Towards the end of our visit, our guide reminded us that we had one more urban adventure on the agenda – a visit to Beijing’s Hutong district aboard a bicycle rickshaw.  I wasn’t sure what more there was to see in the city, so I looked at him with puzzlement.  Alas, the guide said, you haven’t really seen Beijing until you have wandered through its old, narrow neighborhoods – the Hutongs – from the perches of a rickshaw!

So off we went to an area of Beijing, near a small lake that had hundreds of colorful bicycle rickshaws parked along the water’s edge.  Each was decorated a little different – an expression of the driver’s personality – some with vibrant colors, others with dangling beads.  Sandwiched next to this quasi bicycle parking lot was a street.  On one side, it was chock full of local restaurants…on the other side, it showed an endless row of the backside of dull gray, low stucco-type buildings.  While the guide was busy talking to the locals, I looked around to see if this was the climax of our “adventure”…are we here to see the backsides of dull-gray Hutongs?

Our guide finished negotiating the arrangements with the rickshaw driver and motioned for me to climb aboard.  I have to admit, the sight of a thin little Chinese driver watching a healthy Grannie such as myself board the rickshaw did make me wonder how this was really going to work!  I wasn’t quite convinced that my guy was going to be able to “tote” me around because we Americans are a little bit bigger and heavier than the normal Chinese passengers.  But the driver didn’t wince for a sec and patiently waited for me to climb in and off we went as if he had a magical invisible motor helping him race his cargo down the street.

The landscape quickly changed.  The streets rapidly narrowed and in some cases – became an unannounced one-way street allowing one rickshaw to pass through at a time.  Endless rows of the gray, stucco-type buildings lined the streets with many of the entrances housing little mom-n-pop shops with locals wheeling and dealing their food, housewares and trinkets.  Front doors of the homes were decorated with Chinese symbols and intricate ethnic designs, illustrating to passerbys what the homeowners did for a living.  We whizzed past the homes of merchants, carpenters, food sellers and other tradesman.

As we peddled deeper into the Hutong district, the streets narrowed again becoming more like alleys designed for a cat, not adults on rickshaws!  At one point, I was convinced our rickshaw drivers had training on a NASCAR course – they were deft and quick to get us through, whizzing past horse-pulled carts and tailgating scooters all competing to navigate the narrow streets too.

I began to feel as if I had been transported onto an authentic Chinese film set.  The smells, the colors, the neighborhood ambiance and street activity went from touristy to real within minutes.

Our drivers slowed down and parked the rickshaw in front of a typical Hutong home with the gray, stucco-like exterior.  Our guide knocked gently on the door and soon a very old man answered and let us in.  We felt as if had walked in from a black and white TV set onto a big color screen.

The man escorted us into a lovely courtyard surrounded by entrances into a group of other homes.  Inside this courtyard was a small fishpond and a cage of colored finches.  Decorated with pretty trees and cobblestones – the scene had an old-world charm to it and quickly became relaxing and comfortable.

 In one corner of the courtyard, an artist was creating banners with colored chalks.  Each banner depicted a person’s name in the design of an animal or flower.  The design was so cool and unique that I asked him if he would make name banners for my grandchildren.  He did!

We then sat down to talk to our host, the old man, and asked him many questions about his family.   He told us they had lived in this house, actually many houses in this very courtyard, for generations. He as now retired and to help make ends meet, he opened up his house to allow tourists to come in and experience his story.  He wanted to be sure we learned first-hand about the, as he said, “real” Chinese culture. He offered us a local tea, similar to the green tea family, and made us feel quite cozy.

We soon left the home of the little old man in the Hutongs and peddled back into the city. The coziness and narrow walkways were soon replaced by honking horns and multi-lanes of Beijing traffic.

We later learned that the government had been destroying parts of the Hutong district to build modern buildings.  The area we had visited was actually one of the last places to survive in the district.

So for those of you headed to Beijing – be sure your itinerary includes a visit to the Hutongs and its old world charm.  Check out the many new restaurants and great assortment of trinkets and gift ideas.  And, yes, rest assured – that if this Grannie could be peddled through its narrow alleyways – you can too!

Dreaming of a cup of tea in the Hutongs,

Granny Regina

Photos courtesy of J. Martinez.

Our next big destination along the historic Trans-Siberian Railway was Mongolia.  As we left the hustle and bustle of Moscow, I was eager to experience how life in this large expanse of terrain would unfold.

I had known some of the country’s history even since grammar school when I had read about the great Genghis Khan, but I really had no idea what to expect as I made the 6,000 mile journey across the Russian steppes into Siberia and through the Gobi Desert to the capital city Ulaanbaatar. We began our trip in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and I was anxious to take it all in.

Almost half of the country’s population lives in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and the rest are spread out in the country’s rural terrain. With a little less than a total population of 3 million people  (which is similar to the population of the central district of my hometown Chicago), I didn’t realize until I got there that there were really only two lifestyles: urban and rural.

The guide for our Mongolia sojourn was Emma, a dark haired thirty-something beauty with a background in art history.  Emma escorted us around the capital through traffic jams that compared favorably to Cairo and New York, thus illustrating the growing pains of a city that was, less than fifteen years ago, considered a sleepy town by many.

The main city square houses a monumental sculptural depiction of Genghis and his family members within a reconstituted government building that is as impressive as any government edifice in Russia.  This tribute to Genghis is surrounded by modern high-rise office structures and hip billboards that reveal Ulaanbaatar’s readiness to attract international business.

We shopped for cashmere at an outlet store showcasing Mongolia’s most famous export and admired the divine creations that tourists are drawn to when they visit the city.  I couldn’t resist the purchase of a mauve cardigan sweater myself after spending a good hour in the store.

Life in the big city was not unlike any other metropolis, except in Ulaanbaatar the pace of development was now so fast that apartment complexes seem to shoot up daily according to the residents we spoke to.  Cranes were everywhere. The population figures had been changing rapidly in the capital because poor weather conditions in recent years have forced the rural folks to abandon farming and come to the big city to find work instead.   New pastel-colored midrise apartment buildings sprouted left and right to accommodate the influx of thousands of rural residents flocking to the city in search of better opportunities.

Our lovely guide Emma also worked part-time in the city for an NGO.  She divided her time between a one-bedroom apartment in Ulaanbaatar and her traditional Ger home in the countryside.  While she enjoyed the opportunities for recreation and work in the city, she felt a regular nudge to escape and retreat to the calm and scenic surroundings of the mountains and steppes.  There, amid the pockets of round Gers dotted across the plain, the nomadic families were spaced out ‘just enough’ to qualify as neighbors and as family.  In her eyes…she believes she has the perfect life.

When it came time to leave the city and head to rural Mongolia, I noticed that the scenery quickly changed. Ulaanbaatar is in a valley flanked by four mountain ranges surrounding the city.  After we had escaped the city traffic, the exodus took us almost immediately into land covered intermittently round Gers dotting the countryside, flocks of sheep, herds of cows, lots of yaks and many horses roaming freely.  We were in another world: no cranes, no high rises and what seemed like more animals than people in sight!

Mongolia is rich with different ethnic groups…at least 29 different ethnic groups and almost all have roots from nomadic tribes.  The nomad lifestyle continues in Mongolia quite like it has been for hundreds of years.  We stopped for a social visit with a young family of three who live in a one room Ger.  The average Ger is about 12-15 feet wide and is circular.  It has a flap-door as the main entrance.  Inside, this particular family furnished it with fabulous homemade furniture like a wooden dining table, hand-carved benches, a Chinese style-bed, hand-woven wool rugs, and wooden storage corrals for their belongings.

The shy, young mother offered us a libation of fermented mare’s milk from a bowl, nuts and a variety of local treats that were quite tasty.  Although she didn’t speak English, she did seem to understand parts of our conversation and appeared to enjoy our interest in her lovely two-year-old son who charmed us as he scurried around the Ger, not the least bit intimidated by our presence or conversation.  As I looked around their home, I took a mental inventory of my bedroom set, my bookcases, my electronics, my pots and pans and Tupperware and wondered whether they would they ever fit in a circular home like this.   Answer: probably not!

Nomadic families tend to move about the country two to four times a year depending on weather conditions and access to pasture lands.  We were told the “moving” routine is still the same…and is pretty simple: dismantle the felt and wooden lattice-based structure, wrap up the belongings and position them either on a truck or sometimes use a horse-drawn cart to make their move.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to stay longer…I would have loved to have seen this moving process in motion.  Talk about speedy…we were told it only takes a couple of hours to sort, wrap, pack and load…and a family can be on their way to the next fruitful destination.

As we walked out towards our car to head to our next stop along the Trans-Siberian route, I remember a feeling of peace and serenity as I looked back at the Gers dotting the terrain.  How void of clutter their lifestyle is even in the 21^st century…no traffic lights, no parking meters, no wifi service, no keycards to enter the home, no garage door opener…not even a doorbell! What a pleasant surprise this trip has been and a reminder of how “simple” we can still live our life!

- Pat Johnson, Grannies on Safari

1^st stop along the Trans-Siberian Railway — Russia!

Never in my dreams did I expect to be on a luxury train traveling from Moscow to Beijing!   So when we began our trip, I was delighted to journey into a part of Russia that I only knew from films and stories about the Cold War.

I was in Siberia and in Ekaterinburg, one of oldest cities in Russia that is near the crossroads where Asia and Europe meet – wow!  Like everyone else, I had some preconceived ideas about Siberia – cold, drab, desolate, and grim.  Wrong!

This city was nothing like that at all.  It was full of culture, lots of theaters and museums, beautiful parks, and wide, open spaces.  Like many Russian cities, the streets of Ekaterinburg were adorned with many monuments and churches (on what seemed like every corner).

We had a surprise encounter with a local tradition while there which was so cool!  It happened when we haphazardly followed a wedding party who was taking pictures near the Iset River.  The bride and groom had on boxing gloves to allegedly signify that they would be boxing throughout their marriage (but with care!).  Then they led us to a bridge that spans the river, and on that bridge, were hundreds of locks attached to the sides of the bridge!

We admired all kinds of locks…heart- shaped, industrial strength, and whimsical, small, dainty ones too.  Most had inscriptions or initials engraved on them.  A lot of thought must have gone into selecting and decorating the locks because each was unique in character, colorful, sassy and playful.

So the “locks” tradition is that once the couple fastens their lock on the bridge they throw the key in the river and therefore commit to their life together, forever.  Some locks looked like they had been there for years – I mean like 50 or more as they looked melded into the bridge ironwork.

This colorful display of love and great imagery of “sealing the deal” in relationship commitment got me thinking.  How long do these locks stay on?  What if mother nature wears it down and it breaks? If the couple divorced, do they come back to the bridge and cut the locks off?  How many of the couples return to the bridge to renew their commitment?  And what if you can’t find your lock…is that bad luck?

The idea was cool and I thought it was a fun way to “seal” the testament of love.  We were so busy filming then, but now I’m selfishly thinking that I should come back and put a lock on for me and my husband of 30 years!

- Regina Fraser, one of the Grannies on Safari. 

Watch, from the Grannies:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I travel all over the world and I am known as one of the greatest shoppers ever! No flea market, neighborhood store or thrift shop in any part of the world, is missed by me. I have bargained in Europe, Africa, South America, Asia and well ….all over the United States.

When you think about it, bargaining has been the way all cultures have been set up for thousands of years. It’s only in modern times with big box stores and chains that paying a fixed price has become the norm. In most developing countries it’s considered rude not to bargain or haggle, or do a give and take, walk away and come back dance. Most cases it’s not the amount but the ritual that’s more important – it’s considered honorable interaction and the way to communicate.

My mother got me started visiting and shopping at what was called in the 50’s “second-hand” stores. Some of the antique furniture, quality dishes and stemware that I have in my house came from these shops. She would buy a sofa for its ‘bones” and get it reupholstered over and over again. Chairs, tables – it didn’t matter as long as the items were quality. And as her daughter, I gladly carry-on her tradition to look for value and quality in thrift stores, and my daughter is my best shopping companion.

Granny Regina’s bargain and thrift tips:

• Be respectful – if you are at a flea market or out of the country, remember that these sales may be the only income the seller has.
•  Carefully examine the item you are interested in purchasing, as most thrift stores sell items as is with no refunds. If out of the country, it’s clear you won’t be returning. Select carefully.
• If you see something you really like, especially in a foreign country, buy it! You will never see one cheaper later on and will leave without something that was only a few pennies more than what you wanted to pay in the first place.
• Conversely, if there are hundreds of the same things you want to buy, then select the one you really want and let the games begin.
• I always begin determining the cost of what I will pay and then divide my bargaining up into thirds. Offer the first price from your lowest third level and then inch up to the second third level.
• Remember, the seller knows what his bottom line will be, and you need to find that middle.
• Don’t bargain disrespectfully.
• You find something in a thrift shop in the U.S. and you want it, but it has a stain (that can be removed) or needs its entire buttons replaced, do bargain with the store sales people.
• Visit thrift store discount days – the Unique Stores near my house always has half-price off on Monday’s. A blouse, or sweater may be $12 and you can get it for $6 just by going on discount day. They even have yellow, green and red tag days too.
• When shopping for clothes, wear tights and leotards with a top that can be easily removed. Most thrift stores do not have fitting rooms. Try on your items of interest over the tights – thus no need to disrobe.
• Don’t go hungry or be in a hurry – give yourself the time you need. I consider thrift store shopping as therapy for me and I take my time.
• Don’t buy something you have no purpose for or don’t need. Another pair of black jeans to go with your other 15 pair is just silly!
• Consider carefully if you want to go with a friend or friends – think about your shopping styles- I go it alone because I have a lot of patience and I am a systematic shopper. It irritates me when the person I am with takes a cursory look and says – okay let’s go, I can’t find anything. ARRGH.

Until next time! Please, share your bargaining and thrifting tips in the comments.

- Granny Regina

(Previously: Granny Pat’s tips on shopping light while you’re traveling.)

Photo: Community Thrift Store, Valencia, San Francisco.

Textiles with strong geometric patterns, stylized jackets representative of ethnicities of countries in Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe and wall art that captures daily life in settings around the globe made up the major items on my travel shopping list for several decades.  But recently things changed. I downsized my living accommodations significantly, precipitating the selling and giving away of some furniture and prized belongings.

This so called ‘editing’ process included not just many of the dozens of items collected over thirty odd years but a decision that I would now sharply reduce purchases on my travel adventures. Now I don’t mean giving up shopping entirely.  What fun would that be?  But I decided to make some major changes in ‘what’ I purchased.

As I looked seriously at budget and space to house any new purchases, I realized that size was truly important.  For one thing airlines charge an arm and a leg for bags and overweight fees are ridiculous.  Shipping is now out of sight for my budget so I realized that I would have to select items that were light weight and would fit comfortably in my purse or carry on. This obviously limits selection.

The shopping decision:  jewelry and scarves.  These two purchases are small in size and price points depend on my financial situation at the time of my trip.  But the choices in fabric, metals, stones, beads, etc.  in almost any part of the world are so fabulous that I still can have a wonderful time sashaying around and haggling for bargains in markets and bazaars around the world as I seek delightful products that will fit handily in my purse or tote.

For example on a recent trip to India, I purchased several colorful silk scarves at a major bazaar in Agra that I managed to secure for one third of the suggested price, purely by my sustained bargaining with a vendor who really wanted to sell his wares.  Also in India, I selected several dozen colorful bangles (great gifts for female relatives) for a ridiculously low $5.00 at an outdoor market stand.

These kind of small purchases memorialize the places I visit and of course, give me pleasure when I wear or give them as gifts..  Plus, I have decided that I truly like the idea of accessorizing with scarves in addition to jewelry and right now scarves are the ‘in’ accessory.

So there it is, my new direction in shopping.  So far it’s working perfectly for me. I’ll just go with the flow and remember my new mantra –yield not to temptation!

Ciao!

- Granny Pat

(Tomorrow, Granny Regina will tell you a few tips on bargaining in the US. Stay tuned!)

Photo: Scarves for sale near Ping’An village, near the city of Guilin in Guangxi Province of China. This Zhuang ethnic minority village is located high in the Longji mountains next to the famous Longji rice terraces. Via. 

“On Willow Pond” in Bangor, Michigan is an ideal place to visit all year long because there are a lot of things to do in each season. It’s small and private and offers three beautifully built A-frame homes, two that are available for rental and are stocked with everything you need – towels, soap, shampoo, trash bags, coffee, tea etc. One home has three bedrooms and the other two. Both have fireplaces, DVD players, washers and dryers, and wireless internet connections!

You do have to bring food if you want to cook, but you could also eat at the many restaurants in the area. We opted for cooking breakfast and lunch but going out for dinner and bringing home a doggy bag. There is even a fire pit outside the larger home where we toasted s’mores.

During summer you can fish in the pond right from your deck, catch frogs (like we did), sit in a swing in the covered gazebo, hike in the woods, or ride a horse through the woods with a guide. The property also offers the Willow Tree Equestrian Center with very reasonable prices ($25 for an hour for one person and $15 for each additional rider). The center offers carriage rides and in the winter they have sleigh rides — just like the old times!

My seven-year-old granddaughter is taking horseback riding and asked if her Granny would ride with her. I hadn’t been on a horse in a while but wanted to share this experience with her. Tanya was our guide and her horses made for an exciting, yet peaceful, hour-long ride through the woods.

In my opinion, family vacations are a wonderful time to relax, do something different and spend time with people you love.  I loved On Willow Pond for just this reason.

-Granny Regina

Photo: Willow Pond via homeaway.com

It’s so much easier to talk about all the things our country does wrong, to focus on the wars we are in and to obsess about the economy. But when I traveled to New York City last week with my friend who is from Peru and who had always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty, it became clear to me that we are indeed a nation of people who should stop and take time to think about what our country means to others less fortunate.

Elena is my friends’ name.  Born in Peru and living (legally, I must say) in the United States for the last 30 years, she had dreamed of seeing this “lady” of the island that has greeted more than 10 million immigrants to our country.  I had visited the statue when I was around ten and found it more interesting to climb up to her crown than what she stood for. This time, it was different.

As the ferry approached the island, Elena got more and more excited.  When we got really close, right before we docked, she looked at the statue and started crying. It took me back a little.

“Are you okay?”

She told me that just looking at that statue made her think of the power this country has for good, and all the things it stands for in the world. She said that she would never have been able to send her two girls to college in Peru. She said that in America, you had a chance to be all that you can be.

She wasn’t the only person being emotional.  I had tears in my eyes too after hearing her describe my country. Millions all over the world do see the statue and this country as the only place where opportunity is made  – no matter if you don’t have a formal education, you can get one in America.

Elena wanted to take a picture of the two of us standing in front of Lady Liberty, and when we asked two young ladies from Japan to snap the picture another Japanese gentleman jumped in our picture and nodded his head, as if to say – “this alright?” “Sure,” we said.  Shortly after the picture we noticed he was alone. He thanked us, and left with a big smile on his face. It was clear that he was equally happy to be there too and important for him to share this happiness with us.

As we see the Fourth of July weekend come and go, I think we all need to remember what this country stands for – freedom in all its forms.  Sometimes we have to stop and pay attention ourselves and take just a moment to reflect on all the good things we do for others and commit to take care of our people here in America – the soldiers who are fighting for us in countries that may not want us there. We know that we give our best and youngest children to fight these wars because the USA stands for something,  We need to let our leaders – nationally and locally know that we expect them to fight for us and work for the greater good of this country and its people, and if they don’t we can and will replace them.  And most importantly, we need to teach our children about citizenship and all that goes with it – about pride and about caring for this land and each other.

I told Elena I was glad I came with her to see Lady Liberty because it renewed my pride in being an American and that I will do my best not to take being a citizen of this great country for granted.

Celebrate our country, not only on the Fourth of July, but year-round and know that each of us is blessed to be living here.

Granny Regina

(Regina Fraser and Pat Johnson host PBS travel show Grannies on Safari. You can see episodes here. Read more about the Grannies here.)

This week, our bloggers remember one perfect summer day. Today, it’s the Grannies on Safari – meet them here. 

Rise early at 5am and have hot tea, Four Roses is my favorite, and a Rusk, which is typical Afrikaan dry biscuit (similar to a biscotti).

Get into your safari Range Rover van by 530a and head out into the Bushveld (grassy plains dotted with dense clusters of trees and shrubs) to search for what we Americans think of as exotic animals, like a Kudu which is a large Elk (very tasty too!). Stop, see the sun “whoosh” up into the sky – it seems as if it flies up like a big golden disc.

See the lions resting after a night of feeding (if they made a kill) as they are really relaxed, enjoy the smell of the early dew – see spider webs as big as five feet around, hear the birds waking up and trilling, see the cape buffalo and elephants relaxing because the dangerous night for hunting by the big carnivores is over.  You may see a leopard in a tree but are guaranteed to see lots of birds, giraffes, antelope and warthogs all alert and awake with the warmth of this big Southern Hemisphere sun!

Return to your camp and have a sumptuous full-board English breakfast of eggs, sausage, fresh fruit and fresh baked goods.  At Camp Jabulani you eat on a deck that straddles a river bed – who knows what animals you will see while eating, but get your camera ready!

Return to your private cottage at Camp Jabulani, soak in your own little pool surrounded by trees and beauty.  At Kapama Lodge return to your huge cottage (two are adjoined to each other) and take a nice bath in a really nice tub.

Bring along your favorite book and read leisurely on your patio or take a nap or treat yourself to the top-line services at the fabulous Camp Jabulani spa!

At 4pm return to the game reserve’s main deck for high tea and some yummy tarts, cakes and other baked goods.

Then…get ready for the escorted night game drive, meet your ranger and animal tracker (the person who tracks the animals while you’re out on your drive) and all together board your safari van for a nocturnal trek through the Busheveld once more! (the night drives are more intense and adventurous as the safari van has no tops and sides…and there are no lights out there!)

Right before the sun goes down we stop for “sun downers” – the safari van is parked in a clearing that allows you to get out of the van to watch the sun go down.  Your ranger breaks out a tray and bar set up with what you want to drink along with Biltong – a South African beef jerky type of snack or other snacks.  The idea is to leisurely have a drink and watch the sun go down (usually around 5p).

After sun-down, board the safari van again and continue driving for about three hours, looking for animals and getting up-close and personal to them – often you’ll find yourself following the lions as they head out to hunt, or observe the buffalo forming circles for protection as the night progresses, and the fearless elephants calling out to each other but otherwise absolutely silent as they move through bush and forest.  Be alert because while on safari, you are driving off the dirt roads and into the bush where the animals live and you have to dodge tree limbs, thorny Acacia bushes and sticky spider webs!

Before returning to the lodge, the ranger turns off the van motor and lights and look up into the sky to the stars.  Absolutely breathtaking….enjoy the sight and sounds of the Southern Hemisphere of Africa (low-lying stars, lions roaring, frogs calling out)

Return to your lodge for a complete gourmet dinner, which includes some exotic dishes made from ostrich, warthog, impala or buffalo – maybe even a dance or two from the locals to entertain you – and then enjoy drinks and stories about what animals you saw while on safari while a roaring fire dwindles down and its 10pm!

Go to sleep to do it all over again the next day.