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Climbing the Great Wall of China

February 3, 2016 / Asia, China, Travel / 2 Comments

I had a mild panic attack recently when I realised that I’ve travelled far and wide but very few of my journeys have actually been blogged. What kind of travel blogger am I?! Since I don’t get to travel as much these days with my preschooler in tow, I decided to go back through my travels and add them in so all of my adventures are chronicled in the one place. Starting with the Great Wall of China.

I visited Beijing in 2007 on a work trip and was so excited when I found out that one of our organised activities was the climb the Great Wall of China.

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications built along an east-west line across the northern borders of China from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD. The wall was built to protect the Chinese empires against invaders, with a total length of more than 20,000 km. While some sections of the wall have crumbled away, some still exist to an extent that they can be climbed, as the wall has been rebuilt, maintained and renovated constantly.

We climbed the Badaling section of the wall. It’s the most famous section, the most complete, convenient and accessible, and is also the closest to Beijing (70 km). As a result, however, this section of the wall is always teaming with tourists (like us!). I didn’t find it overwhelmingly busy when we visited, however, so I wouldn’t be put off by this. The Badaling section has had the most renovation and is well maintained, making it the safest section to walk of the wall, too.

Most parts of the Badaling Great Wall were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD) to defend Beijing against raids from northern Mongolians.

The Badaling section of the wall is 12 kilometers with 43 watchtowers, but only 3.74 km and 19 watchtowers have been restored and are opened to visitors. While that sounds like a short stroll, it’s an exhausting walk up hill, and your calves will remind you of it for days to come. Take plenty of water and wear very comfy shoes.

Heading to China? Get ideas on a two-week itinerary here.

Climbing the great wall isn’t enough? What about CAMPING on the Great Wall of China?

Looking for more things to do in China? Head to Guangzhou with your kids.

Keep your information safe when travelling by using a VPN.

Disney Summer Frozen Garden Party

January 21, 2016 / Cheese, Disney Travel, Outdoor Play, Sydney, Sydney Life / 2 Comments

A few months ago, I entered a competition to win tickets to a Disney Summer Frozen Garden Party in Sydney. I didn’t think much of it again, until, amazingly, I received an email letting me know that I’d won two tickets to the party. What good luck!

Cheese chose her Anna Frozen Fever outfit after I persuaded her that it was too hot for anything else and promised I’d even do her hair like Anna’s. One YouTube tutorial later and a hairdo that kind-of passed for Anna’s we were walking into Kurzon Hall with the blaring Frozen soundtrack welcoming us.

Kurzon Hall in Sydney, where the party was held, kind of resembles a castle, making it the perfect choice for a royal garden party. While summer in Sydney can be anywhere from around 20 degree days to 40, the party day was a particularly scorchingly one, with temps of almost 40dC. It was one of the hottest summer days we’d had – quite ironic to be going a Frozen party in such mad heat!

Thankfully the Disney team were well prepared for the heat, with parasols at the entrance, umbrellas covering most of the seating, paper fans dispersed to guests, and free gelato.

As we chose a table for our special afternoon tea, a hostess greeted us and brought us a giant picnic basket full of delicious goodies. The generous serving could have fed another two of us! We received a vegetarian basket, with quiches, a wrap, a vege roll, brownies, fairy bread, a Frozen cupcake, blue lollies, juices, apples and bananas.

The party had a tight schedule of events that kids could choose to participate in: face painting, horse and carriage ride and meeting Anna, Elsa and Kristoff. In between these events the kids were free to play a variety of old fashioned games like giant naughts and crosses, Jenga and Connect Four. I have to say here, a huge props to the very professional Frozen crew who were decked out in winter costumes and barely looked like they were sweating.

I had thought the highlight event would be meeting the Frozen crew, who looked almost identical to the cast from the movie but then I looked down at the schedule of events and saw that the gorgeous Aussie singer, Ricki-Lee was scheduled to sing a selection of Disney songs. WHAAAAAAAT?!

Sure enough, Ricki-Lee turned up and, in sweltering conditions, put on an amazing show. She really has such a gorgeous voice, but, even more than that, she looked like she truly loved the songs, and engaging with the kids. The kids – oh my, they were in heaven. It was like a real life princess from a Disney movie was singing to them. They just couldn’t believe their eyes.

Ricki-Lee sang a few Frozen faves (Do You Want To Build A Snowman? and Let It Go) as well as other well-loved Disney songs, such as Beauty And The Beast, Part Of Your World and A Whole New World. Without a doubt, she made Cheese’s day by putting the microphone in front of her during one song so they could sing the song together. For a kid whose dream right now is to be a performer like Katy Perry, it was the most amazing gift to be given.

At the end of the party, we were sent home with a gorgeous present – a Disney snowflake necklace – as if all the amazing entertainment wasn’t enough of a gift! A huge thank you to Disney for putting on the Frozen Summer Garden Party. We really had the best afternoon – one that I don’t think my daughter and I are likely to ever forget.

I highly suggest keeping your eye out for future competitions like this, as, you never know, you might win tickets to the next one!

Kid-Friendly Cafes of out Sydney: Cafe Madeleine, Leura, Blue Mountains

January 9, 2016 / Blue Mountains, Leura, NSW, Travel / 0 comment

Leura is filled with cute little cafes, such as Cafe Madeleine, the place to go for your sugar fix in the Blue Mountains. The cafe is the sister site of Josophans – makers of fine chocolate.

At Cafe Madeleine, you can enjoy a Fair Trade-certified chocolate-focused menu of desserts, brownies, waffles and hot chocolates, alongside modern Australian-style breakfast, lunch and High Tea menus.

We dropped by the cafe after a bush walk and really enjoyed our casual lunch of Vegetarian Ricotta Tart & Salad (house baked ricotta tart with sage and sweet potato, served with a dressed side salad and local Hominy bakery sourdough bread, $16.90), Toasted Sandwich (Leg Ham, off the bone with tasty cheese & housemade chutney, on local Hominy Bread sourdough served with a dressed side salad $16.90), a Kids Sandwich (cheese toastie on wholemeal bread $5.50), Grannies Garden Berry Fruit Infusion Iced Tea, $4.50, Babycino, $1.50, Flat White, $3.60, Scones (two freshly baked scones filled with sweetened dried cranberries and Belgian chocolate chips, with double cream & jam, $10.50), and the Fresh Strawberries (served with a pot of melted Belgian dipping chocolate & freshly whipped cream, $10.90.

We enjoyed the savoury food particularly, although I felt like it was a bit pricey. The tart was tasty, the bread soft and fluffy, the salad fresh and light.

My iced tea was delicious – strong but without being sweet (I can’t stand sweetened drinks).

Cheese loved her cheese toastie and babycino, which came with a chocolate rim inside, making it the most popular of babycinos of all time.

The scones were the only disappointment of the meal. They were very sweet and more like cake than scones. We would have preferred more traditional scones that weren’t flavoured.

The strawberries were the highlight of the meal – they were so fresh and sweet, and dipped in chocolate … mmmmm! So good!

Highchairs: Yes.
Stroller storage: Yes.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: Yes.

Cafe Madeleine
187a The Mall
Leura NSW
Phone: (02) 4784 3833
Prices: $$
Hours: Daily 9am-5pm

Qantas Joey Playbox App Makes Flying More Fun

January 7, 2016 / Travel / 0 comment

Qantas has just made family travel easier with the launch of Qantas Joey Playbox,”the airline’s first iPad app for young travellers.

With over 250,000 kids in Qantas “The Joey Club,” (Qantas’ Frequent Flyer program for children), kids are the fastest growing segment of the Qantas Frequent Flyer membership base. Little Cheese is one of these members, with around 20 international flights already racked up in her 4 short years so far.

The new Joey Playbox app is designed for kids aged 4 – 8 years, and is free to download. It includes four games, each encouraging kids to play freely and creatively. When you open the app to take a look at the features, it becomes obvious that it was created to help kids understand what goes on at an airport in a fun and entertaining way.

Children can design their own airport, help prepare the runway for planes to take off, collect baggage, and decorate digital paper planes, postcards and bags. They can also scan their Qantas boarding pass to unlock additional features for the planes and postcards, which they can then share with friends and family.

Other ways Qantas is catering to its youngest flyers include:

Qantas Entertainment features additional children’s films and Christmas specials, such as National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation as well as Christmas-themed boarding music.
Dedicated children’s movie channel with 21 hours of content and a dedicated TV channel with 28 hours of TV shows
Kids menu in the Sydney and Melbourne First Lounges
Dedicated Kids Zones across the Qantas domestic and international lounge network complete with iMac computers, children’s furniture, toys and books.
Infant meals (up to 2 years of age) providing a range of top brand baby food, milk, baby bottles, cereals and rusks
Kids meals in-flight (over 2 years of age)
Priority family boarding (staff on hand at the boarding gate ready to collect the stroller and to further assist with pre-boarding the aircraft)
Additional Baggage Allowance (include a collapsible stroller or push-chair, collapsible cot or bassinet; or car seat or baby capsule.

If your child isn’t already a member of the Qantas Joey Club Frequent Flyers Program, Qantas is waiving the normal join fee of $89.50 at http://www.qantas.com/kids for a limited time for new members between the age of three and ten years old. Kids will receive a special Joey Club kit when they join the program.

The Qantas Joey Playbox app can be downloaded for free on the App Store.

The Best of London with Kids: Kensington Palace

January 2, 2016 / London, Travel, UK / 2 Comments

We weren’t planning to visit Kensington but the concierge at our hotel mentioned they’d just had a big renovation and we thought we’d check it out. It turned out to be the perfect way to squeeze in a bit of history with a preschooler as the palace is a very manageable size, possible to squeeze in all four areas in about an hour (which, co-incidently, is my preschooler’s tolerance level for any activity that isn’t a playground). As part of the refurbishment, several of the exhibits were also interactive and a hit with our junior traveler.

My particular favorite part was the Victoria Revealed exhibit, where I was about to learn about Queen Victoria’s extraordinary life in her own words. Of particular interest to me was her clothes – I couldn’t believe how tiny they were. I also enjoyed that the exhibit was within the very rooms that Queen Victoria lived.

Cheese loved the royal dresses on display in the Fashion Rules exhibit, where beautiful clothes worn by HM The Queen, Princess Margaret and Diana, Princess of Wales are on display. (PLEASE NOTE: Fashion Rules will be closed from 4 January 2016 until 11 February 2016,)

Kensington Palace has great programs for kids of all ages (even this for 0-4). Older kids can pick up a family trail and explore the palace Palace.

Baby-changing facilities are available and strollers can be easily taken around the palace as there is a lift to all floors. You can also check your stroller in the cloakroom.

For lunch, we visited The Orangery, a little cafe attached to the palace. The cafe offers a fantastic kids’ meal that is probably the best we’ve seen anywhere.

http://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/families/

Kensington Palace
Kensington Gardens, London W8 4PX
Prices: £16.50 adults (kids under 15 free). Online price £15.40.

Looking for more cool things to do in London with kids?

Find lots more things to do in London here.

The Best of London with Kids: The Natural History Museum

January 2, 2016 / London, Travel, UK / 2 Comments

One of the best, if not the absolute best, Natural History museum we’ve been to, the Natural History Museum is a must-see in London with kids.

The museum is broken up into four zones, each section representing different types of animals and discoveries.

Blue Zone
Featuring dinosaurs and massive animals, this is the place to see the big guns. Exhibits include the first T. rex fossil ever found, an Iguanodon (one of the first species ever described as a dinosaur) the skull of a Triceratops and a Megalosaurus tooth.

Note: The Dinosaurs gallery will be closed 4 January – 12 February 2016 to improve access to the T rex. It will reopen from 13-22 February.

Red Zone
Learn more about Earth, and meet the museum’s new dinosaur, the most intact Stegosaurus fossil skeleton ever found.

Green Zone
The evolution of Earth and the relationships between life and their environments come to life in these exhibits.

Orange Zone
A chance to see scientists at work in the Darwin Centre, and enjoy the serenity of the Wildlife Garden.

We were short on time when we visited with several small children, so we only visited the Blue Zone. This one zone took quite a while to see, leaving no time (or energy from the kids) left to see anything else.

The dinosaur exhibition was absolutely fantastic. A combination of impressive skeletons combined with life-like models and even a robotic T-Rex made the exhibit a highlight of our time in London. I really enjoyed the layout of the exhibit too – following a winding path up and down levels takes the visitor on a cohesive journey through the time of the dinosaurs.

We also appreciated the way in which the museum presented easy-to-digest information on large placards throughout exhibits. The information was all written in an interesting way so as to engage kids and give them a better understanding of the animals and their context. No dry, boring placards here.

The cafeteria in the centre of the museum has plenty of space to take a breather, and reasonably-priced food options.

We were very impressed with the history museum and wish we had been able to return to see the other exhibits.

The museum is very stroller-friendly, with the exhibits on different floors accessible by elevators.

You’ll need several days to see all of what London has to offer families. Get the perfect London four-day itinerary.

The Natural History Museum
Cromwell Road London SW7 5BD
Prices: Admission is free, however a donation is strongly encouraged.

The Best of London with Kids: Science Museum

December 30, 2015 / London, Travel, UK / 0 comment

The Science Museum is a major attraction on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. Founded in 1857, it sees 3.3 million visitors annually through its doors.

The museum is really big and you could absolutely spend an entire day there trying to see everything. With a small child, however, (Cheese was almost four when we visited) we targeted the areas we felt she would enjoy the most, so these are the experience’s I’m sharing in this post.

Pattern Pod
One of three areas designed specifically for children at the Science Museum, Pattern Pod is a multi-sensory area created for 3–7 year olds. The exhibits are fun and interactive, with a focus on patterns, and a mix of high tech with screens, and old fashioned dress ups.

One of the biggest hits was animal outfits kids could put on to then create the animal’s footprints – get it right and they’re rewarded with animal noises. I was impressed with the water ripple “pond” that was a projection onto a screen that kids could touch and effect the waves without actually getting wet.

The Garden
While the Garden, on the lower floor of the museum, was billed as a place for 3-6 year olds, Cheese wasn’t really a fan, and we didn’t spend long here. Highlights included a tree house and water play area.

We spent most of our time in the Launch Pod (aimed at ages 8 – 14). I thought it would be too older for her, but she really enjoyed the science experiments in this section, particularly anything with magnets, wheels or levers. We spent over two hours just in this one area of the museum while Cheese enjoyed getting her hands on over 50 interactive exhibits.

Science Museum
Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London
Prices: Admission is free, but a donation is strongly suggested.

Looking for quirky things to do in London with kids?

Best of London with Kids: Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens

December 29, 2015 / London, Travel, UK / 2 Comments

With our hotel in London across the road from Hyde Park, we spent a lot of time exploring during our stay. Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens are two of London’s Royal Parks, and are often thought to be one large park since they technically join in the middle.

They are, however, separate parks, and have been since 1728, when Queen Caroline made a division between the two. The parks are separated by the Serpentine and and Long Water lakes.

Together, the parks encompass 625 acres, which makes the combined parks a bit smaller than Central Park with 840 acres.

Hyde Park covers 350 acres and is home to famous landmarks such as the Serpentine Lake, Speakers’ Corner and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. We spent a lot of time at the Memorial Fountain as our trip was in summer and the fountain was a fantastic place to cool down on a hot day.

the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain was opened by Her Majesty The Queen on 6th July 2004. The fountain was built using 545 pieces of Cornish granite – each shaped by computer-controlled machinery. When walking over the smooth stones of the fountain, it’s obvious that they have been carved by a machine rather than by hand, as they are absolutely perfectly cut in a way that no human hand could achieve. The pieces, once cut by machine, were assembled by hand to complete the fountain.

The water bubbles, swirls and cascades in a circular shape up, from a high point to a calm pool at the bottom. The design is supposed to reflect Diana’s life.

On any given warm day, Londoners flock to the fountain. Businessmen roll up their pants and paddle their feet, while children strip to bathing suits and run through the water.

While there are no facilities at the memorial, bathrooms are available at the nearby Lido Cafe, as well as swans who love to be fed bits of bread.

Kensington Gardens were once the private gardens of Kensington Palace. They are now one of the Royal Parks of London, lying immediately to the west of Hyde Park. Within the park lie many famous landmarks including Kensington Palace, the Italian Gardens, Albert Memorial, Peter Pan Statue, the Serpentine Galleries and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground and are all located within its 265 acres.

A beautiful, peaceful place we discovered was the Italian Gardens, an 150-year-old ornamental water garden located on the north side of Kensington Gardens. The gardens are believed to have been a gift from Prince Albert to his beloved Queen Victoria.

I found the gardens to be a much-needed oasis of calm after a long busy day in London. The exquisite flowers and water feature felt like a piece of old Europe.

Cheese loved the popular Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, a wonderland for children that opened to the public in 2000 next to the late princess’ Kensington Palace home. The centerpiece of the playground is a huge wooden pirate ship, with swings, sand pits, wooden cubby houses and more amazing play structures surrounding it.

Outside the playground is a beautiful old-fashioned carousel, another drawcard for kids in the park.

If you love British literature you might remember that the famous writer J.M. Barrie lived close to Kensington Gardens (there is a placard on the building he used to live in if you look hard enough for it!). Barrie published his first Peter Pan story in 1902, using Kensington Gardens for inspiration, so it’s only fit that the park is home to a statue he commissioned of the boy who never grew up. It was erected in 1912 on the exact spot Barrie imagined Peter Pan to land in his writing. In his Peter Pan tale, The Little White Bird, Peter flies out of his nursery and lands beside the Long Water – the spot where the statue now stands and delights visitors from all over the world.

For more information on Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens visit http://www.royalparks.org.uk.

The Best of San Fran for Kids: California Academy of Science

December 28, 2015 / California, San Francisco, USA / 0 comment

The California Academy of Sciences is a natural history museum in San Francisco, and is one the the largest museums of natural history in the world. The museum is home to over 26 million specimens, .

Just one ticket allows you to explore an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum, rainforest, 40,000 live animals, and more—all under one living roof.

The Academy is a family-friendly museum with lots of exhibits, programs, and activities designed with kids in mind. Strollers are allowed everywhere in the museum – the only exception being the Shake House section of the Earthquake exhibit (you can park your stroller outside the exhibit).

Eating at the Academy
We found decent kid-friendly food options at the Academy Cafe. You’re also welcome to bring your own food and drinks and use the indoor and outdoor seating available.

Top Picks for Kids:

Osher Rainforest
Over 1,600 live animals live in the four-story rainforest. Housed inside a 90-food-diameter glass dome, this is the largest rainforest exhibit of its kind in the world. From 250 free-flying birds to exotic reptiles, amphibians, golden silk orb-weaver spiders,jewel-like poison-dart frogs and stunning blue morpho butterflies that glide overhead, this is an exhibit that will create awe in kids and adults alike.

Note from the Cal Academy website: The rainforest is suitable for all ages, but because it is a hot, humid, and one-way exhibit, we recommend dressing in layers. Please note that there are no restrooms inside the rainforest dome, but you’ll find one immediately after exiting through the Amazon Flooded Forest tunnel.

Early Explorers Cove
Especially designed for kids aged 0-5, the Early Explorers Cave is a space where families can take a bit of a timeout in a smaller space with plenty of interactive activities. A miniature garden, books, toys, puzzles, live animals and dress up costumes await.

Discovery Tidepool
Kids of all ages are invited to gently touch a variety of tide pool creatures.

Earthquake Shake House
Visitors over the age of three can see, hear, and feel two earthquakes in the “Shake House”. This immersive experience can be a bit scary for littlies. Cheese was a bit scared while the house was shaking, but she also found it exciting and wanted to do it again.

Planetarium shows
The world’s largest all-digital planetarium with shows every 45 to 60 minutes. Planetarium shows are recommended for kids aged 7 and older, with kids under 4 not permitted.

Daily Programs
Check the daily schedule for story times, crafts, penguin feedings and other programs designed with young visitors in mind.

Steinhart Aquarium
One of our favourite sections of the academy. The aquarium is home to nearly 40,000 live animals including Claude the albino alligator, tortoises, lizards, and African penguins.

Changing tables are available in all restrooms on the museum floor, and a family-specific restroom is located next to the Swamp.

California Academy of Science
55 Music Concourse Dr, San Francisco, CA
Prices: Adult $34.95, kids 4-11 $24.95

The Best Of London With Kids: London Eye

December 27, 2015 / London, Travel, UK / 1 Comment

This large ferris wheel is a thrilling way to see London from the air. Pretty much every visitor to London wants to ride on the Eye, so book your tickets online to avoid the queues.

Suitable for all ages, Cheese got a bit wiggly at times (the Eye moves very slowly around the wheel in one full circuit). Thankfully, she was happily entertained by the iPads installed inside the Eye that are there to educate visitors about what they’re seeing out of the glass (but are actually mostly used by bored preschoolers).

The experience lasts approximately 30 minutes. A new 4D Experience is included with tickets.

Book at least 24 hours in advance and save up to 15%.