Questions for China veterans

[figmentfan2009]

Okay... so the Italy thread got me thinking...

1. Can you make hot (warm) water (like for tea or something) in the hotel rooms?
2. You receive a Disney duffel bag here too? EEEEPPP... what is it 'for'?
3. I've read that you have to be careful taking pictures. People often want paid if they catch you taking their pictures... what about crowd scenes? I know better than to take pictures at a demonstration (camera confiscation would be bad) but will I get in trouble taking pictures anywhere or should I not take pictures anywhere? I take THOUSANDS of pictures and want to get the entire trip, but don't wan to get in trouble.
4. Laptop (with converter or adapter) will play nice just about everywhere to clean off memory cards even if they don't have internet (I don't think the Hotel Of Modern Art has internet access)? I want to be able to clean off cards and burn to DVD daily if possible... I SO don't want to loose ANY pictures.
5. Shorts okay to wear if you are 40 something if they aren't 'short' shorts? And Teva sandals and running shoes? I saw somewhere that you might not want to wear Tevas but I'm not sure why.

Thanks anyone for your help
FigmentFan2009

 

[Traveling Tinkerbell]

Dear figmentfan2009,

I have a few answers to your questions. We took the China trip last year (June 2008).

1. You do not want to drink the water. All the hotels and Disney provide bottled water for drinking and for using water to brush your teeth, etc. I do not remember having any way to heat up the bottled water in the hotel rooms.

2. We used the duffel bags to carry some of our China purchases on the planes instead of using checked luggage. Many of the gifts and crafts we received were put into the duffel bags for flight carryon purposes.

3. We did not have any trouble taking pictures. In fact many of the crowds of Chinese people walked up to us and wanted to take pictures with our daughters. Every place we visited in China, we took a lot of pictures of the Chinese people, famous sites, and their personal lifestyles.

4. You should not have any problems with cleaning off your camera cards to your laptop computer. We took a notebook computer on the trip. At each hotel (including the Hotel of Modern Art), we were able to get internet access in the rooms. If your laptop power adapter can not step down to the right power requirement for your laptop, then the hotel will provide a power converter for you to use. We burned many cds as well during the trip from our laptop computer. We also took cell phones, ipods, and cameras. We had no problems with recharging each piece of equipment on our trip. One small piece of news to add about the internet service. Some web pages that contain political content (like CNN, Fox News, etc) could not be displayed when accessing the sites. The government blocks certain content but the blocking did not hinder our general use of the internet and checking on things in the world.

5. We wore shorts every day on the trip. Our Disney guides wore shorts as well each day. Of course, the weather will dictate some of your clothes choices but we had great weather during the whole trip. We wore sandals (yes, teva sandals, in fact many families had teva sandals) most of the time but some days we put on tennis shoes. Our guides wore tennis shoes most of the time.

You will have a great trip because the people of China are very welcoming in their actions. We came away with a lot of new understandings of the Chinese people and their country. We would go back again anytime! I also want to say that the Disney guides (Dusty - American and Daisy - Chinese) made our trip so wonderful!!!!! We keep in contact with Daisy through email. We have not been blocked by the Chinese government in corresponding back and forth so far.

I hope these answers helped you with any concerns you might have.

 

[monydave]

Thank you for all the valuable information.

 

[figmentfan2009]

Thanks Traveling Tink.

I've already checked the laptop plug and I should be good... I bought an adapter (and a converter... just in case) but I'm paranoid. I go a little bit nutsy with pictures... I want to remember everything forever....

DH is less than thrilled about more bags but DD and I are tickled to death at the prospect!

 

[2GirlsMama]

We have been to China twice, but this will be our first trip with ABD. We had fantastic experiences with the people of China on both trips. We took tons of pictures and had great computer access. We wore comfortable clothes and shoes. There were a few places where "no photos" signs were posted, but not many. People were very welcoming and happy.

I would not drink any water other than bottled water. DH had a little tummy trouble after one meal, but he is a pretty adventurous eater. There was a way to heat water in the room in some of the hotels, but we didn't use it. After the tummy issue DH and I switched to drinking mostly beer and didn't have any more issues...

The only thing I was not crazy about in both trips was being stared at in crowds. I have "blonde" hair and several Chinese were interested in my hair. I remember at the Great Wall and Forbidden City having people want to take pictures with us. (I have to admit I was a little uncomfortable about that because I wasn't sure if they were making a joke or not...) People were very kind and helpful. They were thrilled that we made an attempt to learn a little Chinese.

The other thing that was difficult for me was the extremely hard beds, but I posted a question about it on this board and someone wrote back that the beds are nice and comfortable in the ABD hotels.

We haven't been to China since 2002, so I think things will have changed a great deal by now...

 

[figmentfan2009]

Mine is my DS. He is actually looking forward to getting a chance to go to the night market to eat something like crickets or scorpions or a centipede. We watched the China programs on Sunday on the travel channel and they showed some of the dishes that you can buy there. I might try deep fried starfish... not sure, but I'm pretty sure that my kid is going to end up with an upset stomach because he is SO looking forward to eating weird stuff (weird for us, at any rate).

I have already invested in the tummy meds in preparation for that.

Our visas came yesterday (leaving end of july) and I have scanned them in and cut up copies of them to put in my scrapbook/journal.

We are planning for our half days on our own and our early day (summer palace here we come on our one day early).

I honestly think that if it wasn't for the Star Wars Weekend trip to disney world I would already be packed...


Thank you everyone for the information.. I am so looking forward to this.

 

[2GirlsMama]

I know what you mean. I keep looking for things to keep the kids entertained on the plane and clothes that will keep us cool. Both previous trips to China were in July and it was beyond HOT!

I am sure that people at work are tired of hearing about the trip. I think it is going to be fantastic. I am really looking forward to our adventure.

I hope you have a great time in Disney World. You should get some great weather. I hope the crowds are small and you get to enjoy your time!!

 

[BriarRose59]

Thanks, Tink, for the wonderful and informative post. My DD18 and I are on the June 14-26 China trip. We are looking forward to a new culture and new foods to try. We have to be very careful though since my DD is very allergic to fish. We are making a stop in Tokyo on our way to Beijing so we have a business size card with "I am allergic to fish." translated into Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese. I think that should cover us for the trip.

I had asked for a portable hard drive for my birthday that downloads directly from my memory cards. I have a Canon Rebel XT, a Canon Powershot and my daughter's Sony Cybershot. We downloaded our recent trip to Paris, London and Edinburgh. Between the 2 of us we had 1400 pics taken at the large/superfine setting. It works great! The one I got is the Hyperdrive Colorspace O 40GB. You can get larger hard drives or just buy the case and put in your own. I am also thinking about taking a notebook computer, but only to post online so that the rest of my family can see where we are and what we are doing. I am also paranoid about backing up my pics, so you might think about one of those, Figmentfan.

 

[HelloChum]

Hello,

We have been considering a ABD China trip and although we haven't finalized one yet, my DS15 is fortunate enough to be going to China with his Chinese class this summer.

As I realize the significant luggage restrictions, I was curious if anyone could suggest small souvenior gifts that I could suggest to him so he would have an idea of what to pick up for his grandmothers, etc. I don't intend to take the fun or adventure out of it for him in anyway...just to give him a few ideas to steer him in the right direction...nothing worse than struggling with souvenior dilemmas on vacation!! Are there small cloissone boxes or freshwater pearls bracelets...nothing to break the bank...just a thinking of you type gift that will be easy to tuck in his suitcase.

DISers are always very helpful!! Thanks!!

 

[BriarRose59]

Jade jewelry and figurines along with small silk items would fit nicely in his luggage. The freshwater pearls would also be nice. Since we haven't been yet, I don't know about prices, but those were the items suggested in my guide book. I hope your DS has a wonderful time!

 

[2GirlsMama]

On our previous trips we bought pearls, jade, cloisonne, a small silk rug, art work (they roll it in tubes for travel) tea, a tea pot and lots of other small stuff. Choosing what to buy isn't difficult, but bartering for a good price is! I am terrible at bartering. DH sort of got into it, but I kept getting confused! I know very little Chinese (okay, I can say: "My name is Leah and I am a girl not a boy." and I can count to 10 and I know my colors. That's it!) I think your son will have a fantastic trip. What a wonderful opportunity you are providing for him!

 

[HelloChum]

It sounds like there are some great souveniors to find!

He is really looking forward to his trip. I've been following the China threads in the ABD forum...would love to go as a family!

Thanks for your help and have incredible trips...please post when you come back as I would love to hear all about them!

HelloChum

 

[pandafan]

A great gift for anyone is a chop or calligraphy set. I found the best chops at Stanley market in a shop at the far end of the market. I ended up having to pickup a new piece of luggage in Shanghai because of all the souvenir (yarn) that I was bringing back.

 

[pandafan]

Get to the night market early for the scorpions. There was only one vendor that had scorpions and he ran out fast.

 

[Jeanbean]

I just got back from China (April 9-23, 2009) and I made two trips to the Pearl Market in Beijing (the location will be on any hotel card and the taxi ride was cheap). I shopped on the 4th floor of the Pearl Market at Sharon's Store where the pearls just took your breath away. They will discount heavily without your having to haggle. For instance, I got a beautiful strand of 18 inch, white lustrous, grade A, 8-9 mm pearls for $22. With a pair of earrings thrown in. Again, all of the sales girls are great. I brought the rest of my tour there later during our stay in Beijing and other gals got great purchases. Be sure to bargain in the smaller stalls. start at 50% off and bargain up to about 40% off the original request.

Good luck and have fun!

ANSWERING THIS EMAIL:
We have been considering a ABD China trip and although we haven't finalized one yet, my DS15 is fortunate enough to be going to China with his Chinese class this summer.

As I realize the significant luggage restrictions, I was curious if anyone could suggest small souvenior gifts that I could suggest to him so he would have an idea of what to pick up for his grandmothers, etc. I don't intend to take the fun or adventure out of it for him in anyway...just to give him a few ideas to steer him in the right direction...nothing worse than struggling with souvenior dilemmas on vacation!! Are there small cloissone boxes or freshwater pearls bracelets...nothing to break the bank...just a thinking of you type gift that will be easy to tuck in his suitcase.

DISers are always very helpful!! Thanks!![/QUOTE]

 

[HelloChum]

I will definitely mention the pearl market to my son. What an awesome deal!!

Just curious...what denomination of US dollars is most practical to bring to China for ease of exchanging currency?

 

[pandafan]

We carried Benjamins and exchanged when we arrived in Beijing and again exchanged in all hotels. We never used the ATMs and limited our credit transactions. Cash works everywhere.