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Survival China Travel Tips And Tricks
hese China Travel Tips, with thousands of years of
Survival Techniques, will history and culture that is
help you get around and trying overnight to adapt to
make your trip to China easier, Western ways of living.
so you will be able to experience
the real China with a little less You need to have a very open mind
stress. when you Travel in China.
I have listed below a few China
China is an odd beast that needs Travel Tips that will make life
to be respected; the major that wee bit more bearable on
cities, Beijing, Shanghai, and your Travel China experience.
Xian, all have their own
personalities. China Travel Tips - Be Toilet
Wise
Some complex situations that you
think would be an organizational • Never expect a clean toilet
disaster turn out to be great and 100% of the time.
you wonder afterward what all the
fuss and worry was about. Then • Be prepared; Carry some
the simplest of tasks can turn tissue.
out to be a major calamity.
• You may have to use a squat
This is when you have what we toilet, again if you know this
call here a "China day". before hand it is not a shock. If
you don't know how to use a squat
These days come and go and are toilet, try the following
part of the experience of experiment at home.
everyday travel in China. One
needs to have an open mind when While holding onto something for
travelling China. It is a place support with both hands, lower
your body down into a low squat • Outside of the major cities,
position, so that the cheeks of the toilet systems are old or
your bottom is almost touching have very narrow plumbing /pipes
your heels or the back of your and get blocked easily. In these
calf. Now, let go with your cases a small basket is usually
hands. See if you stay in this beside the toilet, this is for
position for at least 1 minute. your used toilet paper.
If you fall backwards or you
cannot get up, then a squat One of the best China Travel
toilet could be a problem for toilet Tips I can give you, is
you! Practice, you will be happy use hotel lobby toilets; these
you did. are everywhere and are always
clean. Still they may not always
• If you see a clean toilet, have toilet paper. It depends on
Go... it may not come again for a the class of hotel that you are
while. using.
• There are many public toilets I do not wish to scare you.
around the cities, usually the However, of all the China Travel
ones you pay for are OK, (RMB Tips in all the other web sites I
.5), the others best to stay away have read, this is a topic not
from if you can. You will soon often mentioned, but it is very
notice them as you walk around important to us all.
the cities.
So outside of the major cities
• Be warned that public areas conditions can be tough. But most
like bus and train stations are of the time everything will be
usually what I class as "tough fine, especially if you book a
toilets", however if gotta go you tour; everything will have been
gotta go. checked out before hand. However
even the best laid plans can go people have a great habit of
wrong, so be prepared, the being very noisy when they eat
toilets in the smaller cities, and lunch and dinner times can be
towns and villages can be scary. a wonderfully noisy celebration,
food tends to go in all
China Travel Tips - The Food directions, its just part of
being in China.
• The food is great and the
variety is overwhelming. Most of • People also smoke at the
the time you get to choose what table while everyone is eating,
you eat, or you can recognize so some restaurants get very loud
what you're eating, however and smoky.
sometimes you do not get a
choice. Carry a chocolate bar or • If you get stuck what to
something; this will keep you order as most of the menu's are
going until some food that you in Chinese just look at the table
can recognize turns up. Drink next to you and point to the dish
bottled or boiled water, as the you fancy and ask how much it is,
tap water is NOT safe to drink, this system works really well and
this is for the whole of China. know seems to mind.
Even boiled water, while
sterilised can contain a lot of • I have a basic menu that will
minerals and iron deposits that help you order safe food, (no
you probably do not want in your Cats or Dog) this will enable you
system. The safest bet is to to visit a larger selection of
drink bottle water. Tap water in restaurants, not just the tourist
most big cities is OK for ones with high prices. You can
brushing teeth. carry it with you and use it in
the local restaurants where most
• Eating habits - Most Chinese will be able to serve what is on
it. This way you will know what
you are eating. • Carry your hotel or
accommodation business card with
These local places are very cheap you, written in Chinese, this
and the food it great. Contact me helps if you get lost walking
if you would like me to send it around town.
to you.
• In all the taxis around the
China Travel Tips - Taxis country you will see the drivers
name and taxi registration number
• China Travel Tips- Taxis - in plain sight. If you have any
Taxis are an experience that can problem, or if you think you have
have you griping the seat and been over charged etc, just take
gasping for breath; however you this number down, make a big fuss
soon get used to it, after the about it, and the driver then
first few rides, you're an old should wake up and fix whatever
hand. problem you have. Even better is
to take the receipt. This has all
• The taxis in Shanghai are, the trip details on it and you
overall, quite good. Try to get can ring the taxi company if you
the Blue, Blue'ish Turquoise, want to take things further or if
Gold and White taxis, these are you've left something in the
the best... these are the four taxi.
major taxi companies and are
generally recognised by their • The government takes rip-off
single colour paintwork. The drivers in all cities, Beijing
others are OK, just older and a and Xian especially, very
rougher ride (the others also may seriously and if you complain
have faulty metres). No drivers they will lose their license.
will speak English. This is their livelihood. So far
I have had not one driver in 3 Cameras, stuff like this is not
years that has not backed down worth buying in China, Hong Kong
and we have then agreed a price is still the best place for this.
for the trip or solved our
problem.
• Store hours in the major
• In Shanghai, it is common cities are from 10am to 10pm, 7
practice for taxi fare increases days a week.
after 11pm. However, one can
usually bargain for a 20% • Visa card is still the best
discount, which will get the fare card to carry, with ATM's in good
back to the pre-11pm rate. supply all with PLUS access etc.
Be strong with the taxi drivers, There is usually a surcharge for
never-the-less, keep your cool, use of VISA, MasterCard or other
smile and negotiate. forms of credit card.
China Travel Tips - Shopping • Wait on purchasing if you
can, look around to get a feel
• China Travel Tips - Shopping for the prices. The Chinese are
- China is a shopper's paradise, VERY experienced at selling and
Markets, Bargains; Top labels... know that we halve the opening
anything and everything if you price when bargaining.
have the time. With clothes, the In the markets go for 25% of what
larger (Western) sizes can be they first ask; go so low that
quite hard to find, however in they let you walk away. This will
the major cities where you get a give you an idea of the bottom
lot of tourist traffic, you can price. The resulting end-price
find them. will probably be around 40% to
50% of where they started.
• Electrical gear, DVD's,
Whatever the market people say, tablets etc, that you may require
they are used to pushing and should be in these shops. These
haggling for best prices. Do not shops are all over China.
worry about being too hard, they
are used to it and will not sell • There is a great network of
you an item unless they make a pharmacy type shops; these are
profit. Don't be concerned with indicated by a Green Cross. There
the apparently hurt body language will always be a 24 hr Green
when you go low - it is all part Cross pharmacy in the city you
of the game. As soon as they have are in. It is handy to carry a
wrapped up your first purchase, Phase book, as no one will speak
they will try to sell you English, however you will end up
something more. Remember to keep with something that will help.
smiling and having fun while
bargaining. • INPORTANT POINT - for most of
the mass produced packet type
medicines, the packaging will be
China Travel Tips - Medical written in Chinese on one side,
Treatment and Records English on the other. However in
the shops you only see the
• Most hotels will have a Chinese side. Have a good look,
doctor that you can see. In the turn the packs over, it gives you
major hotels English will be a lot more confidence knowing you
spoken. can read the package.
• Always take a small first aid • If you have a specific
kit, cold remedy, headache medical issue, take records, most
tablets at the very least. of the Doctors will have OK
WATSONS is a very large chain written / reading English, even
chemist. Most of the remedies, though their oral English will be
poor. NB.Before you buy a Chinese SIM
card, check that it will work in
China Travel Tips - Telephone your Cell / Mobile phone. There
are plenty of China Telecom shops
• Using the phone is as easy as that can help.
at home. However the person
picking it up will not speak China Travel Tips on when NOT to
English or have very broken move around China.
English... the Major 4- or 5-Star
Hotels will all be OK. • Spring Festival, this would
be the Chinese New Year time,
• What is worth doing is buying around the end of January / Early
a Chinese Telecom SIM card, they February
are about RMB100 and with this
you get RMB50 in calls, the other • Early May; Labour day
50 is for the price of the SIM Holidays
card; this SIM card will go into
all major brand phones and work • Early October; National Day
OK. Holidays
By doing this, people can reach Of all the China Travel Tips
you within and out of China if National Day is the biggest one.
there is an emergency. If you Millions of Chinese travel at
have a couple of phones, you can these holiday times of the year.
short (txt) message each other Most are travelling back to home
(SMS). Also you are able to call towns or visiting family. Hotels,
your tourist guide, hotel etc if trains, planes, cars, buses, and
you have any major problems. It roads are all crowded to the
is a cheap way to keep in touch. maximum. Major congestion,
everywhere.
Also travel fares are at their Domestic flights RMB 50
full price. No discounts are International flights RMB 90 -
offered! which is to be paid in local
Stay in one place and enjoy where currency.
you are. It's best and causes
fewer hassles. Just recently, tickets are being
tissued with the Construction Tax
China Travel Tips - TV included; however make sure you
have the Tax money with you just
• If you want to watch TV, most to make sure.
of the major hotels will have
cable and if you are in the I hope some of these China Travel
smaller places, the national Tips will come in handy and will
channel, CCTV9 is in English. make your trip to China that
Over the last couple of years it little bit easier.
has got a lot better, with some
great China Travel Tips programs, If you have been to China and
news and views on people and wish to share your China Travel
places around China. Tips, please feel free to contact
me anytime.
China Travel Tips - Airport Tax
John Mckenna
• There is a "construction fee" http://www.Travel-the-Real-China.
at almost all airports. com
About the Author:
Hi I'm John Mckenna, I am from New Zealand and have lived in Shanghai China now for 3 years.
I own and operate http://www.Travel-the-Real-China .com my site provides experienced based Travel and Tour information on the wonders of Travel in China, the Real China, Ancient China, China at its very best
Source: www.isnare.com
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