Thanks again Peter for self editing this thread as you would one on your site. I guess the OP will never post again as everyone seems to have dismissed her thoughts.

It is the reason the PNH site it a terrible one and this one is fantastic. At the PNH site every thread is disassemble like this one and put into the mold.

Here people get to say what and how they travel and don't get too beat up for saying so whether naive or savvy. Mostimes anyway.... Then we all make up our own minds on which way to travel. THERE IS NO RIGHT AND WRONG WAY TO TRAVEL as long as you enjoy it

Your remarks aroused my curiosity Hawaiiantraveler. I googled and I now understand where PNH is coming from. And I do appreciate his trying to make sure we do not fall into tourist traps. What I enjoy most when shopping in these areas is the interaction with the locals, the bantering and practising my limited Mandarin.

We just returned from Beijing and the Olympics. Just a couple of comments on the OP's points.

We ran into a few taxi drivers who seemed to have trouble reading even Chinese charachters. Or maybe they just didn't want to take us.

I must have a bad attitude as I found the staring and photos to be very irritating. And I hated the markets. They reminded me of those Disney rides where faces keep popping up in front of you. But as I say it must be me as these things didn't bother the rest of the family.

tastravel,

How close is the subway to the Park Plaza?

Any dining recommendations near the hotel?

How much time did you spent at the Great Wall?

Thanks!

Monica

Hey tastravel (and the rest of the fodor's crew),

I'm returning back to Beijing in October to visit friends for about 9 days. This is my third trip to the city and I've seen many of the best sights. Are there any single day or two day trips that people would recommend to surrounding cities or regions? I would like to spend about five days in Beijing with friends and then about fours days traveling nearby. Friends have recommended Qinhuangdao. Any advice is appreciated.

JW

I enjoyed Datong, reachable by train - nine dragon screen and some rather dusty temples in town (no doubt from coal dust), plus fairly extensive Buddhist caves and the dramatic Hanging Monastery in the countryside.

tastravel,

I'm headed to Beijing for the Paralympic Games next week and have some questions [NOT having to do with shopping ]

1. I'm staying at Raffles and the Regent in Dong Cheng. I plan to take the subway to the venues but I did hear some stories that they don't run all the time / late at night - is that accurate? Can one get a taxi from the venues? Are all the venues accessible by regular public transport or was some of it special for Olympics and might not run for paralympics?

2. For events that are officially sold out, are you still able to get tix at the venue - i.e. are people allowed to sell extra tix and/or scalp? Do you have any contacts for getting tickets? Do you know if BOC outlets are easy to manage? Are they open on Sunday as that is when I arrive?

3. Is it fine for western females to wear shorts and sneakers?

4. Should I bring hiking boots to hike at Simatai / Juyongguan on the Great Wall? Do you know if there is a luge at either of those locations?

5. Any other Olympic/Paralympic advice appreciated!

Thanks,
Susan

Peter N H,

I really liked your advice. I am going to be in Beijing, and a friend of mine told me about all the great jade & pearls she bought for cheap when she was there. I knew right then & there, that she may have been taken for a ride. Your post has convinced me that shopping for these items in Beijing is a waste of time & money. I do agree that "real fakes" priced accordingly, are purchases that may make sense.

Hi Susan-
Regarding tickets..scalping is illegal in Beijing, but it still happens. I don't think you will encounter a problem getting tickets for events, though. Although the big swimming/track and field/beach volleyball events were sold out, a large number of other Olympic events had tickets available. I think you'll find the same for the Paralympics. The BOC system should not be a prob and yes, it was open on Sundays (at least in July and August).
As for transportation...the subways do stop running around midnight. I don't remember the exact time, but I do remember that the time was extended some nights for the Games. I'm not sure if that is still going on. Taxis were widely available at venues, though! I know others have mentioned having problems getting taxis to actually pick them up...and some of my friends had this trouble, too...but I didn't.
As for clothing- I took shorts and Merrells and was FINE! I did take longer pants for temples. The younger Chinese women were wearing shorts, skirts, and skin-tight t-shirts...so you'll be fine! If you do a lot of hiking on the wall, you may want your boots. It is slippery if there's even a bit of rain and there's a lot of stairs. I wore Merrell running/hiking shoes and was fine. Everyone wore pretty much the same!
Hope this helps! You'll have a great time and the venues are amazing!

Funny but I must be one of the few that didn't go to China to shop, and admit that "fear of fakery" kept my purchases to a minimum. I mainly bought olympic souveniers at the shop in the airport to use up my last RMB, though I couldn't pass up a solar-powered Mao keychain! As far as "jade" goes, prices vary widely. At one department store in Shanghai, there were relatively small white jade? buddhas that were about $150,000 USD equivalent each. There was also a rock, about two feet or so in diameter, that was priced at about $1,500,000 USD equivalent. I assume this was white jade as well. Based on these prices, I decided I would just stick to silver and gold purchased here at home, when their prices fall to more reasonable levels of course! Also be aware that many sculptures may be cast from powdered stone/resin rather than carved.

I leave tomorrow! Unfortunately when NYC is supposed to get hit by hurricane....

My guide books, while new, were written before the Olympics so not sure if all info is accurate. A few last minute logistical questions:

1) Are there ATMs at airport so I can get money there?
2) Is there a train into downtown? I'm staying at Raffles (East Chang Ave in Dongcheng). Hotel recommended a taxi (100RMB) but would prefer a train b/c cheaper and no traffic and don't have to deal w/ trying to find my hotel!
3) I have read that few places accept credit cards (or only accept the Chinese version). Is this correct?

Thanks!

Susan - I just posted an answer that is not showing up so I may end up double posting.

I am not an expert but we were just there so ...

Lots of ATMs.
An airport train will take you to subway lines 2 and 10 if you need them.
Our hotel took VISA as did some department stores although that process could be time consuming. We did not try and use a card in restaurents. Have a great time.

> 1) Are there ATMs at airport so I can get money there?

Not only are there several, as mentioned above, but in case you haven't checked that your card is on the right clearing system, there are also money exchange counters (the rates are the same) and even those electronic money-exchange machines that take an assortment of foreign currency and spit out local money.

> 2) Is there a train into downtown? I'm staying at Raffles (East Chang Ave in Dongcheng). Hotel recommended a taxi (100RMB) but would prefer a train b/c cheaper and no traffic and don't have to deal w/ trying to find my hotel!

The subway station outside your hotel has been mentioned (Wangfujing). You can print out a subway map here, showing the route from the airport to Wangfujing:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ing-Subway.png

The best route for the newest and emptier trains would be to change to line 10 at San Yuan Qiao, and to line 1 and Guo Mao.

> 3) I have read that few places accept credit cards (or only accept the Chinese version). Is this correct?

Yes. You'll have no problem at your hotels, of course, and if you eat at high-end foreigner-friendly restaurants outside the hotels. But otherwise while foreign credit card acceptance is more common than it used to be, in souvenir terms if a shop accepts foreign cards then you probably shouldn't be shopping there, and you'll generally pay even for things like air tickets in cash. The presence of familiar signs is no guarantee of acceptance, and you may also encounter problems with pin numbers--often required for in-store purchases whether you have a card with a chip or not. (There are, however, no problems with pins at ATMs, but you should be checking with your card issuer's website for the locations of ATMs accepting your card. Don't assume that any ATM will work for you--it won't.)

To PeterN_H's point above about air tickets, it really blew me away that we were asked to pay for our three sets of internal to China air tickets in cash. Even the Radisson in Shanghai required cash.

The Radisson in Shanghai required cash? I just stayed there this summer and paid everything with my U.S. credit card.

I am only speaking about the air tickets we bought there. The woman in the business office said that since the tickets were heavily discounted and last minute (two days), I would need to pay cash. I said I didn't have that much cash (4000 rmb for six tickets). She pointed to the ATM just outside of the office.

I didn't mind so I didn't push it any farther.