Thorn Tree travel forum

1

I presume you're going to get a double-entry visa, as you'll need one.
1st tip for you, skip the darned 3 Gorges cruise.
I'm planning a weekend trip to Putuoshan from Shanghai and the cost is running around 500-600 RMB or more for 2 days.
How are you planning to go from Putuoshan to Xiamen? Just because it looks logical geographically doesn't necessarily mean that the transport links will be good (or direct).
I think you'll have problems getting decent tickets for these legs: Suzhou -- Taishan, Taishan -- Pingyao, Pingyao -- Tianjin.
Cheers!

2

Hi,

I'm thinking of taking a two month trip to China (August and September). I'm a 28yo, guy who will have just finished taking my bar exam (law school). I've traveled a far amount through SEA, as well as elsewhere, but I've never been to China. I was hoping to go someplace where I could spend most or all of my 2 months off and that wasn't a place where I would be likely to want to take a 1-2 week holiday once I've started working.
I've been reading a lot about China (and Japan since I'm thinking of doing a 7-10 day layover on the way there or back). Outside of reading the board and checking out a guidebook, where would you recommend getting information about destinations? Particularly for the OP, how did you pick the cities that are on your list. Outside of the "majors," I really don't know that much about where I'd like to go.
My budget is not particularly tight, but since I'm traveling on borrowed money, less is more. I was speculating that 50USD/day would be sufficient (assuming that smaller expenses in smaller cities offset higher costs in bigger cities). I'd like to avoid hostels, but I don't need anything fancier than a small single bed with a ceiling fan and a shared bathroom). I'm happy to eat at, and maybe even prefer, street-side food vendors.
A few other questions: A double-entry visa is required to go to HK? The flights I've seen have been averaging $1200 from NYC. Seemed like a lot, but does anyone know whether better deals are to be had? And just to highlight, my main question is where is a good source of information about destinations.

Thanks!

3

Welcome to China ! I'm from HongKong. I traveled often to China in recent 4 months. Because I am keen to practise my Putonghua. China is a huge country , many places are sightworthy even speaking in one province. So don't be greedy to visit all at one time, from one place to another place are far distance and not easily to handle if you have no command of Chinese. Like me, now I would prefer concentrate solely on one province + nearby province. You may find my fresh China travel tips and photos from www.virtualtourist.com, search me by member name : isa77 and view other travelers' photos and tips who had visited China too.

4

#2, you would get more (and better) replies if you start your own topic instead of piggy-backing onto someone else's.
You'll need a double-entry visa for China if you're "leaving" mainland China somewhere in the middle of your trip by going to Hong Kong or Macau.
Your budget of 400 RMB (50 USD) per day should be enough for a slightly-above-backpacker budget, including some emergency money. Does NOT includes external flights (ie to/from China) and too much shopping.
If you could tell me what your sightseeing interests and preferences are, I'll offer to help you work out an itinerary that you'll be satisfied with. PM/email both fine with me.
Cheers!

5

Thanks everyone.

*Ellyse * - Yeah, from Putuoshan, I'll have to go back to Ningbo, then back to Hangzhou, then down to Xiamen via Zhanping. It's tricky to work out, but I've managed to find a map that has train lines on it.

What problem do you expect I'll have with the Northern China lines? Is is again, the indirectness issue or are train lines up there just more unreliable? It looks like there's a direct train from Suzhou to Jinan (a short bus trip from Tai Shan I think...)

I'm hoping to get the 6 month multiple entry, but I'll need the 60 day version, so I can stay in mainland for my second leg longer than 30 days. As far as what I plan to see - I'm open. I'm more interested in walking around, eating talking to people than seeing all the museums and stuff. I'll of course want to see some of the historically significant stuff like the great wall and the terracotta warriors and Nanjing.

Thanks for the budget info - that's exactly what I wanted to hear!

DIHTL - I got pretty much all of my destinations from my China LP Guide. I've had it since '02 from when I first wanted to go to China, and I've just occasionally picked it up and had a read. Some places resonated, some didn't. I'm going to the ones that did.

I'm not sure about US Citizens, but Aussies don't need a visa for HK. It does count as an exit, so yeah you'll need at least a double. Multiple if you also plan to see Tibet.

I'm planning on staying in single rooms at hostels for the most part - the best of both worlds (for me). Food stalls are all part of the experience - can't wait. Stay in touch, might be good to catch up with someone vaguely familiar somewhere in China.

ISA77 - I'd normally be inclined to agree with you, but I don't know when I'll be back to China. I want to see as much as possible without constantly moving. And while my Putonghua is not great, I'm hoping to work on that over the next five months!

6

#5, I think it might be better if you could find a direct bus for Ningbo -- Xiamen. Or if you don't mind stopping off along the way to break up the journey, do Ningbo -- Wenzhou -- Fuzhou -- Quanzhou -- Xiamen.
Suzhou is a very minor station on the pecking order of train stations in China, despite it's fame as a tourist destination. So the problem with Suzhou -- Taishan would not be whether you could get off at Taishan (you definitely can, no need to go all the way to Jinan and then backtrack), it would be whether you could even get a decent train ticket out of Suzhou in the 1st place.
And then how would you plan to go from Taishan to Pingyao, and Pingyao to Tianjin???
I think I would perhaps revamp your itinerary a bit. Destinations that I would include would be Luoyang/Shaolin/Kaifeng, Quanzhou, Nanjing, Jiuzhaigou, Xishuangbanna... how are you planning to go from Lijiang to Chengdu? Overland or fly? If overland, are you planning to do the route through Daocheng/Yading, or the route through Lugu Lake?
Cheers!

7

actually, #5, i would change your trip:

your Shanghai--Hangzhou--Ningbo--Putuoshan--Xiamen

is better as

Shanghai - Putuoshan (via overnight boat) - Ningbo - Hangzhou - Xiamen (fly?)

assuming the boat wont make you seasick

8

three questions:

dongguan? really? it's a nice enough place to live, I guess. but there's really nothing there. factories. golf courses. residents.

tianjin? really?

and the yangtze cruise? well, i happen to think it's the worst way to spend 3 days in China.

he'll defend us, he'll defend us,
the amazing astroboy!

9

#7:
I like it. That would result in much less backtracking. I really hope that I don't get seasick, considering that I'm entering Shanghai via the ferry from Osaka (two days at sea)! Let's just say that I hope I'm as adventurous as I think I am...

#8:
There's a fastboat from Dongguan to Hong Kong. Seemed like a good idea at a time. That's something I do need to research in a little more detail though, any suggestions for better routes from Xiamen?

Tianjin - maybe not. All I really want is to stay somewhere (preferably nice) where I can have one last look at the east coast before heading to Beijing and jumping on the Trans-Mongolian. Again, very open to alternatives...

As for the Yangtze, I've heard a lot of bad reports, only a few good ones. The way I see it though, if I don't see it now I never will. It's better to regret something you did, than something you didn't do...

10

Xiamen to Hong Kong? There's a direct bus to Shenzhen, then you can walk across the border from the long distance bus station.

he'll defend us, he'll defend us,
the amazing astroboy!

11

Another traveller told me there's a MONTHLY ferry between Xiamen and Hong Kong. I thought it was weekly. Other people told me it's no longer in operation. I don't know who's correct!
#9, just take the hydrofoil for the 3 Gorges and don't waste your money or time on the dratted cruises.
Cheers!