After Thoughts & Tips

After Thoughts

I had a blast on this trip. I enjoyed the company of my three traveling companions. We had fun playing cards, singing Karaoke, and sharing things. I enjoyed all the sightseeing and learning about the historical background of the places I visited. I would like to come back again and hopefully do a more detail review of some of the places, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Because we covered a lot of ground during a short time, so it seemed that we were flying every few days. That was exhausting physically. But in return, I was able to see much more and that was well worth it. If you are interested in seeing many places in a short time, go with a tour group.

The most memorable part of the trip was the free soap opera that took place amongst the tour participants. I have to say, those conflicts added some spices to the entire experience. That's not to say that I enjoyed the company of someone like the Politician. He was too uncooperative and rude. It was hard to imagine that he was someone with a medical doctor's degree. I tend to think the more education you have, the better you carry yourself. He has surely proven me wrong.

However, I did end up getting to know some of the people through the trip that I would like to keep in touch with. After all, we did share some moments together.

I would recommend everyone to at least visit China once in his/her life time.

Tips

Here are some of the items that I would suggest you bring if you are visiting the areas that I visited, along with things to know in advance:

1. Moisturizing lotion or oil/chapstick/sunscreen: The weather there is pretty dry. To me, it feels dryer than San Franciso. Usually you can help by drinking a lot of water, but since the restrooms outsides of the hotels are not that great, I was careful with my water-intake, and that didn't help. Also, the water there is pretty harsh on your skin too.
2. Tissues: I would suggest that you bring lots of Kleenex tissue packets. Not all restrooms are equipped with toilet paper, or paper towels for drying hands. And they are just good to have in general.
3. Anti-bacterial gel: These are useful when you need to clean your hands but has not access to water/soap.
4. Water: Our tour guide told us not to drink the water directly from the tap. You can drink the water if it's been boiled. Our hotel (Beijing Shangri-la) gives 2 complimentary bottles of filtered water, and those are safe to drink. Hotel rooms are usually equipped with water heating pot, so you can use those to boil the water if you need to drink tap water. If you don't have time to buy bottled water, just boil the tap water and let it cool over night and rebottle them in your own water bottle. We have done this and no one has gotten sick. One more thing is that, if you are buying water bottles on the street, do not let the vendors open it for you. I've heard stories about how the vendors will refill the bottle with tap water for sale. When customer buys the water, the vendor would offer to open the bottle for you. When in fact what the vendor is doing is to hide the fact that the bottle has been reused and the cap wasn't sealed. I've had beers, hot tea and coffee and I made it all the way back with no problem.
5. $$ Exchange: Hotel has the best exchange rate and no service charge. We were able to get $8.21 to 8.25 for US$1. They also give you a receipt. You can exchange your leftover RMB money at the same rate at the end of your trip if you keep your receipt.
6. Services: Quality of services varies. Some people are better than others. But in general, most people are pretty rude and they serve you with no smiles. On our flight (Air China) to Beijing, none of the flight attendents smiled once.
7. Airport Tax: International airport tax is RMB$90 (about USD$11) per person, so be sure to have that amount of RMB available when you are at the airport.
8. Entry/Exit: You will need to fill out an entry form on the airplane, and an exit form when you depart. I departed from Shanghai Pudong airport. After going through security, you need to find and fill out the exit form before approaching the custom officers.
9. Passport: You will need your passport to check into your hotel. After you check in, it's best to leave your passport in the safe in your room, instead of bring it with you everywhere. Unless you know you will need your passport for specific reason, leave it at the hotel. Be aware of pick-pockets if you are in a busy area.
10. Food: We've had 95% restaurant food, and my family seem to be doing ok. A few things we've had from street vendors (although not in Beijing) include corn, sesame seed bread, and roasted chestnuts. Some restaurants are not that clean. If you have to go to those restaurants (like we were since we were on a tour), wipe your utensils/plates.
11. Restrooms: Most of the restrooms smell, and can have wet floors.
12. Taxi is pretty safe.
13. Language: Since I was on a tour, I didn't really communicate much with the locals. Since I also speak Mandarin, I didn't have any problem anywhere I go. I know in the hotels, they all speak English. And I know Beijing people has started to learn English in preparation for 2008 Olympics, so I think you are probably ok. Good phrases to learn is: Xie-Xie (thank you), and Bu-Yao (I don't want it) if you are swamped by street vendors at tourist sites.
14. Shopping: If you are shopping in Beijing, bring a shrew attitude and be prepared to haggle. Usually, they put really high price on things. It's really a waste of time, but if you are shopping, you need to haggle. Start with a price that's at least 1/3 or 1/4 of the asking price, and stick to it. Whatever price they give you, first thing you should say is "that's too expensive." I can give you 2 examples: my cousin bought a strand of black freshwater pearl necklace. THe asking price was close to US$800. She got it for $200 with a pair of earings to go with it. I bought some bookmarks. THe asking price was RMB$15 each, I got them for RMB$5 each. It's really a terrible way to do business, but if you want to shop, be ready to bargain. Also, never give them the money until you have the goods in your hand. I think you can pay both in US dollars and RMB in most places except for really small ones (like street vendors). I think there's a street called Xiu-Shui Jie (Xiu-Shui street), and that's where most of the apparel shops/stands are.
    
    If you are at a tourist site, there will be street vendors that come to you for postcards/hats, etc. If you don't make eye-contact and just keep walking, you might be ok. If they are all around you, just don't talk to them if you don't want to buy.