Traveling through China with kids in tow is not what many would have envisioned for their next family escape. You probably have heard that the place is too crowded… the pollution un-sufferable… and all that culture and history is just “too boring” for the little ones.

With a population of 1.5 billion people, give or take a few million, it is a bit more crowded than we are used to, and air quality is a real problem, but with a little planning and an open mind, China could be indeed, a great adventure destination for the entire family. And yes, it is possible to combine 5,000 years of history with a little fun…

Where to Go?

There is a lot more to traveling to China than just seeing the Great Wall. This is such a vast land, it is a good idea to plan your itinerary with map in hand and consider what the different destinations have to offer in terms of your interests and activities to keep the children involved and out of trouble.

Here are some suggestions to help you get started:

• Beijing, the Capital Beijing is a modern, energetic and dynamic metropolis which once saw the rise and fall of many imperial dynasties. The site of the 2008 Summer Olympics is home to China’s most famous historical sites such as the Forbidden City and Tian’anmen Square. To make the most out of your sightseeing try to keep a relaxed pace and incorporate activities to keep the kids entertained. The children will appreciate taking a break from temples, palaces and mausoleums to fly a kite, hire a row boat and paddle in one of the many lakes, ride rickshaws in the ancient alleyways or just simply slow down to bargain at the markets and check out some exotic foods. Beijing is also the starting point for your Great Wall expedition. But don’t just climb the Great Wall… take time to explore the watchtowers, bring a picnic, then toboggan down…
• Xian The army of Terracotta Warriors discovered by farmers in 1974 is what put Xian in the China tourist map. This collection of more than 8,000 life-size statues, all with unique features, is really an archeological marvel that the children will enjoy checking out. Besides the Terracotta Army, Xian has much to offer. The Xian City Wall is probably the best preserved city wall in China, so hire some bikes and zip around the entire perimeter. Stop now and then and watch as Chinese everyday life unfolds down below.
• Shanghai Shanghai does not have the historical treasures that Beijing has to offer, or the remarkable archaeological discoveries of Xian, but it is here that the sharp contrasts of an ancient culture trying to cope with progress are more evident. As the nation’s business and financial center, its futuristic skyline blends in with a touch of the old and the traditional in the many courtyards and gardens intermingled in the Old Town. Sail along the Huangpu River, where freighters cruise along barges, junks and sampans. And kids don’t want to miss the sleepy water villages… or the fastest trains in the world…
• Guilin and Yangshuo Take a break from the glitz and dynamism of the big cities and head over to the countryside. Kids will enjoy biking through small villages and rice paddies, cruising down the rivers in small bamboo rafts winding around spectacular gumdrop mountains or going for a short trek here and there. This is some of China’s most spectacular scenery and you will feel like you have been dropped in the middle of an ancient Chinese painting.

Regardless of where you choose to go, there are many fun activities you can incorporate in your sightseeing with the children: cooking lessons, tai chi or kung fu, maybe some calligraphy or Chinese painting… the possibilities are really endless.

Plan your trip, pack the kids and have a great time in China.

Miriam Hoffmann is the founder and website developer of http://www.china-family-adventure.com Visit the website for helpful tips on planning your trip to China with the kids, videos and picture galleries.

A swimmer’s paradise, a bird-watchers dream come true, and a great place for those who like to be outdoors. Lake Bunyonyi is a great get-away destination.

Lake Bunyonyi is the deepest lake in Africa and the second-deepest in the world,with locals saying the greatest depth is 900m in some places. It is one of the lakes in Uganda where swimmers are considered not at risk of bilharzia, a diseased caused by a parasite carried by snails.

The surrounding hillsides are said to look like the landscape described by JR Tolkien in his book The Lord of the Rings. The rolling hills have different shades of green, depending on what crop has been planted on them. Terraces of banana plantations, Irish potatoes and cassava dot the landscape.

With the beauty and availability of accommodation and food, Bunyonyi is fast becoming the destination for many backpackers and honeymooners. And these people on vacation are helping the local population.

But not all is good. There is shortage of land, especially for people living on the islands across the lake. Cutting down of trees to make charcoal has left many farmers with problems such as soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients.

Until recently, many people drowned on the lake. Canoes would overturn and people who did not know how to swim, would die. However, swimming lessons have helped increase safety on the lake.

There was a significant turning point and now nearly every resort, campsite or hotel on the lake is attached to a project to make its local community better.

For example, Byoona Amagara, a tourist resort on Itambira island, asks guests to donate sh1,000 each, before touring the island. The money goes to the Itambira Island Medical fund. Since many of the walking trails cross local residents’ property, the Byoona Amagara staff wanted to use the money to help the community.

Across the lake, Bwama Island, the largest of all islands, is home to the widows’ garden project, an arm of the Lake Bunyonyi Development Company. The widows’ gardens allow 85 widows from several sub-counties to farm, to get enough food for their families. Lake Bunyonyi Development Company hires land on behalf of the widows. The company also supports many projects using finances from Bushara Island Camp.

Other programmes include a school sponsorship programme, orphan care centres, agro-forestry, give-a-goat project, hospitality training, HIV/AIDS workshops, arts and crafts workshops and swimming lessons.

Originally a partnership between the Church of Uganda and ACTS, a Canadian aid organisation, Lake Bunyonyi Development Company began by giving tree seedlings to farmers to stop soil erosion. Currently, nearly all the hospitality workers at all the resorts around the lake owe their training to the company.

The first resort to benefit from hospitality training was Bushara Island Camp, which was began as just a place to pitch a tent with a small canteen providing simple meals.

Bunyonyi is developing in a way that will continue to be sustainable. And for the tourist looking to feast on the delicious freshwater crayfish, a speciality of the lake, helping out the community at the same time is pretty easy to stomach.

Accommodation/Activities

Getting there
There are regular buses from Kampala to Kabale (try Post Bus or Jaguar). From Kabale, it is a short trip by boda boda via Rutinda on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi

Accommodation

Byoona Amagara
A great restaurant compliments rustic cabins and dorms. Many backpackers prefer the open air geodomes (mosquito nets available). Rates begin at about sh14,000.

Bushara Island Camp
The original and still the best option. Bushara Island Camp offers furnished safari tents, cabins and treehouses, in the place of little birds. Rates from sh40,000.

Bunyonyi Overland Resort
Located on the mainland, around the corner from Rutinda market, this resort offers safari tents, chalets, and twin rooms. Rates from about sh 30,000.

Visitor activities

Bird watching
Lake Bunyonyi is a great place to see colonies of weavers, as well as bigger birds such as herons, egrets, the grey-crowned crane and the crested crane.

Island Hopping
Learn the history of the islands as you paddle or motor to visit them. Bwama Island was formerly the location of a leper colony, while unmarried pregnant girls were abandoned on Akampeine Island (Punishment Island) to either starve to die or be rescued by single men from neighbouring villages.

Visiting the Batwa
The UK-based Forest Peoples Project, a charity that works to protect the rights of the Batwa people, can arrange for you a trip to a local Batwa village. Tour-operators can also arrange these visits.

Shopping
For local produce including mud fish (for the brave) can be found at the Rutinda Visiting the local market especially on Monday’s and Friday’s. The Kyevu Market can be visited on Wednesdays and Fridays when pygmies are selling their wares.

Kala Calah Kiiza is an author and expert in travel in Africa her other articles can be viewed from Uganda tours and http://tour-uganda.com/primate-tours/wildlife-citytour-chimp-safaris.html

With great street food, a vibrant nightlife, superb temples and a range of outdoor activities, the charming capital of Northern Thailand makes for a great escape. Here are some tips on how to spend the ultimate weekend.

Friday, 4pm: Arrive in Chiang Mai and head for the Rachamankha, (053) 904 111.

This small boutique hotel is located just behind Wat Phra Singh, and its design pays testament to Lanna arts and culture. The low-rise complex follows the tradition of an ancient Chinese courtyard, with an open space surrounded by lovely rooms and gardens. The tiled roofs, whitewashed walls and golden parasols are inspired by Wat Phra That Lampang Luang in Lampang province.

7pm: Travel from Thapae Gate to Nong Hoi neighbourhood, and sample the local dining scene at Lung Rad Kai Ob Fang restaurant. This is uncle Rad’s joint, a friendly beer garden and popular place to hang after work. Relax with a beer at a rustic wooden table under a thatched roof sampling such Lanna delights as sai ua (pork sausage), larb khom (bitter spiced mince) and om (bitter soup). Not to be missed is the house special, straw-roasted herbal chicken with a spicy dip.

9pm: It’s Friday night, and Chiang Mai is brimming with pubs and bars. If you’re in the mood to dance, try the Riverside Pub & Restaurant, (053) 243 239, beside the Ping River. This is a spacious venue with a fine selection of food and drinks and good live music from 10pm, so the dance floor is usually writhing with beautiful people. If it’s too crowded for you, head to Mandalay, (053) 208 395-8, a dance club with a wild streak.

Midnight: After sweating it out on the dance floor, you need to fill up before hitting the sack. Down a narrow lane beside Wat Saen Fang is a food stall known locally as Daeng Pak Ma (Daeng “the Bad Mouth”), a reference to its moody owner. Ignore the name, though. The stall serves excellent soft-boiled rice and tasty accompaniments. Personal favourites are the fried morning glory, and the salted egg with fried vegetables.

Saturday, 6am: You can’t say you’ve been to Chiang Mai unless you’ve witnessed the hurly-burly of a market. Head to the markets at Kad Luang, Chiang Mai Gate and Ton Lamyai, find a nice coffee stall, and watch the city spring to life.

9am: Chiang Mai City Museum (www.ChiangMaiCityMuseum.org), a short walk from Wat Phra Singh, takes you on a historic journey

back to the city’s origins. The

renovated town hall exhibits

artefacts that date from pre-historic times to Classic Lanna, from stone caves to golden teak-wood mansions. It’s open daily, except Mondays.

Noon: Time for lunch, and Rachamankha is a great place to eat. Porcelain from the Ming Dynasty on antique Chinese tables give an elegant air to the restaurant, but do check out the airy and leafy courtyard, where you can also wine and dine. Enjoy a glass of chilled champagne and savour a selection of authentic Lanna and Shan dishes.

3pm: On the east bank of the Ping River, southeast of municipal Chiang Mai, is the ancient town of Wiang Kum Kam. Established by King Meng Rai in the 13th century as a centre of Lanna, the ancient town was flooded, buried, and considered a “lost city” for centuries. The Fine Arts Department excavated it in the 1980s, and the ruins are well worth a visit. Take a tuk-tuk (Bt150) from Thapae Gate to Wiang Kum Kam or better still, rent a bicycle (Bt20) at the Visitor Centre.

5pm: Black Canyon, a coffee shop next door to Thapae Gate, is the best place to have a beer – or a coffee – and watch the world go by. The restaurant has a counter on the terrace outside its air-conditioned room, and the best seats are those facing the high wall of Thapae Gate, from where you can view an ever-changing scene of tuk-tuk drivers, street hawkers and backpackers.

7pm: If you’ve had enough sai ua sausage, nam-prik num (green chilli dip) and hung le curry, why not try the foie gras and fillet steak at Le Crystal? This riverside French restaurant also has an impressive wine list.

10pm: Your trip to Chiang Mai wouldn’t be complete without shopping, whether for woodcarvings, hilltribe clothes, paintings or silverwork. These and much more can be found all over the city until late at night.

Sunday, 9am:

After a bowl of rice congee and Chinese buns at Santi Restaurant at Chang Phuak Gate, it’s time to visit the temples inside Chiang Mai’s old town. Wat Chiang Man, Wat Saen Fang, Wat Phantao and Wat Phra Singh stand side by side, and they’re peaceful in the morning. Again, your best mode of transportation is bicycle.

Noon: Head to the corner of Singharat and Rachadamnoen Roads, and have lunch at Baan Laansa. Converted from an old wooden house, the pleasant guesthouse serves great fusion and Northern food. You’ll love the shady garden and easy-going ambience. Since it’s Sunday the Rachadamnoen Road will be car-free, so take the opportunity to finish up your shopping before heading back to the Rachamankha.

4pm: Fly out of Chiang Mai.

Phoowadon Duangmee

The Nation