Summer Adventures in Asia: Meizhou + Guangzhou

The beginning of our adventures in Asia involved a very busy itinerary with lots of flights, bus rides, trains, and taxis with barely a chance to take a breather. Included in that busy itinerary was a trip to Meizhou and Guangzhou in China's Guangdong province, adjacent to Hong Kong.

Meizhou is a relatively small town so foreigners are rare. This was where my father-in-law grew up and a lot of extended family still live here. The people of Meizhou reminded me that I looked different than everyone else as they stared at me in what seemed to be confusion and/or amazement. It was actually funny because people would stand next to or in front of me like we were going to have a friendly conversation, and yet they would just stare. A young guy walked up to me and attempted to give me a flyer. When I responded in Mandarin that I didn't want the paper, he giggled and ran away (my husband got a kick out of that).

Guangzhou is the third biggest city in China with a population of over 8.5 million people. Foreigners were much more common here so I didn't feel like a reluctant celebrity. One of my favorite things about this city is that you could walk for miles and explore. There's so much culture to take in. I was also able to meet more family members on my husband's side of the family who lovingly showed us around.

Lots of walking and lots of eating - the only way to do overseas adventures :)

Photos: iPhone 5

Favorites:

- Dim Sum in Guangzhou: In college I would meet up with friends to have dim sum on the weekend (all of my favorite things always involve food!). Dim sum is like a Cantonese version of tapas and is often a great place for large groups to gather. There are many places in U.S. that serve dim sum.

- Guangzhou Pearl River Cruise: Not a cruise in the way we think of cruises here in America, but this was more of a 2 hour ride on the river at night and included a dinner buffet. This was a great way to relax and see the night lights of the city after a hot and humid day of walking.

When you travel, do you prefer to have a packed itinerary or leave it wide open for unexpected adventures?

Summer Adventures in Asia: Beijing

For part of our adventures in Asia, we stayed in Beijing for 3 full days. My first visit to Beijing was in 2005 with some friends from college, but it was so fun getting the chance to experience it all over again with my husband since he had never been before. I think it's unanimous in our family that the best part of this portion of the trip was riding down a toboggan slide on the great wall :)

Beijing is a lively, bustling city with over 11.5 million people. There are many well-known historical sites to visit including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square. We did a ton of walking - over 14 miles on our busiest day. The transit system is very well built so it's easy to get around and explore. I tried to use what little Mandarin I know, but I'm so thankful that my father-in-law can speak it fluently. For having lived in China an entire year, my Chinese is pretty rusty + horrible (whoops -_-).

Photos: iPhone 5

Favorites:

- The Great Wall: There are several portions of the Great Wall that you can visit. Badaling is the most famous and frequented, often packed with people. I prefer Mutianyu because there are fewer crowds and the chance to ride down a toboggan slide :)

- The Forbidden City: You could spend hours here and see what it was like to live in the imperial palace. The architecture is beautiful, but it does get quite crowded here (of course, you're in Beijing so "crowded" is almost unavoidable!). While you're there, you can visit Tiananmen Square just across the street.

- Temple of Heaven: There are a ton of different to temples to visit all around the city, but this one is very big and there's so much to see. My favorite part was the rose garden that was in full bloom when we were visiting - the biggest rose garden I've ever seen.

- Dong Hua Men Night Market: This is definitely a place for adventurous eaters. I am not one of them, but it was still fun to see all the amazing things they sell like snake or scorpion - if it crawls, swims, or breathes, they can grill it!

What's the craziest thing you've ever tried eating?

Summer Adventures in Asia: Hong Kong

After graduating from grad school this past May, my husband and I went with my in-laws to Hong Kong, Meizhou, Guangzhou, and Beijing. Although we had planned to stop in Tokyo on the way home, we ended up staying in Hong Kong for an extra week to spend more time with loved ones (no regrets!). We ate a ton of delicious food, shopped, walked along the Great Wall, rode ferries, and marveled at the beautiful, expansive city skyline - oh, and caught the flu in the midst of a MERS scare -_-

Hong Kong is one of my favorite cities in the entire world and where my husband was born. The first time I visited was back in 2007 when I was single and living in China. Hong Kong is on the southern coast of China, is inhabited by over 7 million people, and was once a British colony. Although the population is huge, the land mass is not. This results in a beautiful and unique skyline composed of the highest highrises I've ever seen. Not to mention, Hong Kong is located along a harbor.

On this trip, one of the most memorable experiences was attending the Tiananmen Square Massacre Vigil. If you know about the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the political atmosphere of China, then you'll understand the significance of so many people being free to gather together to remember those who lost their lives. This is something we would never see in Mainland China.

Hong Kong is a great place to visit with its unique culture and well-developed transit system. English is one of the official languages so communicating and getting around isn't much of an issue. Although the airfare to Hong Kong may be pricey, there are plenty of low-cost and even free things to do there.

Photos: iPhone 5

 

Favorites:

- Star Ferry: riding across the Hong Kong Harbor at night. One way costs less than $1 U.S.!

- A Symphony of Lights: watch a light show put on by the entire city, along the harbor, and at night. Free!

- Hong Kong Observation Wheel: Another fun way to view the city from way up high.

- Victoria Peak: Beautiful, aerial-like view of the city at night and during the day. There's an observation deck here as well, but there's always a line and it costs money. You can still get a gorgeous view of the city from here without going out on the deck.

- Walking around the city at night with the lights, the crowds, and all the amazing places to eat.

- Eating, eating, eating.

Have you ever been to Asia? If you could go to any country in Asia, where would it be?