| Advice Needed for Woman Travelling Alone | |
|---|---|
| Dec 8, 2007 14:02 |   |
 | Hi there, I'm planning to land in Shanghai the first week of January and would like to travel by train to Beijing and Xi'an on my own. I've not travelled extensively on my own and I don't know Mandarin but have convinced myself that I can do it as long as I stay on the main tourist track. :) Would love some advice on hostels and other travelling tips especially from any women that have travelled alone in China. Thanks! Eune |
| Dec 8, 2007 19:06 | #1 |
| GUEST31174 | its a pity i am travelin alone too but diferent date and different city. gunna be in china in Jan 20th 2008 and i will visit xianmen and its region ( i go south coz i live in a tropical island and it make me hard to deal with cold weather in january in shanghai, beijing or xian). I thought we can go together at least it make us more comfortable than travelling alone even we've to use tarzan language to communicate with chinese coz i ain't speak mandarin too hehehe. I will be back in July for Shanghai, and beijing. incase if u wanna change ur schedule to visit china and go south pls inform me. i will be more than happy to have a partner in travelling. contact me yahoo.com|annieri34. I am 39F asian. |
| Dec 8, 2007 20:21 | #2 |
| Hello, Welcome to beijing! I suggest stady in a apartment instead of hotel! Have a nice trip! |
| Dec 8, 2007 22:04 | #3 |
| I've been to Beijing and Xi'an quite a number of times so I'm not keen to go again. But you're welcome to meet up for a chat/tea/meal if you like, I'm in my 5th year of study in Shanghai. Email me directly at yahoo.com|ellyse99 and put "TravelChinaGuide" and your own username (eg EUNE) in the subject line so that I know who you are, thanks. |
| Dec 8, 2007 23:32 | #4 |
| Travelling by train is fine. You should not feel concerned about your safety. My experience on trains is that at first people keep a distance but as you continue things get easier (OK I am not female but I dont think gender is much of an issue on trains). Of course it all depends on your persoanlity. If you make an effort to communicate, the rest of the compartment (each is 4 'soft' or 6 'hard') will chat or offer you some of what they have. Travelling on a train in China will be a bit of a culture shock if you are not familiar with the people or the country. From my perspective, they sleep 80% of the journey, eat for 10% and have 10% free time! Maybe I exaggerate but sleep and food dominate. Where do you plan to stay? If you haven't already booked I would recommend youth hostels... if you don't fancy dorm accommodation most have private rooms. This way you will meet other travellers and the 'real hostels' - not the ones that are just rooms in hotels, have staff who genuinely understand travellers (who are different from tourists and business people). It is great that u r confident, and by going to major centres I think u will be fine (though othere places are not a real problem either). If you want more comments travel in China, pls msg me and I will give u my email addr. It would be easier to speak too...if you want. Where r u from, your profile doesnt say, but knowingthis helps give advice. |
| Dec 9, 2007 00:48 | #5 |
| GUEST16118 | Hey, thanks for all the info. I was hoping to stay at the Sleepy Inn in Beijing and then the HQ Hostel in Xi'an. I read some good reviews about them on various forums. Any suggestions otherwise? Also, besides these two areas, are there any places that you would reccommend that I should go to explore. I wanted to go to the Panda Reserve in Cheng du but it seems a bit tricky to get up there without a guide. Do you know if there is much theft on the soft sleeper trains? Are they co-ed? Do you know if there is still a bus from Tiananmen Square that goes to the Muytianyu. I've read somewhere that there is but it seems like it doesn't run in January? Is this true and is it easy to get to that part of the wall otherwise? I've heard it's pretty chilly at The Great Wall in Jan but since I'm from Canada I'm thinking that I'll be able to take it. Could you tell me what the weather is like in January? Is a down Jacket too warm for The Wall? I'm trying to pack light. And in terms of packing for January do you have any must have items that I should bring that can not be purchased in China? I'm sorry if any if not all of these questions seem silly. I know that common sense would probably answer the majority of the questions but it's kinda my way of getting a crash course on China. Thanks in advance, Eune |
| Dec 9, 2007 02:49 | #6 |
| My pet recommendation for Beijing is Downtown Backpackers: http://www.backpackingchina.com/ Another one I like in Xi'an is the Bell Tower IYH: http://www.xianhostel.cn Where else you can go apart from Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an would depend on: your sightseeing interests/preferences, amount of time you have and your expected daily budget. Since I have no information whatsoever about these, it's impossible for me to make any really useful recommendations to you. The Chengdu panda reserve (http://www.panda.org.cn) isn't difficult to reach on your own steam. Taxi, public bus (involving a change of buses enroute) or even cycle there if you're keen on cycling. Sleeper and seat carriages on Chinese trains are not segregated according to gender. However I hardly think you have to worry for your safety or modesty. Travelled alone for the 1st 2 years of my stay in China without major problems. Valuables should be in a moneybelt hidden on your person, not in your luggage. You won't be cold when going on the Wall, exercise will make you warm. Down coat probably not necessary, windbreaker a must. Look on Weather Underground (Beijing) for historical weather data: http://www.wunderground.com/ Also, get a good guidebook and read through the "basics" section. That would answer a lot of your rudimentary questions! |
| Dec 9, 2007 04:17 | #7 |
| Guest 16118. I would definitely take a down jacket to the wall. Temperature may get below -10C, maybe -15C and if the wind is raging...you will need it. What is sometimes forgotton is that westerners generally do not wear as many clothes as the locals. Even down here in Guangdong which is just tropical and the night temps have so far stayed above 10C, people are wearing thermal underwear (long johns) but this is partly because many do not heat there homes (whereas I turn on heaters and wear shorts, being an Australian). As a Canadian you are surely more used to the cold temperatures and it is true you get warm while climbing the wall. As an experienced hill walker I believe you should go fully clothed and take off layers rather than risk being cold. In Xi'an there are several good hostels - the two I am familiar with are quite different in character. I have also heard the one Elysee recommends is good. If you hit any problems, there are two hostels within 200 metres of the south gate: stay inside the wall and head west. The second is very new and as well as a nice style tends to be yonger oriented, with a late bar and associated activities. |
| Dec 9, 2007 13:37 | #8 |
| ELLYSE and APAULT have got ya' covered....but let me add one thing. You should not drink to excess while traveling alone. China is a very safe place, but a drunken woman is an easy mark anywhere. |
| Dec 9, 2007 15:37 | #9 |
| GUEST16118 | Thanks for the infomation! |
| Dec 26, 2007 06:38 | #10 |
| GUEST47221 | I can highly recommend Hq Hostel in Xian. It is a small cozy place but they really took good care of me there. The web address is www.hqhostelxian.moonfruit.com I am sure if you send them an email they will happily answer any questions you might have Cheers |
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