| Travel during Public Holidays (First week of May) in China | |
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| Dec 17, 2005 02:20 |   |
 | Hi, this is my first post. So, please go easy on me... I am planning to travel in China during the last week of April and first week of May this year. I am planning to start in Xian and after a couple of days fly to Guiyang. From Guiyang I plan to spend about one week traveling through south-eastern Guizhou to Guilin and then catch the overnight train to my final destination Guangshou. I have read that travel during the first week of May is very difficult since many businesses our closed and many people are on holiday resulting in high prices and difficult in obtaining bookings. Since, I could not find any specific information regarding the actual situation I would like to kindly ask whether I am really crazy to consider travelling during the first week of May. I would appreciate you thoughts or experiences! Kind regards, chchcm |
| Dec 17, 2005 11:08 | #1 |
| It's a shame that this may be the only time that you have to travel but if you are in Xi'an for few days you can at least buy your tickets a few days in advance and hopefully be on the road before the rush starts. It is not too bad of a time to travel as the weather is great in the southern provinces but there will some crowds and difficulty in getting train tickets to the premium places and yes accommodation will be more expensive in most places too. Trick is to avoid the most popular places and the crowds if you can so my suggestion is to spend as much time in isolated areas of Guizhou and arrive in Guilin at the end of the holiday. You could also consider the sleeper bus from Yangshuo to Guangzhou. It's the best one I've seen and it will save you a trip back to Guilin to catch the train. Plenty of good travel help in Yangshuo. We used Jacko Xie at the Hard Seat Cafe to buy plane tickets and a car to the airport and hired bikes there as well. Travel by bus should be easier and you'll need to be flexible. Have a good map and be prepared to spend an extra night somewhere. Contact Louisa in Kaili to help out with buying tickets and suggestions on where to get away from the crowds. She is a great girl and very helpful and can suggest some quieter villages where you can stay with the villagers for Y10 per night. Food extra or take your own. Not much in the way of shops there except for water and icecreams and a few basic snack items. Have a read of my travel review Glimpses of Guizhou and if you need more info on buses and accomnodation don't hesitate to send me a message. I'm heading home in a few weeks and will not have access to all my travel details while away so if you have more questions ask soon!!!!!! |
| Dec 17, 2005 18:01 | #2 |
| Yes,You are right!and it was crowded! Yes,I agree with Jabarootoo!and when you are in Xi'an,you can buy the ticket at advance! Actually,the train ticket were difficult to buy!But you can choose buses for short distance!It is easy! Have a nice trip!  |
| Dec 17, 2005 20:33 | #3 |
| Hi CHCHCM, Yes, like the others said, it is very crowded, especially in the more popular destinations and big cities. I'd try to avoid those if you can. Usually buses are a good way to travel and don't get quite as busy as the trains. Best to try and arrange/book your transport as soon as you can, or keep moving around to a minimum and just really absorb the atmosphere of one place and its surroundings. Whatever happens, have fun :) |
| Dec 19, 2005 07:27 | #4 |
| Hi Jabarootoo, Thank you very much for your detailed and very helpful advice! And, sorry for my very slow reply. Yes, I was planning to spend as much time as I can in the isolated areas. My main interests are photography and hiking. I read your Glimpses of Guizhou review. I will certainly try to get to some of the places you visited! I still am in the early planning stages though so I will try to read up as much as possible first and ask a few questions along the way. Regarding my dates for travel, I also have the option to travel from March 19 to April 2 if I like. From what you wrote I guess it is a tradeoff between warmer weather and the inconveniences of the first week in May or cooler weather with no inconveniences due to the May holidays. At this time I am considering March as the better option to avoid the crowds. Do you think March would be better? I'd like to ask you many more questions too, but first I better do some more study by myself. Once again, thanks for your kind advice. |
| Dec 19, 2005 07:37 | #5 |
| Hi California, Thank you for your kind reply. Yes, if I go in late April/early May, I'll try to make a booking for the overnight train from Guilin to Guangzhou if I don't take the overnight bus from Yangshou as Jabarootoo suggested. I think I'll be using the buses a lot though! Once, again thanks! |
| Dec 19, 2005 07:42 | #6 |
| Hi Lemoncactus, Thanks for your kind advice too! I think you hit on an important point here which is not to travel around too much to maximize the time spent actually soaking up the atmosphere! I'll keep that in mind. Another thing which I haven't really got to grips with yet is the huge distances involved in China as I live in such a small country (Japan) and come from another small country (New Zealand) Anyway, I'd like to ask you more after I have done a bit more research, Kind regards, |
| Dec 19, 2005 08:38 | #7 |
| Quote: "Another thing which I haven't really got to grips with yet is the huge distances involved in China" Yes, that's so true! The distances really do put big holes in your schedule. |
| Dec 19, 2005 09:06 | #8 |
| Hi,chchcm, QUOTE:"I'll try to make a booking for the overnight train from Guilin to Guangzhou if I don't take the overnight bus from Yangshou as Jabarootoo suggested. " ===It is a good choice!!! Another Tip for crowded:Pls don't take overnight buses as possible as you can!!!It is not very safe in some places!!!Train is the best!!!  |
| Dec 19, 2005 09:15 | #9 |
| Hi California, Thanks good advise for the sleeper bus. I like to see it before I buy the ticket but sometimes there is no choice if you need to keep moving. the sleeper from Yangshuo to Guangzhou and Hongkong is a first class operation, with coaches that looked better than the train. to CHCHCM Weather wise it may not be too cool for you to travel in late March early April. It's only six weeks before you May option. Not from Chirstchurch by any chance???? |
| Dec 19, 2005 19:59 | #10 |
| Hi,CHCHCM spring is the best season to visit Xi'an ,you made the right date :)and two days may be a little rushed but you can surely taste the historical and cultural Xi'an as well |
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