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I think taxi drivers would be ready to go Huanglong first, then JZG. However, Huanglong is not on the route to JZG and it will be quite a long day. If you have no travel delays in the morning (this often happens on the JZG flight) I think you will be able to do it. Going to JZG first is not practical, unless you do it the other way around and go to Huanglong on the last day on your way back to the airport. Huanglong is quite high altitude so when in the park, drink plenty and take it very easy. Have fun!
there are baby-toddler playgroups organized by foreign women, please check the website of http://www.chengduiwc.org/. They meet at the Golden Notes music school in Tongzilin (opposite World Carrefour).
I’m not sure if Musicbox is still meeting; if it is, they are at the Little Feet playground in the Global Center (4th floor).
Where we live there are one or two commercial play centers aimed at babies/toddlers, I guess they must be all over town.
The above are all activities where a parent or ayi must accompany the kids.
For a Chinese kindergarten, I think it would be most practical to find one close to where you are living. Some compounds even have a kindergarten on site, or just around the corner. Not only practical, also will have many kids from your compounds so more playmates in your surroundings! I have no idea how each kindergarten is with waitinglists and enrollment for only half a year or so.
There are many upmarket chinese kindergartens by now, perhaps they are easier on the waitinglist issue. Golden Apple, Soong Ching Ling, I just heard about a new one near Egret Island community… but they are pricey.
EtonHouse kindergarten takes kids from 18 months till 6 years, chinese division may still have places, international division definitely will have space. Other international schools take kids from 3.5 years up, but only foreign passport holders.
I’m sure you will find a good place for your children once you are here. If you are renting through a real estate agent, they might be able to assist you in locating kindergartens near your home.
Good luck!
the problem is not to find an indoor pool, but a heated one. Most pools get extremely chilly in winter! Have you tried the pool near/in Europe City? I heard good stories about it.
One day, we walked from the top point on the right path to just below the center. The second day, we walked from the center to the exit. (All downhill). But we had two small kids with us, so perhaps you can do it faster and do most of the route in one day.
We stayed at Zhou Ma’s ‘homestay’ (look her up on tripadvisor) which is located in a small village outside the town. If you like to be in the outdoors all the time and get some cultural experience you could try it, but you will depend on one of the guys working for them for transport to/from the town (for free). It’s very basic but a good experience. I’ve not stayed in the town but I guess if you’re pressed for time and just want to focus on JZG and Huanglong parks, it is more efficient. There are many hotels in JZG. I don’t think there are hotels in Huanglong. I completely agree with squirrel suit. We had two complete days of walking almost alone. Chinese tourists don’t walk, they stop at the picture stops and then board the bus again. But if the weather is nice you can walk the whole route without seeing many people. However, not every ‘spot’ has a bus stop, so take care how long you plan to walk. There are some points where you can get instant noodles, but better take some lunch and drinks with you. The only part we skipped walking was the stretch between the very top bus stop and the commercial center in the center of the park (the ‘left’ path of the fork), because the paths were closed and the lakes all dried up. Things will be very clear once you get there and see a map of the area.
for public pools, try the Mengzhuiwan pool, just under the TV tower but on the inside of the river. It has several large sports pools, and is heated in winter. Not expensive. 猛追湾游泳池
Hotel pools are often open to public, but membership can be expensive. But you often get spa use and fitness use included. Try any large hotel in your area…
Dear Emma, have you been there before? Before I went I also was worried about how to get around, since there is hardly any practical travel info to find anywhere. But it is actually really straightforward. At the airport, there are many taxis that take you straight into town, from any hotel you can easily find a taxi to the park. Inside the park you don’t need a guide and transport is taken care of by busses included in your entrance ticket. Also at your hotel, it is easy to arrange transport to Huanglong and back to the airport. All is very much geared towards tourists coming to Jiuzhai. Perhaps in stead of joining a tour group (there is really nothing you would need a tour guide for), why don’t you try to find a few other individuals who would like to join you there? I agree that travelling together is more fun!
You could try the Alliance Francaise Chengdu http://www.ambafrance-cn.org/L-Alliance-francaise-de-Chengdu-demenage or http://www.afchengdu.org
never tried but I think it is unlikely they will accept. Use a Chinese bank card, or draw money with your foreign bank card from an atm and pay cash.
Hi Lucy, if your son will attend international school, some competition is organized through them. Otherwise, it is best to ask the swim coach at those schools for the Chinese swim competition teams. Most probably, they will be all in Chinese (with the occasional person who speaks some English) but if your son is really keen that may work and he can learn Chinese while swimming. If you don’t have contacts in the international school world, contact this person http://www.gochengdoo.com/en/classifieds/item/36281/flying_dolphin_swim_club He’s the swim coach at Leman school.
he does not run a program you are looking for, but he should know about what’s happening in the Chengdu swimming world.Buy the right kind of tablets for the area (check with your UK tropical center) and bring them. They are not available here, at least I never found them, and having them sent over by a clinic here costs a fortune.
I have online banking at ICBC. When my Alipay wallet was empty one day, I noticed the buttons for payment through the bank. It asked me to setup this functionality and somehow I managed to get through the screens, don’t ask me how. Now, if I pay something, it gives me both my wallet or my bank account as option for payment. Very convenient!
After weeks of using the post-office top-up for Alipay, my biggest discovery was to connect Alipay to my bank account. In any case, the post office people often did not know what I wanted, anyway.
Also, consider the dinosaur museum in Zigong.
Definitely also check out the local parks.
You can find more suggestions here http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/chengdukidsoutdoors/info
especially in the ‘links’ section (including a map) and the ‘files’ section (with descriptions of places and how to get there).Enjoy!
Somerset is more than luxurious enough for her purposes.
A graduate student does not have to practice their subject of study to be able to study it. You don’t have to be Chinese to study Mandarin. You don’t have to be a buddhist to study a topic in Tibetan religion.
And do you have any idea about how wealthy some buddhist monks are? Nothing poor about them.
Tibetan religion doesn’t seem simple to me at all…. and by the way, the smaller the subject seems, the bigger the questions can be, Goatboy, no need to look down on anybody’s research.
Somerset is one of the most popular residences for the expat community in Chengdu. You can’t go wrong there I guess. You can get something furnished much cheaper if you take your time to search for it, but it will not be ‘serviced’ as the Somerset is (meaning they will also clean it and provide breakfast).
