Throwback Travel post: Memories of China (Part 1 of 2)

This was one of our favorite family trips ever! Though I'm only posting about it now, we all have great memories of our visit to China.Personally, it was my third time in China and ever since I first saw the Great Wall years ago, it was a place I've always dreamed of bringing Gary and the kids to. For this trip, we hired a personal tour guide, Tristan, who was referred to us by our friends. Tristan gave us personalized service- we rode in his car and brought us to all the places we wanted to visit. The journey to the Great Wall was THE highlight of our trip to Beijing.The car ride from the hotel to the Great Wall (Mutianyu section) took around two hours. When we got there, Tristan paid our entrance fees which cost around 45 RMB per adult (around P300+) and 25 RMB for kids below 12 (P170+).There were small shops lined up as you go up to the wall. Among all our kids, Zach is the one most fascinated about trinkets and travel souvenirs but this time, he was ecstatic to find another addition to his sword collection.We finally reached the entrance to the Mutianyu Great Wall- it was a awesome sight! I prepared the kids psychologically for the walk-climb. It will be challenging but oh so worth it!The Great Wall - Mutianyu section is 2.5Km long, not a very long distance actually, is filled with ups and downs, some parts are quite steep . But then you are free to choose how far you want to go. There are watchtowers to reach- we wanted to get to the very end so my motivational talks as well as some distraction strategies were put to the test.Going up this very steep portion was challenging for Reese as you can see in her face- but we made it fun by counting the steps going up. Verbally counting together made it fun and kept her mind off the fear of going higher and also her waning energy.As soon as we reached the top, Dad and Reese celebrated with their jump shots! Wheee!We entered one of the watchtowers and rested a bit while taking some fun snapshots.After regaining some of our energy, we proceeded to go back and couldn't resist taking more pictures as the view was beautiful.Kuya Coby helped Reese down and holding his hand was enough to keep her mind off the distance she had to go through.To go back down to where the cars were, we had two choices- to take the cable car or the toboggan run.The line at the toboggan run was long and because it was drizzling, operations was intermittent. We decided to wait so we stayed in line for around 30 minutes to an hour. This was so worth the wait!Our toboggan ride video:Aside from the Great Wall, we also visited the Summer Palace and Tienanmen Square, among others. The majestic structures, sprawling grounds, picturesque gardens, and rich and historical culture leaves you awestruck. We came home with hundreds of captured moments in photos and these are just some of them--My favorite Great Wall family photo- this was so memorable for our family:Here are some of my China travel tips for families:1) I was very happy with our tour guide and based on experience, it was way better than joining a tour group. No waiting time, personalized itinerary, less "tourist trap" stopovers, and more in depth stories and information. We were able to ask Tristan, our guide, about current events, trends and trivia- giving us a peek into the life of a local. He even brought us to his favorite local restaurant. Just make sure you get a credible and trusted guide- there are reliable sites online to find one such as localguiding.com, but best if you get one by personal referral. read this article on CNN on hiring a personal tour guide.2) Be ready for a lot of walking. Wear comfy shoes and bring water at all times. If you have young kids, bring a lightweight, foldable stroller but also know that there are some areas (like the Great Wall) where the kids have to get on their feet too. Walking is of course, always part of traveling, but I felt that there was a lot more walking in China because it is such a sprawling country. Walking through the Forbidden City is probably equal to walking around the entire Makati.3) Breathe in the history and the culture, and share it with the kiddos. Giving them an intro to China prior to leaving would be great so they know what to look forward to. There's a lot of info to take in during the trip so just keep telling them the stories, read the info boards, get a map or guide, or rent an audio tour kit (if available) that you can listen to while going through the attractions. Point out the similarities and differences in culture, because this may not come naturally to some children, and learning these opens up their world, increases not only their general knowledge but also their appreciation of their own country and people.4) If you are going to the Great Wall, I highly recommend the Mutianyu section. If you do your research, there are several other entry points to the wall. Also near to Beijing is Badaling, for example. But we learned that Mutianyu is a "quieter", less crowded section, and people say, more beautiful too. More info here.5) Don't forget! Travel to China requires a VISA. Make sure to get one before flying. I opted to use a Travel agent to do this for us. (Caravan Travel- Beth +632+8102661)China was such a memorable experience, this post has a part two! Read about the second part of our China adventure here:)