China: on our own
Oct 3rd, 2005, 05:10 PM
#21
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We have a Chinese friend from the Hangzhou area who thinks West Lake is the most beautiful place on earth. The books say it's the honeymoon destination of China. Easily swayed, we went there by train from Shanghai (2 hr.; $6 per person soft seat). The Marriott got us the tickets for an additional $6. The train station was easy to navigate, though English was less prevalent than at the airports. Train attendants are not idle: they try to sell you toys, books, as well as food. It's actually quite entertaining. We took a metered cab from the cab stand outside the Hangzhou train station to the Shangri La hotel. Instead of arriving at an idyllic waterfront, we arrived in the middle of a large city, most of it under construction. The traffic to the hotel was intense. We had reserved a lake view room, but the lake view included the Hangzhou skyline, so it was probably not worth the premium. The hotel grounds are vast. It's divided into separate wings, east and west. The rooms were large and dated, but clean. That was good enough for us.
The West Lake area was also all torn up everywhere. We got up at 5:00 each morning to go strolling around the lake and watch the Chinese morning exercises. We went to the silk market; to the Ling yin temple (hard to find cabs back when it closes at 6:00); to a teahouse; and we took a boat ride on West Lake. We were also able to fit in a massage at the Shangri La. At the tea house we drank the highest grade of Longjing tea. Unfortunately, our western taste buds were insensitive to the fine nuances. It tasted like boiled water. However, we could taste the flavor in less delicate Longjing tea. (We discussed this with a Chinese friend in Hong Kong who says he has the same problems with French wines. He can't taste the difference between "the best" and "good." Fortunately--or not--we can taste differences in French wines.)
We ate both dinners at the Shangri La. The first, in the Coffee Garden cafe, featured a special Asian dinner by some locally renowned chef. It was rather pedestrian. The second was at the Shang Palace restaurant and was considerably better. We ate water shield soup, dongpo pork and other regional specialties.
After two relaxing days in Hangzhou we flew to Guilin. (Hangzhou was the only place where our cards were rejected by an ATM. At the airport, you can get cash by going to the machine in front of the international terminal. I was unsure how we were going to get to the Sheraton, but we just jumped into a metered cab and for 80 RMB we quickly took a deserted new highway to the Sheraton. That was the emptiest road we saw in China! The Sheraton has seen better days, but it was clean and the staff friendly. (We had a river view room but there's very little river to view.)
As soon as we arrived we set out in search of tickets for a Li river boat ride for the next day. The cab driver had presented my husband with a CTS agent on the phone attempting to sell a cruise on the way into town, but he had declined. The hotel wanted 550 RMB per person for the boat ride. The Li cruise is why people come to Guilin. From what I had read, I expected us to be trampled by people selling cruises. That wasn't the case. Instead we made our way to one of many little storefronts selling cruises. After skillful negotiation (hah!) we settled on a price of 325 RMB per person for an "English boat." Supposedly that was a better boat than the Chinese boat for 280 RMB. We had to pay upfront and in return they gave us some sort of receipt written in Chinese and said they would pick us up at our hotel the next morning. The agents were unwilling to sell us tickets for the evening boat to see cormorant fishing, claiming that the tickets were all gone.
We sought the advice of the Sheraton concierge for obtaining cormorant fishing tickets. He told us to come to the desk at 8:00 PM and he would talk to a taxi on our behalf. He was astonished that we were on our own, without the benefit of official guides or tour groups. By that point it was easy to assure him that we were doing just fine!
We ate a very good dinner at the Sheraton's Cantonese restaurant. After dinner we went back to the concierge and he told us that for 30 RMB a cab would take us to the waterfront from which boats leave and wait for us to return. He said the going rate for cormorant viewing was 80 RMB pp, but that we should negotiate for a better deal. Sure enough the cabbie took us to the dock and somehow managed to get us on a chartered boat that was solely inhabited by a French tour group (60 RMB pp). We interpreted his sign of finger over the mouth to keep a low profile on the boat since we were probably not supposed to be there. It was kind of hokey since this entire boatload of several dozen tourists follows a single fisherman and his birds. But it was quite interesting and we were happy to have snuck on the boat. Upon our return the cabbie was waiting and took us back to the hotel.
We stopped at the Sheraton bar for bedtime drinks and admired an intricately embroidered robe hanging on the wall. We knew it would look great on a wall in our entryway at home. The next morning, while waiting for the bus for the river boat, we stopped in the hotel gift shop which featured a very similar robe. They asked some ridiculous price, I offered 800 RMB which they laughed at, and we parted ways.
The bus for the Li cruise was a couple of minutes late, enough for me to wonder whether I had really screwed things up by striking a deal with some unknown vendor. I figured if the bus didn't show we could catch a cab to the boat dock (about 40 minutes away down the river) and try to get on a boat there. Fortunately, the bus showed up. We picked up people at several hotels and made our way downriver to the starting point of the river cruise.
We were not alone on the river. There were at least 30 boats laden with tourists making their way to Yangshou. The four-plus hour boat ride was extraordinarily picturesque and worth the trip to Guilin. (My husband still regrets not getting a photo of a man riding a water buffalo in the river, but we were eating lunch!) We had decided not to eat on the boat, because of reported questionable sanitary practices for washing dishes. We started not eating by picking at some rice and before you knew it we were eating along with everyone else on the boat. Maybe the dishes were washed in river water but by then our digestive systems were getting to be Chinese…
Due to the large number of boats, it took us a good half hour once we reached Yangshou to dock and get off the boat. We had a half hour in Yangshou before boarding the bus for the one and a half hour ride back to Guilin. Yangshou seemed to be just an endless procession of vendors. After dumping my husband in a [surprisingly good--DH] coffeeshop, I managed to buy a robe, more intricate than the one at the Sheraton, for 500 RMB. A google search upon our return identified it as a ceremonial Dong Dragon robe. It has found an admired home in our entryway, looking even better than we envisioned.
Upon our return to the hotel we were too exhausted to attempt anything but dinner and drinks. (Not strictly true: my husband managed to slip in the shower and bang up his side.) The next morning we took an early taxi to the airport and were on the 8:20 flight to Shenzhen. The flight to Shenzhen was quite a bit cheaper than the flight to Hong Kong, but the main reason for going via Shenzhen was our ability to catch an early flight there. The direct flight for Hong Kong didn't leave until evening. We arrived in Shenzhen at 9:30. Our original plan was to take the 12:30 ferry, but we decided to just take the bus which was at the door of the terminal (100HK pp). We had to remove our luggage twice from the bus to go through border control but we got to Kowloon quickly. We caught a taxi from the bus terminal to the Intercontinental and were there by noon. Make sure to change your Chinese RMB to Hong Kong dollars before taking a cab. Hong Kong cabbies don't want RMB.
The Intercontinental is right on the water with expansive view of the Hong Kong skyline. Our room was on the third floor with floor to ceiling windows and French doors to a private terrace. The room was not one of the "updated" ones, but the incredible view made up for it.
There's a lot of info on the board about Hong Kong so I have little to contribute. We ate at the Tang Dynasty (superb) and some incredible harbor restaurant where you choose your seafood at a market and it is delivered to the restaurant of your choice, that my husband's college roommate, a Hong Kong resident, took us to. I wandered the night market, polishing my bargaining skills. We had some great dim sum at the Luk Yu teahouse, the oldest in Hong Kong.
After Hong Kong there followed a quick ride to the airport (300HK), an uneventful flight to Chicago, and an enduring feeling of real satisfaction for doing China our way.
The End
The West Lake area was also all torn up everywhere. We got up at 5:00 each morning to go strolling around the lake and watch the Chinese morning exercises. We went to the silk market; to the Ling yin temple (hard to find cabs back when it closes at 6:00); to a teahouse; and we took a boat ride on West Lake. We were also able to fit in a massage at the Shangri La. At the tea house we drank the highest grade of Longjing tea. Unfortunately, our western taste buds were insensitive to the fine nuances. It tasted like boiled water. However, we could taste the flavor in less delicate Longjing tea. (We discussed this with a Chinese friend in Hong Kong who says he has the same problems with French wines. He can't taste the difference between "the best" and "good." Fortunately--or not--we can taste differences in French wines.)
We ate both dinners at the Shangri La. The first, in the Coffee Garden cafe, featured a special Asian dinner by some locally renowned chef. It was rather pedestrian. The second was at the Shang Palace restaurant and was considerably better. We ate water shield soup, dongpo pork and other regional specialties.
After two relaxing days in Hangzhou we flew to Guilin. (Hangzhou was the only place where our cards were rejected by an ATM. At the airport, you can get cash by going to the machine in front of the international terminal. I was unsure how we were going to get to the Sheraton, but we just jumped into a metered cab and for 80 RMB we quickly took a deserted new highway to the Sheraton. That was the emptiest road we saw in China! The Sheraton has seen better days, but it was clean and the staff friendly. (We had a river view room but there's very little river to view.)
As soon as we arrived we set out in search of tickets for a Li river boat ride for the next day. The cab driver had presented my husband with a CTS agent on the phone attempting to sell a cruise on the way into town, but he had declined. The hotel wanted 550 RMB per person for the boat ride. The Li cruise is why people come to Guilin. From what I had read, I expected us to be trampled by people selling cruises. That wasn't the case. Instead we made our way to one of many little storefronts selling cruises. After skillful negotiation (hah!) we settled on a price of 325 RMB per person for an "English boat." Supposedly that was a better boat than the Chinese boat for 280 RMB. We had to pay upfront and in return they gave us some sort of receipt written in Chinese and said they would pick us up at our hotel the next morning. The agents were unwilling to sell us tickets for the evening boat to see cormorant fishing, claiming that the tickets were all gone.
We sought the advice of the Sheraton concierge for obtaining cormorant fishing tickets. He told us to come to the desk at 8:00 PM and he would talk to a taxi on our behalf. He was astonished that we were on our own, without the benefit of official guides or tour groups. By that point it was easy to assure him that we were doing just fine!
We ate a very good dinner at the Sheraton's Cantonese restaurant. After dinner we went back to the concierge and he told us that for 30 RMB a cab would take us to the waterfront from which boats leave and wait for us to return. He said the going rate for cormorant viewing was 80 RMB pp, but that we should negotiate for a better deal. Sure enough the cabbie took us to the dock and somehow managed to get us on a chartered boat that was solely inhabited by a French tour group (60 RMB pp). We interpreted his sign of finger over the mouth to keep a low profile on the boat since we were probably not supposed to be there. It was kind of hokey since this entire boatload of several dozen tourists follows a single fisherman and his birds. But it was quite interesting and we were happy to have snuck on the boat. Upon our return the cabbie was waiting and took us back to the hotel.
We stopped at the Sheraton bar for bedtime drinks and admired an intricately embroidered robe hanging on the wall. We knew it would look great on a wall in our entryway at home. The next morning, while waiting for the bus for the river boat, we stopped in the hotel gift shop which featured a very similar robe. They asked some ridiculous price, I offered 800 RMB which they laughed at, and we parted ways.
The bus for the Li cruise was a couple of minutes late, enough for me to wonder whether I had really screwed things up by striking a deal with some unknown vendor. I figured if the bus didn't show we could catch a cab to the boat dock (about 40 minutes away down the river) and try to get on a boat there. Fortunately, the bus showed up. We picked up people at several hotels and made our way downriver to the starting point of the river cruise.
We were not alone on the river. There were at least 30 boats laden with tourists making their way to Yangshou. The four-plus hour boat ride was extraordinarily picturesque and worth the trip to Guilin. (My husband still regrets not getting a photo of a man riding a water buffalo in the river, but we were eating lunch!) We had decided not to eat on the boat, because of reported questionable sanitary practices for washing dishes. We started not eating by picking at some rice and before you knew it we were eating along with everyone else on the boat. Maybe the dishes were washed in river water but by then our digestive systems were getting to be Chinese…
Due to the large number of boats, it took us a good half hour once we reached Yangshou to dock and get off the boat. We had a half hour in Yangshou before boarding the bus for the one and a half hour ride back to Guilin. Yangshou seemed to be just an endless procession of vendors. After dumping my husband in a [surprisingly good--DH] coffeeshop, I managed to buy a robe, more intricate than the one at the Sheraton, for 500 RMB. A google search upon our return identified it as a ceremonial Dong Dragon robe. It has found an admired home in our entryway, looking even better than we envisioned.
Upon our return to the hotel we were too exhausted to attempt anything but dinner and drinks. (Not strictly true: my husband managed to slip in the shower and bang up his side.) The next morning we took an early taxi to the airport and were on the 8:20 flight to Shenzhen. The flight to Shenzhen was quite a bit cheaper than the flight to Hong Kong, but the main reason for going via Shenzhen was our ability to catch an early flight there. The direct flight for Hong Kong didn't leave until evening. We arrived in Shenzhen at 9:30. Our original plan was to take the 12:30 ferry, but we decided to just take the bus which was at the door of the terminal (100HK pp). We had to remove our luggage twice from the bus to go through border control but we got to Kowloon quickly. We caught a taxi from the bus terminal to the Intercontinental and were there by noon. Make sure to change your Chinese RMB to Hong Kong dollars before taking a cab. Hong Kong cabbies don't want RMB.
The Intercontinental is right on the water with expansive view of the Hong Kong skyline. Our room was on the third floor with floor to ceiling windows and French doors to a private terrace. The room was not one of the "updated" ones, but the incredible view made up for it.
There's a lot of info on the board about Hong Kong so I have little to contribute. We ate at the Tang Dynasty (superb) and some incredible harbor restaurant where you choose your seafood at a market and it is delivered to the restaurant of your choice, that my husband's college roommate, a Hong Kong resident, took us to. I wandered the night market, polishing my bargaining skills. We had some great dim sum at the Luk Yu teahouse, the oldest in Hong Kong.
After Hong Kong there followed a quick ride to the airport (300HK), an uneventful flight to Chicago, and an enduring feeling of real satisfaction for doing China our way.
The End
Oct 4th, 2005, 11:41 AM
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Marija, just wanted to thank you for probably the most informative and helpful trip report of the very many I've read on this and other sites. Like you were want to do China "on our own". You seem to have taken a very similar trip to the one we have planned for this Nov also from Chicago. Now looking back, anything you would change along the way, more or less time, different hotels? What was your best and worst memory? You've already helped us a ton, but any feedback on our proposed itinerary would also really be appreciated: 2 nights/1 day in Shanghai (Grand Hyatt), 1 night/1 day Guilin (Sheraton), 1 night/1 day Yangshou (Paradise), 4 nights/3 days Hong Kong (Intercontinental), 2 nights/1 day Lijiang (Zen Garden Hotel), 4 nights/3 days Beijing (Pen). We are also going to use WACTS.com for our internal airfare and some of your guides. How did you communicate with them once in China? They seemed very nice, knowledgeable and patient and quoted us the 5% Credit Card fee, $6 per ticket fee and a $10 hotel delivery charge. Seems pretty fair to me compared to what other agents charge. Thanks again! Really glad you had such a great time!
Oct 4th, 2005, 01:18 PM
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We were happy with the amount of time we allocated to the different cities: Beijing (5 nights); Xian (1); Yangtze cruise (3); Shanghai (4); Hangzhou (2); Guilin (2) and Hong Kong (3). I found both Beijing and Shanghai more interesting than Hong Kong and would consider cutting a night from a 4 night Hong Kong stay. We are really pleased that we had the opportunity to see the terra cotta warriors, even though we only spent a day in Xian. It was worth the effort.
When we had to communicate with wacts in China, I had the Peninsula call the wacts China number. Since the first call involved having to change flight times because of flight cancellations, the Chinese office had Kay from the Chicago office call us right back. We corresponded by e-mail about the Shanghai ticket delivery. (They seemed to have added all kinds of additional charges in the couple of weeks we've been back. We didn't pay delivery charges or ticket fees and the credit card charge was 4%. It's possible that all of those charges were included in the cost of our tickets.) I hope you have a great trip and if you have any questions, do ask!
When we had to communicate with wacts in China, I had the Peninsula call the wacts China number. Since the first call involved having to change flight times because of flight cancellations, the Chinese office had Kay from the Chicago office call us right back. We corresponded by e-mail about the Shanghai ticket delivery. (They seemed to have added all kinds of additional charges in the couple of weeks we've been back. We didn't pay delivery charges or ticket fees and the credit card charge was 4%. It's possible that all of those charges were included in the cost of our tickets.) I hope you have a great trip and if you have any questions, do ask!
Oct 26th, 2005, 05:13 PM
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We didn't stay in Lijang, so I didn't book the Zen Garden. I booked most of our hotels online, except for the Hyatt in Xian and the Sheraton in Guilin. Wacts.com gave us a better price on those two than the websites, so I went with wacts.com for those.
Nov 10th, 2005, 10:29 PM
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Marija: I have been to China many times but have never taken a trip such as yours. The choice of cities is excellent. We plan to go back and visit the cities in your sequence. Thanks for taking the time to write such a great comprehensive report. It is very helpful.
Nov 23rd, 2005, 04:21 PM
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Yours is not the first review to indicate you were upgraded at the Peninsula Palace. I am working out my reservation for 10 nights in late December. I can't decide if I should reserve and pay for the club level or chance the free upgrade. Got any insight???
Nov 24th, 2005, 05:57 AM
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Yes, the e-mail address is correct. Others complained about problems so I sent Jerry e-mail and checked that the address was still working. He responded. For some reason, e-mail doesn't always go through in China. Keep trying. Also make sure that your e-mail program will accept foreign characters in responses.
Dec 7th, 2005, 11:26 AM
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I enjoyed reading about your China Trip. My husband and I also travel extensively. We are going to be in China this December for the first time. We visited Hong Kong and Macau last year.
I was wondering if you could give us advise regarding our itin.
We have 15 days and 14 nights to spend in China. We land and depart from Beijing and would like to visit Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin and Hangzhou for sure. We are debating between Huang Shan and Lijiang.
We are also open to other suggestions for towns to visit. We don't like to hurry visiting cities but would like to see different sides of Chinese life.
Appreciate any response.
Thanks.
I was wondering if you could give us advise regarding our itin.
We have 15 days and 14 nights to spend in China. We land and depart from Beijing and would like to visit Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin and Hangzhou for sure. We are debating between Huang Shan and Lijiang.
We are also open to other suggestions for towns to visit. We don't like to hurry visiting cities but would like to see different sides of Chinese life.
Appreciate any response.
Thanks.
Mar 12th, 2006, 03:32 PM
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I created a new website called
Firsthand Travel Story , where you can post your trip reports.
http://www.firsthandtravelstory.com
Firsthand Travel Story , where you can post your trip reports.
http://www.firsthandtravelstory.com
Apr 19th, 2006, 01:44 PM
#37
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I really enjoyed reading your travelogue and I am now planning our "Independent China Tour". I have a couple of questions about your booking. Did you book the hotels from AMEX Platinum? If not, what website did you use? So, am I right that you did all of your hotels on your own and used local guides from Wacts.com as well as booked your internal flights from wacts.com?
Thank you so much for your advice!
Thank you so much for your advice!
Apr 29th, 2006, 03:14 PM
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hbso--
We booked the Peninsula in Beijing and the Intercontinental in Hong Kong using Amex, since it gave us perks. We booked the JW Marriott in Shanghai on its website. Wacts got us better rates on the Guilin and Xian hotels than we found online so we booked with them. Our Beijing guide we found online. The Xian and Chongqing guides were booked through wacts.com. All flights were from wacts.com. Have a great time!
We booked the Peninsula in Beijing and the Intercontinental in Hong Kong using Amex, since it gave us perks. We booked the JW Marriott in Shanghai on its website. Wacts got us better rates on the Guilin and Xian hotels than we found online so we booked with them. Our Beijing guide we found online. The Xian and Chongqing guides were booked through wacts.com. All flights were from wacts.com. Have a great time!
Apr 30th, 2006, 04:59 AM
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What a fantastic trip report! I am meeting my daughter in Shanghai in 2 weeks. She is arriving from Bankok and I from U.S. Any input on where we can meet up in the Pudong Airport?
Also, I have contacted wacts re: internal flights. They told me they'd charge 4% for the credit card, $10 delivery charge & $2 per ticket booking fee. Given your great experience, I will go with them! Thanks again; I have printed your log and will take w/me.
Also, I have contacted wacts re: internal flights. They told me they'd charge 4% for the credit card, $10 delivery charge & $2 per ticket booking fee. Given your great experience, I will go with them! Thanks again; I have printed your log and will take w/me.
