Thorn Tree travel forum

1

I knew a woman from Harbin who used to say how bloody cold it would get there. Just bring some nice, warm clothes including layers of fleece, and some mountain climbing innerwear and you'll be fine! Certainly you can find that stuff in Australia- people there love the outdoors, don't they?

Cambo by Moto

2

I am a shanghaiese. Sometimes the temperature lower to 0 degree in Dec - Jan here.
It costs $50 to deck yourself out in winter clothing. ( nobody would rent cloth here )

3

Harbin can get to the mid -30oC at night in January. It is bitterly cold.

Suggest that you look for some decent thermals, good down jacket and other warm clothes. Most clothes bought in Australia will not be suitable for use at extremely low temperatures. Some stores (eg. Moutain Designs) will have some gear but you will pay through the roof for it.

The other option is to take clothes rates to about -5oC and buy warmer gear in Beijing when you arrive in the city (clothing with these ratings can be bought in Australia from ski or backpacking/treking shops). Beijing will have warm thermals, good down jackets and other cold weather clothing. The only downside is if you are very tall (say higher than about 185cm (6 foot), or are carrting a lot of weight, finding clothes that fit can be difficult.

Also consider good quality boots (waterproof ones). I prefer leather boots to synthetics (such as Gortex) as they generally keep the feet drier in slushy snow conditions. Also good quality mits (the ones which the four fingers are together) and socks are worth their weight in gold.

If there is no food, isn't that food for thought?
And if you are bored and want to know more about our Chinese teaching experience, there is our website to read.

4

If your shoe size is more than 11 usa size, it will be very hard to find boots in China. All the other winter clothes will usually be cheaper in China. It is best to wear several layers of clothes so cotton shirts and also sweats or sweaters.

john

5

Dan,I did reply to your earlier post re winter clothes,we were there in Beijing Dec then spent 6 weeks travelling around China.Beijing was the coldest spot,our Aussie thermals were useless,ended up buying new ones in Beijing.You will need gloves ,beanie,scarf,good boots,we arrived around Dec 1st,great time to go,Beijing was blue skies,no pollution,just great,China is wonderful,get out to Yunnan province if you can,much warmer,t shirt weather,kindest cheers,Carol.QLD

6

You can get good quality thermal underwear and other winter clothing cheaply in Beijing, no wuckers (Australian slang - translates to no problem). There are good department stores that sell this stuff - stay away from the markets, unless you really know what you are looking at. Too many people find themselves freezing because they bought fake Goretex or similar.

Cheers, Paul.

7

Hi

We are going to travel in february - april in the South of China near Kunming, Dali and the Li river (Guilin). Does anyone have experience with buying outdoor clothes in this area? We are both 6 feet tall......
And I read a lot of weather statistics. I would like to hear from experience how the weather was in this period. Is Dali still too cold? And is the area around the LI river really that rainy and foggy in March?
And we would like to take the ferry from Tianjin near Beijing to Kobe, but they do not respond to our e-mails. Does anyone have experience with booking this ferry? Or is it better to buy a last minute flight from Beijing to Tokio at the spot. If we buy it here we have to look a a rate of euro 450 minimal for a one way ticket.... Pls. advise.

Thanks
Snoekje Sandra

8

In case anyone is still looking for where to buy good winter clothes, Decathlon has outlets in both Shanghai and Beijing.
Cheers!

9

I suggest you can buy the really good thermals in Australia - and that it is worth paying Aussie dollars for it - paddy pallins should be good. I taught in the mountains near Shanghai but south of the Yangtse (critical because "by law" it doesn't get cold S-o-t-Y) It was so cold IN the classroom that I taught in thermal underwear, polar fleece, scarf, beanie & sometimes gloves. The best gear was NZ merino wool or merino/possum fur blend, but I know you can get merino wool clothing in Australia too. In Beijing you need layers because the buikldings are heated and it will be warm inside.

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