the visit: Qingdao

After one day of rest at home, we took off again, this time to Qingdao, a coastal "town" (only a few million people) about 6 hours southeast.

Besides going to the beach we saw an old Lutheran church (circa 1907) and a naval museum.

Dana just knew how to look cute as she climbed the dark green contraptions.

Eli, however, meant business and wanted to use what the tanks had to offer. He was disappointed that they didn't really shoot.

Babi (my mom) and Dana in front of a plane that my brother Albert probably knows how to fix by now. Isn't that right Albert?

And heading out to go get some lunch. The kids and I had a rest in the afternoon while Scott walked around and scouted out some famous authors' former residences.

That evening, we walked down the pier and bought some shells and other souvenirs and gifts. Then we had kebabs for dinner. Alas, a lot of seafood is lost on me, I much preferred the lamb kebabs over the shrimp or squid, a true land-lubber am I.

This "beach" was just across the street from our hotel. We didn't swim here, but just leaped on the rocks and played in the sand. This was shortly before Boppa (Alan) accidentally threw Eli right into the water. He meant to throw him clear to the shore as it was already too far for Eli to jump it with the tide coming in, but Eli landed on his bottom right in the water. We all had a good laugh about that as the locals wondered what on earth we were trying to do.

Aha, a rare Hannah sighting! She was often in the back of the stroller, hidden under my nursing cover being fed, or in this carrier with a hat on.

Dana liked picking up the green "rocks". Sad to say that they were actually pieces of broken glass whose sharp edges had been worn down by the sand and waves. She picked up a neat collection of them at any rate.

the visit: Tiananmen and Forbidden City

Scott's parents agreed to watch Eli and Dana and take them swimming while my mom, Hannah, Scott and I did a rush job of seeing Tiananmen Square. So many people, and I couldn't believe how long the queue to see Chairman Mao's body there was.


Here was another neat dragon on a mural as we entered the Forbidden City which is quite near to Tiananmen Square.

And a picture of Scott and I as we were leaving. We had to hurry so that we could check out of the hotel on time, and me stopping to feed Hannah meant that we really couldn't do justice to even the few parts we saw in the Forbidden City.

I guess it just means we will have to go again sometime, that's all, right mom?.

the visit: Summer Palace

Another necessary sight to see in Beijing is the Summer Palace. We found that if we climbed (and carried a stroller up) a few hundred stairs, there were less people, and more nature to enjoy.

Colourful, ornate, and detailed architecture in the buildings. Gold and red are favourite colours it seemed to me.

Here we walked along a path that went around a man-made lake. There were a few people fishing as well.

This is one of the views on our way up the stairs. We were thankful for a relatively clear day and for the fact that the rain that fell earlier cooled us down somewhat.

the visit: Temple of Heaven

What an exciting time to be alive! We were so happy to host my mom and Scott's parents for two weeks in July. It was a hot time to come, but they were all real troopers and up for anything we had planned. So on day 3 of their visit, we packed up and went to Beijing for two days in order to catch some of the tourist sights there.

A group shot. Eli still hasn't warmed up to cameras, because living here and being blonde means he gets more than his fair share of complete strangers wanting a picture of him, or with him. I don't blame him for his annoyance.

I gathered that this dragon is a bit of a rogue and prone to flying off, so putting a chain net over him was deemed necessary...

Our pace was regulated by little Hannah's clockwork feedings. How pleasant to travel with such patient people, large and small. Oh and it also helped to have snacks and water on hand.

After seeing the Temple of Heaven, we had lunch and then took the kids to the pool.

malaysia: animals

When travelling with kids, you almost have no choice but to go to all those places you wouldn't think of going as a single, or as a couple. But we had fun at these animal parks, and admission was cheap. Through your kids you somehow, in some ways, get to be a kid again.

Finally a sign that says what they really mean!

A bird in Dana's favourite colour.

Forgotten already what this is, strange creature...Looks like a cross between a bear and a sloth.

Eli asked me how one would kill an ostrich. Any ideas? Besides shooting, I mean. Could we be strong and quick enough to wring its neck I wonder?... Nothing like having a son that makes you ponder these sorts of things.

And can't forget the crocodiles. Nobody is sure why they rest with their mouths open like that. One theory is that the sun helps kill bacteria in their mouths and therefore promotes better oral hygiene...

Great Wall camping

My school offered a two-day, one-night camping trip to the Great Wall and so I jumped at the chance to go. Scott stayed back to work on his two papers and enjoyed the fact that he could work uninterrupted for more than 2 hours at a time.

Here's a picture of Eli amusing himself with our camera on the bus. There were about 30 of us total, with two other kids also going. I was a little worried that Eli might play too rough with the other kids (all younger and all girls) so I asked some of the single guys to go ahead and rough-house with Eli whenever the opportunity arose.

On the first day we walked into a village that is located near the Great Wall, about a 2 hour hike through trails, and woods and corn crops. The villagers put on a show for us, with drums, singing and dancing. The boy in the fore-ground of this picture isn't shy about showing his dislike for the music!

I carried Dana is this pack while Eli walked or was carried by those blessed obliging single guys.

This was my favourite dancer, one of the few males, he was just delightful in his expressions and really enjoyed having a large audience.

Didn't get a picture of our tent this time, but pretty much exactly the same set up as last year, we camped in one of the towers. It was a gorgeous night, clear, not too hot, with a pleasant breeze and a bright almost-full moon. It was not the best sleep of my life, sleeping between Eli and Dana, but it sure was memorable!

The next day we walked the Wall itself. I again had Dana and I borrowed a pack and a mule...uh I mean, another student...to carry Eli. So thankful for the help of everyone who went! Otherwise soloing it with both kids would have definitely been too much for me, and an experience not worth repeating!

Chinese New Year almost here!

I am off school as of yesterday for the Chinese New Year holiday and tomorrow we fly to Thailand. A neighbour said it was good timing as there is talk of a blizzard coming on Saturday. In any case, we will really appreciate the warm weather, clean air and the ocean, not to mention Thai food...


They have been busy decorating our xiao qu (neighbourhood) and even supplied us with posters to put on the outside of our doors with the character fu (福) which means blessing. Red and gold posters, red paper cut-outs are everywhere, ushering in the year of the Ox.

We recently went for a walk to a park nearby which had some ice. You might be thinking, 'oh they went skating, how nice...' but no, we tried something we'd never seen or heard of before.

It's a cross between skating, sledding and cross-country skiing. The little sleds have two blades that enable them to glide along the ice, and usually they are self-propelled via two small ski poles. The ski poles looked a little dodgy to me, and frankly dangerous with the inch long spikes on the end of them, so we went without.

At least three of us could fit on at a time and I would push, or Scott would use the short ski poles. Eli preferred to push Dana and Dana liked being pushed in the sled so it really worked out well. Where we live is pretty flat, so this is as close as we got to going sledding this winter.

I was glad that I actually had a use for those winter boots I bought the kids this year. I bought them in faith that we would 1. get some snow and 2. be able to do some winter activities...plus they weren't all that expensive. Although it seems mild here most of the time compared to where we're from in Canada, the wind can get pretty chilly here, cutting to the bone as you walk or bike where you need to go.

As we walked back from the park where we went ski-sledding, we must have passed at least three of these roadside stands selling firecrackers. Chinese people prefer to start their New Year with a bang and it is LOUD...like, don't bother trying to sleep kind of loud! I didn't ask how much the different kinds were, but I couldn't resist getting a picture. The whole country will soon be erupting in firecrackers and fireworks on Chinese New Year, I hope you do your part in celebrating too, even if it's just ordering Chinese Food or shooting a cap gun.

Scott is 30 now too!

For Scott's birthday, I tried my hand at making Scott's favourite cakes: angel food cake and pineapple-upside down cake. These were his Grandma B's specialties. Let's just say I have a long ways to go to get to her level! Maybe by Scott's 60th I'll have them down.

Scott let Eli blow out the candles. He still hasn't quite figured out how to do that, he would blow and then try to keep blowing even after he had run out of air. His face would redden from the effort, but the candles would stay lit.


I took Scott to an Aircraft Carrier Theme Park on his birthday. We took a taxi, a light-rail, then a bus to get there (about 2 hours) and toured the circa 1970 Soviet Aircraft Carrier. It was in use for some time, retired and sold to China in 1999.

This was on the top level, the bridge of the aircraft carrier, the "cockpit" so to speak.

Scott posing in front of one of the fighters.

I'm posing with a Russian sailor holding some kind of artillery shell. At first I thought we were in the wine cellar!

Some of the best advice I've heard in a long time...could also serve as inspiration for developing New Year's Resolutions.

On one of the lower decks, one of the many control rooms, with a poster of V. I. Lenin. I figured my dad would enjoy this one. I also wished my brother Albert could have come with us, with his knowledge of Russian and military stuff, I'm sure I'd have learned a lot more. When he comes, we will have to go again.

Here's Scott posing in front of the Aircraft Carrier itself. It is not the biggest as far as Aircraft Carriers go, but still formidable.

I think this sign was made by the same people who made the sign by a park near us "Civilization walk the dog" it says, (meant to tell you to keep your dog on a leash).

Civilization Happy New Year!

turning the big 30!

As of the end of September, I can report that I've officially survived my twenties! And Scott surprised me with wonderful birthday weekend plans to boot!

On Saturday, Scott organized a babysitter for the whole day, hired a driver to drive us to an unrestored section (Jiankou) of the Great Wall near Beijing. In our travel book it said that it was "for serious hikers only" and it lived up to that. Here are some pictures to give you some impressions of our time.

I really liked the symbolism of this shot, such contrast.

At the highest point of our hike there was a man selling firecrackers. A lot of people like to set them off in China, anytime, anywhere for many reasons. Why not at the highest point of a particular section of the Great Wall?

Here was one of the more precarious parts of our hike, if you look closely, you may be able to tell that the bottom of the ladder is no longer fixed to anything, so it was a bit shaky, but we knew it was sound because we had just passed someone hiking in the other direction.

It is a lot more exciting to hike the unrestored sections of the Great Wall. Sometimes you have to figure out how to get from A to B. Here we had to come down through an opening in the top of this tower ad then crawl through the space where Scott is crouching.

And it was nice and steep, good exercise, excellent weather, beautiful views, cleaner air. I really couldn't have asked for a more fun and full day.

This was at the start of the Great Wall portion of our hike, although we needed to hike about an hour and a half to reach this point. My brother Albert will have to critique my technique in this picture, I know something is definitely lacking!

This is on the way up towards the Wall. Apparently someone sleeps here sometimes!

Here is a praying mantis I almost stepped on. Quite a good size, about the length of my middle finger. Very camouflaged, except the green underside caught my eye against the rock background.

And just beyond this sign, quite a well-travelled trail to the Great Wall.

Where our driver dropped us off, the village had springs of water in which they farmed fish (red snappers I believe). Our driver said the eggs for these fish were imported which explained why they were going for quite a hefty price.

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We ended up at a restored section of the Wall called Mutianyu at about 1830, and then rested our jello legs during the drive into Beijing for something to eat. We went out for dinner at a Tex-Mex Restaurant with a real down home-like family atmosphere, complete with wandering toddlers and friendly servers. They served good-size portions and we were glad because we were ravenous! We got home at about 2300, but what an awesome day it was!

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On Sunday, we relaxed, played with the kids and later went over to a friend's place for what I thought was going to be a low-key dinner with friends. Well, it turned out to be a surprise party! Lots of people were there including my Chinese teachers and some neighbours! Scott really outdid himself, even organizing a big game of Pictionary, dividing the group into teams and using a massive whiteboard to draw on. You just have to have games and/or karaoke at a party like this. It was so much fun, I think I'll turn thirty more often!

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