I really enjoyed reading your blog. I am 9 and have moved to Bangkok for my Dad's work. My mother, my little brother and I want to go to Beijing to see the Great Wall. Do you feel safe in Beijing and is the tobbogan safe? Some people say it is dangerous but I REALLY want to do it! Do you have any tips for kids in Beijng? I would love your feedback.
Thank you,
Anna Olivia in Bangkok
Dear Anna Olivia,
I was 7 when I first went to Beijing, I remember my mom being all freaked out with the traffic and people not obeying the traffic lights. Beijing is a safe city but like all big cities, you always need to be careful, mostly with the crazy traffic and the pick-pockets that might try to get your money, and the vendors at the stalls that also try to get you to buy everything. The main tourist places and public transportation can get very crowded, so you need to take care of your little brother so he doesn't run around!
Beijing is one of my favorite cities, what I enjoyed most was zipping around the Hutongs in a rickshaw, seeing the Pandas at the Beijing Zoo, the Kung Fu Show, and of course the Toboggan at the Great Wall.
Regarding the Great Wall Toboggan, you need to go to the Mutianyu section of the wall, this is where the toboggan is. It is very safe and there is safety personnel stationed all the way the toboggan route, mainly telling the ones that were going too fast to slow down and the ones taking pictures to stop doing that. I wasn't tall enough then and had to ride with my dad, he let me operate the brake and it wasn't difficult. You control your own speed and can go slow if you want, just tell the person behind you to wait a while before going down, otherwise some people that want to go fast get very impatient behind you. So depending on your height they might let you go alone or you will have to go with an adult. It was a lot of fun and definitely you have to do it.
Hope you have a fun trip, please write back tell us all about it and send us some pics!
Christopher (10)
Need Advice for Beijing and Great Wall Toboggan
The Shanghai Expo 2010 has opened!
With a final total of 189 countries participating in this great event and bringing their best to the world, the long-awaited Shanghai World Expo 2010 is finally underway.
Performances featured world-renowned pianist Lang Lang and other international stars including Andrea Boccelli and Shinji Tanimura. And this is only the beginning! More than 100 cultural performances are planned throughout the Expo site every day!!! There are more than 20,000 events earmarked for the entire 6 month run of this World Fair.
What if you can't attend? Expo will come to you. For the first time ever, there is an interactive online version of the Expo. You can take a virtual Site Tour, Zone A is the center of the country pavillions. There are online games, puzzles, etc. Visit Expo Shanghai Online here.
Shanghai with 5-year Old Grand Daughter
We are thinking of going to Shanghai at the beginning of next year. We have a 5 year old granddaughter who will be travelling with us and was wondering if this would be a good place to take her or do you think that she may be too young to appreciate it.
Please advise.
Sally from Wellington, New Zealand
Dear Sally,
Thanks for writing, I can only give you my opinion on whether traveling with a 5-year-old to Shanghai might be worthwhile. At this age, kids don't really have an appreciation for the historical/cultural aspect of the trip; however, what really counts is the overall experience, and they do start seeing the world with different eyes, not everything works like it does at home.
Here's a page that covers that topic and might be of help:
http://www.china-family-adventure.com/travel-to-china-with-toddlers-preschoolers.html
Personally, I started hauling my son since he was two months old and never regretted it. When he was five, I think we took him to London and Paris, he does remember "the big clock" and the "tall tower" where his ears got soooo cold, but at that age, not much sticks, and forget the Mona Lisa. So same goes for Shanghai, kids have the most fun at the markets not the museums!
Hope this helps, everyone you ask will have a different opinion, so do what feels best to you, have a great trip and come back and tell us about it!
Have you ever done a tour in China by train? If so, would it be suitable for our grand daughter, or should we just stay in Shanghai & do day trips?
How long would you stay in Chengdu to see the pandas?
Kids love trains, specially the overnight ones, my son thought it was a real adventure. Keep in mind Shanghai is gearing up for the Expo in 2010, the entire infrastructure is getting an overhaul, new metro lines being added, high speed rail construction everywhere, etc. so there might be delays and a bit of confusion with train schedules but not much different than it has been in the past, it seems the entire country, but specially the big cities have been under construction permanently. Trains run reliably well, sometimes a bit too crowded but overall, an easy and economical way to get around.
If you have the time, definitely go to Chengdu, there is more to do here for kids than Shanghai (in my opinion) there are several places to see the pandas and lots of day trips or overnight trips from here. You could easily spend a week in the area. These pages will give you an idea of things to do:
http://www.china-family-adventure.com/chengdu-with-children.html
Again, thanks for writing!
