Thanks for sharing this excellent report. I have just returned from my own trip (and still have to write my own trip report), but want to follow along. Have fun!

Yes, we are dragging around a laptop. It has come in very handy, as we are able to look up attractions, restaurants, tours, etc., in the various cities. I didn’t have time to plan everything before starting the trip, so we knew we’d be doing a lot on the fly. We paid for the connection in London. In Tokyo and Kyoto, the connection was free. We have a wireless laptop, but so far all connections have been wired in each hotel room.
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Day 10 – Last Day in Kyoto

We planned to go walking on the Philosopher’s Path today. But when we woke up, we changed plans. We decided to sleep in and relax for the day. We knew that we had several days of aggressive touring ahead of us in Beijing, so one day to decompress would be good at this point. It sounds funny, but we took a day off from our vacation.

We just had one meal today. We went to one of the hotel restaurants, which served a Spanish buffet. Spanish with a Japanese influence is very interesting. It was actually okay though. And it was simple, quick and uncomplicated. Exactly what we felt like today.

DH went off to the hotel pool for a swim. (Are you getting the idea yet that he is much more energetic than the rest of us?) The hotel pool facilities here are for adults only.

The kids and I listened to music in one of our rooms and talked about our trip so far. It was a great time hanging out and being together. We talked about past and current events in Japan, China (our next stop) and the US. DS1 amazed me when I asked whether he felt a particular issue was right or wrong. I realized that he appreciates the subtleties when he said he wasn’t sure, but it was possible that something might be necessary but not right. Hmm, I’ll have to think about that… Sounds like Philosophy 101.

As we neared the end of our stay in Japan, DH and I reflected on our experiences. We felt that we needed to restrain ourselves a bit here, especially our normal noise level. We also found ourselves being more serious and not joking around as much as we usually do, as we were conscious of being conspicuous most of the time. And, we had to modify our attitudes toward time in order to be on time and not disrupt anyone’s schedule.

We found Japan to be a very polite, organized society. In many ways, it is a complete pleasure to travel here. Service is excellent. The people try to be very helpful. Everyone seems trustworthy. You never have to be on guard. Everything is meticulously clean, efficient and extremely well organized.

Finally, we packed up our stuff and got a good night’s sleep.

How wonderful that you have the time to step back and take a break. So many of us are too busy crammning in as much as we can (mostly because we don't have the luxury of time)to do this.

Do you think it was the Hiroshima visit that caused your son to think so philosophically? He sounds like a great kid!

Again, I can' thank you enough for sharing and I look forward to the next leg of your Great Adventure.

Travel well,
Linda

Bookmarking - I have to add that I think it's so great that DS1's friend (also 13?) thought to give him a pedometer!

TravelGirl...heading for Beijing and the "wall"..I might suggest that the boys will be perfectly fine if you turn them loose to maneuver along the steepest parts of the wall. It is perfectly safe for them and nowhere to get lost. When I say steep, I mean very steep inclines...(I was there during a snowstorm a number of years ago...and it was a veritable skating rink/ski slope).
I think they would appreciate being on their own to experience this part of the adventure...one of the few places it is practical to do so.

Keep it coming, TG..we're loving it!

Stu T.

Glad you took a day to rest. I was wondering how much "down time" you had scheduled...being a tourist is very hard work!

Thanks missypie. We are trying to schedule the major things earlier during each stay, in order to allow ourselves a rest day now and then, if we feel we need it. You are right - travelling is hard work.

Day 11 – Flight to Beijing

We awake ridiculously early to finish packing and catch the 5:46 am train from Kyoto to Osaka Kansai airport. We are half an hour early for the train. We are the only ones on the platform. It is then that I realize that no one is really early in Japan. Everyone seems to arrive about 5-10 minutes before the appointed time, but not before.

The train to the airport has space for our luggage at the end of the compartment. I guess maybe all the airport trains have this space. We check in at the airport and then find a place for breakfast. DS1 has a traditional Japanese breakfast. We notice that among the Japanese people around us, the older people usually have a Japanese breakfast and the younger people have a Western breakfast. I am so happy to have French toast. We notice that many people in Japan try to give us Tabasco with our food. Not sure why this would be… We eat while overlooking a two-story high poster of Meg Ryan, which is a bit surreal. Our flight on Japan Air is fine and uneventful. Just the way we hope all our flights will be.

Upon arrival in Beijing, at first it seems very quiet. We get our baggage. Then, we see the gauntlet we will have to run to get out of the airport. All of the sudden, there are hordes and hordes of people lined up behind a barrier. We eventually see a man holding a sign with our name on it. I’ve arranged for a taxi with the hotel. They quoted me a rate of 500 RMB (about $62) for a minivan, which I knew was very high. But my main priority upon arrival was to easily get to our hotel and get situated, before dealing with figuring out how things work in China.

We easily check in to the Lee Garden Service Apartments. It is right next door to the Peninsula Palace Hotel. Our 2 bedroom apartment, with kitchen and living room, is pretty nice. The people at the front desk are helpful and speak some English, but we are not always able to communicate very well, so we keep the communications simple.

We decide to go for a walk. I am under the impression that the Forbidden City is very close, so we set out with a map. We walk and walk. We think we are going in the right direction, but it seems that we are walking very far. Also, people are staring at us. All around, the roads are crowded with cars, bicycles, pedestrians. Everyone is all mixed together. Bikes make turns directly in front of cars. No one stops to let pedestrians cross the street, so you just have to watch for an opening and go quickly. I am relieved when we finally get to the Forbidden City about 40 minutes later, thinking it will be more peaceful here.

But, as we go through the first gate of the Forbidden City, everyone is noticing us. I don’t see any other Westerners around. Suddenly, people hawking postcards and books and water are flocking to us. We avoid eye contact, say “No, thanks”, and keep walking. After about 10 minutes, we get to the third gate, where the tickets are sold. It is 4:00 pm and too late to buy a ticket. So, we begin the walk back out. The hawkers continue. As I finish my bottle of water, a man comes up and takes it out of my hand. He is collecting the empty bottles. Outside, we attempt to hail a taxi.

I had heard that it is important to have your destination written in Chinese for the taxi drivers. That is excellent advice. I have a card from the hotel with the name of a supermarket written on it. The first taxi we come to declines to take us. We keep walking and hail another taxi. He seems nice and agrees to take us to the Carrefour. We drive in very heavy traffic for at least 30 minutes and are getting nervous that we’ve had a miscommunication. Eventually, we arrive at the Carrefour. The fare is 33 Chinese Yuan, which is about $4. (This lets me know how much extra we paid for the ride from the airport!) As we get out, several people rush at our taxi. It is apparently difficult to get a taxi from there, which makes me wonder how we’ll do when we are all loaded down with groceries after shopping.

We go into the Carrefour and see all sorts of household products, electronics, clothes, etc. for sale. It is very crowded and it is difficult to make our way through the store, as we look for food. Once again, we are the only Westerners. No one seems to speak much English, but there are some signs in English. At the back of the store, we see a sign leading us to a motorized ramp. It is like a flat escalator, built for carts and people. The cart seems to lock into the ramp and does not roll downhill. It is very interesting and we debate whether the wheels are secured between some bumps or whether the ramp is magnetized. Downstairs is the grocery market, where we purchase bottled water and some food for breakfasts for the next 4 days. The bakery products look good, so we purchase a few things there. We also buy Nutella, which we love, but never purchase at home. The meat section is huge, with a tremendous section of raw and cooked meats. There are several meats that we have never seen. Words cannot describe it. It is amazing.

At checkout, there is some problem with the fruit, which we cannot understand. Suddenly, I remember that in Europe you have to weigh the fruit in the produce section, prior to coming to the front cash register. The lady behind us in line speaks a little English and confirms that is what we are supposed to do. DH runs back to weigh the fruit. Once everything is successfully rung up, we present our credit card. The cashier calls someone over, who arrives on roller skates and takes our card away for approval. When she returns with the approval, we are on our way.

Once outside, the flimsy plastic bags start breaking and our food starts falling out onto the ground. Holding and carrying the groceries as best as we can, we walk a block away so we can have a better chance at flagging down a taxi. One comes along right away and we put our groceries in the trunk and pile into the taxi. We go about a block and DH asks the driver to put the meter on. He speaks English pretty well and says he will do it in a minute. We chat with him a bit and he seems very nice, but we are anxious for him to turn on the meter, as we’ve heard that rides without the meter can turn into rip-offs. After another two blocks, he stops the car, gets his phone out of the trunk and proceeds to have an argument with someone over the phone, while standing outside on the sidewalk. We are totally baffled and have no choice but to wait while he is having his heated discussion.

The driver comes over to DH’s window and says he cannot take us to our hotel. He says his mother is on the phone and would like to talk to DH. He hands the phone to DH. DH listens for a while, nodding, and says “OK”. The three of us in the back seat are really curious what is going on. Afterward, DH tells us that it was the taxi driver’s mother and she said that she is sorry, but the driver cannot take us and he will find another driver to take us. It is very funny to see DH just nodding and saying OK to the driver’s mother, but he later asks us “What could I say?” The driver is very apologetic and keeps saying “I’m sorry, my mother”. So, he flags down another taxi, helps us load our groceries into the other taxi’s trunk, explains to the other driver where we are going and says he is sorry again. The other driver brings us back to the hotel. We never find out why the taxi driver’s mother didn’t want him to take us. Maybe it was too long a trip to go all the way across town? Maybe he was expected home for dinner? The boys are very amused by all this. I tell them, “See, even grownups have to listen to their mother.”

Back at the apartment, we are mentally exhausted from our day’s adventures. We are all kind of cranky, wondering how we will cope for the next few days. We order a room service dinner, which no one really eats. We are finding the change of pace and the unfamiliarity to be pretty jarring.

Oh travelgirl, what an adventure you are all having!! And the story about the taxidrivers mother is precious. That will give your dear sons an idea of how they will have to listen to you even when they are all grownup, lol.

I can imagine you were exhausted by the end of your first day in China.
Thank you so much for letting us travel along with you! Your report in priceless.

Fascinating - I am anxious to hear how you have adjusted to China!

Thanks, travelgirl!

Travelgirl:

This is the most fun I have ever had with a thread. You have a way with words and for picking out the differences in cultures in a wonderous way.

The desk staff at the Peninsula are wonderful. Try taking your questions there. Also pick up one of their "take me to" cards which have the main destinations listed. Don't miss looking at the night food market which is a couple of blocks from the Peninsula. (Make a left turn coming out of the Peninsula.)

As you see cabs are cheap so don't waste energy walking from place to place. Have a great time in China!

The taxi driver's MOTHER told him he couldn't take you?! How incredibly bizarre!!!

Y'all are way more adventurous than I'd ever be. I wonder how many Americans tour China on their own versus a group tour? I bet the percentage is very low.

missypie:

When I first vsited China in the early days (1984), touring was the only option sensibly available...today things have changed to a point where more and more are going it alone. I plan on re-visiting next spring and we may hire a car and driver for part of the time. In '84, there were absolutely NO civilan cars...millions of bikes, though.From what I hear of China today, I'm thankful I spent a wonderful mointh there back in '84...but I'm looking forward to return.
I'm sure thankful for this most comprehensive, beautifully designed report from Trip Girl...what a time they're having!!
Stu T.

Travelgirl2,

I am enjoying my trip with you so much! I was thinking how generous it is of you to take the time to post this report, but then thought of what a great journal this will be for you and your children to enjoy in the years to come.

It is great that you have your laptop with you and can write as you go, so that it doesn't all blur together when you get home.

Thank you so much. Have a great time, and keep the stories of your family's adventures coming!

This really is the trip of a lifetime. Thank you for dragging the laptop around!

I love your trip reports! Keep writing!

Nothing from China for a while. I hope everything is going smoothly.

Anticipating the next installment...