China and Thailand

A 15-day adventure by Aurora on the road Read more

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Trip start
April 5, 2019
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Day 3
Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8:34 AM
☀️ 12 °C
Altitude: 50 m
China Beihai Park 39.928799, 116.38890139°55’44” N 116°23’20” E
Arrived in Beijing!
April 7, 2019 in China ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C
Good morning Beijing! Aurora did not sleep for the flight other than for takeoff and landing. Then a couple hours to get thru customs and immigration. Thanks to the help from the immigration folks to divert us to the Special Line. Kids and mobility impaired. Otherwise a 2hour longer waitRead more
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Day 3
Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 2:58 PM
☀️ 18 °C
Altitude: 63 m
China Jingshan 39.916584, 116.40676539°54’60” N 116°24’24” E
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Don't go for a nap!
April 7, 2019 in China ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Well we all just had a 3 hour nap after our hot pot!🙈

Here’s to finding some delicious Peking Duck and Dumplings for dinner before we go back to bed!

Heading to Din Tai Fung 😋
Traveler What's going on here?
4/8/19Reply
Traveler Hot pot! We were mystified ourselves but it was very delicious
4/8/19Reply
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Day 3
Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 9:59 PM
🌙 11 °C
Altitude: 63 m
China Jingshan 39.916536, 116.40674439°54’60” N 116°24’24” E
2
Goodnight Beijing!
April 7, 2019 in China ⋅ 🌙 11 °C
Off to bed after a very busy day (16 045 steps!)

Aurora very much enjoyed pushing her stroller around the Forbidden City. She was not a fan of stopping to take photos. Many people wanted to photograph her once we got her back into the stroller. Many Chinese children were encouraged to pose for a photo with her!

Aurora enjoyed all the dance groups in the street on the way to have dumplings after our big nap🥟

There were so many places to eat in the big mall!

Tired baby is sleeping before we head to the Great Wall at Mutianyu tomorrow 🌅

She learned how to say ‘bum’, ‘pop’ and ‘backpack’!Read more
Traveler Love this💗
4/7/19Reply
Traveler 😍😍😍 important word!!
4/8/19Reply
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Day 4
Monday, April 8, 2019 at 10:38 AM
⛅ 14 °C
Altitude: 50 m
China Beihai Park 39.928799, 116.38890139°55’44” N 116°23’20” E
Day trip to the Great Wall
April 8, 2019 in China ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C
Today we tackled the Great Wall heading North from Beijing about 75 km thru a stop and go maze of 8 lane grid lock ring roads and small two lane roads through peach and apple orchards. There are 6 sections of the Wall open to the public and our driver and tour guide Yao navigated it all with ease to get us there in a couple hours after pickup from our hotel. The Mutianyu section we visited is 5 km long and we took a cable car up to one of the towers and walked from there. What's really amazing about this whole thing is it stretches from the desert to the sea some 8000+ km right along the top ridges of the highest mountains. I guess for best sight lines for good defense. We walked around up and down stairs from tower to tower for a few hours. Aurora had the most fun kicking the soccer ball around on the top of tower 17. She liked the stone slab work too trying to follow the mortar lines and peak through the drain holesRead more
TravelerYay!
4/8/19Reply
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Day 4
Monday, April 8, 2019 at 2:00 PM
⛅ 15 °C
Altitude: 56 m
China White Pagoda 39.926289, 116.38957139°55’35” N 116°23’22” E
Bei hai park and jingshan park
April 8, 2019 in China ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
After the Great Wall we visited 2 parks north of the Forbidden City
Bei hai park has a large lake in the center and Jingshan has a hill in the center and flower gardens all around the base.
Aurora needed a nap badly but was refusing to sleep. We then figured out a diaper change was needed and found the perfect oasis for parents in need.Read more
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Day 4
Monday, April 8, 2019 at 6:53 PM
☁️ 13 °C
Altitude: 77 m
China Beijing 39.908513, 116.40882739°54’31” N 116°24’32” E
The famous Peking duck
April 8, 2019 in China ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C
Our last night in Beijing we went out for Peking duck which is still the traditional quintessential Beijing dinner out. We ordered one duck and some veggie sides. One of the carvers brings the duck to the table and carves up 5 sections for five styles of courses. First course duck skin with fat which is dipped in sugar. Second course duck breast carved and placed on the plate in the shape of a flower. This was eaten with traditional flat pancakes. Aurora quite enjoyed it all on its own and ate the duck pretty much as fast as we could load her plate up.Read more
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Day 5
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 1:06 PM
☁️ 7 °C
Altitude: 70 m
China Jingshan 39.916769, 116.40812839°55’0” N 116°24’29” E
jackie!
April 9, 2019 in China ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
.Guardian Jackie at the door of the building next to our hotel. Aurora called out to him but he only sat stoically. Kind of like a home when she yells at him. Aside from the rampant smog Beijing was quite an interesting city.These days close to 50 million call Beijing home.The people we met were very friendly and many wanted to take pictures of, and with Aurora. The city itself was very clean and traffic was organized chaos. To get a car registered in Beijing you have to go in a lottery. 2 million people per month go in a lottery for 20000 available car purchase spots. Our tour guide Yao has been in the lottery since 2011 waiting to win the chance to buy a car! Hopefully one day we have a chance to come back to see a little more.Read more
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Day 5
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 2:20 PM
☁️ 8 °C
Altitude: 38 m
China Beijing Capital International Airport 40.077284, 116.6074540°4’38” N 116°36’27” E
Airport Adventures
April 9, 2019 in China ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
Goodbye Beijing! 👋
Heading to Phuket to see the Baynes and meet Linda and Archie.
We’ll see if Aurora sleeps on this flight! 🤞
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Day 6
Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at 8:33 AM
☀️ 29 °C
Altitude: 5 m
Thailand Ban Phrom Thep 7.772748, 98.3224187°46’22” N 98°19’21” E
1
Made it to Phuket safe
April 10, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
After a 6 hour flight we arrived in Phuket around midnight. After immigration clearance and a 45 minute drive to our hotel we managed to get to sleep around 2 am. It was a Schweaty hot full (including one sick child being shuffled around) flight and Aurora fell asleep part way through thankfully. Hopefully no one caught the cold germs that were floating about. We had a nice sleep in our new home on the road. Woke up to 28C and sunny days aheadRead more
Traveler Padington also passed out. Beautiful Mommy and Baby picture💗
4/17/19Reply
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Day 8
Friday, April 12, 2019 at 1:01 PM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 25 m
Thailand Talat Yai 7.882859, 98.3949637°52’58” N 98°23’42” E
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1 1
Day trip to Phuket town
April 12, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
We took the bus into town today for a few hours. Old town Phuket is brightly coloured with both buildings and graffiti. We wandered about as one does and had to find some AC a couple times because high noon in the tropics is quite warm! Lots of superb coffee shops and scooters everywhereRead more
Traveler That hat!!! Need it!
4/12/19Reply
Traveler Jess doesn’t look like a tourist here at all 😂
4/12/19Reply
Traveler Looks like you two are part of the picture behind you lol
4/17/19Reply
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Day 8
Friday, April 12, 2019 at 4:18 PM
🌬 32 °C
Altitude: 45 m
Thailand Khlong Sai Yuan 7.792686, 98.3315667°47’34” N 98°19’54” E
Aurora said its nap time , too hot
April 12, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ 🌬 32 °C
Bus back from Phuket Town
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Day 8
Friday, April 12, 2019 at 6:31 PM
⛅ 30 °C
Altitude: 10 m
Thailand Khlong Sai Yuan 7.793534, 98.3345677°47’37” N 98°20’4” E
Happy hour
April 12, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
South side of Chalong Bay.
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Day 9
Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 1:18 PM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 38 m
Thailand Khlong Sai Yuan 7.793642, 98.3314067°47’37” N 98°19’53” E
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Happy Songkran
April 13, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Thai New Year begins April 13 and goes till Monday April 15. It's a celebration of renewal and thankfulness for the present past and future generations. We partipated in a parade with songs and drumming ending with releasing baby gold fish in a pond and a water ritual wishing good luck and giving blessings to Buddha. 94% of Thai people follow Buddhist principles.Read more
Traveler 😁
4/14/19Reply
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Day 9
Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 3:30 PM
🌬 31 °C
Altitude: 19 m
Thailand Khlong Sai Yuan 7.792715, 98.3331387°47’34” N 98°19’59” E
Poolside
April 13, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ 🌬 31 °C
Relaxing after the morning festivities
TravelerShe looks like she's having fun!!!
4/14/19Reply
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Day 10
Sunday, April 14, 2019 at 1:36 PM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 19 m
Thailand Khlong Sai Yuan 7.792737, 98.3330477°47’34” N 98°19’59” E
1
Rawai beach for lunch
April 14, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Went down to Rawai beach south tip of Phuket district. Rawai is the working beach in the area. Not a scenic tropical beach but instead cruddy & messy with garbage laying about (not unlike our own neighborhood in East Vancouver) chock full of boats that are either fishing boats or touring boats or taxi boats. A ramshackle town is perched along the edge of the bay and we grabbed fresh seafood (still alive) off one of the fishing businesses. Then we took the seafood over to a restaurant that cooked it all up for us with garlic and herbs and ginger and tamarind. Aurora didn’t like the clams. She did like tamarind rice and a fresh coconut we found along the wayRead more
Traveler 😂
4/14/19Reply
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Day 12
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
⛅ 30 °C
Altitude: 27 m
Thailand Ban Choeng Thale 7.979146, 98.309867°58’45” N 98°18’35” E
Elephant Friends
April 16, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
We had been debating going to an Elephant Sanctuary since booking our trip. The one we chose is a new sanctuary and has no chains and no riding policies. We learned about each elephant and their story (used for logging, elephant rides, etc). We also learned about the different elephant personalities and likes before we got up close to them.

When the elephants first appeared, Aurora was very excited and yelled out and bounced around in Stefan’s arms. She only got a bit scared once, when she was being sniffed by a curious trunk! We didn’t put her in the mud bath or rinsing pond with the elephants but she enjoyed watching safely from the bank.

The lunch served included spring rolls and watermelon so she was very pleased for that!Read more
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Day 13
Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 2:19 PM
☀️ 31 °C
Altitude: 19 m
Thailand Khlong Sai Yuan 7.792684, 98.3330837°47’34” N 98°19’59” E
Busy days in Paradise
April 17, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
We’ve had a busy few days with the wedding we came to attend happening (a day late!) and a trip to the Green Elephant Sanctuary. Photos from them later but for now here we are out and about and most importantly, in our friend’s upgraded deluxe private pool villa!Read more
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Day 14
Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 12:48 PM
☀️ 32 °C
Altitude: 10 m
Thailand Khlong Ya Yai 7.775865, 98.3056727°46’33” N 98°18’20” E
Nai Harn Beach
April 18, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Afternoon trip to Nai Harn Beach on the Andaman Sea. Swimming out from this beach would get us to the east coast of India
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Day 14
Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 2:49 PM
⛅ 32 °C
Altitude: 19 m
Thailand Khlong Sai Yuan 7.792768, 98.3331427°47’34” N 98°19’59” E
Family photo
April 18, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C
Afternoons drifting by
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Day 14
Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 3:14 PM
🌬 32 °C
Altitude: 10 m
Thailand Khlong Sai Yuan 7.793529, 98.3344047°47’37” N 98°20’4” E
Last lunch after nai harn beach
April 18, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ 🌬 32 °C
Lunch with Dick and Hillary
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Day 15
Friday, April 19, 2019 at 9:55 AM
☁️ 15 °C
Altitude: 26 m
China Beijing Capital International Airport 40.076522, 116.60537140°4’35” N 116°36’19” E
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Get to know Beijing Airport (really well
April 19, 2019 in China ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Well folks here we are at the end of our trip. The adventure isn’t quite over though and after landing at 6:15am we’re here until our flight at 4:30pm. Aurora slept the entirety of our flight from Phuket which was amazing. The Phuket Airport was absolutely crazy with people repacking suitcases of fruit everywhere!

We’ve started our day of airport adventures in Beijing with a trip to the nursery room for babies and are now having noodles for breakfast 🍜

I’m sure we’ll be making several trips to the pond to see the fish. Aurora’s stroller has unfortunately gone straight on to Vancouver so there will be lots of chasing!

Off to search for some fruit for our little ‘dote’ (as Archie’s Nana Alice would say 💜)Read more
Traveler Beyond adorable
4/19/19Reply
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Trip end
April 19, 2019