Chef Bri

So I’m finally getting around to writing my blog post on China!! What an AMAZING trip it was! I truly didn’t want to leave when we were at the airport about to head home! We had such an incredible adventure, we visited Beijing, Xian, Chengdu and Shanghai. This adventure was my hubby and I’s first time to China (which is hard to do when your husband is a pilot and has been every where). So we were both equally excited to get lost in China! Our first stop was Beijing where we were able to walk along the Great Wall, which was amazing to stand on something built around 300 BC. That just blows my mind!  Not to change the topic but if your like me and your completely addicted to the Travel Channel then you must have seen Sam Browns Passport to China! Right? Well our trip was pretty much the same but we added on Shanghai. So let me tell you what she forgot to tell you about Beijing and the Great wall. First of all the Great wall is amazing but did you know that you can toboggan  down the Great Wall? Yes, its the longest slide you will probably ever go down, it takes around 5-7 minutes to get down depending on how fast you want to go! So don’t skip that, it was totally awesome! Next Beijing is home to the most wonderful thing…Hot Pot! Its like the Japanese version of Shabu Shabu but with more sauces, flavored boiling water and the most awesome noodles. You get a show when you order the noodles just take a look…

If your going to Beijing Hot Pot needs to be on your list of things to eat, along with baked dumplings! Them come out baked into a sheet of dough that you pull apart to get the dumpling. And the contrast in texture is scrumptious; crunchy and soft. Then after you have eaten you will be ready for the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Summer Place (which is beautiful and home of the best dumplings in Beijing).

Then we were off to Xian where we took the train over night like true chinese people do. Needless to say my husband and I were the only Westerners in the whole station, but we managed our way through the caous and ended up in Xian. And what Sam Brown forgot to tell you was if you want to pre-book your train tickets like we did (I really wanted a luxury sleeper), is you can only book them about 10 days before and its extremely hard to do while in the US. I used www.travelchinaguide.com to help with the process (which was hard to find). Any who,Xian is the home of the terra cotta warriors and looks like something straight out of Kung Fu Panda. The warriors however are unbelievable! Each one has a different face, different shoes and clothes. Seeing something so massive that was made by hand hundreds of years ago without modern day luxuries was incredible! Xian is not an easy place to get to but its totally worth it! If I had to live in China it would be in Xian or Shanghai.

Next stop was Chengdu. I was really looking forward to this part of the trip because it meant that I would get to cuddle a real Panda cub! I was not going to visit China without going to Chengdu to get my cuddle on! We flew to Chengdu, its about a 2 hour flight from Xian (which Sam Brown forgot to mention). But dealing with a foreign airport was worth the prize in the end. Our guide Suzie in Chengdu picked us up bright and early and took us to the Chengdu Panda Sanctuary, China’s largest. It was filled with more Pandas than one person will every see in their life time in the states. Unlike the US, you were able to get so close to the bamboo vegetarian bears. No glass walls or deep moats there, all you have to do is be quite, Pandas have sensitive ears and don’t like load noises. It was Panda picture taking heaven. We were even able to see  rare Red Pandas, which are so beautiful. And here’s what Sam Brown forgot to tell you. If you don’t speak Chinese and don’t have a guide with you at the sanctuary all I can say is Good Luck, you will be lost for days (but I guess I would have been okay with that). Its pretty hard to make a reservation to snuggle a Panda from the states, believe me I tried and I tired, seeing as that was the one thing I really wanted to do. Without luck in the states my fingers and toes were crossed for luck when we got there because they only let a very small amount of people snuggle a panda each day (again Sam B. failed to mention that as well). However we got unbelievably lucky with our guide Suzie. She just happened to be friends with a girl who worked with the panada visits. Needless to say we were the very first ones of the day to snuggle a panda (but be prepared to pay for it too)! Check it out below.

After Chengdu we flew to Shanghai! It truly lives up to the “great shopping” image. There are more malls and stores in one block than we have in 10 cities here in the US. And if luxury is your kryptonite, your in luck in Shanghai! Shanghai is uber clean and has a beautiful French influence. But my most memorable part of Shanghai was the meal my husband and I share at Mint. Set on top of the 27th floor our dinner table included a grand view of modern Shanghai. Then we feasted on a meal that I will never forget. We dined on crispy duck served with plum jam, brioche, foie gras and a side of duck fat! Yes, duck fat! My husband was in pure ducky bliss! And we toasted to our trip with a beautiful bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape, it was pure bliss and I will never forget it, it was the best ending to one of the best trips!

Best China tip I can give you…HIRE A GUIDE!!! You can hire a private guide with a car and driver to take you everywhere! Its the best advise I could possibly give a westerner visiting China! But if your on your way to China and want some helpful tidbits please feel free to ask me or email me!
XO

Bri

I’ve been MIA from my blog for a good reason lately! I’m on vacation with my husband in China. Today we head out to Shanghai. So far we have been to Beijing, Xian, and Chengdu. I can’t even begin to say what an amazing trip this has been just take a look at yesterday’s adventure…