Macau & Hong Kong | January 2019

After traveling half the globe and spending a lot of time on our feet (and in cold places), by the time we got to Macau, the kids didn't want to do ANYTHING.  So, as we were staying at the Venetian Macau, one of the largest single buildings in the world, we agreed to just hang around and enjoy a relaxing couple of days. 

We wondered the shops, and ate...and enjoyed the House of Dancing Water, which has inspired Keira to get into acrobatics!

We seem to have a lot of these photos in the album after the trip... Maybe we do push them too hard at times!

In Hong Kong, we agreed to put the camera away, and just scour the place for great food.  In the two days we had amazing noodles, dumplings, bubble waffle, ice creams and the very best cupcakes we've ever had (Thanks to Richard & Shaun for that). 

We also got to spend some time with some fluffy animals... At a rabbit cafe which Keira was keen to visit... and at Richard & Shaun's (where we got to spend the day with Pebbles & Bam Bam - their cats).

And then suddenly it was time to wish the family goodbye and head back home to Sydney after an exhausting 21 days on the road.  I think there was 9 flights, a train ride and a ferry ride and 9 hotels across that time, so we were all looking forward to a night or two at home!

Shanghai, China | January 2019

We arrived in Shanghai and found our hotel near to the Bund (though not as near as the travel agents seem to describe it as)... and in good Beaver fashion...proceeded to walk until our feet hurt. 

Shanghai's highlights included great food (including more xiao long bao), amazing city views, some shopping.  Dad started visiting Mi stores, and forced the kids to go visit at least 3 in the time we were there.  We enjoyed the harbour crossing (underwater) and forced the girls to do some studio photos which turned out lovely.

The girls found that they absolutely loved bubble-waffles (which are best with pearl milk tea)...and we proceeded to try this combination at a number of stores throughout town.

At the Shangahi Hero's memorial.

Oriental Pearl Tower, which features a glass floor viewing deck. Keira immediately went out on the deck and was quite happy looking down on the world...but Mummy wasn't so keen!

On the first day in Beijing, we'd seen hawkers selling fruit on a stick coated in toffee... At the time we'd been looking for dinner so didn't stop, and as usual, when it came time to find one, we couldn't find them anywhere.  But we aren't quitters...so after a couple of hours of searching the streets of Shanghai, we found the prize...which was sickeningly sweet and delicious.

Beijing, China | January 2019

And then it was onto the main feature of our holiday... China... Oma had been hoping for a family trip to China for many years, and so we were all very excited to spend the next 10 days or so with all of the family in Beijing, Shanghai, Macau and Hong Kong.

For our first night in Beijing (we arrived earlier than the rest of the family after flying via Finland) we found a Mongolian Beef place which was great.

We were in China just in time for the Year of the Pig celebrations...so we did manage to get lots of photos of Claire with cute pigs (she's born of the year of the Pig).

We explored the market and food street, though none of us were brave enough to try the more extreme snacks on offer!

The next morning, the tour officially began, and what followed was lots and lots and lots of family photos!  Daddy was enjoying being the 'white-photographer' which did get some attention from the other tourists!

First stop was Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City.

The Temple of Heaven

The Olympic venues - The Bird's Nest and Water Cube

The key highlight from the tour of Beijing was a trip to the Great Wall... It was astounding to get a glimpse of the wall, and to start to appreciate just how remote and large the construction project was.  We managed to walk a few kilometers along the top, which is a tiny portion of the 21,196km in total!

Whilst not shown, we also rode a gondola to get upto the wall, and tobogganed down again.  Whilst it was very cold (near 0 degrees), the bright sun and lots of walking meant stripping off the thick layers to avoid cooking ourselves!

The next stop was the Summer Palace, which ironically features a large lake which is frozen over at this time of year.  We'd never see a frozen lake before, so it was very impressive.

More so because we were able to first walk out onto the lake, and then secondly skate on sleds in the middle of the lake! 

Whilst it was fun...it was a little scary as you could hear the constant movement of the ice below, and large booming sounds of different parts of the ice cracking and reforming...

Other highlights from Beijing was that we ate a lot (and I mean a lot) of Xiao long bao... at every opportunity we could.  We also bought some cool Chinese New Year lego.  But then it was time to head on to Shanghai... and a rare opportunity to see the entire family on a plane together.