Big Trouble in Little China

Well, friends, we did it.  We traveled to China with two small children -- and lived to tell about it.  What's more, we actually had a really fabulous time.  There were certainly some bumps in the road, but overall, the trip was seriously wonderful.  Wonderful to be with Lewis and Meredith and benefit from their expertise in all things China.  Wonderful to be with my amazing dad who met us in Beijing.  Wonderful to explore and have fun with our two boys in such an exotic locale.  Just wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. 

Yes, we paid for him to wear these clothes so we could take a picture.  We were such tourists.

What's NOT wonderful is jet-lag.  Lemme tell you a little bit about what jet-lag has meant to me this week.  Jet-lag has meant that my sweet boys, particularly Deaglan, seem to think that nighttime is party time.  Right around 2 am, the disco lights in their little brains kick on.  And it's all over, folks.  Oh sure, Dex is cute and all, cooing and bouncing in his crib.  But he could honestly be doing the baby samba, and I still wouldn't wanna see it at 2 in the morning.  Combine this with my own regular issues with insomnia and well...it's been just peachy keen over here at Chateau Crimmins this week, as you can imagine.  Thankfully, each night has been a wee bit better since we returned last Saturday night.  I'm sure we are over the worst part of the hump.  Surely, right? 

But back to the fun stuff.  China.  Yep, we went there.  I still can't hardly believe it.  If we didn't have nearly 1000 counts of photographic evidence, I would say that surely the whole thing was a dream.  It is going to be seriously impossible to adequately summarize all the highlights of our incredible journey, so I won't even try.  Instead, I will employ the ever-popular Top 10 list.  Ready?  Here it goes:

#1: Forbidden City, Beijing.

You gotta do it.  You can't come to Beijing without seeing it.  And, indeed, the Forbidden City is vast and impressive.  It was built in the 1400s after all.  The 1400s!  Craziness!  It covers 7,800,000 sq ft and has 980 buildings (googled it!).  Seriously, this place goes on and on and on.

It is also very, very popular and therefore very, very crowded.  At one point, the exit out of the Forbidden City was closed due to the visit from a VIP (it wasn't us, sadly), and suddenly we were in the midst of a completely crazy level of crowded.  It was hot, people were pushing a bit, and it got a little scary, frankly, since we had the children with us. 

As a result, it was my opinion that the best part of the Forbidden City is the Temple of Heaven which is the park that you pass through before you enter any of the buildings.  Totally free and absolutely beautiful, the Temple of Heaven is like the Central Park of Beijing.  There were tons of folks hanging out -- just exercising, dancing, playing games.  There was also one man who frequents the park and writes beautiful Chinese characters on the stones with water and a squeegee brush.

Water and a squeegee brush?  Well, obviously, the combination was simply impossible for Seamus Fionn Crimmins to resist.  He walked right up to the man and said, "Excuse me, can I have a turn?"  And so...he did. 

He wrote his name with particular flourish!

It was here at the Forbidden City that we came to understand for the first time what would be our reality for the remainder of our trip.  Which leads me to my #2 Best China Experience.

#2: Chinese People Love Our Children.

I was warned.  I have to admit that I was warned by several people that the Chinese folks would be fascinated by the fair skin, blue eyes, and light hair of our children.  But nothing could have truly prepared me for the response that Fionn and Deaglan received in China.  It was amazing.  They were like little celebrities.  Everyone wanted a photo with them.  Most people also wanted to touch them -- even if that meant pulling Deaglan out of his high chair while he was eating.  For the most part, it was awesome.  We felt so special and c'mon...you can never hear too many times that your children are cute.

But there were definitely a few times that it got to be a little much.  Such as when both kids were napping in our arms, and people still wanted to touch them.   That wasn't so cool.  Fionn, for his part, got pretty good at saying "no, thank you" when he wasn't in the mood to be photographed.  Actually he would say "Bu yao," which means "no thank you" in Chinese.  In fact, there was one time when Fionn had a line of folks waiting for The Star to be "ready" to be photographed again.  "In two more minutes," he said solemnly.  "I will take more pictures in two more minutes."  And they waited.  Seriously, it was nutso.

Forbidden City, Smormidden City!  I gotta get a picture with this blue-eyed kid!

Although there were some annoying times, for the most part, the Chinese people were amazingly kind.  We were touched by their response to the kids.  Everyone was so accommodating and simply fawned over the boys. And, seriously, can you blame them?  I mean, get a load of these crazy mugs, why don't cha?

This is Fionn doing "surprised" during our boat ride on the Li River.

This is Deaglan doing...Deaglan.

#3: The Great Wall

Yep, it lives up to the hype.  The Great Wall is...well, pretty great.  The views are amazing, and the scope of it is breathtaking.  One of my few regrets about traveling with the boys is that we simply didn't get to hike around the Great Wall the way we would have done if we were unencumbered by little ones.  I could have spent hours walking up and down the stone staircases, taking in the views.  Like this one, for instance.

As it was, we had a wee bit of baggage with us on our walk along the Wall.  Such as this adorable little accessory.

Deaglan was amazing in the pack that day.  He just sat there, sweet as pie, taking in the ancient ruins.  You know, as babies do.

Dude, these things are old.

Poor Conor actually ended up carrying both boys at one point when the walking got to be too much for a tired Fionn.  It was truly epic.  Have a look-see.

In case you can't tell, those steps are no joke, people.  Steep and rather crumbly (damn ancient ruins).  I definitely heard a few passersby fling around the term "Super Dad" as they watched Conor carrying both children up the flights of stairs,  and I have to say that the title was truly warranted that day.  Well, most days, to be honest.  (Love you, babe.)

#4: The Muslim Quarter in Xi'an (and, really, all the food in China)

Xi'an was such a surprise.  We really thought it was a pit stop on the way to see the Terra Cotta Warriors.  We figured we'd pass on through without a thought.  But, go figure, we loved Xi'an.  It was a big, vibrant city, but it also had so much charm.

Ancient pagoda all lit up like a Christmas tree in Xi'an

My favorite part of the Xi'an was definitely the Muslim Quarter.  It was just a feast for the senses.  Food vendors selling date cakes, fresh watermelon, and roasted nuts.  Alleyways packed with artists selling their wares.  We did a lot of our souvenir shopping here, most notably at Mr. Ding's. 

Prints based on propaganda artwork from World War II

This is Fionn asking Mr. Ding what happened to all of his teeth.

It also so happened that we had one of the most amazing meals of my life in the Muslim Quarter.  Thanks to Lewis and Meredith, most of our food experiences thus far had been pretty amazing.  But the Muslim Quarter will go down in history for me for sure.  Dish after dish was delivered to the table, and each one was more amazing than the next.  And -- here's the kicker -- none of them were things I had ever tasted before.  Lamb stuffed inside these little pieces of bread ("Chinese hamburgers," as Lewis called them), delicious tofu, green beans and kale like I've never had them before.  Everyone pigged out, including Deaglan, who smacked his way to a full tummy right before our very eyes.

#5: The Wall in Xi'an

As I said before, Xi'an did not disappoint.  We had the best day, just walking around the city.  The absolute highlight was our walk along the Xi'an wall which spans 8.5 miles around the city.  I don't know what it was exactly about the Wall that day.  But everything was just perfect.  You know those kind of days when everything just falls into place?  The temperature was just right -- not too hot, not too chilly.  Just a bit crisp.  The sun was beginning to set, and there was a beautiful light filtering out from behind the clouds.  Despite the heavy walking, the children were shockingly, well-behaved and adorable.  (This was key).  And we were in China, of all places, with good friends and much-loved family.  It was just a good, good day.

 

Forgive me while I post this next series of pictures.  I just love it.  It captures our boy so well.  Fearless, friendly (when he wants to be), and comfortable in any and all new situations.  God, I adore him (even when I kinda sorta want to wring his neck during his punky moments).

Fionn began chasing this man on a bike...

The man noticed him and started pedaling faster.

A race of epic proportions began.

Eventually, they decided to call it a tie.

And we met a new friend.  (His name is David, and he is British.)

#6: Our Time in Yangshuo

After 6 days in the big cities of China, we were ready for a change of scenery.  Yangshuo was just the place.  It is a dusty, quiet village town that feels worlds away from the fast pace of Beijing.  It was so nice to catch our breath (quiet literally since the smog was way better in the countryside).  The boys enjoyed getting back to their roots and playing in the dirt outside our hotel.

And Fionn enjoyed picking Deaglan up.  Deaglan did not enjoy it so much.

We also had a blast at this beautiful park in Yangshuo where we hiked up yet another steep hill with crumbly stairs.  It was a difficult climb with the kids in tow, but the view at the top was worth it.

We promised Fionny if he was a trooper going up the hill, he could ride a couple of the amusement park rides in the park.  He was indeed a trooper (for the most part), so we had to deliver.

It was just fun to walk around the park and enjoy the sunshine.  There are gazillions of photos I could share from the day in Yangshuo, but I will restrain myself.  It was just a really wonderful day.  I'll just share this last one because...well, it makes me smile.  Who doesn't love a bunch of balloons?  Doesn't this petite little balloon lady look like she's about to get lifted up into the air?

#7: The Li River Cruise, Yangshuo

The river cruise deserves a section all its own.  It was that amazing.  After an afternoon touring around Yangshuo, we headed about an hour and a half away and boarded what is basically a glorified bamboo raft with a motor on the back.  For the next 2 hours, we just glided down the Li River.  It was incredible.  Beautiful mountains in the background, peaceful river lapping against the boat.  It was definitely one of those, "Holy crap, we're in China!" moments.  (I had a lot of those during the trip).  It was so peaceful too.  Sometimes we sped along at a nice clip, other times we just floated with the motor off.  Even the boys were pretty Zen during the cruise and just sat quietly, taking it all in.  This was nice because it would have quickly become a nightmare experience if we were trapped on a raft with a fussy baby or an unruly 3-year-old.  I think Fionn was captivated by being on a boat which helped.  He also enjoyed waving to the other rafts who passed us by.  We even saw a newly married couple taking their wedding photos!

Here are some other photos from the cruise.  They don't do it justice, but at least you get a sense of how much fun we were having.

They even had a life jacket for little Dex!  Although doesn't it look like he's a Buddist monk in this picture?

This is Fionn doing "happy."  He is very into emotional expression right now.  Maybe he'll be a method actor or something.

#8: These folks.

 

Being with Lewis and Meredith was such a treat.  It felt so easy, so natural.  And we loved seeing China through their expert eyes.  Heck, and we even scored a Godfather for Deaglan out of the trip (Thanks, Lewis).  We love these kids.  They went out of their way to make our trip comfortable and amazing.  And it was somehow both things (most of the time).  

#9: This guy.

 

Seeing China with my father would have been amazing all on its own.  After all, we have had some incredible journeys together, Dad and me.  But seeing China with my dad and my boys?  I couldn't give it a price tag if I tried.  It was beyond measure.  Beyond.  Measure.

Racing in Tiananmen Square

Cruising down the Li River

Waiting to be seated for another delicious meal

Riding the bullet train to Xi'an!

Conor titled this one: Dads: They're Just Like US!

Chilling out with a little Toy Story 3 at Lewis and Meredith's house

#10: All The Other Crappy But Normal Moments

I'm realizing as I read back over this blog that it kind of sounds like the Brady Bunch went to China.  Puh-lease.  I don't mean to paint too rosy a picture.  Don't get me wrong.  It was an amazing trip.  Amazing.  I would not trade it for the world.  But don't let me fool you into thinking it was without its moments of hell.  Okay, let's see, there was the time Fionn acted like a punk in the marketplace.  There was the time Fionn acted like a punk at the Terra Cotta warriors.  Oh, and there was the time Fionn acted like a punk at the Great Wall.  Take your pick.  They were all fraught with little gems.  Most involved Fionn running away from us and/or yelling, "I'm not going to do anything!"  (This is his latest thing.  What the heck do I do with that?)

We also had Deaglan meltdowns while stuck in Beijing traffic.  Deaglan meltdowns while stuck in Beijing crowds.  Deaglan meltdowns while eating food that was too spicy then rubbing his little eyes (ouch -- my bad).  My favorite is Deaglan waking up every other hour during most every one of our nights in Beijing.  That was priceless.  Let me tell ya.

So, yes,  You betcha.  There were moments of hell.  I don't mean to sell it any differently.  I guess my thought is this.  We have moments of hell all the time when we're at home in DC.  Jesus, we're parents, right?  But, hey, if your kids are going to be little punks, you might as well get to see the sights of China while they're being little jerks.  I mean, am I right?

Plus, even when they're being assholes, they're still pretty damn cute.  That goes for the big one too. 

Okay, I'm putting this novella to bed.  Pardon my long-winded post!  Until next time...