Where to go!

Hello!

My wife and I have gone to THailand for the last 4 years...We now want to try China but have no clue!

WHat we loved about THailand was shopping and the beaches...

Where do we go In China for SHopping asnd relaxing?

SOme reviews advise Hong Kong others say Beijing!

Please help us!

Where to go!

If you like beaches, stay in Thailand. For shopping,yes Hong Kong is good, but not as cheap as Thailand. Places such as Beijing and Xi%26#39;an have the history - a little like Ayuthha in Thailand if you have been there. Shanghai would be the city to visit to see the new China (although it does have the old as well). China also has some good countryside - Yangshuo and Yunnan which are good for relaxing.

Where to go!

Shopping and relaxing?

What are you shopping for? Window-shopping or really buying stuff?

Relaxing not really that easy to do in China... especially when you%26#39;re not used to the crowds here. Do you have a daily budget to keep to?

When are you planning to visit? How long do you have in China?

Hello!

SO sounds like Thailands has the edge!

Misc buying....local good /. electronics etc??

No budget in mind! THe nicer the better...

Wamted to travel to a nice beack then to a good place to shop?

You will find Thailand a more relaxing and easier holiday.

China will leave you with more memories, although in the short term these might not be happy, but when you are older you will laugh at them.

So, do you want to repeat the same happy experiences, or try to get some new ones (which might or might not be the sweetest at least in the short run)?

Hello Again

We have done Thailand for the last 4 years. THe last one being when we got married on the 1st of Jan. Thailand Offers very busy yet also very relaxing.

We would like to try China but as I advised im not sure where to go.

We want to experience the shops as well as the relaxing.

Im sure it cannot be any busier than Bangkok?

Bangkok is a great place!

Beaches aren%26#39;t a highlight for China, better to stick with the ones in Thailand since you%26#39;re happy with those.

For general relaxation I would suggest that you try Yangshuo (http://www.yangers.com), Xiamen (http://www.amoymagic.com.cn), Lijiang or Qingdao.

Sorry, missed out Hangzhou from the list. That has to be one of my favourite destinations in China.

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Best restaurant!!!

What would be the best restaurant in Beijing?/

Best restaurant!!!

The roast duck we ate in Quanjude restaurant is delicious.

what%26#39;s more,Quanjude is called the best and the most famous restaurant in Beijing.

Best restaurant!!!

that depends on what you%26#39;re looking for :) What type of experience, cuisine etc. Suggest you try getting your hands on a copy of That%26#39;s Beijing when you arrive. Plenty of restaurant recommendations. My personal favs: For duck: Da Dong

For Yunan cuisine: ';Middle 8th';

For Hakka food: Lao Hanzi

For Chinese hot pot: Hai di Lao ( cos it%26#39;s really entertaining eating there and service is quick, polite and warm. A rarity!)

For Western/ Brazilian fusionthat tastes good and deosn%26#39;t break the bank: Alameda

To impress with the over the top decor: LAN

How long is a piece of string?!

Your question is too open-ended for anyone to give you any reasonable answer.

Cost of Taxi

Hi,

Does anyone know how much it would cost me and how long it would take in a taxi from Hong Kong airport to Silvermine Hotel in Lantau Island?

If I took a bus how much would it be and whats the timetable like on a sunday?

Many thanks

Cost of Taxi

Around HK$140 for the taxi, takes about 40 minutes.

For bus costs and timetable, see

http://www.newlantaobus.com/road_A35.htm

Cost of Taxi

Brilliant, thanks for your quick response

Help with Huangshan Logistics Please

Hi All,

We%26#39;re travelling to China this June with our two adopted daughters to visit their homeland. In addition to some of the main sites in Beijing and Xi%26#39;an we%26#39;re planning visits to their orphanages in Nanchang and Lu%26#39;an. After Lu%26#39;an we%26#39;re planning on visiting various places in Anhui province, including Huangshan.

Just before Huangshan, we%26#39;ll be staying in the small Ming era village of Zhaji, which is located several hours west. We can arrange transportation from Zhaji to any of the cable cars going up the mountain. My question has to do with getting to the Beihai Hotel and what to do with luggage we do not want to bring up the mountain.

From what I%26#39;ve read here, it is not a long or difficult walk from the Cloud Valley Cable Car to the Beihai. The north Taiping cable car is actually easier and less expensive for us to get to. How long and difficult a walk is it from there to the Beihai? More importantly, what facilites are located at either cable car for leaving luggage that we don%26#39;t want to lug up Huangshan? We%26#39;re planning on only bringing the things we need for our one night up on the mountain, which means we%26#39;ll have several suitcases we want to leave down below, and collect before heading out to the airport the next day.

And on the topic of flights to Shanghai, we%26#39;ll be flying out of Tunxi on a Thursday. The only flight I can find is very late at night (11:20 if memory serves). Am I missing any alternative flights, or is their only 1 on Thursday/Friday?

Help with Huangshan Logistics Please

Taiping cable car is my favourite out of all 3 on Huangshan, as it has the best views.

Would it be possible for you to stop by Tunxi and leave the excess luggage there?

Rather limited flights for Huangshan. You might also want to consider the overnight sleeper trains.

Help with Huangshan Logistics Please

Thanks Ellyse,

You are a one woman Huangshan travel agency! I%26#39;m not yet clear on the route from Zhaji to Tunxi and or Huangshan Mountain, but I suspect it may add the full time required to go from Huangshan to Tunxi and back, as I think we come in from the north.

Would it be faster/easier to go to the airport rather than Tunxi town itself, or are they really close. Given we%26#39;re currently thinking of flying out, we%26#39;ll end up at the airport after the mountain anyway.

However, I%26#39;ve heard it is 1 to 1.5 hours from the airport to Huangshan Mt. cable cars, so it is possible that heading down there to drop our bags will add 2-3 hours to our day.

Thanks for the compliments, I do my best. Not just for Huangshan either!

Would it be possible to pay the driver extra to drop you off at Taiping cable car, but continue on to somewhere in Tunxi (or even Tangkou) to drop off your extra luggage? That would be the best solution I can think of.

Hi Ellyse,

I%26#39;m sure we can pay extra for a trip into Tunxi or Tangkou. My only concern has been the additional time - but maybe I do that and let the family head up earlier. Will the round trip from Taiping, to Tunxi or Tangkou, add 2-3 hours? More? Less?

On a different note, we%26#39;ve been advised that it is about a 30 minute walk from the top of the Taiping cable car to the Beihai Hotel to drop of what luggage we will bring up with us. Is that about right in your experience?

Thanks again,

Bill

No, I meant that all of you get off at Taiping cable car, and only the driver and vehicle continue onto Tunxi/Tangkou with the luggage.

I think I%26#39;d figure on about 2-3 hours for the round-trip to Tangkou and perhaps 3-4 hours for the round-trip to Tunxi.

Hmmm it depends on what kind of luggage you have, how many, and how heavy! I would probably reckon on about 45 mins.

You%26#39;re right. That makes a lot more sense. Thanks for the perspective on walk time from the cable car to the hotel.

And thatnks for the many other comments you%26#39;ve posted throughout this discussion group. It is a real help to so many of us!

Thanks for the compliments, I do my best. :)

BTW, if you%26#39;re ascending from Taiping cable car, Paiyunlou Hotel would be the nearest.

Nintendo DS Lite and Brain Trainer Game

Does anyone know where the best place to buy a nintendo DS Lite hand held Console in Hong Kong. I would like to know that I am going to a reliable shop and dealer. Are these consoles and games compatible with the UK market. If we bought games in the UK would they be able to be used on the machine. I am going to Hong Kong next week for a week. Is it possible to buy these machines in Szuchan? Would appreciate any advice. Thanks

Nintendo DS Lite and Brain Trainer Game

hi. i saw your post a little late. were you able to find the type of electronic shop you were looking for? i have the game and brain aware and love it, wondering your thoughts and experience? also, how was hong kong. going in two weeks.

Nintendo DS Lite and Brain Trainer Game

are the games for the nintendo DS in Hongkong compatable with a us bought handheld unit?

Hi Guys, Nintendo DS Lite games are universal. They are not region coded so you can buy a game anywhere and it will work. Some games will be for the japanese market though as a lot of people from Japan go to HK for holidays so if you are looking at a game that you hadnt heard of before, it might be in japanese (a new or different pokemon or final fantasy game for example...).

I found that the games and consoles were not much cheaper than at home as most of the big chains here discount the older titles. As I was going to be buying the games as a gift I ended up buying from a dealer in HK a thing called a supercard. It works really well. You should look it up on wikipedia or google it if you want to know more about it.

Hello all. Thank you for your replies. I got back yesterday from HK. It was coolish but dry for our week. I thought it would be warmer, and definitely needed a light jacket during the day.

Yes, I bought 2 nintendos for people at home. We went to a shop near the top of Nathan Road which advertised that it had all the big names for cameras and electronics. If you want to know the name I can advise.

We queried that the guarantee should cover the world and not just HK and area surrounding. We were quoted different prices for both these guarantees, and found that for a worldwide cover, that most reputable dealers quoted HK dollars of 1200 to 1400.You do not want to buy the %26#39;local%26#39; machine because it is in chinese apparently.

The shop where we bought our ds lites, also persuaded us to purchase a %26#39;chip%26#39; and %26#39;stick%26#39; thing (sorry but I am not the computer buff, my husband is!), which allows us to download games for free off the internet. The games you buy cost about UK拢30 and although this piece of kit was in the regions of UK拢80, this equates to 3 games. And if you can do this with lots of games, it pays for itself after 3 downloads. One of the purchasers has registered his machine. And tonight will do the downloading part, and the playing of the games! I trust this will go OK, and will let you know.

The shop in question, was very helpful, and put the anti scratch screens on to the Nintendo, and put in the names and birthdays too.

If you wish to know anymore, I shall let you know.

Please do your homework before shopping for electronics.

Language on NDS depends on the game cartridge, not the machine.

Hie...how much do u pay for the console (DS Lite) itself in HKD?

Hi! I think I paid HKD 1200 for the universal ds lite. Hope that helps you.

Also, a Brain Trainer game was bought in UK and works absolutely fine on the Nintendo we bought.

Does the price HKD 1200 include in your ';chip'; %26amp; ';stick'; thing for the free internet download?

Hi! I just want to know the name of the shop from where you bought the DS Lite? and where it is located exactly?

Hi! No, the 1200 HKD does not include the extras. In total we paid about 2500 HKD for each nintendo and its extras.

We bought them from Jordan Digital World. 318 Nathan Road, inbetween Ning Po St, and Nanking St, in the area of Temple Street market.

Hope this helps you.

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Questions regarding Ritz Carlton Financial Street

Would like some input if possible, many thanks.

The RC, I know is in the Financial area about 4-5 k%26#39;s out of town, they say that it takes 10-15 minutes by cab is this correct. I know they say that the Grand Hyatt is abetter location but apparently apart from their pool the RC Financial St is better. The other Ritz Carlton is way to exp.

Has any one stay at the RC Financ. St. lately and if so how was it. Perhaps someone has stayed in the Junior Suite any comments on this. Where are the majority of hotels are they all out of the centre with the exception of a few and is the Taxi thing all the norm. Dont mean to sound like an imbesile but its hard to explain oneself. What would the best time to travel by taxi during the day, say after 9 and before 5???? we are going in the month of November late.

Questions regarding Ritz Carlton Financial Street

I suppose almost anyone who could afford to stay in 5-star hotels in Beijing/China wouldn%26#39;t be thinking twice about just taking taxis anywhere and everywhere since for the prices these travellers are used to, they would find them cheap.

However for other less well-heeled travellers like me, we swear by the metro and then some taxi rides to go where the metro can%26#39;t reach.

There%26#39;re plenty of hotels located all over Beijing, within the 2nd ring road and out of. I%26#39;m not sure why you had the impression that the majority of hotels are all out of the centre.

Questions regarding Ritz Carlton Financial Street

Funny that, I dont recall anything in my Post about the costs of a Taxi it was I believe the duration of how long a Taxi takes. But once again you have succeeded in giving another condecending answer, I guess that is what happens when you are far less travelled.

Geez, I wasn%26#39;t giving a condescending answer. I was trying to point out why different types of travellers usually take different kinds of transport!

If you didn%26#39;t see that, I wonder who%26#39;s the less-travelled?

I have stayed at the Intercontinental on Financial Street, and it is just a few subway stops from the Forbidden City and major shopping, or the 10-15 minutes in a taxi as you mentioned. Other attractions, such as the Summer Palace, the Lama Temple and the Temple of Heaven are considerably farther. So do not be concerned about the Financial Street location. Things are fairly spread out in Beijing. Of course, the Great Wall is considerably out of town, too. You will be spending a lot of time in taxis to tour Beijing, no matter where you stay.

I liked the Financial Street location for its convenience to the Second Ring Road and the non-touristy neighborhood shopping.

Many thanks for your reply, my next question was about a subway so you have put my mind at ease. If it is like Hong Kong then nothing will be an issue.

Thank you.

I think it is fine to stay at the Financial Street. It takes a few minutes to get to the city center, but as noted by others, you have to travel to see the sights no matter where you stay in Beijing.

Beijing is not a walkable city and the sights are not centralized.

There is a big shopping center with a grocery store at the Financial Street, so you can buy anything you might need.

China Itinerary advice - 2wks

Thinking of a 2 week trip to China in Beijing, Xian and Guilin. Would fly in and out of beijing and probably do internal flightsbetween cities, possibly one train instead of a flight?

What are your recommended amounts of time in each place?

Is it easy for vegetarians to get food (not strict veggies but no meat at all)? Are there pizza type restaurants in these places? Love chinese veggie food but not sure about 2 weeks worth! Sorry to ask this!

Is end of Oct early Nov a good time to visit?

Thanks for any help.

China Itinerary advice - 2wks

You could do something like

6 days in Beijing

Overnight train

2-3 in Xi%26#39;an

1 day for travel

5 in Guilin, Yangshuo and in the countryside.

You could add time in Xi%26#39;an and climb Huashan.

You can get vegetarian food, but there are challenges. Chinese food uses lots of vegetables, but also often flavors them with small bits of meat and seafood. Vegetable and tofu dishes may come with bits of meat, tiny shrimp, etc. A big surprise for Westerners in China is that tofu is often served with meat.

People may take %26#39;no meat%26#39; to mean %26#39;no pork%26#39;, so you might get other meats or seafood.

Otherwise vegetarian dishes might sometimes be cooked in lard.

If you are willing to eat around meat and risk some animal broth, juices or fats it%26#39;s pretty easy. It%26#39;s much harder if you want to steer clear of that. Obviously, vegetarian restaurants are a good choice, but you do have to plan ahead so you can find those.

As for non-Chinese vegetarian foods, Beijing has lots of options, from pizza to Indian.

There are less places in the other cities, but you can almost always find pizza, and the big hotel restaurants are an option if you can%26#39;t find anything else suitable.

China Itinerary advice - 2wks

Beijing (5 days) -- overnight train -- Xi%26#39;an (3 days) -- flight -- Guilin/Yangshuo (5 days) -- flight -- Beijing. That%26#39;s assuming if you only want to visit these 3 places and nothing else.

I have a printable JPG file with Chinese characters detailing what vegetarians cannot eat. If you think that would be of use to you, email me at ellyse99@yahoo.com and put ';TripAdvisor'; and your own username (eg mrspink) in the subject line.

There are some absolutely world class vegetarian restaurants in Beijing. Check with your hotel concierge and on line before you go. One is a few blocks south of Lama Temple. Another is a buffet across the street from the Confucius Temple. (Not world class but good and cheap nontheless.) Several more are inside the Second Ring Road. I found the quality and quantity of vegetarian restaurants the best in Beijing, so pass on the pizzas in Beijing. A Buddhist-style veggies place a bit west of the Forbidden City was great.

Elsewhere, stick to stir fried vegetable dishes. There is a common dish of red peppers and tofu that is fairly good. A big western breakfast is a good time to pack in the protein with dairy and grains. Restaurants associated with Buddhist Temples are a good bet too. You should have no problem finding cheese pizzas, but the cholesterol will kill you night after night!

I agree with the above comments. Also, I find vegetarian dumplings (jiaozi and baozi) to be a very reliable choice.

One issue I%26#39;ve had when taking people to vegetarian restaurants was that they objected to all of the mock-meat dishes.

You might want to steer clear of those when you order, or you can just accept that that is part of the Chinese vegetarian tradition and give them a try. I understand that Western vegetarians are not trying to pretend to be eating meat, but the Chinese Buddhists apparently were, and the mock-meat vary from not being like meat at all to being pretty amazing facsimiles.

For example, the mock shrimp I%26#39;ve had are an utter failure as shrimp, but fairly tasty nonetheless. In any case, I think it can be interesting experience if approached with an open mind.

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