The Nest – Buying a Home, Money Advice, Decorating Ideas, Easy Recipes

Message Boards | Recipes | Nestie Blogs
Decor Ideas | Tools | Buying Guides

community

all boards

my blog

my photos

my boards


200+ Easy Weeknight Meals!

Green living: Eco-friendly tips & tricks!

< Previous topic | Next topic >

All Boards > Travel

Sort:
12-16-2012 at 6:41 PM
Littlejen2...
Not Ranked
Joined on 08-31-2002
12,065 Posts
23,692 Points
Littlejen22 is not online. Last active: 06-19-2013, 10:38 PMGold

Can I complain

DH is talking to some family member he has never met that he is pretty certain is a first cousin and lives in Hong Kong and he wants to meet up. That sounds fine except the kids and I don't speak Cantonese (I assume he speaks good English but not sure about his kids) and it is "customary" to meet for the first time over dinner, which means a long dinner with people we don't know with foreign food when my kids need to behave!  And DH is now talking about possibly going to mainland China with this guy we don't know to see where their family is originally from which is a two hour train ride each way, expensive visas and train tickets. Um, I know he is excited but I went from excited to stressed. 

Jen - Mom to two December 12 babies Nathaniel 12/12/06 and Addison 12/12/08  
Report Abuse
Reply
Quote
12-17-2012 at 8:18 AM
GilliC
Not Ranked
Joined on 04-10-2003
Oslo, Norway
7,948 Posts
6,573 Points
GilliC is not online. Last active: 06-20-2013, 12:58 AMGold

It sounds from the other post that this is a fairly short trip?

In that case, I would suggest that you save the trip to mainland China for another time when you have the time to visit some other places in the area.  Like you said, visas are an expensive hassle, and it would really be a shame to be in that area and not visit some of the amazing scenery like Yangshuo.

Could you plan to meet up for dinner at a (kid-/foreigner-friendly) restaurant?  You'll need to eat anyway, and you can always use the kids as an excuse to cut things short.  Just point out when you're making the plans that the kids need to be in bed by a certain time.

Is your H's family from someplace small?  If so, it might be good to have a local contact if you ever do visit.
 
Report Abuse
Reply
Quote
12-17-2012 at 8:32 PM
Littlejen2...
Not Ranked
Joined on 08-31-2002
12,065 Posts
23,692 Points
Littlejen22 is not online. Last active: 06-19-2013, 10:38 PMGold
GilliC:

It sounds from the other post that this is a fairly short trip?

In that case, I would suggest that you save the trip to mainland China for another time when you have the time to visit some other places in the area.  Like you said, visas are an expensive hassle, and it would really be a shame to be in that area and not visit some of the amazing scenery like Yangshuo.

Could you plan to meet up for dinner at a (kid-/foreigner-friendly) restaurant?  You'll need to eat anyway, and you can always use the kids as an excuse to cut things short.  Just point out when you're making the plans that the kids need to be in bed by a certain time.

Is your H's family from someplace small?  If so, it might be good to have a local contact if you ever do visit.

thabks for listening, lol. We are going for 9 or 10 days, traveling on miles and have it booked for 9 days and still hoping the following day opens up. Just the idea of stilling on a train for four hours in one day with kids to do something that is not very child friendly is not appealing.  As for where they are from, I am not really sure how big it is but it is in Guangdong so it is not like we are talking about Bejing. I get why he is excited at the thought, this guy wrote a book about their family and there is an exhibit in that area about it and he would show us around, which would be great if it was in HK but another trip will be a lot on everyone even though the kids travel fairly well. At least after going to England he no longer expects the kids to have no jet-lag. 

Jen - Mom to two December 12 babies Nathaniel 12/12/06 and Addison 12/12/08  
Report Abuse
Reply
Quote
12-18-2012 at 11:21 AM
GilliC
Not Ranked
Joined on 04-10-2003
Oslo, Norway
7,948 Posts
6,573 Points
GilliC is not online. Last active: 06-20-2013, 12:58 AMGold

Littlejen22:
As for where they are from, I am not really sure how big it is but it is in Guangdong so it is not like we are talking about Bejing.

I would definitely consider saving it for another trip.  There's lots to see in the southeast, so you could spend a few days in Guangdong, hop over to Guangxi to visit Guilin and Yangshuo.  And if you want to go a bit farther, I've heard some good things about Hunan or you could go for some relaxation down in Hainan!

Or, since domestic flights are often quite cheap, you could definitely fly down on a trip based elsewhere in China.  It just seems like a shame to go through the trouble of getting the visas for such a short visit.  Maybe if you could swing multiple-entry visas.... But China has never been particularly forthcoming when it comes to the visa situation.
 
Report Abuse
Reply
Quote
hot topics

"When did you start feeling married?"
MindyMWM2012 on Married Life

"Do you have joint or separate bank accounts?"
JustinandHaley on Money Matters

"Severe problems with the in-laws. Help!"
epco33 on Relationships

search boards

choose another board