International House Hunters: living in (Capital) Paradise

Capital Paradise Club House

I feel like we have been in an episode of "International House Hunters." We went out with a realtor on house-hunting expeditions in Shunyi, the northwestern suburbs of Beijing. Did we want the fancy neighborhood close to the school, a great location but tiny townhouses, or more spacious living in a less luxurious compound, a fifteen minute drive from school?  We loved the apartment in the heart of the city, but the commute to work was a killer and the kids will be happier in the suburbs. After much deliberating, we settled on our new home. We are outside of the city--the area used to be all farmland and traditional villages, but the city is expanding rapidly.  We found a semi-detached house in a gated compound, called Capital Paradise.  There are about 300 houses in the compound, along with a clubhouse, which has an indoor-outdoor pool, gym, raquetball, a restaurant, nail and hair salon, and even a bowling alley.  What more could we want? Oh yes, a petting zoo!  There are several other gated neighborhoods in the area (all with equally interesting English names: Lemon Lake, Beijing Riviera, River Garden).  Most of the expat families live around here, as there are three other international schools in the area.  There are also many Chinese families in the neighborhood as well, so we are not completely isolated from local society!

Lars got a trampoline for his 10th birthday

Our house is "semi-detached"--kind of a duplex. In Capital Paradise there are also townhouses, apartments, and large villas. We have three bedrooms, an upstairs den which can be a guest room (hint, hint) a garage, and full basement. Lars already has plans for the basement to be turned into the ultimate kid zone, complete with ping pong, video games, and other kid friendly delights.  For the moment, however, the basement is full of boxes. As we don't have much closet space in the bedrooms, it may be a while before Lars' visions become reality!  There is a tiny grass side yard and back patio--spacious, really, by local standards.  We don't really need a big yard. The kids can bike in the compound and there are places to play soccer, and basketball courts. We also understand that soon it will be COLD so we won't be spending that much time outdoors anyway.

In front of our new house

We are not planning to have a car.  Traffic is crazy, cars are expensive, and the driver's license is very hard to get.  Instead, we use a regular driver, like a private taxi, to get to and from work. The kids can take a school bus--the school sends out charter buses all over the city to bring the kids to and from school.   Riding with Zhang-Tao, our driver, is helping us learn some basic Chinese. However, the kids are progressing much faster than we are, so we rely on them to tell him what time to come back to pick us up! We can also take a subway line or bus into the city, which would probably take about 30 minutes or so.

visions of barbecues!

When we don't need a car in the area, we use our bikes.  The kids' bikes came in our shipment, while Joergen and I just bought bikes locally. Beijing is TOTALLY flat, really a desert geographically, so it is perfect for bike riding.  I have an enormous granny basket on the front, so I can pedal to the local supermarket and get what I need!  We are also in biking distance of a nice little shopping center, and small mall. There are many restaurants, including Domino's pizza,  a Mexican place,  Indian, as well as many local Chinese places.   We can shop in local vegetable and fruit markets. Meat is sold in the "Wet Market."   There is a flower market with all kinds of plants and flowers, indoor and outdoor, close by as well.  Most conveniently, there is a big supermarket called Jenny Lou's which specializes in imported goods from all over the world, where we can buy peanut butter, soups, spices, cereals, even Norwegian Salmon. We are not hurting for good food!  Best of all, ALL of these places deliver, including the grocery store.

So far, life is good in Capital Paradise.  Lars is enjoying new found freedom by biking around the neighborhood. There is a small supermarket just outside the front gate, and he has already successfully gone there by himself to buy ice cream for the family.  Anne-Katrine and I checked out our new nail salon last weekend. The girls don't speak a word of English, but we managed to get our toenails painted and had a fabulous foot massage. Joergen is happy with the patio--perfect for grilling!  Lars is playing soccer on the weekends, and his games are held at one of the other international schools which is in biking distance. This Sunday, the whole family plans to ride bikes to the game.


So, we are all set up and ready to have visitors!  Let us know when you are coming!