| Three weeks in China | |
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| Feb 5, 2008 12:53 |   |
 | Hi, myself and my boyfirend will be travelling to China start of June 2008. We will spend three weeks in total in China, starting at Beijing, then Xian, Chengdu, Guillin and finish in Hong Kong. Is it realistic to travel to these destinations in three weeks? Any tips on these areas would also be helpful? Thank you Jennifer |
| Feb 24, 2008 01:52 | #1 |
| Yes, enough time to do it leisurely. You might even have time for some additional destinations. |
| Feb 24, 2008 02:01 | #2 |
| Ellyse is obviously more optomistic than I am. In my experience, I would say that is it definitely practical, but will be tight. You will want at least 4 days in BJ, and 3 days in Guilin. You need to allow a day to get between each place (even if you are travelling on overnight trains) which adds up to a total of 11 days so far. I would spend 2 nights in HK, and at least 3 in Chengdu. That totals 16, which leaves 4 days in Xi'an. So not sure where you will fit in other places? |
| Feb 25, 2008 05:29 | #3 |
| Thank you for your help. Yeah we will just go to the five chosen destinations, that way we would experience more and not be rushing about from place to place. Thanks again Jennifer |
| Mar 24, 2008 15:33 | #4 |
| We are doing it in 2 weeks in July on an organised tour from the UK. We are doing lots of internal flights in order to get it all in. We are also going to Shanghai. I think you will be fine! |
| Mar 24, 2008 19:50 | #5 |
| Holyguac. I hope your tour is enjoyable, but let me predict that you will not see any of the real China. You'll be rushed from major tourist destination to major tourist destination, constantly followed by people trying to sell you t-shirts, beer, and postcards. You'll be taken to eat at crap restaurants, and you'll soon realise that doing a tour in China is really not the best way to see it. I recently (and mistakenly) opted for a tour to walk the Great Wall at Simatai and Jinshanling. The only reason I did this was because it turned out cheaper than doing it by myself, and appeared to be more convenient. I have been to the wall several times before, but this was the first time I have been on a tour. It will also be the last. You can't beat siting on top of a watch tower at sunrise, being able to see the wall stretching for miles into the distance as it snakes its way over the mountains, and not be able to see a single other person. This is what I have done so many times before, and compared to the experience of being in the company of bickering Americans, persistent post card sales people, and a tour guide who is constantly hurrying you along, well, there is no comparison. Even though I wisely opted to not pay an extra 31 Yuan for the set lunch (which looked truly foul), the entire day was a misery. The thought of doing that for 2 weeks would make me rather stay at home. I could of course be wrong, and for your sake I hope I am, but I imagine Jen will have a much richer experience by slowing down, and going independent. Let us know how it goes when you get back. Good luck. |
| Mar 25, 2008 12:54 | #6 |
| Baron: Which company/organisation did you do the Jinshanling-Simatai Great Wall with? |
| Mar 25, 2008 21:12 | #7 |
| I am not sure - I booked it at a hostel, but on the side of the bus it said "Jinshanling to Simatai Great Wall Tour"! Must have taken them ages to think up that one! haha On the way back, the guide was talking to driver (in Chinese - and probably assuming no one else would understand). They were basically complaining how bad their company was, how low they get paid (1500!), and how unprofessional their boss is. I must admit, if the boss was the same guy who I briefly met in the morning, then I would have to agree with them. When we booked this tour, it said transport was by a "luxury air conditioned bus". My girlfriend gets travel sick in small vehicles, so this was important. You can guess what turned up the next morning - a 6 seat mini van. We were collected from a hostel close to Dongzhimen, and then went spinning around Beijing to collect others (most of which we never found), and exactly 1.15hrs later, we were back in Dongzhimen, only about 200 metres from our hotel! There was of course a big "luxury air conditioned bus" (although I would have used the word "standard" instead of "luxury"), but this was now full, so we were told we would have to do the 3 hour journey in the mini van. When we explained the problem to the guy (who I think was the boss), he wasn't at all sympathetic, and started arguing. Then after a couple of minutes, the driver of the large bus said he had "found some seats for us". I don't know where they had been hiding before, but all of a sudden there were 2 extra seats (which I suspect had been holding sandwiches until this point). Anyway, I have no doubt that this problem would not have solved by communication with the boss alone. I was grateful when the bus pulled away, and we departed without him. No matter how good or bad a tour company is however, what can do about the bickering Americans?!!!!! |
| Mar 26, 2008 00:38 | #8 |
| Ah that was what I was interested in. Which hostel did you book it with? |
| Mar 26, 2008 04:22 | #9 |
| My opinion is to choose part of China for your holiday,north,west,east,or south?It's not a good idea to spend too much time on train,bus or plane. |
| Mar 26, 2008 11:00 | #10 |
| Ellyse. I booked it at the Lama Temple Hostel, but this is by no means a reflection on them. They are really good, and they just use the same tour company as all the others. We had people from the Sheraton, and other big hotels on the same tour (although they paid more than we did - haha!). |
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