Zoo & Aquarium

After our regular chores of school work we headed off to the Blue Zoo and Aquarium. The subway ride was old hat by this time. Not even the slightest bit of panic. We got off and headed for the zoo, picked up a lift from a bicylce rickshaw. It was another hot day, but th zoo had a fair bit of shade so it was okay.

The zoo itself was a bit dated and I felt sorry for some of the animals that seemed overcrowded or in cages that seemed a far cry from their natural habitat.

We didn't make it all the way through the zoo because we wanted to get to the aquarium which had such great reviews. It was a lot of fun. There was a huge shark tank with a few concave bubbles that you could stick your head in and then you felt like you were in the tank too. Very cool. Yasmin and Roya made some pretty funny fish lips for some of the displays, and they really enjoyed the dolphin show at the end.

Fun was had by all and I was a bit worried about getting back before subway rush hour started. We got to the subway by about 4:00, but the first train we got was almost empty! It soon filled up, but at least we got seats. We took it to a stop near where Arthur owns a Vietnamese restaurant and he picked us up there. We had to borrow a phone from some young men, because the public phones wouldn't take our calling cards. The guys were really friendly about it, so all worked out well. We gave them some Canadian flag stickers to say thank you! They were pretty happy about them.

Tonight's meal was wonderful. We had spring rolls, sugar cane wrapped with shrimp, other rolls, rice with chicken, Vietnamese soups and special fruit drinks. All was delicious. We ate too much yet again.

Afterwards we went to this cool square where high above our heads there was a huge horizontal screen that looked like an ocean with fish, dolphins, sting rays and other ocean life swimming in it above our heads. Kind of freaky but a lot of fun. We also took a drive through Beijing at night and saw the Forbidden City all lit up, with coloured lights behind the fountains. The sky scrapers have really interesting architecture. Nadim was admiring the engineering of them. This city is enormous. I read that it sprawls to the size of Belgium! You can drive for half an hour and the sky scrapers are just as big as where you started.

Well, I'm feeling the time change again, time to go find my PJs.

CM

Beijing Roast Duck

We had an awesome night out in Beijing. We had a ton of food of different sorts. Our friend Arthur invited us to a very nice family restaurant, which specializes in Peking / Beijing Duck.

Arthur was a great host and ordered the food for all of us. There was way too much food for us to eat it all, perhaps this is the Chinese custom. We will describe the menu for all you Canadians:

Appetizers: Cold sliced duck liver, and duck feet in mustard sauce. The liver was great, and the duck feet tasted good, although the consistency was a little chewy.

Soup: Beef strips, bean sprouts, other sprouts, carrots and sliced jalapenos in a spicy broth. We all enjoyed the soup very much.


Main courses: Famous Beijing roast duck, sliced at the table. This was eaten on a flat bread (similar to a fajita), with a really tasty brown sauce, onion and cucumber strips, all rolled up. The skin was crunchy and the meat was quite tender. We all enjoyed very much. Roya was having a particularly good time making her roll. They brought the best part of the duck (from the head) on a separate plate for us to enjoy.

Sliced duck in a brown sauce, including duck liver, gizzards and hearts. Very tasty!

Steamed broccoli, with some kind of seasoning which we are not sure what it was, but quite good.

Shrimp, with the shell and head still attached. Arthur was much more skilled at peeling them than we were!

Dessert: pastries with a sweet, custard-like filling. Arthur got them mainly for the girls, but we enjoyed them too.

We were served Chinese tea throughout the meal. The girls enjoyed having a lazy Susan on the table, and liked trying out the chopsticks. Roya is particularly adept with them now.

The food was very rich and filling. Certainly different from the Canadianized Chinese food we get at home! I can't believe Arthur's generosity. He was the perfect host. I hope that we can repay him in some fashion.


CM + NM

The park nearby

We explored the park near our apartment this morning. It's a combination of bamboo-lined pathways, gardens, and small pools of water. There is also a small play park in one area. There is something for all of us to enjoy. There was a man-made waterfall that was quite beautiful (see below).



We found a beautifully painted, ancient-style gazebo wth gold dragons painted around the ceiling. The picture doesn't do it justice.



The girls enjoyed the monkey bars. They pretended they were firefighters, and slid down the poles to their fire trucks, and off to rescue kittens caught in trees. It was a very busy fire department! At the play area, we chatted with another Chinese family and everyone was very friendly and interested in the girls - the attraction is not only their western looks, but also their being twins.



Later in the day, we went to the market again and had a rather lazy afternoon. It was raining, so we didn't feel bad about not being outside.

NM + CM

Forbidden City welcomes Canadian family

We ventured out on the subway today, to find our way to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, etc. We walked for about 20 minutes to get to the subway line 5, paid our 2 RMB per person and went in (pretty good deal for about $1.60 CAD for the whole family!). We switched trains to the line 1 at the 9th stop, and then got off at the 2nd stop, which was at Tiananmen Sq. The entire subway ride took about 35 minutes, and the trains were quite crowded. The trains were mostly standing-room only, with very few seats installed, and some cars had no seats. It was so crowded on the return trip that we had to rely on other passengers to keep us standing, since there was no hand rail either. It was exciting to be able to find our way through the streets, underground pedestrian walkways, Chinese street names, etc. and manage to get back to the apartment without incident!

The grounds of the Forbidden City are huge! There are several gates, outer buildings and annexes, and it took us a good 3 hours to go through it. And we skipped many of the side buildings because the kids were getting tired of walking. You could easily spend the whole day there. It was also very crowded. You could really get an appreciation of the population of Beijing by being there.

We were stopped at least 3 times by people asking if they could take their pictures with the girls! I said "Okay, but we want a picture with your family too!" And we did take a photo with them. Everyone had a good laugh. At one point we were sitting on benches near the Imperial Garden and the kids were eating ice cream, and a lady sat down beside Roya, put her hand around Roya's shoulders and asked if she could have a picture! We get quite a few looks when we go for walks, especially Christina and Yasmin with their light-coloured hair. The people are super friendly and ready to help. If they don't speak English, they will find someone who does!

Now we are back in the apartment and everyone is tired out. Stirfry and rice for dinner, then off to bed. More updates to follow - stay tuned.

NM (is that better, GS?)

Settling In

This morning the girls woke up at 3:00am and started playing. I told them they had to try to sleep longer, but they were not too happy with me. Eventually we all got up around 5:30. The morning went really well and we all felt great, but by lunch time we were all feeling the time change. We had shortish naps and the kids went to bed before 7:00. Poor Yasmin was so tired she could hardly eat her supper.

With the early start, our school work was done early and we went off for a walk and then to the shopping centre. On our walk we saw the bird's nest from the Olympics. It looks quite strange up close.

At the shopping centre we found a map of Beijing and then made our way through the grocery store. We bought some noodles that had no English writting on them. The picture looked good. It was one of those that you just add water to. We later enjoyed them for lunch. The rest of the store was strange in many ways as well. They had fish heads and silk worms, although we didn't buy any. We didn't find any cheese or sandwich meats, so we may just go out for lunch tomorrow.

Speaking of tomorrow, I think we will try the subway for a trip to the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square. We think we found oursleves on the map and we've got our address written out in Chinese characters so we should be okay.

CM

Hello Beijing

Take two was successful. There was a slight delay in Vancouver, but we arrived safely in Beijing although it was a day and an hour behind schedule!

We did have a great surprise at the airport. Nadim's friend gave us a contact in Beijing and he managed to track us down and pick us up, even though we were a day late. He borrowed his friend's car to pick us up because there are still restrictionson how many cars can be on the road and today it was a even number day, meaning only cars with the last number on the license plate with an even number are allowed on the road. Arthur, our new best friend in China has even invited us for dinner one night this week. We're pretty excited to get into the real way of life of the Chinese, rather than just see the tourist sites.

The apartment is nothing fancy, but it is clean and functional. The kids have their own room. We just put them to bed so we will see how they sleep tonight. I'm sure we will all be off for a few nights as we adjust to the 12 hour time difference.

Nadim went out to a nearby supermarket and bought some bottled water and breakfast goods. He was excited about the fruit prices - Cheap and lots of variety! Nadim's loving this country already. I stayed back with the girls and got some things unpacked. I'm looking forward to getting out to explore tomorrow.

It's very warm here, and I thik I can notice the difference in the air quality. I'm sure we'll adjust. It's supposed to be high twenties for the rest of the week. A little warmer than Ottawa!

The flight was really long. We were on the plane for 13 hours including the wait on the runway. It was really, really, really, long. There's only so many movies, or TV shows you can watch and reading only keeps you happy for so long. I didn't sleep much, but the kids had a couple of hours and Nadim slept a fair bit too. I guess the lack of sleep will just help us get back to the right time schedule that much easier.

CM

False Start

We said our good-byes last night. Emotions were running high. Roya spilled a few tears and I was a little teary eyed myself. We woke up early this morning the mood was a combination of nervousness and excitement. Off we went to the airport and onto the plane we went. Then the captain announces a 25 minute delay. We only have a one hour stop in Vancouver to change planes so this makes us a bit nervous. Then we get another message - another delay of 30 minutes. The flight attendent says that we might be able to make up some time in the air, but by the third message we know we're not going to make our connecting flight to Beijing. Eventually they unload the plane and replace it with a smaller one and we try to get on a flight to Toronto and from there to Beijing, but then that flight is canceled too! They announce that the plane is too small for everyone and that the Beijing passengers get to stay behind. Ahhhh

Perhaps surprisingly we're still smiling. Take two happens tomorrow morning, but this time we leave on a slightly earlier flight, giving us 3 hours to make our transfer in Vancouver. I'm really not that upset. We're all packed, we've said our good-byes, so take two will be a little less stressful (I hope). So tonight we put the kids to bed early, and have a good night's sleep, and try to remain calm and relaxed. Hmmm... I wonder what's on TV tonight.

CM

Packing

I hate packing! But the house is now packed up and so are our bags. The house wasn't too bad because Krista and Pat are taking the house furnished so most of it is staying, but of course there needs to be room for some of their personal items and our dressers and closets had to be cleaned out.

So most of this was done last week and today was the day we stuff all the things that we're taking with us into suitcases. Those few remaining items that seemed like nothing as they hung so lonely in the closet seemed to expand and explode as we tried to squeeze them into suitcases. So how many did we end up with? Three medium suitcases, one small suitcase (a carry on that won't be carried on), and three back packs.

It's done, I'm tired, and the plane leaves tomorrow morning at 9:00 am. Seems impossible that the journey is finally beginning.

CM

Hair cut

About a year ago I thought I thought I should grow out my hair so that while away I wouldn't have to worry about getting it cut so often. This seemed like a good plan at the time, but the in-between stage lasts so long and here we are a year later and it still wasn't long enough for a pony tail.

So this morning I was fussing in front of the mirror (something I don't induldge in too often), and asked Nadim if he thought I looked younger with shorter hair. Without pause he answered "Yes" and that sold me. Enough with the long hair. Time for CHOP, CHOP! This afternoon I headed off to see Sarah, my hair stylist. She asked me if I was sure, .... and then if I was really sure.... I was, so you can see the before and after pictures. I'm not regretting it yet.

With short hair, I like to get it cut every six weeks or so... I wonder what kind of cut I'll get in China or Vietnam. We'll find out in six weeks or so, I guess!

CM

Saying bye

Good bye's are too hard to say. Lucky we can say "See you next year"! Even that can be emotional. We've said bye to Nadim's family, non of whom are in Ottawa, and to my sister and her family who are in Toronto. I've said bye to my co-workers and Nadim will be saying bye to his next weekend at a BBQ.

We had a really nice time last weekend. We had invited some friends and neighbours for a dessert party. It was a bit last minute so not everyone could make it, but those that are particularly close to us showed up and it was such a relaxed and fun time that we'll be sure to take those memories with us. We also invited Krista and Pat, the couple who will take over our house while we're gone. It was a great chance for them to meet their new neighbours.

Next week it is Yasmin and Roya's birthday so we will be having a sleep over with some of the friends. It will give them some nice memories to hold onto as well. We've also got a BBQ with friends from Nadim's work. That will be held on Saturday and on Sunday we have dinner at my sister's house. Time is running very short now. Before you know it we'll be on our way.

CM

Visas, Done

Last week Nadim stood in a line-up of about a dozen people looking for Chinese visas. As the individuals in front of him were being processed, he was checking how many would be accepted. Most were missing one item or another and only one of those proceeding him was actually accepted. So Nadim steps nervously to the booth... He's asked for his flight to Beijing. He hands over the one way ticket to Beijing and the clerk is about to reject him because it's only one way, but he provides her our flight info from Hong Kong to Vietnam, and the clerk settles back in the chair. Then she wants the hotel info and Nadim is able to provide that. Then she needs two pictures for each individual, and Nadim provides that. Then she needs the passports and he's got that too. At this point Nadim's hoping she doesn't have more questions, because he hasn't any more papers in his hands for answers.... He thinks "please, please, pick up it the pink pick-up slip", and sure enough she does. Yay.

We now have our visas for China, Vietnam, and Thailand, and we will pick up our visa for India today at 4:30. Looks like we're all set. Comforting and scarey all at the same time!

CM

School work

I've started home-schooling the girls. I'm finding that we can complete our lessons in about 3 hours per day. So far (just two days) it is going well. Math lessons are very easy so far. English is a little harder, perhaps because the girls were in French immersion last year so their english spelling is not that good yet.

Yesterday we had a field trip. I have relatives visiting from Holland and we took them to Upper Canada Village (a town based on the 1860's). The kids had a great history lesson. It was a very hot day, so the girls were quite tired of all the questions we were asking by the end of the day. I think their favourite thing was learning how to milk a cow.

CM

Last week of work

I (Christina) finished work last week. My group and I had organized a technical workshop with about 30+ participants coming from Ottawa and other parts of the country. It made for a busy last week, but it really was a great way to go out. The work that we are doing was well received and in many ways it was a nice wrap up. It was comforting to see the group that I lead as leaders themselves. I am confident that they will continue on with the work that we had started together. I'm leaving it in good hands.

Nadim's last week is this week. He is still busy with handing things off and settling some issues before he goes. For me it felt so strange to be finished. I'm sure for him it will feel the same.

CM

Visas

We need visas for China, Vietnam, Thailand and India. The China visa seems the most difficult to get because of the Olympics right now. We have to have confirmation of our hotel booking, and we're still waiting on that, and we need to have proof of travel in and out. We still need to get our flights out of Hong Kong and into Vietnam so we can't get our Chinese visas until all that's settled. It only takes a day or so to turn it around, so we should be okay.

Nadim had last Friday off and he took the kids to the Vietnam embassy to get Visas. Apparently they only accept cash and Nadim didn't have enough so they had to go twice. They got that paperwork started and then went to the Indian High Commission to ask questions about the Indian visa. Initially we thought we could only get a six month visa and that it would start from day of issue. This would have been an issue since we won't be reaching India until January and there wouln't be much time left on the visa at that point, ... but Nadim found out that we can get a one year visa that costs slightly more, but then we don't have to worry about trying to apply for visas for India while in Thailand or something. We pick up the Vietnam visas tomorrow and will hand off our paperwork and passports to Thailand for the next set of visas.

When I came home from work last Friday the girls were very excited to tell me that they had been to Vietnam twice and India once and that they had stood half in Vietnam and half in Canada. Somewhat confusing, but in fact quite true!

CM

Hong Kong

Hotels in Hong Kong are expensive! We also had some trouble trying to find something that would offer rooms for families with two children. They all seem to offer only one extra bed. Hmmm.... I wonder if the one baby law in China has anything to do with that!

We did a lot of searching and found a family room in the Dragon Hostel in Hong Kong. All accounts say that it is clean and that the staff are very helpful, and its in a great location. They also say that the rooms are really small, but I think we can deal with that.

I was reading up on Disney Land. I guess when it opened it didn't get great reviews but things have improved since. I'm sure the kids will be impressed in any case. Nadim is still boycotting the USA so this will be the closest we'll be getting to Disney for some time.

CM

Beijing apartments - cont'd

We found some intresting apartments on the internet, but were not sure if their locations were ok, especially with little kids. I used to work with a lady who is from the Beijing area, so I sent her the names of the places that we had found and asked her advice. She talked to some of her friends and gave us some suggestions on where to stay (thanks Sharon). So now we have to combine her advice with what we receive from Christina's co-worker's contact and we'll be ready.

We will be in Beijing in 88 days at 2:30 p.m. local time!!

NM

Getting around in Europe

We have decided to lease a car for our travels through Europe. Taxes on new cars are very high in France (about 20%). So French car companies lease brand new cars to tourists at reasonable rates and then buy the cars back. Now the tax will not apply because it is a used car, so they can sell the car at a better price. Everybody wins!

We have been checking the websites of Renault and Peugeot and they have some good deals. I also read that they have introduced super-efficient turbo diesel engines which have amazing consumption - 3.7 litres / 100 km on the highway and 4.5 for city driving. With the high price of fuel in Europe, it will be nice to have an energy efficient vehicle. The problem though is trunk space. We are going to have a couple of suitcases with us and they have to fit in the trunk. I think we have found the right car though - either the Renault Clio Estate wagon or the Peugeot 307 wagon. Now we have to see which one gives us a better deal.

The cars are brand new, come with full warranty, roadside assistance, full insurance with zero deductible, etc. The nearest pick-up point fo us is Munich. We will probably drop it off in Munich or Frankfurt and then fly home through London.

NM

More house stuff

Krista and Pat came over a couple of weeks ago and we went through the whole house, room by room, trying to figure out the things that we should pack and things that we should leave for them to use.

We all agreed that we will put all the clothes from the master bedroom into Yasmin and Roya's closets. That way we don't have to carry them down to the basement and then up again next year. We will leave all the furniture where they are, and if they want to move something they are welcome to do it. We will clear up a section of the basement so they can store their stuff there as well. The basement is going to be pretty full, with all their stuff and some of our stuff. It is awesome to have Krista and Pat stay in the house while we are gone. One less thing to worry about. Thanks guys!

We are planning to invite them to our annual summer bbq so they get to meet all the neighbours and have a chance to talk to them a little. That way they will know who to go to if they need something - like borrow an egg for baking!

NM

Beijing apartments

One of Christina's co-workers has a friend in Beijing, who is a travel consultant. So he has asked for his help in finding us a place to stay while we are there! He may also be able to set us up with a reliable tour guide, itineraries, et. for our sight-seeing trips. Isn't that great?

We also got some website addresses from a friend of mine (an ex co-worker actually) and we have found a few serviced apartments that sound pretty good. We have asked her to let us know if the areas that we have looked at are okay!

Time seems to be moving a little faster now, so we are getting anxious to find a place to stay in Beijing, figure out our visas, etc. We leave for Beijing in exactly 3 months! Stay tuned for more info ...

NM

Now we're excited, scared ... both!

We purchased our tickets for the main flights on Friday! Woohoo!! The trip is now officially real! We leave for Beijing on September 16 at 9:05 a.m.

Our travel agent found a better deal for us: we got one-way tickets to Beijing via Vancouver, and one-way tickets from Bangalore (India) to Ottawa, via London. But the interesting thing is that you can only book flights up to 335 days in advance - which means we could only book the first leg of the return trip on the date that we wanted - April 17, 2009. We will have to change the date of the London-Ottawa leg as we get closer to the date.

Now we have to start looking at flights from Vietnam to Thailand, Thailand to India, and London to Ireland, etc.

NM