Big news! I have decided to leave China and start my next adventure. Starting August 22, I will be working at the International Montessori School of Albania. I am so excited to return to a Montessori environment and am looking forward to exploring Tirana and the Balkans. My goal for next year is to update the blog more regularly! Be sure to check in in August – I hope to have lots to write about!
Author: trishaplemmons
Yangtze River Cruise
April started with a cruise of the Yangtze. We met the boat in Chongqing, China’s mega-city. Before boarding, we had a tour of the city’s landmarks, including a museum dedicated to the Three Gorges Dam project. In the evening, we boarded our boat and enjoyed the city lights as we set sail.
Our first excursion was to Fengdu Ghost Town, a Taoist/Buddhist hybrid temple designed to guarantee a path to heaven. There were many trials we had to encounter on our way to the top, one of which was a walk through demon-gargoyles (I later found out that the sculptures were made by a local university art class about five years ago, which made them less impressive – new things being made to appear old is something I encounter often in China).
The next morning, we passed through Qutang Gorge, which can be found on the back of the 10 RMB bill. We stopped off at the White Emperor’s City first, for some scenic views. Here, our guide told us that the place we were visiting was once a peninsula, but is now an island. That was a prevailing theme on all of the excursions – how much the water rose when the dam was built.
Later in the day, we took a small boat through the Yangtze tributary, Shennong Stream. Our tour was hosted by the local ethnic minority – the Tujia people. Again, we heard about all of the changes brought about by the dam. Previously, many of the people had lived in villages in the mountains. Before the dam was built, the government relocated them all to a new city on the water. As with the White Emperor’s City, there was no judgment passed about the displacement of the local population, just a statement of fact.
The cruise ended at the Three Gorges Dam. It is well-known that this is the world’s largest dam, but that is really all there is to it. It is just a really big dam. I do not know a lot about structural engineering, maybe it is impressive, but I cannot tell you. It was huge, though.
Batam, Indonesia
While in Singapore, we took a ferry ride over to Batam, Indonesia to visit some expats who had previously lived (and sent their children to school with us) in Teda.
We had great tour guides! We started our morning with a drive around temples in Batam Centre, spending most of our time at the Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Buddhist Temple. There were so many happy Buddhas here!
Next, we drove up to the highest point in the city, which is supposed to have a great view of the sea to Singapore. Unfortunately, it was a very hazy day and the views were not excellent.
Later, we headed over to Nongsa beach for lunch and a stroll by the sea. It was beautiful and warm, but, again, slightly polluted. We wandered onto a resort, which was very nice, but they soon discovered we were not customers and were asked to leave.
The next morning we headed back to Singapore. It was a quick trip to Batam, but it was worth the visit.
Singapore
Singapore is definitely one of my favorite cities! It was warm and green and there was so much to do. A perfect way to spend spring break.
We started at the Gardens by the Bay. This was a huge park with two domed greenhouses, one with an exhibit of cherry blossoms. We saw our first monitor lizard here. These giant lizards roamed everywhere, but they were shocking to see. We also enjoyed the nightly light show – a strange musical performance where the fake trees “dance” to show tunes. Not something I would choose to see more than once, but better than the light show in Hong Kong.
The next morning we wandered around the Singapore Botanic Gardens, especially enjoying the orchid garden. That afternoon, we hopped on a ferry for Indonesia (see next blog post).
After leaving Batam, we spent a lot of time wandering around Singapore. We walked through Chinatown to Merlion Park. The fictitious merlion (head of a lion, body of a fish) is the national symbol of Singapore. 
Next, we walked over to Marina Bay Sands for an aerial view of the city. The wooden plank floorboards really creeped me out (I’m not the best with heights) so, I didn’t spend too much time looking out over Singapore. I imagine the views were spectacular.
Our last day in Singapore was spent at the zoo and neighboring Night Safari. I am not generally a supporter of zoos, but this place was impressive! It bills itself as an “open air” environment, meaning there were not conventional fences or barriers separating some animals.
When we walked in, I was greeted by a lemur less than a foot from my face. My favorite exhibit was the Fragile Forest. It was an enclosed space, like an aviary, than housed fruit bats, tropical birds, ring-tailed lemurs, and other wildlife.It was awesome to be so close to these creatures. The orangutans were also fabulous – they are part of the “open air” exhibits and they spent so much time playing in the trees. I could have watched them all day.
The Night Safari was somewhat less impressive. It was a lot of time waiting. And lines. Plus, it was a truck at night, so it was dark and there weren’t so many animals. If you only have time for one attraction, definitely choose the zoo. Also, don’t do both in the same day. Too many animals and hours in the sun.
I wish I had spent more time in Singapore. I would love to have spent more time exploring Chinatown and am sad I didn’t make it to Little India. There was too much city to see and not near enough time.
Suzhou
From March 11-13 I made a quick trip out to Suzhou to see the “Venice of China”
. The city of 1.3 million is just a 45 minute train ride from Shanghai, so it makes for a great weekend jaunt. Spring had just arrived in Suzhou, and it was a great time for visiting gardens.
We started our trip on Pingjiang Lu, or canal street. This is a great walking street for people-watching and souvenir shopping. It also had some pretty great street food. It was overly touristy, with attractions like Starbucks and KFC, but, all in all, a nice place to wander for the evening.
The next morning, we got up and headed to Suzhou Museum. This free museum 
was designed by IM Pei to mimic the architectural features of Suzhou’s famous gardens. It housed a variety of artifacts from the history of south China, including some intricate silk screens and hand-painted scrolls. The most impressive part of the 
museum, though, was definitely the architecture.
After leaving the museum, we walked down Dongbei Jie to the Humble Administrator’s Garden, the largest garden in Suzhou. We spent a few hours wandering through the garden, enjoying the signs of spring. Unfortunately, we had only 24 hours in Suzhou, so we were only able to visit this one garden. I think it would be best to visit the city slightly later in the season to really appreciate the flowers in bloom.
To be completely honest, Suzhou is not on my list of China “must-sees”. I had an enjoyable time, but I do not feel like I saw anything here (with the exception of IM Pei’s architecture) that I could not see elsewhere in China. I do wish that I would have had more time there; I imagine the gardens are all very beautiful. Perhaps I will have to give it another chance some day. We’ll see…
YuXian Lantern Festival
February 20-21 I headed to YuXian, Hebei Province, for the annual lantern festival. We started in Nuanquan old town, touring shops and watching performances. This region of Hebei is famous for their paper-cutting, and we got to meet a local artist.We ate street food and climbed along the old city wall, killing time before the night’s performance.
YuXian is famous for it’s molten iron fireworks. This tradition has been going on for centuries – local farmers use a willow spoon to hurl molten iron onto the stone wall. They wear sheep-skin tunics to protect themselves from burns. The show was impressive, but turned out to be more commercial than expected. A farmer would create fireworks for about five minutes, then dancers would come out to perform a number. News crews were walking through and interviewing people for CCTV.There were vendors selling coffee and tea and coats. It was incredibly cold.
The next morning we headed to the town square to watch performances. All of the towns in the county submit acts for the festival. The square is full of many performances going at the same time – drummers, lion dancers, kung fu, and these adorable children being toted around on stilts. After the show, we went to paper-cutting street and met some more artists (and may have purchased a few items). Then we started the long drive back to Beijing.
The fireworks were definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am glad I saw them. I wish the experience had been more about the fireworks and less about the stadium show, but it is still something I would recommend if you find yourself around Beijing in February.
Paris
Paris was a whirl-wind!
We got a Paris Pass, which I would definitely recommend if you only have four or five days in the city. It covered our admission to just about everything AND inspired us to do things that we might not have done otherwise (like take a boat cruise). Great value.
We started at the Louvre. Did not have enough time there. I could have spent days in this museum. But we left and then struggled to find our hop-on, hop-off bus tour (something else I never would have done without the Paris Pass). This was a great guided tour of the city. It was relaxing and informative and we got to see pretty much everything there was to see. We hopped off at Notre Dame for a late lunch and enjoyed the very crowded cathedral for a bit. Then we hopped back on and made it to the Eiffel Tower for the nightly lights.
The next day was spent at Versailles. It started out a bit rocky, my phone was pick-pocketed at the train station en route, but it turned out to be a really beautiful day. Apparently many Parisian attractions are free the first Sunday of the month, so we were faced with long lines and crowds. Also, February is not the best time for viewing the gardens, but it was pleasantly warm even if nothing was in bloom.We ended our day at Montparnasse, Paris’ tallest building, taking in the city lights.
Day three started with a Seine river cruise. This is something I would not recommend in February – it was cold (and rainy)! We got some great views of the city before the deluge started, though. Afterwards, we went to the Musee de l’Orangerie to get in out of the rain. This was my favorite stop in Paris. It is a small-scale impressionist museum which houses eight of Monet’s Nympheas
(Water Lilies). If you only have a few days in Paris, I would list this as a must see. Last, we headed to a local wine cellar (thanks Paris Pass!) for a “sensory experience” – we learned about smelling notes, how to read a French wine label, and the various soils found throughout France. At the end, we got to taste (yum!) and take home a complimentary bottle.
Our last day in Paris was spent at the Musee d’Orsay. I was happy to spend a whole day here – there was so much to see! Paris was full of museums and art (I think I exhausted my travel companion with culture), but I can say that I saw everything I wanted to see (and some things I didn’t expect to see). A great trip.
Barcelona, pt II: Gaudi
Most of our tourist stops in Barcelona were to see the works of celebrated Catalonian Antoni Gaudi.
The first stop, and Gaudi’s most famous work, was the Sagrada Familia. It’s Spain’s most visited landmark, so expect to stand in line. Once we got inside, I was blown
away by the stained glass, the whole cathedral is aglow with light. I could have spent hours there, just watching how the moving sun changed the colors inside. But, only four days in Barcelona, so on we go.
After leaving Sagrada, we took a stroll along Passeig de Gracia to visit two more of Gaudi’s structures – Casa Mila and Casa Batllo. We didn’t enter either of these buildin
gs, deciding that they were probably more visually stunning from the outside (also, there seemed to be school groups waiting and I am all about not seeing children on my holidays). Passeig de Gracia is known for it’s architecture, so it was a great place for an afternoon walk.
My favorite spot in Barcelona was Park Guell. The park is located on a hill north of town and has spectacular views. It also has some pretty stunning Gaudi pieces, including mosaic-ed walls. We spent a long time in the park, soaking up the sun, watching a two-toed pigeon hop around begging for food. It was February, so the gardens were not in bloom, but I imagine it would be impressive in the spring. Will definitely have to go back.
Barcelona, pt I: Gothic
At the beginning of February, I traveled to Barcelona and Paris to celebrate the Year of the Monkey.
Most of the time in Barce
lona was spent drinking sangria and looking at Gaudi’s architecture (which I will get to in another post), but we also enjoyed some time looking at Gothic style architecture and really taking in the scenery.
The Gothic quarter turned out to be a maze of really narrow streets. We just happened upon a Picasso museum, 
some cute pastry shops, and the Museum of Chocolate. Of course, we stepped into the chocolate museum. It was a disappointing history of Spain’s colonial past and how one of the gems of the New World was the cocoa bean. The worst part were the samples, though. Not good chocolate.
We also headed out of town to Montserrat Monastery, set amidst some beautiful mountains. I enjoyed a leisurely hike while my travel companion explored the Benedictine cathedral.
Our last day was spent at Barceloneta beach followed by a cable car ride up to Montjuic. Again, breathtaking views.
I would definitely recommend Barcelona! It was an awesome, laid back, warm city. My favorite times were spent sitting on benches and people watching. I will be going back.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong was all about the food.
Mid-November, we had a three-day-weekend from school and decided to make a quick trip down to Hong Kong.
Our first stop was across Stanley Harbour on Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. This spot provides a great view of the Hong Kong skyline and the nightly Victoria Harbour light show (this was probably the low-light of the trip – I am sure there are better ways to spend an evening in Hong Kong). While killing time before the light show, we wandered over to the Temple Street Night Market to enjoy some delicious dim sum. Apparently there have been some recent government crack-downs on street markets, so the scene here was not as lively as we expected it to be.
The next morning we took the cable car up to Victoria Peak to enjoy the view of the city. There was some kind of international school’s cross country event going on, so the trails were full of teenagers. It kind of interfered with our enjoyment of the views, but I really can’t complain. It was a beautiful day for a hike.
Our last evening in Hong Kong was spent wandering, looking for the best street food (again, a lot of places that had been recommended had closed up shop due to recent restrictions). We were really impressed with all of the delicious options we had. In the city, hotels and taxis are expensive, but you can definitely eat on a budget.
Trisha in Tianjin 