China June 28 - July 10, 2009

[2GirlsMama]

We didn't try the subway either trip. We rode in a cab and got completely lost because we couldn't converse with the cab driver. We ended up getting out and walking around before we found our destination...McDonalds! When we left McDonalds we found someone to tell the cab driver that we wanted to back to our hotel. Next time we will take the advice of getting someone at the hotel to write a card for us! Being completely lost was exciting and a little scary at the same time.

 

[BriarRose59]

I would definitely not want to get lost in a strange city where I don't speak the language! I will make cards for each of the hotels before we leave just to make sure we have them.

Also, I found out today from a past ABD China veteran, that it is a good idea to register your trip with the State Department at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/. That way you can be contacted if there is anything out of the ordinary going on. The U.S. embassies in the cities we visit are aware that we are there and on what days so if we need them, they already have our info. This goes for whatever foreign country you visit, not just China.

 

[pandafan]

All the hotels had stacks of cards on the front desk with the hotel name in Chinese and English. Each member of my family had one on them in case they ever were separated. Regarding the visas, we went with the visa service and were happy that we did. We had to twice provide additional information before the visa was granted. The Chinese wanted a detailed listing of all the hotels that we were staying in as well as a statement that my children were there for tourism and not as students. Maybe this was pre-olympics jitters but just be prepared for second or third trips.

 

[Siliobear]

I just replied to 2GirlsMama on another thread, but we'll be on the same tour. Looking forward to meeting others in our tour group. BTW, we tried to book the June 14 trip but was told it was sold out (or at least to our group, as we're a party of five).

 

[2GirlsMama]

Hi Silobear and family!
We are thrilled to "meet" someone else on our trip. We (DH & I) have two daughters who love adventures. They are finishing up fourth and second grades. We have been to China twice, but this will be our first ABD trip. Do you have kids?

How exciting to extend in Hong Kong. We added a day at the beginning in Beijing.

I am so glad you joined the boards, and are going to China with us!

Leah

 

[Siliobear]

I'm a newbie to these boards and still learning the lingo. I'll be traveling with my husband, two sons (21 and 15) and my mother. We're of Chinese heritage but only my husband and mom have been to China before (actually, she was originally born there but immigrated to the USA 60 years ago). We all went to Hong Kong 2 years ago. This will be our first ABD trip, so we're double excited.

I still need to submit our visa apps. Can you think of any other loose ends we need to finalize?

 

[2GirlsMama]

The lingo is easy to learn. The D stands for either "Dear" or "Disney" depending on who you ask. I always thought it meant dear. The second letter is the relationship. So, DH = Dear Husband, DD = Dear Daughter, DS = Dear Son.

We have made two trips to China, once in 2000 and again in 2002. There was one compelling reason for both trips: our daughters were born in China. So both trips were centered around bringing a new baby into our family. I am really looking forward to this trip because I will be much more relaxed and able to really enjoy vacation. The other trips were enjoyable, but learning to be a mom in a country far away from your home is a stressful thing. We made life-long friends on both trips. In fact, one family we met on a China trip became some of our best friends and we go on vacation with them every year.

We filed for our visas a while ago and still do not have them back from the visa company. We used the company recommended by ABD. We keep checking the website. The paperwork is back from the consolate, but still in their quality control section.