China - Beijing

I'm never one to miss an opportunity to get a new stamp in my passport so when the possibility of a brief layover in Beijing arose, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to dip our toe into the water. This would be our first real adventure as a family of four. We visited family in Australia at Christmas but that was a straight forward (albeit long) journey. This time we would be backpacking , a 3 year old and an 8 month old in tow. Totally new ball game! What could possibly go wrong?!

China has been high on the culture shock factor, yet it is surprisingly easy to navigate your way around there. Aside from my credit card company initially having a fit that I was using my cards in China (I did tell them in advance...grrr!), we didn't encounter any real difficulties. The subway and airport train are signposted in English so are relatively easy to navigate. The only annoyance was the lack of lifts and the constant security scanning of bags whenever you change lines but we escaped unscathed.

Number one on my list of things to see was the Great Wall of China. There is a section at Mutianyu, about an hour's drive north of the city within the Beijing province* that's very easy to reach as a day trip. Coaches and local buses go there but, as we wanted to get there early ahead of the crowds and had limited time, we booked a private tour. We were at the wall by around 8am and, although a little touristy at the bottom, once we had gone up in the chair lift to the top, we saw very few other people on the section we walked. It really is a spectacular sight. Thomas loved spending time on the wall, searching for knights in the turrets and speculating over which of his favourite knights might live there and if we would see them. We were something of an amusement to anyone we did encounter who raised eyebrows at us hiking with two small children but we loved it. Thomas also loved the toboggan ride back down with Ian so there was something for all of us.

Our hotel was in the Dongcheng area which was very central and in the shopping district, meaning plenty of cheap eats on our doorstep so we had no trouble finding food for the kids (we just told Thomas he was eating Chinese pasta and he ate everything!). We of course partook in the local Beijing duck which I can confirm was delicious.

Beijing itself we found oppressive. One gets a sense that it gives the illusion of freedom rather than freedom itself. When visiting Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City I lost count of the number of times we had to have our bags scanned. To enter the Forbidden City you have to show your passport and on the subway there, we had our bags scanned every time we changed lines. Police are on every street corner and rules are incredibly strict. That said, the Forbidden City is impressive even though you can't enter the main buildings, just peer in. It was very hot the day we visited (34 degrees plus) so our time needed to be kept to a minimum. We wandered back through the Hutongs (old, traditional narrow streets).

Travelling in China with kids was a particular experience and not for the faint hearted. The Chinese love children and will literally pick your children up and/or take photos of them or with them without asking you first. Luckily I had been forewarned so was not alarmed but I found the attention uncomfortable. It was like travelling with a celebrity and is quite constant, particularly with a baby who is blue eyed, fair hair and porcelain skin. Harry loved the attention but Thomas was a bit scared and when it was literally every 10 minutes for the 3 nights we were there, I wasn't sorry to be moving on. It was quite difficult to move around!

Next stop Tokyo!

*We were able to enter China visa free on a 144 hour visa waiver provided that we stay within the Beijing province. This saved a lot of hassle and money!