Trip Report-great month in China
 

First, I want to thank all the wonderful Fodorites who gave invaluable information that helped make this the wonderful trip that it was and hope that posting this LONG report will prove helpful to others.
This month-long self-organized itinerary for four Americans in their mid-50s was enjoyed in
September 2007. In advance, we reserved mostly western hotels (where English is readily
spoken) and arranged via the Internet for English-language guides (with transportation).
We would be excited to repeat the itinerary -- and recommend the stops, hotels, guides, and
attractions. You can be comfortable as an independent traveler in China, provided you plan in
advance, become accustomed to this foreign country by initially transitioning in a big city, and hire
your guides before you depart based on online evaluations.
While you are at tourist stops, we added below the location of western toilets, a piece of advice
for greater peace of mind. Bring your own toilet paper (everywhere) and hand sanitizer. (In most
places, you place soiled toilet paper in a wastebasket by the toilet rather than flush it. There is no
water or soap.) Western toilets often are the handicapped toilets. If you don’t see a western toilet
marked, it pays to open every stall to look. (An omission below of a western toilet at a location
means we didn’t use or notice one, not that it doesn’t necessarily exist.)
The itinerary included (in the sequence of visits and which can easily be reordered):
·Shanghai
·Guilin
·Yangshou
·Xian
·Beijing
·Chengdu
·Dali
·Lijiang
·Shenzhen

Arrival (from U.S. into China in early afternoon) – Shanghai Airport
This is a modern airport, with English-language signage to guide you. You sign a health
declaration in advance and your body temperature is remotely scanned as you approach
immigration. ATMs are available in and outside the baggage claim area for use with your
U.S. bank card. ATMs, which will dispense Yuan cash with a U.S. bank card, are
regularly available in big cities. The taxi stand is immediately outside the exit door (which
we chose and were directed by the taxi starter to a small van). (Alternatively, if you hire a
guide, he may pick you up at the airport. The hotel will also arrange for a car, which is
much more expensive.)
!!! Caution - Taxi: Drivers do not understand written or spoken English. Before you depart, make
certain you have the name and address of your hotel in Chinese characters (not pinyin), printed
from the hotel web site, to show the driver. When at any hotel, pick up a business card from the
door attendant with the name, address, and map in Chinese so you can return. The door
attendant will also provide Chinese in writing for any travel destinations.
Days 1 to 5 – Shanghai (and Suzhou)
Hotel: Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza-Shanghai, 400 Pan Yu Road, Shanghai 2000052
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/cp/.../SHGCH/welcome
This modern western hotel is in a good residential section of Shanghai. The taxi to
downtown is USD 3.50, a 20 to 30 minute ride based on constant traffic. We took the taxi
to the subway (USD 2.00), which is clean, un-intimidating, and easy to navigate (other
than surges of people.) At the hotel, breakfast and dinner buffet were great to try Chinese
food – and for the safety of plenty of western food.
!!! Caution – Water: Don’t drink anything except brand-name bottled water either supplied by the
hotel (which they replenish daily) or properly capped bottled water at a convenience store. And
while we are on the do NOT list . . .
Do NOT drink tap water, ever.
Do NOT use the tap water to brush your teeth, clean food, or anything.
Do NOT use it to make coffee in your boiler in the room (which resulted in our one-andonly
half-day illness of one of us).
Do NOT accept any ice in your drinks.
Do NOT drink soda drawn from a fountain, only cans or bottles.
Do NOT eat any fruits or vegetables that are not well cooked.
Yes, we were paranoid and, as a result, we survived a month well.
Attractions (You can find an exhaustive list of places to go in guidebooks and online travel
forums. These are our highlights we encourage or discourage that you see.)
We did not have a guide in Shanghai, choosing to easily get around ourselves, mostly by
taxi and by subway.
·Dumpling restaurant – We enjoyed Din Tai Fung, also known as DTF, on the second floor of a
modern shopping center in the Xintiandi Outlet, where through a huge glass window you can
watch the many chefs making the dumplings. (Western toilets in shopping center.)
·Food Store No. 1, Nanjing Road (on pedestrian walkway) – The pedestrian walkway was a great
place to watch people; the food store is really a market with lots of stalls with local food in various
stages of preparation. We stood with many others in line to get cookies, a very different taste.
·Jade Buddha Temple -- (Western toilets.)
·Shanghai Art Museum – Beautiful setting, interesting museum with English captions, with rare
colored flowers in a park in the midst of the city. (Inside western toilets.)
·Shanghai City Museum – Interesting history, with English captions, of the city with a great
diorama. (Inside western toilets.)
·YuYuan Garden – In the middle of the city, surrounded by ancient facades on modern stores, an
exploration of rock formations and ancient Chinese architectural buildings. (Few isolated western
toilets, marked on the map.) If you are hungry for dumplings outside the garden gate, stop at
NanXiang Steamed Buns and prepare to wait on line 30 minutes for a dozen hot from the
steamer.
Daytrip: Suzhou
Guide – Mr. Zhong Wei Ren, age 56, drives a state taxi regularly. He took us in a roomy private
car for the day to Suzhou, a 90-minute ride on a major toll highway and through a new industrial
section to a city full of gardens and parks. His English and driving is acceptable for a day. We had
the hotel reach him through his mobile phone 13901910833.
Attractions:
·Humble Administrators Garden - He hooked us up with another guide to walk through the park,
which also has museums, that is quite pleasant. He couldn’t take us in because his official guide
card was stolen. You do not need a separate guide within the park.
·Silk – We made stops at a silk workshop where we walked past women embroidering elaborate
colorful and intricate artwork and at Szkdsilk factory where we watched as silk was removed from
the cocoons and processed into silk coverlets. Both were most interesting, with minimal intrusive
selling.
·Lunch - We stuffed ourselves with a luncheon banquet at Shizhi Lin (Lion Garden) Hotel and
Restaurant by the Lion garden park. We had a fish that was extraordinarily served, bean curd,
lotus root, chicken, and beef with vegetables. It was great! The guide orders. No English spoken
here; no western toilet. We were alone in the restaurant at lunch hour, with the staff gawking.
Air travel within China – We flew four domestic airlines in China. Check-in, based
on electronic tickets purchased from the U.S. and pre-assigned seats, was easy,
English spoken at the counter, and each bag weighed. Security is similar to the
U.S. The planes were clean, comfortable and U.S. manufactured. (Western
toilets available in domestic airports, though you have to search.) The Chinese
have a tendency to rush, push, and pull their way on to any transportation.
English is not spoken on the airplane. To our amazement, once the plane was
filled, it departed, often ahead of schedule. We landed on or ahead of schedule.
Our bags were quickly retrieved (though we could not put bags through to
connecting domestic flights). We made air reservations in advance of departing
the U.S. through Wings Across Travel Continents (www.wacts.com), a Chicago-based travel agent operating since 2003, with an office in Beijing. We were able
to make changes en route by email, too

Days 5 to 8 – Guilin, Yangshou
Hotel: Sheraton Guilin, 15 Bin Jiang Road, Guilin 541001, www.sheraton.com/guilin
This modern western hotel, with an extremely friendly staff, sits by the river in the center
of the city near a pedestrian shopping walkway. The hotel breakfast buffet was good.
Guide: Mr. Jade Leo – We spent 3 days in a comfortable van with Leo and a driver he arranged.
Leo, in his 30s, is an enterprising person, seeks to keep you happy all day and all night, and is
most knowledgeable and accommodating. Email: [email protected] and
www.guilinprivatetours.com.
!!! Caution – Fees for Guides: Arrange in precise detail in advance the fees for your guide. In
spite of email communication prior to arrival, we did not ask sufficient questions on cost – and
was surprised in a different way by each entrepreneurial guide.
Ask the fee and amount for (remember, everything is negotiable):
·English-language guide (what period of time is covered for the 24-hour period; whether the fee
is for the group or for each individual)
·Driver, if separate (and what period of time is covered)
·Car, even if there is a separate driver (and whether you reimburse for fuel, parking, tolls)
·Entry fees (the guide should have an official tourist badge so s/he doesn’t pay an admission),
which are sometimes included and sometimes extra. (One guide, for instance, included a meal
for the group in his fee.)
·Airport pickup/drop-off, if offered, to compare to taxi or hotel arrangement
A driver in addition to the guide was a benefit, particularly in the city. The driver drops you off and
picks you up so that you don’t have to find a difficult parking space or walk a great distance to
your destination.
Attractions in or from Guilin:
·Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces in Longji scenic area – Gorgeous strenuous day-long hike,
with lunch, through Yao-ethnic 13th century rice terraces with a 2,500-foot vertical climb to 4,000
feet above sea level (prepare for no western toilets en route or at terraces and bring plenty of
water). At lunch if you have the bamboo chicken, specify whether to include the feet, head, etc.
·Reed Flute caves – Interesting deep cave for gentle walk colorfully lighted to show different
imaginary scenes (western toilets by stairway prior to purchasing admission ticket for non-
Chinese).
·Li Cruise on the Lijiang River – Three-hour, 50-mile cruise, with tea and so-so lunch, down
gentle river from Guilin to Yangshou, with mountain scenery (each with a story, such as one
mountain set that appears on the 20 Yuan paper bill), waterfalls, water buffalo, and river industry
(e.g., seaweed collection on a bamboo raft) (western toilet on board boat).
Attractions in Yangshou (1 hour drive from Guilin):
·Market – The local market is up the tourist store-packed street when you disembark from the
river cruise (past the Kentucky Fried Chicken and make a right onto the street on the far side of
the road). It is a large, colorful, very local market of fruits, vegetables, fish, seafood, poultry, beef
and you won’t want us to shock you with what else. (KFC does not have a western toilet.)
·Cooking class – Change-of-pace stop to learn over 2 to 3 hours how to cook Chinese food like
the locals in an old farmhouse about 15-minute ride out of Yangshou. We were taught and then
enjoyed eating egg-wrapped dumplings (one egg stretches to 6 or 7 decent sized dumplings);
steamed chicken with mushrooms (a column of a dozen wicker baskets steamed over one wok);
eggplant Yangshou style; stir-fried pork with vegetables and oyster sauce; and green vegetables
(called garlic beans) with garlic. www.yangshoucookingschool.com (One western toilets in
separate area.)·Sanjie Liu Impression light show – At night, sound and light show with hundreds of waterwalking
actors played out on the river itself with the mountains lighted up as well. When you and
the hundreds of other visitors leave the show, you’ll ask yourself: “How did they do that?” Well
worth it. (Western toilets on walkway after admission.)

Days 8 to 10 – Xian
!!! Caution – Pollution: The city proper of Xian was by far the most polluted location we visited,
with large utilities generating power and huge pharmaceutical factories consuming it. Beijing and
Shanghai had noticeable pollution as well, less than in Xian.
Hotel: Sheraton Xian, 262 Feng Hao East Road, Xian 710077
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...propertyID=475
This modern western hotel is a short taxi-ride away from the main old city. The hotel
breakfast buffet was acceptable, service was slow.
!!! Caution – Currency Conversion: This was the only hotel – without notice – to charge us in US
Dollars rather than Chinese Yuan. We watched every else after this. You’ll see a tiny notice on
your credit card receipt. Do not accept this. The hotel sets its own unfavorable exchange rate for
which it earns money and your credit card company will still charge you a fee for an international
transaction. There is no favor here.
Guide: Mr. Clarence Guo – We spent one full day in a van with Clarence, in his 40s, as
guide/driver, along with one other tourist we picked up across town. Clarence is a veteran guide,
who has his route, itinerary, and explanations well rehearsed. He’s quiet while driving; responsive
to inquiries. Email: [email protected]
Attractions (all part of guide’s tour):
·Temple of Eight Immortals – Large Taoist worship center, where we watched funeral memorials
in progress. Passed, but didn’t have time, to walk through shops selling funeral paraphernalia,
which would have been an interest (such as paper money to burn to reach heaven). (Western
toilet.)
·Cave dweller home – Visit to a family that lives under the ground in which they farm above.
Clarence takes you into the compound and underground family bedrooms where they sleep on
rock carved from the mountain. Clarence trades cigarettes for sightseers.
·Lunch – Included in this tour, Clarence gives you a choice of lunch at a factory (No!) or where
the Chinese eat (Yes!), which is in a new village for displaced farmers adjoining the Terracotta
warrior museum. He orders, you enjoy as dish after dish arrives. We were there as a group of
joyous local mothers celebrated the graduation of their children from school.
·Army of Terracotta Warriors – A leisurely walk through the football fields of the 2,000-year-old
clay figures standing guard underground for the emperor. With Clarence, we had plenty of time to
move at our pace. (Western toilets in buildings.)
·De Fa Chang Dumpling restaurant – A huge, touristy restaurant that serves a banquet of dozens
of different shape, size and colorful dumplings. If you love dumplings, a good stop for the
uniqueness. Crowded, make a reservation.
·Muslim Quarter – Our taxi drove through this section en route to a restaurant. It looked like a
wonderful place to explore: bustling, different, aromas, sights. We didn’t have the time.

You cant tell me that the air polution wasn't a problem is Beijing.
It looks like you were very careful which is smart.

Days 10 to 14 - Beijing
Hotel: Park Plaza, 97 Jinbao Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100005
http://www.parkplaza.com/beijingcn
Fairly new and somewhat smaller modern western hotel in quiet commercial section of
Beijing, in rear of Regent Hotel, with Starbucks and ATM in adjoining office building. Nice
breakfast buffet. As good a location to start from as any in this huge city; within walking
distance to Wangfujing Dajie Street
Guides: Mr. “Chou Kong” Kong Lin (email: [email protected]) and Miss “Violet” Ling Hui
Lan (email: [email protected]), a mid-20s couple whose youth brought a different
understanding for us about China. Either Kong Lin or his sister drove a very comfortable van;
Violet would get out with us to begin our tour as the van was parked.
Attractions:
Three Palaces – The emperors worked or resided at three prime locations, each of which
stretches endlessly. These are big places and long worthwhile walks.
·Temple of Heaven – Where the emperor prayed for good harvest each spring. Watch the locals
in the adjacent park (as you enter and exit the palace) with their children, men playing cards,
elderly opera singer entertaining seniors, tai chi exercises. (Western toilets in some large
bathrooms.)
·Forbidden City – Mao’s picture across from Tiananmen Square is the entry. We left our guide at
home in favor of an audio tour, a big mistake. The audio machine plays the explanation only once
with no repeat, doesn’t describe everything, and is difficult to determine what it is explaining.
Though we spent hours in this least visually attractive palace, we should have spent more time
with our guide to really appreciate the buildings and their contents. (Western toilets in large
bathrooms crowded by tourists.)
Hot pot restaurant – A short drive from the north gate of the Forbidden City we ate lunch
at an enjoyable and tasty hot pot restaurant at 38 Dianmennei Street.
·Summer Palace – Beautiful scenic stop that could have occupied an entire day, even in a cool
drizzle. Lots of places to enjoy walks. (Western toilets.)
Dining in Beijing
·“Back Lake” - Qianhai and Houhai Lakes – Bustling, in-place to eat dinner and then take a nice
long stroll around lake after dinner. Take taxi back to hotel.
Hakka Han Cang (also known as Kejia Cai) – Enjoyable dinner experience where the
locals come to dine before walking around the lake. If you don’t read Chinese, you’ll need
someone to guide you when you depart from your taxi on a short walk to this restaurant
among many restaurants. (Our taxi driver called ahead to the restaurant to have
someone meet us at the taxi to walk us to the restaurant door. We should have asked our
guide to drop us off and then we would taxi home.) Make reservation; ask for an outside
table if weather is nice.
·Peking Duck restaurant – We chose Dadong Kaoyadian restaurant (reservation required) for
duck in Beijing. Get there early to watch the show as chefs swing duck after duck out of the brick
ovens for final preparation prior to carving at the table. Duck was okay; show was best part.
Markets in Beijing
·“Dirt” antique market – A hoot to watch old, new, and new-old stuff for sale in this busy outdoor
“flea” market. A fun walkaround for a few hours.
·Night snack market – Wangfujing Dajie Street – Great evening one-block one-hour stretch to
see every form of food that you cannot imagine. Busy spot for Chinese and international tourists
to stare.
·Silk market – 8 East Xiu Shui Street, Jian Guo Men Wai Da Jie - Silk, plus lots of other
merchandise, such as pearls we found suggested by an experienced friend who recommended
“Joyce’s Pearls for You” at 4th floor stall number D1-0012 (Western toilets.)
·Glasses City – No. 43 North Huaweili Chaoyang District – Eyeglasses for sale among 500
merchants on four floors, all in one building.
·Tea City – Malian Dao Tea Street – Tea and paraphernalia available for sale among 1,000
merchants on four floors, all in one building. Go to a tea tasting for an hour (just like a wine
tasting); ask to be amazed by tea balls with tiny flowers inside that open when brewed. This
experience may have been elsewhere in China; don’t miss it somewhere.
·Culture Street – In Liu Li Chang section - Purchase scrolls and other artwork on this street with
interesting artsy shops on both sides. We bought, without any prior recommendation, at Ji Gu Ge
art store.Outside of Beijing
·Great Wall – We drove an hour-plus to the Mutainyu section, less populated by tourists. On a
hot sunny day, there were no crowds around 11 a.m. at this section – and we did not last long
sweating up and down the steep steps. Accessed by a two-person chair lift and, by choice, a
(slow, gentle declining) toboggan ride down. (Western toilets before you purchase entry tickets;
nothing at wall.)
·Family Reunion Restaurant – Our guide chose this restaurant, which had wonderful food,
following our visit to the Great Wall. (Only drawback: no western toilet.)
!!! Caution – Counterfeit Yuan: We were taken -- once. We bought fake Olympic shirts on the
street outside of the Summer Palace at an unreasonably low price. At the conclusion of the
transaction, the young woman pulled out the 100 Yuan bill to show us that the corner was ripped,
which would create a problem for her to use. We exchanged it, innocently and without our guide
present, with another 100 Yuan bill. Wrong! Our unreasonably low priced shirts just doubled in
price: The bill she gave us was counterfeit, as the restaurant where we tried to pass it
immediately noticed.
!!! Caution – Bargaining: Chinese buy nearly nothing at the price marked or first offered.
Negotiating is a required game. Rule of thumb we were told and experienced is to pay no more
than one-third of the initial asking price. At times, if we walked away the seller – desperate for
cash that day - would offer even less than our lowest response to the initial asking price and keep
dropping. If the Chinese don’t speak English and you don’t speak Chinese, how do you
negotiate? The seller inputs his price into the ubiquitous palm-sized calculator, shows it you, you
type in yours, show it to him, and repeat until you have a sale or are exhausted

Days 15 to 19 - Chengdu
Hotel: Holiday Inn Century City-Chengdu, No. 1 Middle Section, Tianfu Avenue, Chengdu 610041
http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/...;_requestid=18
1422
Fairly new, modern, large convention, western hotel in new commercial and residential
section isolated outside the center city. Breakfast and dinner buffet well worth enjoying,
even if only restaurant nearby. One weakness: Little water pressure in shower.
Guide: Mickal, email: [email protected]. The English that Mickal spoke was better than
any other’s in spite of the fact he explained that he learned it by watching English-language
videos. He handles warehouse transportation logistics during the week and guides tourists other
times. He’s typical Chinese -- in his 30s-40s, married, with a little daughter, with the grandparents
residing with him.
Attractions:
·Dujiangyan Irrigation System – This was surprise worth the hour-plus drive to view a Chinese
irrigation wonder, beautiful extensive park, architectural structures built into the hills that overlook
the river, and to walk through the Chinese vacationers who spend their holiday’s playing cards
and drinking tea by the river. (Western toilet, at entrance and other locations)
·Panda Breeding Research Center – How cute are the baby, children, young adults and
slumbering adult pandas? You get to watch dozens here, up very close. We occupied 3 hours.
There’s an alternative longer trip to the Wolong Natural Reserve for the hardier. (Western toilets
in some buildings.)
·Wenshu Temple – Colorful, large temple grounds in city. (Western toilets marked for
handicapped.)
·Ancient Shu City at Sanxingdui – Long, worthwhile drive through farmlands to museum, with
good English captions, that contains Bronze Age relics of the Shu ethnicity. (Western toilets in
buildings.)
·Sichuan Opera House – Hour-plus of Chinese variety show which we would not repeat.

Days 19 to 22 - Dali
Hotel: Jim’s Tibetan Hotel, Luyu Xiao Qu Yu Yuan Xiang 4
Email: [email protected]
Clean, 3-story small hotel where everyone (mostly Dutch vacationers) become friends at
small breakfast, for afternoon beer, and, if you elect as we did, to enjoy Yak goulash for
multiple dinners. (Note: Another hotel by a similar name, Jim’s Guesthouse, is situated
within the old city; Jim’s Tibetan Hotel is two streets outside the south entry gate to the
old city.) (Western toilet in room, with used paper deposited in the wastebasket and
removed daily by the hotel.)
Attractions:
We did not have a guide, choosing to get around ourselves, walking, by taxi and by bus.
·Old City – Walking through the shops on a very long pedestrian walking and staring at the
Chinese as they gawk at you was fun multiple times. Followed the smell of cooking yeast to find a
bakery with cakes, which we had not seen before. Great wandering city.
·Dian Zhong – A 90-minute private taxi ride, arranged by the hotel, through the mountains – on
asphalt and dirt roads – to a bountiful once-every-10-day market for the Yi people who trek down
en masse by cart, mule and foot to stock up on everything. This is off the beaten tourist track (so
there are no western toilets, rather smelly horrible latrine). This is great. Do it!
·Xizhou Village – A 30-minute ride to a tourist trap to see the Bai people at simulated work and a
short play. See the real stuff instead.
·Zhoucheng village – Near Xizhou, the village where batik fabrics are dyed. Interesting for a brief
stop, but you need someone to tell you which courtyard factories to enter – or be brave and just
go in yourself.
·Dali to Lijiang – The hotel arranged a private taxi for the 3-hour transit to Lijiang from Dali, up
and down mountain roads, a few pretty scenes, and not many places of interest to stop. Before
we departed, we had asked the driver to be instructed to make a toilet stop so we could also
stretch our legs. Midway the driver knew to stop at a jade store, with a non-western toilet.
Days 25 to 27 - Lijiang
Hotel: Treasure Harbor International Hotel, Shangri-la Road, Lijiang 674100
http://www.treasureharbour.cn/en/index.asp
This was a wonderful off-season 5-star find, overlooking the snow-capped mountains. It
was out-of-town, which gave us the successful challenge to take the 2-Yuan (15 US
cents) bus into the city (or you can take a cheap taxi). English is a challenge here. The
hotel is huge, ready for conventions, though no one was there. Breakfast buffet was
good; dinner buffet was a disappointment.
Attractions:
We did not have a guide, choosing to get around ourselves, walking, by taxi and by bus.
·Black Dragon Pool – Very nice park from the 18th Century to walk from the far entry to the exit
that lets you out by the Old City.
·Old City – Restored large World Heritage Site where you can wander for hours among many
other Chinese tourists going from shop to shop which are staffed by Naxi in traditional costume.
Some young women are weaving scarves, pulling ginger candy to be hardened and cut into bitesized
pieces, and others throwing noodles through the air as they lengthen them before boiling.
(Western toilets in the public bathrooms marked throughout the city.)
·Old Market Square – Huge local market with large assortment of hard and soft goods and foods,
worth a meandering visit.
·Naxi Family restaurant – Restaurant serving traditional Naxi food.

Days 28 to 30 – Shenzhen (across from Hong Kong)
Hotel: Novotel Bauhinia Shenzen, Qiaocheng East Road, Shenzhen 518040
http://www.accorhotels.com/accorhote...he_hotel.shtml A fine businessman’s hotel, by the metro (Stop: Qiao Cheng Dong, Exit C2) to the center
city. Shenzhen was a far less expensive overnight instead of Hong Kong, which is where
we flew out. The hotel arranged a very reasonable (1-hour at midday) shuttle van directly
to the Hong Kong airport terminal, expediting your way through multiple immigration and
custom stops. Nice buffet dinner, where we joined to celebrate the Chinese New Moon
festival.
Attractions:
We did not have a guide, choosing to get around ourselves, walking, by taxi and by
subway.
·Da Fen Chun painting village – Blocks and blocks of studios selling original and counterfeit
artwork. Unfortunately, most of the artwork is now created in other, less expensive cities so you
don’t get to see a Monet painting in progress. (Western toilets in some stores.)
·Dongmen pedestrian central city shopping walkway – Typical big western city pedestrian mall,
with multi-story single-item shops and department stores on both sides and lots of teens and
noise. Nearby, the most miniscule electronics parts are sold in large multi-floor malls where the
inventory is wheeled in and out rapidly. If you want, you could purchase every part to hand-build
a computer, if you knew what the parts were. Subway stops nearby all.
Day 30 – Departure from Hong Kong
And so the end! We had a fabulous time and I welcome any questions that I can be helpful with. Below are the final words of precaution and some useful Chinese phrases.
!!! Caution – Health Prevention: We were concerned about our health. We carry current medical
records. We purchased travel insurance, with medical evacuation coverage to ensure we could
promptly get back to the U.S. We obtained a prescription for and brought Cipro, an all-purpose
antibiotic, and carried over-the-counter Lomotil, anti-diarrhea tablets (which we would accompany
with a lot of bottled water for re-hydration). We brought but did not use surgical facemasks.
Helpful Chinese Phrases
Note: Chinese have tones: neutral; rising ; accented; declining
Hello Nee – How
Goodbye Zi – Jen
Thank you Sier-sier
(as in sierra sierra without A and
soft R)
You are welcome Boo – yow. sier-sier
Boo – kurt - say
Beautiful (to parent about child) May - lee
I want it Yow
No, I don’t want any (to pestering
peddler)
Boo – yow!
I don’t understand Boo – dong
No spice (“I am afraid of spice”) War – pa – lah
A little spicy Lah - e – de- en
Spicy like the locals War – boo – pa- lah
China Helpline (www.chinahelpline.com) for someone to translate English to Chinese via
telephone (for a fee): +86 4008-808080

I loved reading this! Sounds like you had fun despite the heads and feet on the bamboo chicken in Guilin!

I have really got to get back to China! Thanks!

ekscrunchy thanks for the reply. I used your trip report extensively in our planning and I only hope mine can be as helpful to others

Thanks so much for your detailed report. We are going to China for 2.5 weeks next Nov. and I know your report will be a tremendouis help in planning our trip.

This Fodor's style writing of each little step, piece of food, view from the room knocks me out. Several of the venues mentioned here offer some of the truly great remaining vistas on what remains of the earth, but the focus here is on familiar bathrooms. The drive betw Dali and Lijiang is where two continents are colliding, hence the many severe earthquakes & beatiful valleys. Yunnan has one of the most interesting histories (T. Roosevelt was one of the last people to visit there before it was closed for 70 yrs to outsiders - incl. Chinese) Reading these mechanical reports of parts and pieces, and so fearful as to carry face masks (I ws there during SARs two weeks), I would never consider a trip to China. Believe me, China has some problems, but there is great beauty.

Hi,
I think those replies with detail itinerary are helpful. So, I won't give you more routs or arrangements about your trip to China. What I want to say is what you need to prepare for your trip to China.
First of all, get enough clothes. You know China is large on territory. It happen in China that it is snowing in the northeast part while people in the south can not stand the high temperature though they are wearing T-shirts. Since, so enough clothes is neccessary for you because your long trip.
Secondly, stop drinking and smoking before you go. (if you drink or smoke) Since you take Dali and Lijiang as two of your destination. The altitude of this two cities is more than 2500 meters. It possible for you that you are not accustomized to the high elevation. Doctors suggests that visitors to these places with high elevation stop from drinking and smoking. More information or more details could be found in http:www.chinaspringtravel.com
Wish you have a nice trip in China. Enjoy it.

Thank you! Thank you! We are returning to China in Spring 2008 after a 15-year absence, hoping that some things have changed while hoping that some things have not. Your description fits our wishes exactly. Yes, we expect some modernization and we know that costs will be higher.

Did you find preparations for the coming Olympic Games? We hope to go early and thus avoid the price-gouging that probably will occur.

We read about poor sanitation, especially in restaurants. Was this your experience?

China has always ranked #1 in our experiences as the most interesting place we have visited anywhere in the world. Your description bears out our opinion. Thank you!

USNR, China was a marvelous place to visit for both the cultural differences and to observe the rapid modernization that is occuring. To answer your questions: Yes Olympic preparations are everywhere. In Beijing we went to see the Bird's Nest, the name of the olympic stadium. Vendors are selling olympic tshirts and hats on the street and in the parks all over China (these are not the official items which are only sold in the authorized olympic stores) The stores have lots of merchandise from pins, pens, mugs to very expensive items.
We did not encounter any problems with food but we were careful to only order foods that were hot (no cold salads) and/or our guides were doing the ordering and selecting restaurants and we trusted them. We only drank bottled water, beer or soda...never anything from a soda fountain or pitcher which could be mixed with water. And remember no fresh fruit or vegetables (including salad) that would be washed in water. Some of the local markets were fascinating to visit but we did wonder how people did not get sick from the meats/poultry/fish as there is no refrigeration but this is their culture and not ours so we just were careful (and as I wrote, we never became ill..)
Hope this helps and enjoy your trip

A whole month! Lucky you. I zeroed in on the panda part. Glad you enjoyed that. I'm sure many will be helped by your details. I share your thoughts on the local markets. They make for some eye opening photos.

Planner 123,

Wow! This was a very detailed and helpful report. We are planning a three and half week trip for April, 2008 and this is very helpful... much appreciated!

Hello planner123,

Could you please tell me what Mr. Clarence Guo charged you for your day in Xian?

Also, what foods did you enjoy at lunch?

Thank you!

Monica ((F))

Thanks for the details!