China Travel Tips

The Black Flag Cafe is the place travelers come to share stories and advice. Moderated by Robert Young Pelton the author of The World's Most Dangerous Places.

Moderator: coldharvest

China Travel Tips

Postby ktrout » Mon Mar 28, 2011 5:27 am

There are many cultural differences between the West and Asia. In China, for one, your hosts will be horrified if you offer them a tip. This is a shame, actually, because I love bribery. Instead, let them rip you off just a little bit. After all, they're poorer and their currency is so artificially low it's a half or a quarter the price of what you'd pay in the West. Just don't get taken for a ride.
One discussion with a street vendor (in Chinese) last year went like this:
"How much for the Coke?"
"Ten Yuan."
"Ten Yuan?!"
"Four Yuan."
However, later I was walking around the street in this small tourist trap when I saw a local man playing with some Buddhist prayer bowls. I decided to play myself, but the guy said his friend wanted 1 Yuan. I didn't argue. It was only a dime or so. The guy probably went and bought himself a Coke.
Be nice to me. I'm a rug muncher.
User avatar
ktrout
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 3091
Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2004 6:12 am
Location: USDA Climate zone 9b

Re: China Travel Tips

Postby jake » Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:20 am

Another good tip is to make sure your passport is good for at least 6 months past your travel date. Also if you want to visit Tibet there is a specific entry permit that your travel group needs to have. They do not allow individual travelers to enter so you should ask your travel agency if they process Tibet entry permits.
jake
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat May 28, 2011 6:51 am

Re: China Travel Tips

Postby vagabond » Wed Jul 27, 2011 4:55 pm

jake wrote:Another good tip is to make sure your passport is good for at least 6 months past your travel date. Also if you want to visit Tibet there is a specific entry permit that your travel group needs to have. They do not allow individual travelers to enter so you should ask your travel agency if they process Tibet entry permits.


Not sure if they've opened it back up, but foreigners aren't permitted to go to Tibet since June.
"If you were born near someplace called "The Erg of ____" you lost the lottery." - Kurt the Wise

"If you're stupid, the whole world is a dangerous place." - friendlyskies
User avatar
vagabond
BFCus Regularus
 
Posts: 5342
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2005 1:20 pm
Location: LA

Re: China Travel Tips

Postby Novimya » Fri Jul 29, 2011 3:55 pm

vagabond wrote:Not sure if they've opened it back up, but foreigners aren't permitted to go to Tibet since June.

That's the answer I got too when I tried to sign up for a spring bicycle trip. They said it was supposed to be back open later in the fall. Very interested in traveling on bicycle at 15,000' for the physical challenge, but just spent a month in Inner Mongolia. Might be enough for me for a while even though it seems to be one of the more pleasant areas due to it being one of the least inhabited.
User avatar
Novimya
 
Posts: 61
Joined: Sun Aug 08, 2010 5:13 am
Location: My own Inner Idaho


Return to Black Flag Cafe

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests

cron