Shanghai

From February 18th to February 22nd 2024

Day 1

• We flew from LAX and landed directly into Shanghai. We landed at 6:30 at night and took us about an hour to make it to our hotel just outside the city, Amanfayun. We sat for a quick shabu shabu style dinner (vegetables, mushrooms, beef, bamboo) and then we were off to bed. 

Day 2

• In the morning we walked around the hotel property, marveled at the large camphor trees, observed the white peacocks caged on property, and took in the history of the buildings that surrounded us. We sat for breakfast before taking off on our first tour around 10am that day. 

• The first stop was in a city called Suzhou, an ancient city just 40 minutes outside of Shanghai with canals running through it. There were many small shops and people walking about the streets trying on traditional Chinese clothing for pictures, others taking boat rides, others eating ice cream. We stopped at a garden in the middle of the city that is the largest attraction. Some people were snapping pictures of us, as there were not many blonde haired blue eyed people walking around this off the beaten path city. 

• We stopped for lunch along one of the narrow streets of Suzhou and basically had noodles in a soupy brothy soy sauce. 

• After Suzhou we went to another city, Luzhi, and took a boat ride through the canals. Our boat driver sang ancient Chinese songs for us as she shepherded us through the waterways. We passed rooms of men gambling and many places with red lanterns all around. 

• The last stop of the day was a temple, The Jade Buddha Temple, in the heart of Shanghai. There were definitely not many tourists here and it was great to have a tour around the temple and see some of the monks chanting. 

• We had the guide and driver drop us off near Madang Road so we could have a bite to eat (we buckled and ate at Shake Shack), contemplate our jet lag, picked up a winter coat for Max in Lulu Lemon, had a drink in the St. Regis hotel bar, and grabbed a drink at a super cool bar called The Odd Couple. The Odd Couple had neon lights all around, pacman displays were demonstrating how to play the game, and disco music was playing overhead. The bartender was so friendly and recommended that we go visit the city of Chengdu, if we had the chance (foreshadowing). 

• That night we made our way to The Bund and sat for dinner at an Italian place called Mr&Mrs Bund. There were influencers all around, bringing their big cameras and large lights in to livestream from the restaurant. It was a different type of experience. We went for a small walk along the bund in the misty light rain before heading back to the hotel around 9:30pm. It was a lonnngggggg day. 

Day 3

• The next morning we went for breakfast and Hailey took a Chinese Laughing Stick class from somebody who did not speak any English at all. The lesson was about 45 minutes long and was fun and interesting! 

• We had an incredible lunch at the Aman and carb loaded on a truffle pasta before heading out on our tour for the day. We first started at the White Cloud Temple, which apparently one of the last, if not the last Daoist temples in the middle of the city. It’s really amazing to see the sprawling large skyscraper city buildings towering over this, seemingly, final stand of the Daoist temple surviving in the large bustling city. Inside the temple, our guide pointed out our guardians to us, since Max and I are both “rabbits”. 

• Next we stopped at a silkworm factory and watched as they demonstrated how silk is made from start to finish. Truly amazing and every piece of the silk and worm is used in the process! We got Max’s mom a silk duvet insert. 

• We drove around the city as it was raining just a bit outside before going straight to dinner at UltraViolet. One of the most unique dining experiences we have EVER been to. Upon checking into the restaurant, they then escorted us outside of the building where we were put into a vehicle to take us to another building in a completely different part of the city. Once at the new restaurant, the walls were projecting with custom animation displays that went along with whatever foods we were eating that evening. Our names were projected on the tables according to where we were to be seated. Music was changed based on the foods and experience we were supposed to have. The graphics were truly remarkable; anywhere from graffiti, to space shuttles in outer space, to florals, to ocean waves, to campsite fires, to trippy bouncing oranges. There was a young Chinese couple there making out like crazy. After the meal experience was over we were invited back into the kitchen with all the chefs to enjoy a libation and dessert. It was a very unique experience. It was a late night, as you can imagine and we got back to our hotel around 1am.

Day 4

• We made it for lunch the next day around 1pm. We cancelled our tour because we had too much fun the night before and needed comfort more than sight seeing. We pretty much relaxed this whole day until we had another fancy 3 Michelin star dinner that evening at JTai-an Table. Great intimate atmosphere! 

Day 5

• Our last day in Shanghai was a restorative one with a special treatment in the spa. It was the kind of treatment where you spend time in a sauna, get beaten by special tea/eucalyptus leaves, do a cold plunge - rinse and repeat. The treatment was allegedly brought to this Aman by the Russian owner and he was specific about how to have the treatment program run here. We had our own special room where we were able to relax and enjoy the detoxing treatment. It was a beat down (literally), but worth it in the end. 

• After our spa treatment we headed to the train station to head to Hangzhou. It was a normal train ride with interesting snacks served - about an hour and a half ride.

Hangzhou

From February 22nd to February 26th 2024

Day 5 (Continued)

• We arrived to our Amanfayun hotel in Hangzhou in the late afternoon, it was a bit rainy and misty outside. We walked to dinner in the small adjacent town to have fried rice, soup and vegetables. An ideal dinner in China! 

Day 6 

• It was Hailey’s birthday today and we celebrated by eating tea leaf hard-boiled eggs (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it) at the breakfast spot at the place in town. 

• We then set out on foot, in the light rain, to check out the temple nearby, Faxi Temple. The temple was a monstrosity and there were many people headed in. We figured out how to purchase tickets via QR code and made our way inside to see what the buzz was about. Having been inside a temple or two, we had our wits about us and knew how to get around (just do what the locals are doing). There were many steps that had you climbing further and further up. The temple had a certain peace about it and was so breathtaking to explore on our own.

• We walked around, took our pictures, bowed to a few monks, and got to ring the bell at the end of our tour. The bell attendant lady was happy to give us instructions on how to do so correctly. She was very kind and got a kick out of helping us. 

• Later that morning our tour started with our guide to other notable parts of Hangzhou. The first stop was the temples and stone grottos at Feilai Peak. Massive carved 400 centuries-old Buddha figures embossed into the side of the mountain. There were many people here visiting also. We stepped into the Lingyin Temple just across the river from the grottoes and noticed some kind of buddhist procession was going on. There were about 50 monks all dressed in their orange cloaks chanting towards buddha. Our guide suggested that some member of the temple or rich businessman asked for the procession to take place in order to bless him for the future or an upcoming event. It was beautiful to watch. 

• Lunch was at the Vegetarian Restaurant at the small village in town. The waitress did not attempt any english and our dialogue was handled by handing google translate screen messages back and forth. 

• Back at the hotel there was a calligraphy class that Hailey decided to partake in. Again,  a non-english speaking class led to many google translate type situations and really the class resulted in asking how to say certain things in Chinese as well as write one symbol “yo fu chi” - which I think means “all blessings”. 

• We met back up with our guide in the afternoon and explored old town Hangzhou, Qinghefang. It was still raining but we were not deterred! We rubbed the belly of the massive happy buddha statue in the middle of the street. We went into tourist shops that had smoke machines, moving mannequins and colorful signs flashing. We stopped in a traditional Chinese medicine shop to see how things are run. They were selling cordycepts (special mushrooms) and we purchased some sleep aid medicine. 

• The last stop of the long day was to a temple-house Mansion once owned by a wealthy aristocrat and businessman Hu Xueyan. The garden was my favorite part and we ran into many young girls dressed in traditional Chinese clothing taking pictures on the pagoda in the rain. We took our picture with one. 

• We stopped for a snack of noodles and fried rice at a local spot the guide recommended. There were no tourists inside. 

• That evening we made rice balls and Chinese lanterns as a part of celebrating the last day of the Lunar New Year celebrations.

Day 7 

• We started the morning with a spa treatment and bath in oolong tea leaves. A healthy way to start the day. 

• Breakfast was, you guessed it, more fried rice and noodles soup. Our lunch spot had made me a birthday cake and presented it to me at lunch.

• That afternoon we took a tour out to the West Lake area and took a boat on the water. 

• Dinner was at an incredible Michelin dinner called Ambre Ciel for my 37th birthday. It was a little difficult to find, but once we did we knew we were in the right place. We even drank Chinese wine. 

Chengdu

From February 26th to March 1st 2024

Day 8

• We were originally going to be headed to Harbin this day, but the winter and icicle festival had just closed. We took a gamble by changing our entire itinerary and picked to go to Chengdu next - a city neither of us had heard of. We took a 3 hour flight to Chengdu and stayed at the Temple House. We ended up being so pleased with this hotel! Beautiful, centrally located, and very attentive. 

• Across the street from the hotel was one of the best rated restaurants by a long shot: Mo Wang. The queue can be long, so we had the hotel help us with getting a dinner reservation. The place was packed with locals, the food was the best Chinese food we’ve ever had, and everything was just right. We got dan dan noodles, vegetable dumplings, bimbibap, spicy Sichuan pepper tofu with rice, and a beef vermicelli noodle style dish. 

• After our early dinner we started to walk around the streets of Chengdu. We came across some street performers filming some kind of video for maybe TikTok. The police or local security came to break it up. They were causing a ruckus and a large crowd was forming. Welcome to China! 

• We went to a local bar nearby the hotel that ended up being some kind of a shot bar. Tables next to us were full of locals and everyone had trays of mini shots sent to their table. The menu was all in Chinese and we had pictures to select from. In the Womens restroom there was a sink next to the regular sinks that was designated for puking. It was called the “vomit pool” and it flushed like a toilet. The live music was just getting started but we had decided against getting a hangover and left for our hotel. Along the way we passed by a skate park. 

Day 9

• We started our morning off with a highly anticipated visit to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding! The pandas are all the rage in Chengdu, and we’d be mistaken if we went and didn’t get a chance to see the pandas. We were warned that lines can be long and there’s no guarantee of even seeing a panda. 

• We were some of the first inside the park, getting there around 8am. We made our way to the Number 6 Giant Panda Villa, which may have turned out to be the most popular panda. We waited in line for ~40 minutes and while waiting, some lady gifted panda ears to Hailey and placed them on her herself. The locals were very friendly and excited to see foreigners. 

• We had 3 minutes to stand on the viewing platform to see the giant panda. She/he sat there the whole time sleeping, but at least we were able to see him/her! People’s selfie sticks were flying all around, cackling noises of Chinese being yelled at each other, pushing, etc. It was the full experience! 

• We moved on to see the red pandas and they’re a bit more exciting to watch. They have more energy, are always moving around, and there are many more of them. They looked like red raccoons, with a bigger tail, and cuter. The red pandas are also a sight to see while in China. We got to see one climbing above overhead of us, and that was a highlight. Another highlight was watching the baby pandas munch on bamboo and fall/bounce around everywhere. Pandas are so curious to watch, they almost seem like they’re under the influence. 

• Lunch was back at the Italian restaurant at the hotel. Not bad! Pizza, pasta and wine. 

• Later that evening we went out for a food tour with a local we had found on Trip Advisor. We 3 piled in a tuk tuk, and stopped around to multiple restaurants around town to try all different kinds of food. It was all you can drink beer also. The first stop was at a noodle restaurant, where we had more dan dan noodles, vegetable skewers, and a thick knife cut type of noodle with a peanut butter tasting sauce on top. 

• The next stop was a street cart style place where we had Chinese tacos. Kind of like a crepe with a beef filling. They served us one with peanut sauce in it, and we suggested that they put a jam in with it (like a Chinese peanut butter and jelly). They seemed intrigued about this foreign type of sandwich that Americans ate - the PB&J.

• The next stop was a personal favorite, they had the most amazing pork dumplings! Pang Qianqian is a well known, local favorite spot for great home made food . The dumplings covered with green spring onion and sesame were out of this world. 

• Our last food stop was a “fly” restaurant, which basically means what it sounds like. It’s a very local spot, community tables, community style eating, drinks and drunks galore, throw your trash and spit on the floor, make a mess and don’t care about who has to clean it up. We ordered beer, fried corn, Sichuan peppered beef, roasted eggplant, rice, and vegetables. Everyone around us was drunk and chain smoking - we were happy to be a part of the excitement. 

• A bit of a surprise, but we did stop at a bar near town that was decorated so uniquely and was playing 60’s-70’s American chill classic rock music. They only served a type of plum wine, so we quickly drank that before heading next door for a lesson in how to play Mahjong. The table was electric and we had never seen anything like it. The pieces would automatically sort themselves under the main table, and then be transferred to the top of the table in order so that the time between games could be minimized. Hailey won the first game, Max won the second. Our guide was having fun teaching us. 

• We walked home under the beautiful red, blue, white, and yellow lanterns strung above the walkways. 

Day 10

• We made a last minute decision to hop on a train to Leshan to go see the Giant Buddha. With just a few yuan cash with us, we went to the train station, hopped on the train, got off the station and into a taxi and told the taxi driver where we wanted to go. He understood the assignment, or so it seemed. 

• He took us in the general direction of the attraction, but dropped us off in a remote, person-less, car-less, life-less, make shift gravel parking lot/road. He pointed for us to continue to walk down the path that also seemed to lead to nothing. I took a 5 minute video of Max and him debating about whether we were in the right spot. But, we saw pictures and signs for the Big Buddha attraction and took a gamble. 

• After 10 minutes of walking down an unpaved walk/roadway we started to see clearer signs for the big buddha. We got our tickets, then made our way inside. The climb to the top took around 10 minutes of straight stairs/vertical. We saw many people as we climbed up, including monks. The Giant Buddha is a beast and well worth the visit. 

• We rang the bell up top, went to the bottom and took pictures from where the feet are and saw other boats in the water checking out the buddha from the river. We continued walking around the entire area that had more temples, archives of old Chinese artifacts, and we ended near a beautiful old bridge on the other side of the attraction. 

• We just barely missed the train we were trying to catch back at the train station, which was a slight buzzkill, but we caught the next one out of town that was only 1 hour later.  

• Back in Chengdu we had an amazing lunch on top of the bridge at a restaurant called The Bridge that overlooks the water. The food was incredible, pickled bamboo, seaweed, bamboo shoot rice, spicy tofu, more dan dan noodles, port dumplings, and ended with a tiramisu taco. As usual, we had a nice post-dinner walk on our way back to the hotel. 

Day 11

• We started this day off by touring around the Wenshu Monastery - the biggest one in Chengdu. Not many tourists, but it was really beautiful. There was a room of hundreds of candles all lit at once. It was a sight to see. 

• That evening we went for a Hot Pot dinner, at one of the highest rated places in town. When we got there we were the only ones, but the time we left, the place filled up with groups of people. We are all kinds of things, mushrooms, lettuces, noodles, spinach, beef, fried rice, cauliflower, potato slices, etc. 

• We walked along Juan Alley and Zhai Alley East Square after dinner and loved the narrow alleyways with all the mom and pop shops. There were all kinds of people out and about, eating ice cream, dressing in traditional Chinese attire, eating street food, and even all crowded up to take a picture of a rat eating on top of a bush. We made out way to Culture Park to catch a show at the Opera House. Along with our opera house ticket came a 15 minute free massage. Why not! 

• The opera show was a mix of theatrics, comedy, and dance. We, of course, couldn’t understand a thing, but the crowd was loving it. After the show Hailey got to dress up in the traditional Chinese costumes alongside other little boys and girls who were looking forward to playing dress up. 

Day 12

• You guessed it, we finished our stay in Chengdu with another hearty lunch at Mo Wang - our favorite casual style restaurant in all of China. Max loved the Bibibap. 

• We headed to the airport to board our flight to Lijiang! 

Lijiang

From March 1st to March 5th 2024 Lijiang

Day 12 (continued)

• We arrived in Lijiang about midday, ate dinner in the hotel (Aman), and called it a night. 

Day 13

• This day started with a tour around Black Dragon Pool Park and Ancient City Lijiang. We were blown away at the beauty at Black Dragon Pool Park and the view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain in the distance. We snapped all the pictures as we continued our way moving throughout the town learning about the Naxi ethnic group of people in China. The walkway leading from Black Dragon Pool Park to Ancient City Lijiang was adorned with flowers, lanterns, and beautiful decoration from head to toe. It was hard to imagine that a city this beautiful, manicured and carefree was in the China that I’d been hearing about growing up. It may be one of the most beautifully decorated cities I’ve ever been to. The canals running through the streets, the stone bridges connecting walkways, the massive pots with plants overgrowing - it all fit together so well. 

• There were all kinds of shops around, selling candy, to clothing, to tea, to a typical Chinese farmers market. We watched as locals brought their produce from their farm to the central market area, and traded with other locals who were preparing their kitchen for the days meals. You name it, we saw it. Living frogs waiting to be purchased for a frog soup dinner? Yep. People sleeping at the meat counter? Yep. Bloody cow hearts for sale? Yep. 

• Our guide brought us to a local noodle shop where we had black chicken noodle soup. A favorite for Hailey. We noticed that he was spitting out the bones from his noodle soup on the table and the floor next to him. A cultural difference, but we joined in on eating like a local. 

• We then sat for a tea ceremony in a tea house at the end of one of the streets. We learned about tea pets, how the pet “drinks” first, and how to property pour and drink tea. 

• We went back to have a hot pot dinner at the hotel and had an incredible meal. 

• We decided to hit the town this night, so we left the back door of our hotel and headed down the 5 minute walk downhill to old town Lijiang. You could immediately feel the difference from daytime to nighttime. The neon lights were on, club music was pounding, people dressed up in bear costumes were dancing on the dance floor, all kinds of neon lights flashing, live bands in every 3rd door you looked in, karaoke bars, costume shops - you name it. We made our way into a club, overpaid for a bottle of Hennessy, Max made friends with a big happy bald Chinese man a few booths down, and Hailey accidentally invited a few others to sit in our booth with us. The Chinese man Max made friends with eventually made his way to our table and greeted us with shot glasses and said “Wellllllllcomeeeeeeeee to Chiiiinaaaaaaaa.” Exciting times!

Day 14

• We took off to see the other ancient towns near Lijiang called Shuhe and Baisha. There Hailey played music with some local Naxi street musicians, and we went to an art school and learned how the locals create art with their silk sewing. We were tempted to purchase a piece, but somehow the prices were a bit high. 

• Lunch was at a restaurant but also seemed like a locals house. They had a chicken barbecue going and we sat inside with a pot of boiling water that eventually over-boiled and burned the chicken. 

• After lunch was the highlight of our entire trip to China, the Impression Lijiang show! The show included dance, singing, dialogue, props, many horses, and local people to help share things about the cultures past as well as to help preserve it in the future. It was so moving and we’ve never seen anything like it. The colors were amazing, the outfits were so beautiful and the backdrop of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain made for a perfect vision. 

• Just down the street from Impression Lijiang are a string of beautifully colored teal mineral lakes that take in all the water from the mountain area. We took pictures along the Yulong Snow Mountain National Scenery Spot and even saw a white yak. 

• We took one last walk through Ancient City Lijiang, admiring the lively night life, the musicians, tourists and cultural demonstrations before heading back to our hotel for the evening. 

Day 15

• Our last day in Lijiang we went in the morning to see the infamous Tiger Leaping Gorge before settling down at a locals house for some fresh food. We were able to fish the salmon from the property, and watched them take the fish, cut it’s head off, sashimi it in thin slices to eat raw, then cooked the rest in a delicious fish soup. The property was beautiful and we enjoyed a slow lunch. They also made max a bowl of fried rice. 

Day 16

• Left for Xian

Xian

From March 5th to March 7th 2024

Day 16 (continued)

• We left Lijiang this morning to head to Xian and visit the infamous Terracotta Warriors. We checked into the Ritz Carlton Hotel and got our rest for a big day of touring the next day

Day 17

• We went with our guide to visit the Terracotta Warriors and saw some local women dressed up in traditional attire signing a song or chanting a prayer over the warriors. It wasn’t clear what was happening and they seemed to be nervous of anyone taking a video or picture of them. The Terracotta Warriors are a unique site and there’s 3-4 different “sheds” where you can go see different versions of them. We met the farmer who “owned” the land that the warriors were found on and had him sign a statue for us. 

• After the visit to the warriors, because we finished it so fast, we had time to go to Changhenge Performance and Huaqing Palace. This place was like a bathhouse for the nobles at the time. 

• Lastly, we went to another type of show at the Huaxia Cultural Tourism Xi’an Holiday Resort. This was another incredible (indoor) show that used hundreds of actors, many different sets, simulated fire, and even wolves as a part of their performance. Much of the show was about the history of the people in China. It was a very unique and creative type of show - our seats rotated slowly which is what caused the set to change as many times as it did (probably like 5-6 different sets). We were DEFINITELY the only foreigners in the show. 

• Because there is much to see in Xi’an, we made our way to the City Wall’s next. We walked on top of the city walls for a bit and got a taste for the enormous size of the city that once was the capital city. After walking about a mile along the city walls, taking in the year of the dragon scenery, we decided to go to one last neighborhood, Datang Everbright City. There was some kind of water show set to music with lights. Crowds of people were all around taking pictures and videos. 

• We tried to find a good place to eat dinner, but ended up at Pizza Hut inside a mall that also served steaks. Not good. 

Day 18

• We left Xi’an for the capitol city, Beijing! 

Beijing

From March 7th to March 11th 2024

Day 18 (continued)

• We took the train from Xi’an to Beijing - about a 4 hour train ride, and then checked into the Aman Summer Palace. 

Day 19

• We started our day off with our guide at the Palace Museum, or the forbidden city. 

• We then took a tuk tuk bike ride around Xicheng Hutong area which was very lively. We saw local men in swim gear taking turns diving and swimming in the freezing river. Must be some kind of tradition for them. There was ice in the water. 

• We stopped for lunch at a great French Michelin restaurant called TRB Hutong, where we had caviar and a few glasses of wine. The plates and presentation were stunning.

• We made our way to the Temple of Heaven, but were stopped ahead of time to pay a game of hackey sack with a group of 5 or 6 old men in Tian Tan Park. I think they got a kick out of it. We ended up playing the game too long, and by the time we got to the front to enter the temple, it was closing time. Kind of a miss… 

• We went for cocktails at the top of the China World Trade Center at Atmosphere Bar before heading to the famous Peking Duck dinner spot with 3 Michelin stars called Xinrongji. Yes we had the peking duck and it was delicious! 

Day 20

• This day was dedicated to our journey to the Great Wall of China - about a 2 hour drive outside of the city. We decided to hike at the Mutianyu section, so you could see a little bit of the maintained/restored part of the wall as well as look across the way and see what they call the “wild” part with the grass and trees growing over it. We hiked/walked about 2 hours all around, every direction and took hundreds of photos along the way. They had a summer sled style attraction in order to get down from the top, of which we waiting in line 45 minutes for. The ride down took 5 minutes. 

• We went back to the Hutong area and had “cocktails” on a “rooftop bar” on the Main Street. It was there that we could see many street cameras surveilling the scene. 

• Dinner that evening was a 5 minute walk from the bar spot, at Kings Joy, a 3 Michelin starred restaurant since 2020. The food was all vegetarian and there was a harpist playing beautiful music inside. Once again, we were the only foreigners. 

• Because we are wild and crazy, we went out after dinner back to Hutong street and made our way into punk music bars, watched some serious foosball players compete inside, and bar hopped to another spot playing American cover music while the musicians smoked cigarettes nonstop. 

Day 21

• Our last day in Beijing we started off at a well known temple in town, but turns out it was Buddha’s birthday or reincarnation day - so there were thousands of people in line waiting to go inside and pay their respects. So, we headed to the next spot which is Tian’anmen Square. There were meetings going on that week from all the leaders of the different areas of China. So it was a busy political time for the country and you would read about it in the papers as well as feel it in the air. After spending about an hour at Tian’anmen Square and seeing General Mao’s large picture staring at the crowd, we decided to head back to the hotel to take a tour of the Summer Palace which our hotel backed up to. 

• The hotel had outfits for us to dress up in, so they dressed me as an Empress in yellow, and Max got put in some kind of black and red emperors outfit with a funny looking hat. He was thrilled! We walked around the Summer Palace, but it was a total distraction as everyone was taking pictures of us and we couldn’t stop laughing. We’re definitely all over somebody’s TikTok. Our guide even put her mask on because she was embarrassed. 

• We decided to go back to the hotel, change our clothes and head back into the Summer Palace to tour around it normally and without any distraction. Much better this time around. 

Day 22

• We left Beijing for Jeju Island!