After sitting on the run way for over an hour which delayed our flight, we FINALLY made it to Xi'an. China Eastern Airlines was kind of a joke. We traveled with them on all our flights within China, and every flight was delayed, by at least an hour if not more. They were obsessed with making sure Brayden was in this seatbelt harness that attached to my seatbelt since he was "lap child," and if one of the kids toys fell into the aisle and I would lean over to get it they would get on the intercom to tell us to stay in our seats (which I was). Basically they made the whole traveling process much more painful then it needed to be, but alas we made it to our destination.
Our tour guide, Alesha, met us there and instantly made a connection with Abby and Connor. She told us she had a son who was 10 and that she wished she had more children but they couldn't afford another child, especially with the previous one child law. Don't get me wrong, our tour guid Barry in Bejing was great, but Alesha was amazing! She was a mom and just understood life with kids. She would always help out and hold the kids hands to allow Kyle and myself to relax a bit and enjoy our surroundings more. Her english was much clearer too, and she had studied tourism through the local Xi'an university and was very knowledgeable in history and information.
Since we arrived at night our driver took us straight to our hotel for a good nights rest. The following morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and met Alesha in the lobby to start our busy day in Xi'an. Our first stop was the terra-cotta factory. There they showed us how the real Terra-cotta Soldier were made, the process that it takes, and all the replicas that are sold all around the world. It was very fascinating. We watched them press the clay into molds of various sizes, and then after several minutes they would take the clay out and begin carving to exaggerate the lines for definition. I watch this one woman work so fast with such precision it was amazing! She practically carved a 6 inch replica soldier within minutes. It was there that we were briefed about the different soldiers that we would see at the actual excavation site where the real Terra-cotta Soldiers lay. The footman soldier has his hair in a bun over the right ear, the archers were kneeling and had a bun on the left side of their head (so when they would draw their bows and arrows their hair would not get in their way). The low grade officers were distinguished by the "officer belly" they called it which was a slight pooch in the belly symbolizing that they were fed better, and they had a hand extending out signifying friendliness yet firmness. There are two generals. The Mongolian generals are stockier and shorter with their hands clasped together with the palms facing down in front of them signifying power, and the Chinese generals had a flat hat flaunting their rank.
We really enjoyed hearing all the information about the individual warriors because it helped prepare us for the afternoon when we would get to see the real Terra-cotta Soldier. We decided to get a miniature replica set as our souvenir of Xi'an. So we now have the 6 inch soldiers adorning our home made out of the same clay as the real soldiers to remind us our wonderful time in Xi'an.
We loaded up in the car when we were all done at the factory and headed out towards the Terra-cotta Warriors site. The Terra-cotta Soldiers consists of over 8,000 soldiers. Each life-size in a variety of rank and each uniquely different. The soldiers were made to replicate actual soldiers of Emperor Qin so no two are exactly alike due to facial expressions, hairstyles, clothing, etc. When the soldiers were originally placed they all held weapons and were painted. Unfortunately several years after emperor Qin's tomb was completed it was robed by other armies and all the weapons were taken. The paint on the soldiers has desinicrated over the thousands of years. Excavators have found that when they uncover the soldiers the exposure to the outside elements causes the paint to crumble off the figures. They are currently trying to figure out a way to prevent this from happening before they uncover any more soldiers. Yes, you heard me correctly, there are many more soldier they still have not uncovered! They believe they have only made a slight dent in recovering Emperor Qin's tomb. The soldiers were placed on the outskirts to guard the tomb, but they don't know how many more there are out there!
The kids fell asleep right as we got there so Kyle carried sleeping Connor in the carrier, I carried sleeping Brayden, and Alesha pushed sleeping Abby in the stroller. It actually was perfect timing cause Kyle and I were able to truly enjoy the magnitude and splendor of the site without kids harassing us. It was another surreal moment in my life, being there, actually seeing the Terra-cotta Soldiers with my own eyes. It was absolutely amazing to see these recovered soldiers that date back to 206 BC. The solders were discovered in the 70's when a farmer was drilling for a well and came across the clay soldier remains. They are buried under several layers of earth and have been pieced back together very slowly and very carefully. Since the discovery of these miraculous historical figures has been fairly recent, the Terra-cotta Warriors have been adopted as the "8th world wonder."
The kids woke up a the end, just in time to see the warriors themselves. I know they are still young and probably won't remember much, but they will have pictures that show they were actually there, and what a blessing it is to be able to see such amazing history. If there is anything I can give to my children I want it to be the opportunity to travel and see the world. There are so many wonderful things to see, people to meet, and cultures to experience. Seeing the Terra-cotta warriors will forever be an experience I will remember, and I am so glad I got to experience it with my family.
After lunch we headed over to the Giant Goose Pagoda. It was built in 652 AD during the Tang Dynasty and is the oldest Buddhist temple in all of China. Xi'an used to be the capital of ancient China, and the end to the silk road. Travelers came from India along the silk road and introduced Buddism to China via that route, and in Xi'an particularly. XuanZang traveled westward from Xi'an along the Silk Road to India for Buddhist scriptures. When he return he built this temple and helped to unify and teach Buddhism to the Chinese people. The temple's architecture is definitely influenced by Indian culture and is a beautiful historical and religious monument for the Chinese people.
When we were done with our time at the Buddhist temple we headed over to the wall of Xi'an. The Xi'an wall and bell tower were built in 1384 during the Ming Dynasty, which is much later than when the Great Wall of China was built. It still was impressive never the less, and was built to provide protection to the city (surprise, surprise). Apparently the Chinese people really like walls. It was a nice break though and the kids enjoyed running up and down the wall to get out all their excess energy. A top the wall, which enclosed the city borders of Xi'an back during Ming's Dynasty, you can see how the city has pushed it's borders outside the wall limits making up of "new Xi'an" and the older, central part "old Xi'an."
Our final stop before dinner was Muslim Street. Muslim street today is a fun and busy market place full of street vendors, but back in the day it was the end to the Silk Road. As we walked along the street taking in all the different smells, sights, and sounds, it was fun to picture this place back in 119 BC when the Silk road was a full trading route. It was called the Silk Road because China's popularity with silk spinning had reach popularity among other cultures all the way to the mediterarrian sea. It eventually became the main leading source of trade for that particular route.
Fast forwarding to modern day, one of the well known treats on Muslim Street are the flower cotton candy bundles. We got one large cotton candy flower to share, but we should of gotten at least two. Kyle alone devoured almost half of it because he LOVES cotton candy, and apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree because so do Abby and Connor. I mean who doesn't love sugar that just melts in your mouth? Something Kyle and I both enjoy are street markets. We would have loved to spend more time there looking at all the different things and trying all the different foods, but it was starting to get late and we needed to make our dinner reservation.
For dinner we ate traditional Xi'an dumplings. They brought out several rounds of a variety of dumplings for us to try. We had chicken, pork, fish, shrimp, sweet potato, walnut, and vegetable dumplings just to name a few. Some were delicious, and some not so much. It was fun to try them all though and guess what was going to be in each dumpling. I like to think of it as adult version of easter egg hunt... you never know whats inside till you open up the dumpling and take a bite.
After a nice restful nights worth of sleep it was time for us to part ways with Alesha and say our good byes to Xi'an. Of course we ran into ANOTHER hiccup traveling as we showed up to the airport extremely early. Apparently the itinerary we had and the itinerary our booking company gave Alesha did not match up. It all worked out though and we were able to relax a bit in the airport and let the kids play. We also got to spend more time with Alesha and talked to her more about life in China.
I asked her if she had done much traveling herself since she is so involved with tourism. She replied no, and that she longs to travel to America, Australia, and Europe but that it is extremely difficult for Chinese people to leave the country to travel. The more she described certain things such as wishing she could have more kids, or wishing she could travel but both being restricted by the government, I was again reminded that China is a communist country. Even though she is one of the happiest people I have ever met and doesn't seem to let certain laws and rules affect her happiness (probably cause thats all that she knows), I couldn't help but feel sad for her. I could tell that she is an amazing mom to her son, and I wish she could mother other children like she wishes she could. Instead she said she gets to mother the kids to those she gives tours to, which is few and far between. Most people don't bring their kids when traveling to China she told us, and proceeded to tell us how amazing, brave, and examples we were for traveling with our kids. I don't know about amazing, or examples, but brave sounds about right hahaha. Above all, I learned from talking to Alesha that I am truly blessed. I have such a wonderful life, and am free to do whatever I want! I have had so many wonderful opportunities, and can actually chase my dreams with no restrictions. When the time came to say goodbye it was a sad parting with someone we could honestly call our friend. If we ever make it back to China again to travel we definitely would want to have Alesha be our tour guide again, she was fabulous.
We made it to Shanghai, our third and final city on this trip. I think by this point in our trip we had been going, going, going, so much that the kids were past tired... they were delirious. When we arrived to our hotel they were so tired/wired/cranky/excited that all they wanted to do was jump on the beds. Even though it was 10:30 at night we let them jump on the beds for a good half hour before finally going to bed. If you ask Abby and Connor their favorite part of our China trip I bet you would hear them say jumping on the hotel beds. They thought this was the best thing since sliced bread. We will probably make it a hotel tradition from here on out... at least while they are little and can get away with it.
In Shanghai we didn't really have a tour guide. We had a driver that picked us up from the airport, took us to Disneyland, and back to the airport, as well as Alice who acted as a translator for us during those outings. Besides that we had a "free day" to travel around Shanghai on our own, and explore Shanghai Disneyland on our own as well.
Exploring Shanghai on our own gave us a different perspective of China. We traveled mainly by taxi and foot, and by doing so we were able to see how the Chinese people live everyday. On several occasions we would walk past an alley way or a break in the giant walls that seem to be everywhere in the city and see that different neighborhoods that were hidden behind them. The streets were filthy and the people looked poor and haggard. We almost got the impression that China loves "walls" so much because they show off the country's power while hiding its true living conditions. The Chinese government definitely wants to show off China's highlights such as the Great Wall of China, busy cities, worlds second tallest building, and their 8th world wonder. Instead of focusing on their people, they literally have built walls to hide all of their "issues." It was sad to see how the government is so consumed with making a great impression to the world, that they overlook those who they are suppose to be looking out for, their own. I am grateful for Democracy and a government that isn't a dictatorship.
We first went to the Bund which is the center of Shanghai. It is right along the water that divides the city and you can see both sides of Shanghai, including the Shanghai tower, worlds second tallest building. It used to be the tallest building in the world, but a couple years ago Dubai built one just barely taller. Unfortunately it was a foggy day so the tower disappeared into the foggy sky so we couldn't see exactly how tall it really was compared to the other buildings surrounding it. Afterwards we took the tunnel under the water to get to the other side. It was a little weird with techno music and electrical light show, but it provided entertainment for the kids, so hey, we were cool with that.
On the other side of the water we explored Yuyuan Gardens. We actually never walked through the actual garden part because we got side tacked with all the street markets in the old Ming dynasty styled buildings. It was really fun to see such amazing historical buildings all while enjoying the street vendors and shops of modern day. Kyle and I have been collecting plates from all the countries we have visited. We were determined this would be the spot we would find our plate. While we were looking in and out of all the shops we heard a screech, loud horn, than a haunting hit sound. I immediately turned to see a body flying across the street and skidding along the pavement. It was definitely a moment that has haunted my thoughts time and time again. I didn't know how to help the lady as a swarm of other Chinese people surrounded her. Eventually an ambulance came and it seemed as though she got the care and treatment that she needed, but for the longest time she just layed there in the street, motionless. The lady was hit by a scooter because like I mentioned before in China there are so many vehicles and people, and no one really follows any road rules. The scooter had crashed after hitting the lady, but the driver seemed to be all right. I was once again reminded of the chaos that is China's streets and immediately pushed my kids further back on the sidewalk putting myself between them and the busy street to ensure they would be safe.
We decided to rest our weary feet by sitting inside a mall and trying a new dessert. It was pudding/sweetened milk with mangos on top. It was actually really yummy, although I did wish it was ice cream instead. We decided to head back to the hotel and get plenty of rest before our big Disney day which was the next day. We stopped by McDonalds on our way back and it actually tasted delicious to have food other than Asian. It was the closest to American comfort food we could get and it was a nice change.
Shanghai Disneyland, the newest Disney park in the World! It opened summer of 2016, so it isn't even a year old yet. Alice and our driver picked us up from the hotel and took us straight to the gates of Disneyland. It was so nice and convenient. We set up our meeting time and place with Alice and then we were set free in the theme park. The weather couldn't have been more perfect. The day before it was cloudy and a bit chilly, but the day of Disneyland it was sunny with a nice breeze. Abby wore her Cinderella dress and I did her hair in a bun to match Cinderella's hair. Connor wore his lightning McQueen shirt we found the other day at the Disney store. The kids were excited and ready for a full day of Disney fun. All the Chinese people kept asking to take pictures with the kids because they thought they were so cute. If we had charged for how many pictures people asked to take with Abby and Connor, we would have been so rich!
Now just in case we thought we missed any Chinese people beforehand, we made up for it at Disneyland. We probably bumped into all 1.3 billion Chinese people there! I thought Tokyo Disneyland had long lines, but that was nothing compared to Shanghai Disneyland. The kids of course wanted to go on the carousel ride (which is one of their favorites) and the line was 60 minutes. I could not believe the amount of people that were there and willing to stand in such long lines. We decided right then and there that there would be no rides for Kyle and myself, and that we would do every ride for the kid and try to get fast passes for the kid rides. We got to most of the fantasy land rides, and even tried out some new rides like the 7 dwarfs mining roller coaster which Abby loved. Brayden was a champ and slept for most of the day and sat in the stroller staring at everyone else for the time he was awake. He is such a good baby!!!
At lunch time we sat down and ate fish and chips and chicken strips. It was the most American like food we could find that we knew the kids would actually eat. Afterwards we indulged in more cotton candy...what would a trip to Disneyland be without cotton candy? I really wanted Abby to meet some of the Characters, especially the princesses. I just thought that would be something she would love and we haven't done so far on all our Disney adventures. So while Connor and Brayden slept we sat in line to meet the princesses. By the time it was Abby's turn the princess was Belle. Abby was so excited and nervous, she didn't know what to say to Belle. Belle was as charming as ever and talked to Abby for a bit, gave her a hug and told her that she loved her Cinderella dress. That just made Abby's day! It was moments like that where I just loved being a parent and seeing the magic through my kids eyes. The rest of the day Abby talked about how she got to meet princess Belle and how they were friends.
As the day progressed our energy started to wear out. We stopped to watch the main street parade which was so elaborate and spectacular compared to the parades we have seen at other parks. Shanghai Disneyland really tried to highlight all of Disney's newer movies. Most of the rides were from Rapunzel, Frozen, Finding Nemo, Monsters, etc. Even the parade had all the recent Disney movie characters on display. At the end they did a tribute to Mulan since after all she is the Chinese princess and we were in China. By the time we left the amusement park we were tired, had full bellies, and full hearts. Disneyland really is a place where dreams come true. Now Kyle and myself can say we have been to all Disney parks except Hong Kong and Paris. We will definitely have to put those locations on our bucket list.
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