, please know that traveling with a tour group (such as Adventures by Disney) is not only safe but also the country itself I can tell feels so misunderstood by the outside world that as a result of going (which mind you, just days before we arrived in Hong Kong the news was reporting violent riots in the city), I feel a deep sense of passion to let you know that traveling to China is okay, a breath of fresh air (no I don’t mean air quality, however I will point out I didn’t ever wear a mask), and also eye-opening… my whole trip has made me appreciate the world both outside and inside of where I come from in a whole new light - and regardless of what you may hear in the news, I physically felt very safe as a tourist.

So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, may I present to you some of the highlights I encountered during my China travels… are you ready...

Highlights: (In no particular order, by city)

• Hong Kong: Stanley Market (Hong Kong), The Peak Lookout & Tram at Victoria Peak (Hong Kong), Hong Kong Disneyland, the Hard Rock Café (Hong Kong – this we did on our own, as I’ve mentioned before visiting the cafes is a family tradition)

• Beijing: Traditional Peking Duck Dinner (Beijing), the Temple of Heaven (Beijing), Tiananmen Square (Beijing), the Forbidden City (Beijing), a Hutong Pedicab Tour (Beijing), The Great Wall of China (Beijing)

• Xi'an: The Terracotta Warriors (Xi’an), Tea Ceremony (Xi’an)

• Guilin: Lijiang River Cruise (Guilin), Yangshuo Market (Guilin)

• Chengdu: Tai Chi Lesson (Chengdu), Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Sichuan Hot Pot Restaurant (Chengdu), Chengdu Junjiang Theater to see the Sichuan Face-Changing Opera

• Shanghai: Acrobat Show (Shanghai), Old Shanghai and Yu Garden, Dinner at Din Tai Fung (Shanghai), Shanghai Disneyland and last but not least Dinner at Club 33!

Very quickly I have to tell you a funny story:

While in Beijing, before going to visit the Temple of Heaven, Forbidden City and Great Wall of China, one day after lunch we (my family, tour group and I), stopped by the cities famous Tiananmen Square (which translates to ‘Gate of Heavenly Peace) for a walking tour. However, this historic park was not your typical doggie playground, rather (and NO joke) many local Chinese men (and women) would come to the park each day to exercise (i.e.. Do back flips on the jungle-gym bars, pull-ups, square dance, chant melodies, walk their birds – yes I did say walk their birds, meaning they would hold their bird cages and take them for a walk – meditate and of course just people watch), as the entire park was covered from side walk to grass was filled with ‘out and about’ locals!

Now my fellow adventurer, remember how I just mentioned that many locals were using the jungle-gym bars to do back flips… well let me tell you, I’m not talking about little 5 to 10 year old’s kicking tricks, I’m talking about men and women in their 70s, 80s, (and who knows, I wouldn’t doubt now having seen what I’ve seen that some of the people there were well into their 90s), doing these exercises! SERIOUSLY! If I learned anything from this trip (which believe me I learned a lot, as it is I’ve already found it quite hard to determine what exactly to share in this post as I have so much I could tell), but I learned two this from visiting Tiananmen Square: one, interacting with your community and smiling, are perhaps some of the smallest things one should strive to implement into their daily life… and two, perhaps the key to living a healthy life is to eat lots of rice, never age (as believe me, those men and women who were doing pull-ups didn’t look a day over 40 and yet were actually in their 80s…) and EXERCISE (but not hard core cross-fit, rather exercise via the smaller movements in life such as walking, riding a bike, tai chi or even square dancing) – seriously, for all my fit-gurus out there, you must go visit China because I swear they are keeping the secret to never aging effortlessly there! Oh and did I forget to mention they even had a match-making market there (set up by the children's parents)!

To conclude this little story, let me leave you with this: Life in China (while I know I could not live there knowing what I've seen and know) I will say I left the county feeling a great sense of respect and gratitude for both China and America, (I am glad I had the opportunity to visit as a tourist but America will forever and always will be the worlds greatest county) - don't believe me, just travel the world and you'll see exactly what I mean. I am proud to be an American with the freedom to walk, talk and travel as I please!

With all that said, now it's finally time to tell you my fellow adventurer what kind of accommodations I stayed at... hint: every hotel was AMAZING, it felt like I was living in a dream!

The Peninsula, Hong Kong

Hotels: (formal reviews to be posted under ‘hotel reviews’ blog section)

- The Peninsula Hong Kong

- The Peninsula Beijing

- Shangri-La Hotel, Guilin

- The Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu

- The Peninsula Shanghai

Meghan’s (my) Personal Favorite Highlights:

(as shown though pictures – “a photo can tell a thousand words”)

1. The Great Wall of China

2. BOTH Disneyland Hong Kong & Disneyland Shanghai

(Hong Kong Disneyland to the left - Shanghai Disneyland to the right)

3. The Terracotta Soldiers

4. The Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven

5. Lijiang River Cruise in Guilin

Final Thoughts:

While I could go on and on for pages talking about just how much of a great time I had in China, if I am being honest (which I always am with you my fellow adventuring friend), one of the reasons why I know I had such a great time was because leading up to my trip I will admit I was a little apprehensive about what exactly I was going to see, do (and eat) during my Chinese expedition.

Therefore, not knowing what to expect, going in with an open mind, heart and soul ready to learn how to properly hold a pair of chop-sticks, it is precisely because I went in so open that I left feeling so full (no food puns intended), rather I left feeling full of cultural knowledge and memories that I would take with me wherever I go!

I just had to include this sign I found in the restroom

Everything from the food (which yes, while I will admit was good, I’m also not ashamed to admit that I do indeed prefer American styled Chinese food), to the toilets (ah, the ‘squatty potty’, I won’t explain any further what that entailed here in my post, so please to educate yourself, and I suggest you do, click on this link How to use a Squatty Potty), to the wonderful locals we met (our tour guides and other various locals who shared their personal stories growing up made me both appreciate my life as well respect theirs), granted I was sweating hot the majority of the trip, I would go back and do it all over again should I be given the chance to one day because China really is beautiful (and perhaps overlooked by many when choosing a travel destination)… just look at my photos, isn’t the country stunning!

So don’t let what you think you know about the rest of the world deter you from exploring... for I find that it’s when I push myself out of my comfort zone and take on the challenge of getting to learn from another’s culture, I grow as an individual because I took the first step in expanding my horizon which I can choose to steer moving forward in any direction. So what are you waiting for, go visit China, I promise it’s worth it!

Now don’t get me wrong, while I did have a fantastic time of course I struggled here and there not being able to understand the language, eat some of the food and of course use the non-traditional style of toilets, but hey, that’s what makes life so interesting right – it’s experiencing those differences that upon leaving I feel now like I can conquer any obstacle that comes into my life! So if you’re looking to learn more about yourself, the world and are craving an adventure, take the 15 hour-plus trip, go to China and explore all that their country filled with 1.3 Billion people has to offer!

Until next time…. Oh, and before I forget: since I know I’ve piqued your interest now in visiting China, be sure to be on the lookout for my ‘Travel to China: Packing Tips’ post so help your journey be a success!

Cheers,

Lady Meghan Chayka

Photo: Lijiang River Cruise, Guilin