- Nov 28, 2001
- 22,205
- 43
- 91
So my final post from China. I'll start with some simple travel tips (some of these I pulled from the other posts):
Here are my previous 2 posts:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=38&threadid=2310060
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=38&threadid=2311396
-China has a very well developed tourism industry aimed mostly at internal tourism. Unfortunately a lot of "tourist" destinations are little more than excuses for peddlers to set up their stalls to hawk the usual knockoff wear you see in all the other street markets. As usual do your research and plan out the sites you want to visit carefully. If possible don't follow a tour group. The local tour groups are almost exclusively in Chinese and are often dull dull dull! Instead of elucidating a regions history and cultural heritage they are as likely to point out all the rock formations along the way that are shaped like various animals. That and they will take you to every trinket market along the way. Unless you can find a good foreign tour group I would avoid them like the plague as well, but that's just me. That and they will take you to the absolute worst restaurants! I like to blend into the culture I'm visiting and experience it from the inside, you won't be able to do that with any tour group.
-Taxis in China are usually very cheap compared to the west. Averaging something like 7RMB per kilometer. For those in the US that's about 1US dollar per 0.62 Miles. Good for getting from the airport to your hotel with your bags. For traveling inside major cities though the local buses are on the order of 1rmb per trip which us REALLY cheap.
-BROTP Bring your own toilet paper!! (Everywhere!)
-Get used to using squat toilets, it's not that bad once you get used to squatting and get over the smell
-Getting a HEP A and B vaccine is HIGHLY recommended! Trust me it will give you some peace of mind when eating out.
-Food will likely be one of the highlights of your trip. Expect to pay around 60RMB or so at a local restaurant for 4 or 5 dishes and 2 large beers (equal to 4 reg size beers). That's about $9 US for a good sized meal. Street food is also very good and cheap in most places. Expect to get the runs because as a westerner your GI tract is not used to the lower sanitary conditions here.
-One of the best ways to enjoy any city is to make a friend or two and have them take you out. The Chinese love to treat their friends to a night on the town. If you do this let them treat you! Though you should always offer to pay ultimately they will insist and usually you should give in to avoid insulting them.
-Hotels can be another bargain here. Avoid the large American chains as you will only pay too much. Also avoid the local large tourist joints. Try to find a hotel frequented by domestic businessmen. One suggestion I have is a chain called Ru Jia which is basically a copy of Best Western. Clean rooms, clean bathrooms, free internet, TV and the usual amenities. Expect to pay something on the order of 190RMB per night ($30US) for a double bed.
-Always be weary of frauds and scams. If something seems fishy it probably is. Also keep a close eye on your personal belongings at all times!!
-If you want to purchase some of the famous Chinese knockoffs (be it Rolex's, Prada bags or other trinkets) make sure to Haggle Haggle Haggle! Even the locals do. There is no such thing as a fixed price for these items. As soon as they see you are a foreigner they will jack up the price 3x or more. However don't haggle at malls, for street food or in restaurants!
-The country side offers some very beautiful scenery.
-Cities I recommend visiting. Shanghai (for sheer skyscraper goodness). Beijing and Xi'an for the BIG tourist sites. Dalian, Xiamen, Nanning for a clean almost Mediterranean like atmosphere.
Here are my previous 2 posts:
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=38&threadid=2310060
http://forums.anandtech.com/me...id=38&threadid=2311396
-China has a very well developed tourism industry aimed mostly at internal tourism. Unfortunately a lot of "tourist" destinations are little more than excuses for peddlers to set up their stalls to hawk the usual knockoff wear you see in all the other street markets. As usual do your research and plan out the sites you want to visit carefully. If possible don't follow a tour group. The local tour groups are almost exclusively in Chinese and are often dull dull dull! Instead of elucidating a regions history and cultural heritage they are as likely to point out all the rock formations along the way that are shaped like various animals. That and they will take you to every trinket market along the way. Unless you can find a good foreign tour group I would avoid them like the plague as well, but that's just me. That and they will take you to the absolute worst restaurants! I like to blend into the culture I'm visiting and experience it from the inside, you won't be able to do that with any tour group.
-Taxis in China are usually very cheap compared to the west. Averaging something like 7RMB per kilometer. For those in the US that's about 1US dollar per 0.62 Miles. Good for getting from the airport to your hotel with your bags. For traveling inside major cities though the local buses are on the order of 1rmb per trip which us REALLY cheap.
-BROTP Bring your own toilet paper!! (Everywhere!)
-Get used to using squat toilets, it's not that bad once you get used to squatting and get over the smell
-Getting a HEP A and B vaccine is HIGHLY recommended! Trust me it will give you some peace of mind when eating out.
-Food will likely be one of the highlights of your trip. Expect to pay around 60RMB or so at a local restaurant for 4 or 5 dishes and 2 large beers (equal to 4 reg size beers). That's about $9 US for a good sized meal. Street food is also very good and cheap in most places. Expect to get the runs because as a westerner your GI tract is not used to the lower sanitary conditions here.
-One of the best ways to enjoy any city is to make a friend or two and have them take you out. The Chinese love to treat their friends to a night on the town. If you do this let them treat you! Though you should always offer to pay ultimately they will insist and usually you should give in to avoid insulting them.
-Hotels can be another bargain here. Avoid the large American chains as you will only pay too much. Also avoid the local large tourist joints. Try to find a hotel frequented by domestic businessmen. One suggestion I have is a chain called Ru Jia which is basically a copy of Best Western. Clean rooms, clean bathrooms, free internet, TV and the usual amenities. Expect to pay something on the order of 190RMB per night ($30US) for a double bed.
-Always be weary of frauds and scams. If something seems fishy it probably is. Also keep a close eye on your personal belongings at all times!!
-If you want to purchase some of the famous Chinese knockoffs (be it Rolex's, Prada bags or other trinkets) make sure to Haggle Haggle Haggle! Even the locals do. There is no such thing as a fixed price for these items. As soon as they see you are a foreigner they will jack up the price 3x or more. However don't haggle at malls, for street food or in restaurants!
-The country side offers some very beautiful scenery.
-Cities I recommend visiting. Shanghai (for sheer skyscraper goodness). Beijing and Xi'an for the BIG tourist sites. Dalian, Xiamen, Nanning for a clean almost Mediterranean like atmosphere.
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