The final stop on our Asia 2019 Tour was China. In university, John spent the fall semester of his senior year in China but this was my (and Conrad’s) first time! We stuck to the two largest cities (Beijing and Shanghai) but can’t wait to go back and explore more. It is a huge country with so much to see!
Good morning, Beijing! Getting some (surprisingly) fresh air on our HUGE balcony!
First stop: Tiananmen Square. This is definitely the largest city square I have ever been in.
Portrait of Mao Zedong on the wall of the Forbidden City.
Notice the queue for entry to the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong
Inside the Forbidden Palace
We were tourist attractions inside the tourist attraction 😉
After a quick nap we were off on–you guessed it–a Food Tour!!! This time we did the Lost Plate Hutong Food Tour (via tuktuk). Highly recommend!
This little guy loved trying the handmade noodles!
Beijing Noodles
Mongolian BBQ!
Baby’s First Tuktuk 🙂
Door Nail Meat Buns with Sesame Oil and Vinegar Cucumbers
Baijiu. Did we even really go to China if we didn’t try this?
Last stop of the night: a brewery! Proof that I actually drank beer. (It was Green Apple Cider, but still…)
After a late night, we were up early the next morning to beat the crowd to the Great Wall! I am SO glad we went early–traffic wasn’t bad and we had parts of the wall to ourselves.
Our first view of the incredible Great Wall of China!
We chose the Mutianyu section for our visit–definitely accessible with Conrad!
The perfect place for a little boy to explore…
Family photo!
Love this one!
How Dad handles a tired toddler…
…And how Momma handles a tired toddler.
Post Great Wall swim. Complete with compulsory swim caps. Haha
Next delicacy: Peking Duck!
The restaurants were VERY child friendly. Most of them had kids meals that you didn’t have to ask for and even toys to play with! This little duck is still played with at home…
Forget the kids meal–give me the Peking Duck! Conrad LOVED it!
Loved meeting Jimmy–thank you again for dinner! And great to speak to Bingqian via FT 🙂
Ducks in the oven…
Next stop: the Summer Palace for some creative strollering.
Another great place for a little boy to explore!
The impressive Long Corridor. Over 14,000 paintings and they are beautiful!
Selfie in front of the Marble Boat. Also known as the Boat of Purity and Ease. All I know is it doesn’t float!
I had to include one of the maps. The English on the map is WAY better than my Chinese, but I still find the translations humorous!
Mom Life at the Summer Palace. Dad was hauling the stroller down the stairs.
Suzhou Street. Dad had a death grip on the stroller…
In front of my favorite stop in Beijing: Alice’s Tea House! We spent more than 2 hours here learning about all things Chinese tea!
We loved meeting Alice! Conrad was a bit bored though…
Until he tried the tea! Yes, he was dipping pretzels in the tea…whatever works!
So interesting…loved learning from her!
The next morning, after nearly missing our train, we were off to Shanghai on the fastest passenger train in the world!
Comfy seats!
And of course there was rice!
Hello Shanghai!
Conrad’s best Blue Steel look in front of the Shanghai skyline
Historic Buildings on the Bund!
Nine-Turn Bridge in Yu Garden Shanghai
More tea! This time at Huxin Pavilion in Yu Garden.
So much to see (I don’t even know what some of it is) on our walk back to the hotel!
Another Food Tour with Lost Plate! Here I am attempting to make Xiao Long Bao–the famous Shanghai Soup Dumplings
Finished product!
One of the most delicious bites we had in China: braised pork belly. This took over a day to make. Worth it.
This is how Conrad experienced this particular Food Tour.
The highest library in the world was at the top of our hotel: SO COOL!
It looks like a villain’s lair in a super hero movie.
Model of Shanghai at the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center
Happy Boys in People’s Square
Then we went for a swim…
Celebrating our last night in Shanghai. Cheers!
River Cruise to view the gorgeous skyline at night
The Bund
Such a fun trip!
All tuckered out en route to Doha!
China has been on my list for a LONG time (since we lived in Singapore) and it was so wonderful to finally get to see the Middle Kingdom. Our time there certainly had its challenges (especially with a toddler) but it was so worth it. I can’t wait to see more of this beautiful country, meet more people, and, of course, try more delicious food!
John and CB's Most Excellent Adventure 