| Non - chinese speaking backpackers need advice | |
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| Dec 2, 2006 07:40 |   |
 | Hi all! We are two backpacking Europeans going to china in may/june 2007 and would like some help/advice. 1. Is it possible through hostels to book tours? 2. Do the hostels generally have english speaking personell? 3. How difficult is it to go to tourist sites by yourself if you do not speak or read chinese? (for example, the Wall, Chengde, Hua Shan, Leshan, teracotta, suzhou/tongli and so on) 4. How common is it to backpack in china when you dont know a single word in chinese, and is it even possible? Thanks LPG |
| Dec 2, 2006 08:36 | #1 |
| It is certainly possible to travel without speaking Chinese. Even though I had worked in China for a year I still found it difficult. However, I used only one hostel and visited only one of the tourist sites you mention. That one tourist destination experience was visiting Shanghai and Suzhou - that was very much easier than the rest of my trip where I went off the beaten track (though mostly cities). In the Shanghai hostel the staff spoke English and knew the places backpackers wanted to go to and how to get there. And of course you get loads of info from other backpackers too - most of whom how they all managed even though most spoke no Chinese. My advice is to allow enough time, it takes time to find out things, maybe check out the information..eg actually go to the bus station that you are told the bus you want leaves from on the day before! |
| Dec 2, 2006 09:10 | #2 |
| Hi Littlepandagirl,Yes,it is possible to travel around China by yourself.But you should check out the updated information before you go to one site. |
| Dec 2, 2006 10:43 | #3 |
| Make a two column list of the towns you must travel to, the sites you want to see, the food you want to eat and other such things. One column has the English and the other has the Chinese characters. It will be a great help. I am certain someone here would be willing to help you with that. You will need to configure your computer to display Chinese characters so that you can print out the list. All you need to do is learn a few expressions like "please take me to" or "where is" ... |
| Dec 3, 2006 21:40 | #4 |
| 1, It's not that common to book a tour bus to travel like i the buses in New York. However, if you go to Chengde from Beijng, possiblely you can get a bus tour. 1, It's possible to travel around China if even u cannot speak Chinese.There are lots of english-speakers in Hostels, dont worry. 3, If you travel in Beijing and Shanghai it wont have any problem, others i am not sure. 4, It is quite common to see the backpack in Chinese tourist city. I recommend you guys to learn few simple expressions and visit the really famous places.If you need more info. just email me:gmail.com|louise.niu |
| Dec 4, 2006 04:28 | #5 |
| yes. its very possible to travel around china without knowing chinese. adds to the greater adventour actually. most hostels offer assistance. sometimes overplanning a trip takes the fun out of it. come to china and go with the flow. you'll love it. |
| Dec 10, 2006 05:35 | #6 |
| if you're planning on doing a Tibet trip for say about 11 days, with guide, meals, transports (in Tibet, that is exklusive the flight to Lhasa) and accomodation included.. ..how much would that approximatly cost (in dollars or yuan)? Any recommendations or links to agents that can book such a trip? thanks! LPG |
| Dec 10, 2006 07:15 | #7 |
| Hi LittlePandaGirl, I happen to plan to travel in China during next May and June and just a little bit of my information: I am a Chinese and i was born in China.But currently i am living in Singapore and i am bilingual in both Chinese and English. My budget is not so much cos i am trying to do parttime jobs to save enough money. So most probably i will be trying to lower my cost of travelling by staying in cheap yet good local hotels which i can find from the internet. My focus will be in southern part of China, which includes JiangSu, ZheJiang,AnHui,HuiNan,Hu Bei,Si Chuan, Yun Nan provinces. So if you guys wanna join me, please feel free to drop me an email at:hotmail.com|mbqbuddy or you wanna ask me anything you can also email me. I will be more than willing to help you out. Cheers, Barbecuer |
| Dec 11, 2006 04:52 | #8 |
| All those places you have mentioned are relatively easy to visit without a great deal of language. So long as you can say thenames in Chinese, once you have arrived at the stationyou are likely to be approached by touts interested in your business and they will be sure to see you do not miss the bus. Hostels are catering to international backpackers so of course they speak English and offer a good variety of tours in thier localities. Many are good value for money, samller groups or even private groups and will save you some time and money in the long run. A location like Leshan you can easily visit on the way from Chendgu to Chongqing if that is your plan. It is easy to get to from either city, is only two hours or so from either and once you are in the town everything is really accessable. Chengdu is a good place to organise your trip to Tibet. Google using these names and see what you come up with. Sorry I can't help with the price but unless you do it solo it will not be so cheap but there are certainly many more choices of places to stay and transport once you've arrived. |
| Dec 11, 2006 05:00 | #9 |
| Just another thought. When you get off the bus in most stations you are most likely to be approached by touts offering hotels etc. which can sometimes be useful, however do your homework and prebook hostels where you can. This has its advantages but also locks you into a set itinerary. Plenty of chep hotels and hostels listed online. And if you plan to be in China during the first week in May then plan your destinations and accommodation carefully to aviod some of the most crowded and busiest places. Remember it is very hard to get tickets for trains/planes at the beginning and end of the 5 day holiday. |
| Jul 14, 2009 22:19 | #10 |
| Hi, every one, I'm a local in Xi'an. If you plan to visit Xi'an, I'll be glad to be your guide and will not charge any because I want to practise my spoken English. My email is 163.com|tingqian0 |
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