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China 09

Jcapicy

Jcapicy

Veritas Aequitas
So a friend an I are planning a 2 week trip to backpack through China, and I was curious if anyone on here had been to China? Advise is always appreciated.

We have no itinerary, have already looked up hostels and what not as well as filled out paperwork to obtain passports in advance as well as doing a ton of research on what to bring, what not to bring, and tips on saving weight (as whatever we bring we will be carrying!)

Some would say it is easier to carry a 1 lb package 100 feet than it is to carry a 100 lb package 1 foot. I say they are the same!
 
I've been, but I didn't need to worry about carrying anything, because it was a choir trip. I can't remember the names of anything, but I would recommend the city of Hangzhou, it has a lake and those high mountains is beautiful. When you take a boat ride on the lake, it looks just like those unreal Chinese landscape paintings. I would also recommend the summer palace, but I can't recall which city that's in (I only went to Beijing, Nanjing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou, so it has to be one of those). The painting all over those buildings was amazing. So many beautiful paintings you couldn't take it all in! The forbidden city is cool, but a little boring compared to the summer palace. And of course you must go to the Great Wall.
 
The only locations we are planning are hong kong, the great wall and most likely shanghai, but for the most part it will be spontanious. I cannot wait. Alreaedy starting to work on Hep A&B vaccinations and my new passport. Even verified cell service(emergency only!) with TMobile and health insurance coverage!

We are also down for others joining us, but we are buying tickets no later than February and who-ever comes with(if anyone) just has to be able to keep up! all in all looking at 1500-2000 for airfare and planning on bringing 1500-2000 to cover boarding, food, etc. Hostels and Backpacker inns are cheap there no more than $16/night often with communal showers and sleeping rooms.
 
I've been...

Its a beautiful country, and I really loved being there. A great many things that are different.

What do you need to know???
 
Well we are backpacking, and both currently in the process of learnign basic Mandarin. Gonna be staying, mostly, in hostels with other backpackers, and just curious as to thing we should try not to miss, or any basic tips about visiting China other than the normal travel stuff.
 
I will be spending some time today research the herps we may encounter, as well as other wildlife in the region. I hope to come back with many a herp photos to share.
 
Jcapicy said:
Well we are backpacking, and both currently in the process of learnign basic Mandarin. Gonna be staying, mostly, in hostels with other backpackers, and just curious as to thing we should try not to miss, or any basic tips about visiting China other than the normal travel stuff.
Click to expand...

Well, for starters, don't expect people to help you without any money. There are plenty of people in China, and a couple of backpacking tourists is not that exciting, so no hitchiking, etc, for free, if you get my drift.

Depending on the areas that you plan to travel, you may need a translator to make sure someone doesn't take advantage of you. I think this is true of all foriegn countries, but I wanted to make sure you were aware again.

Food is good and cheap.

There are WAAAAYYY too many people trying to sell you stuff at the main tourist attractions. Be ready to be barraged by them at the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and other places.

Xian is amazing, and they have uncovered a LOT of new stuff since I went.

The Forbidden City is awesome, and so are a lot of the temples, depending on the cities you go. You must try to find at least some.

The Great Wall is just that... Great :D Its the steepest wall I've ever climbed.

Guilin is awesome as well.. The mountains there are the ones in the paintings that just slice out of the earth...

....... Beijing is awesome, and you can go and see where the Olympic games are being held... i never got to see it, as they were building it the last time I went.

You like Casinos? Go to Macau... You'll need another stamp on your passport though...

Hong Kong is awesome. Much the hub of the world based in China. Crowded, but I loved it.


Hopefully that helps. Anymore questions, let me know.
 
yes I am aware of needing a visitor's visa and although I would love to see tibet and where the olympics would be most of our plans are photography based, plus tibet might not be the best place to be right now. And I stress, we are not making plans more than 2-3 days in advance for anything and are both planning on bringing pleanty of money. I have already begun my classes to learn Mandarin. I have no intention of going to a casino, and would like to see the original parts of the Great Wall not those built between the 1970's and the present. All if all it should be an adventure, and a lot of good hiking and photography, though I don't plan to leave without checking out the airsoft shops in Hong Kong.


We are not against anyone joining us either. I will likely post when the flights are once I order tickets (Feb.) If anyone is interested I can help you find gear and let you know what should, might, and should not be brought. But be prepaired to keep up, and know that we are expecting to not be able to bath everyday (although most). We have 3 catagories for gear: Must Be Brought!, Not Needed, Weight Determined/Maybe

The concept on gear is, if you carry a 1lb book 400 feet it take the same amount of energy to carry a 400lb object 1 foot.
 
Carry toilet paper with you at all times. This is always a good rule for travelling, and China is no exception.

Also, don't wear baggy clothes like overalls. A good friend of mine, who wore a lot of corduroy overalls in college, found dealing with the Chinese toilet format particularly challenging. In that vein, don't wear pants that are too baggy at the ankles or too long. You don't want them touching the ground when you drop your drawers. You don't want ANYTHING touching the ground when you pop a squat.
 
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