Heading for the hills

As the summer in Shanghai is long and muggy we decided to take a trip to Yunan province in south west China.  The province is on the Tibetian plateau and is therefore cooler and more bearable in the summer.

Just after we booked our flights the Chinese government announce a summer of flight disruption due to military manoeuvres, so it was with a resigned air that we boarded our flight to Lijiang.  However, we were pleasantly surprised to only be delayed the usual hour ( clearly we have been in China too long).

Although it was warm when we landed in Lijiang it was pleasant and the sky was blue and the air fresh.  The taxi drivers fell over themselves to help us find our hostel and we were soon sitting in the pretty courtyard of an old Chinese building enjoying lunch. 

      

The afternoon was spent exploring Lijiang which had quite a backpacker feel in some parts.  We discovered a typical backpacker place for supper which took Sam and I back by about 15 years!

                                          

                                          

      

Close to Lijiang is the Jade Dragon Snow mountain which is the most southerly mountain in the 

Northern Hemisphere to have snow on all year round.  We had already decided not to go up in the cable car as we thought it would be too high for the boys.  However, we didn't realise that because of that we were not able to really get near it!  It cost a fortune just to go to a view point which was shrouded in mist when we got there!  Sam and I had promised William and Oliver a bit of a climb and explore but in true Chinese style we were bussed in, instructed to take our photos and then bussed out!!

                                      

                                      

                                      

We returned to Lijiang for lunch and headed for an area of street stalls to try some of the local delicacies.  The food was excellent, although we decided to steer clear of the insect stall!!

Yunan is famous for its horses and Lijiang was one of the towns on the horse trail so we felt that we couldn't leave without a quick horse ride around the town which the boys enjoyed. 

       

The next day, we headed to a smaller and slightly less touristy (relatively for China!!) town called Shuhe.  We enjoyed spending the day meandering though the narrow streets and found an excellent restaurant for lunch

We then decided to head back to the main gate and get a taxi.  We took a different route back, which ended up taking rather longer than we had anticipated, as we seemed to keep ending up back at the square where we had stopped for lunch, despite the expert map reading by our guides!!

After asking for directions a couple of times and another couple of little detours, we eventually found our way back.  

We then enjoyed a well earned supper at our backpacker hangout!

We then headed towards Dali a town further south. The transfer went smoothly and took about two hours by car.  We were heading for a small village called Xi Zhou and the Linden Centre, a retreat, run by an American family.  The journey was beautiful as we headed through the mountains, stopping briefly at a service station which was a little different to those in the UK!

        

The Linden Centre is a restored Bai house which is built around three courtyards.  It has been lovingly restored over the last seven years and has recently been given the same level of heritage protection as the Great Wall.  It is situated on the edge of a small Bai village and has glorious views over rice fields to mountains beyond.  

       

The village itself has an interesting history as it was home to the Flying Tigers, an American air unit who supplied aid to parts of China during the Japanese occupation.  

We arrived at midday, so after checking in we headed to the bar for some lunch and we soon realised there would be no need to find anywhere else to eat as they had a wonderful selection of local dishes.  After lunch we arranged to go and watch some cormorant fishing at the local lake. For hundreds of years the local villagers have reared and trained cormorants to catch fish for them.  We got a small boat out on to the lake and then waited for a couple of fishing boats packed with several cormorants, to join us.  It was great to watch how the birds worked together to catch the fish and load them on to the boats. We then were rather surprised when the fishing boat came up along side ours and the fisherman jumped aboard and asked us if we would like to handle the birds, needless to say the boys jumped at the opportunity!!

                                       

   

                                        

Just when we thought we had got away with a non tacky experience we found ourselves joining several other boats in the middle of the lake to watch a somewhat  uninterested group of local women perform some traditional dance!!

The following day we headed off to a small family tie dye business in a nearby village.  Tie dying cloth is a big local business and they produce some amazing material.  We all had a go at sewing and tying our cloth ready to dye.  It was slightly embarrassing that the thirteen year old owners daughter was much better than me! It was interesting to see the cloth being dyed and how much of a cottage industry it still is.  

Back at the centre we borrowed some bikes and headed off to explore the surrounding countryside.  It was wonderful to see a more rural side to life in China. 

On our final day we headed to the nearby town of Dali.  The weather was not great, but in true British fashion we were not going to let a little bit of rain get in the way of a good walk.  We climbed a couple of towers, visited a temple and went for a walk along the city wall.  

We then found a great little restaurant for lunch and before leaving decided to pop in to a little foot massage place next door that had caught our eye.

By the time we got back to the hotel, the weather had brightened up, so we enjoyed our final evening having supper on the roof terrace soaking up the wonderful views.

Our car journey back to the airport was interesting as we went up through the mountains and hit a road under construction.  We thought we would be on it for a short while but it turned out to be half of the journey!

Our flight home was a little more eventful, as we got on the plane only to be told there would be a long delay so we were to get off and go to a hotel for lunch.  Everyone did this and we were slightly concerned when they actually checked us in, giving us two twin rooms.  However, just as we were tucking in to our food, someone rushed in to say the plane was leaving in half an hour!  Luckily we made the flight, but there were quite a lot of empty seats!

Two little Ducks left school one day ...

As the school year came to an end, so did William and Oliver's time at DUCKs.  They are now preparing to go in to Year 3 and the junior school which is on a different site up the road.  For an infant school Ducks is large.  It is six form entry and has over four hundred children.  One year group is the size of a village primary school in some parts of the Uk.  However, despite this it retains the feel of a village school and everyone seems to know each other.  

As usual we had different events leading to the end of term.  Unfortunately sports day was cancelled due to the pollution, a sad side effect of life in Shanghai.  The end of term production however, was excellent and this year William and Oliver both played the recorder and glockenspiel.  

       

                                   

       

The last week of term was taken up with Speech day and parties.  I taught William's class for the last three days which was fun.  Especially as I got to take part in the Year 2 water fight!

                                     

On the last day we posed for a few photos by the school sign as we had done on the first day.  It was amazing to see how much they had grown.  

        

        

Mooching around Moganshan

Moganshan is a mountain retreat about a 2-3 hour drive from Shanghai.  It was developed in the 19th century by Shanghai's elite looking for an escape from the sweltering heat of the lowlands.  These rich

Europeans built fine stone villas among the lush bamboo forests, perched on top of the cool misty mountains.  During the Cultural Revolution, they, like so many things, fell to ruin but in the last fifteen or so years the area has seem something of a revival.  Like everywhere else in China there is tons of construction going on as villas are renovated or rebuilt.  It had been on our list to visit since arriving in Shanghai and along with the Mistry's and the Harland's we finally got around to organising a trip at the end of June.  

Over the last five years some luxury hotels and retreats have sprung up in the area and tempting though they looked the exorbitant prices put us off!  After much research we found a hostel in the area which was much more reasonably priced and looked as if it would cope well with eight children under seven.

 Rather than risk using our cars and drivers on unknown roads (Shanghai is enough of a struggle itself) we decided to take the train and hire a minibus to pick us all up.  We were certainly quite an attraction on the train with eight children including two sets of twins! 

       

Despite some bad experiences with pick ups in the past at Hangzhou Station everything went smoothly and we were soon packed in to a mini bus and on the way to our hostel.  After a rather bumpy journey and some near misses where no one wanted to give way, we arrived.  As we entered the courtyard we were greeted by three snarling dogs who luckily turned very friendly once they realised we were staying there.  The hostel was perfect.  It was a series of old farm buildings which circled and totally enclosed large, green courtyard.  All of our rooms opened on to the courtyard and there was a barn at one end for dining.  

       

       

Within an hour of our arrival we were unpacked and sitting down to a freshly cooked feast.  The food was full on Chinese, which a few years ago would have been tricky with children but now none of them would bat an eyelid if their food was still swimming on arrival!

                                   

       

After lunch we lazed about the courtyard while the children all played and discovered the local wildlife. 

       

       

       

 We then went for a walk around the hostel to get our bearings.  We truly were in the middle of nowhere.  

      

       

Following another delicious meal all of the children played in the courtyard and then went to bed with no protests when asked!  It must have been the fresh air! We all then spent a pleasant evening enjoying the cool air, peace and quiet and some cheap (60p a pint), very weak beer while deciding to hike up the mountain the next day.

       

At breakfast we all carb loaded on noodles ready for the day ahead.  Although it was cooler than Shanghai it was still pretty warm so we loaded rucksacks with water and snacks.  This, in hindsight, was an excellent plan as the one and a half hour stroll up a mountain quickly became a three hour, steep, strenuous hike!  

       

The whole time we were walking through a lush bamboo forest with no signs of civilisation.  In fact, remarkably for China, we did not see another person until we reached the top.  The only sign of life was a ramshackle hut guarded by a very ferocious dog.  So ferocious that Mark drove it back with a bamboo stick while we got the children safely past, who were convinced it was actually a bear!

                                

       

Gradually, as the mountain began to even off we started spotting signs of a past civilisation.  Our footpath of bamboo leaves turned in to a laid stone path, steps were in place of a slope and we saw the remains of buildings.  

                                  

       

       

Without warning we emerged on to a building site and we were among the old villas.  

                                   

                        

After a bit more of a climb we ran in to a tour group who were more interested in taking our photos than the scenery.  

                         

Their guide directed us to a restaurant he felt sure would cater to our Western needs.  However, when we arrived and saw the menu and the hanging meat we weren't so sure!

       

                                 

Everyone flopped at the table and we ordered loads of food which was eaten as it arrived!  Although the hiking was hard, everyone was pleased to have done it.  The children were particularly impressive. Among the older ones there was no moaning and they walked well and the younger ones, all three years old,  did it with very little carrying just lots of encouragement.  

       

The restaurant ordered us mein bao che's, literally 'loaf of bread shaped vehicle', to take us back to our hostel.  On our arrival we discovered that it wasn't quite as peaceful as before as a huge party had arrived and literally filled the dining area!  I was amused to see the division lines.

        

We had a BBQ and again the children, summoning energy from somewhere, played in the courtyard. 

        

 Getting them to bed was a little harder as the other party were drinking and playing hard!  Much to our amusement the beer had more of a effect on them and after lots of shouting and a fight between a husband and wife, where she wrapped him round a wooden pillar, they were all in bed by 9:30pm!  After an hour of us sitting chatting the roles were reversed and some of them came out to ask us to keep the noise down.  

On our last morning we were up and off pretty quickly, stopping at a panda reserve on our way back to the station.  

       

       

       

Seventh Heaven

     

As we have done for the past two years we decided to spend William and Oliver's birthday at the Intercontinental in Sanya.  Having developed a good relationship with the General Manager and Resort Manager over the last two years, Sam decided to chance his arm for an airport pick up again and also an upgrade.  The pick up was confirmed and they said they would see what they could do about an upgrade.

On arrival we were met and transported to the hotel, where we were greeted by both managers and about five staff! We were served drinks and presented with flower garlands!   As we were led to our room we stayed on the ground floor and thought we had been upgraded to the slightly superior room. However, we found ourselves in a poolside villa with a bedroom, dressing room, sitting room, outdoor seating and dining areas and our own pool! 

                                   

       

       

Our four days in Sanya were very relaxing and were mainly spent swimming, eating and drinking.  On Oliver and William's birthday they opened presents, had breakfast and then swam.  

       

       

We went for a special birthday lunch followed by more swimming!  

                                  

                                  

      

In the evening at supper they were each presented with a birthday cake and sung to.