| Looking for some help with a 4 week trip: Shanghai-Xian-Chengdu-Lhasa-Beijing | |
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| May 27, 2008 06:25 |   |
 | Hi, in the middle of November I'll finish my present contract and go back to Europe for up to 1 year until my Australian permanent residence visa is, hopefuly, granted... on the way back to Poland I would like to vistit China and I'm thinking about 1 month backpackers type trip, starting around 15-20 of November 2008... My plan includes: ->Shanghai: 5 days ->by train (1 day) to Xian: 5 days ->by bus (1 day) to Chengdu: 5 days ->by plane to Lhasa: 6 days ->by train (2 days) to Beijing 5 days. Probably it'll change to accomodate to the situation after the earthquake in Sichuan but maybe not... I have a friend from Shanghai living currently in Beijing, and a friend from Chengdu currently in Canberra so with their help I should be able to organize the most of the trip as well as possible... However, I still need some advice on the Tibetan part of the trip, specially since individual travelling is not permitted there... and I wouldn't mind if some English speaking locals (preferably female) would like to be my guides... I don't know a single phrase in Chinese so I can imagine that outside Shanghai and Beijing I can have some problems with the communication... If you are familiar with the way Tibet tours operate, if you know how much freedom of traveling do they give and what is the best and the cheapest option to go there and to see as much as possible in 5-6 days, or if you would like to be my companion during the whole trip or just some part of it, please do write to me (poczta.onet.pl|adrianrj). I'm a 33 year young Polish man, and as you can see in my profile here - a freethinker loving hiking, traveling, motorbike riding and TOOL:) So far, besides Poland and Australia, I have visited Czech Republik, Slovakia, Germany, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, France, Spain, UK, Turkey, US, India and Nepal. |
| May 27, 2008 20:14 | #1 |
| The easiest, assuming that Tibet is reopened to foreigner travel, is to contact Sim's Guesthouse (http://www.gogosc.com) for the relevant paperwork, tickets and etc to Lhasa. You most probably don't need 5 days in each city! |
| May 28, 2008 02:36 | #2 |
| Hi Ellyse, Thanks a lot for your answer! I have visited the site you recommended. However, I have some problems with displaying it correctly... What do you mean when you say *Tibet is reopened to foreigner travel*? As far as I know only Lhasa is completely open and to be able to travel outside the city we still need to arrange/buy some group tour and we are not allowed to tavel alone... but correct me if I am wrong... Regarding my schedule, in my opinion 5-6 days are not enough:)) Anyway, you have written this probably because my previous post was not too specific... I do not intend to stay only in the cities mentioned but they will be the main cornerstones of my trip... For instance, by talking about 5 days in Shanghai I also mean that I'll go to Hangzhou for 1day... Within 5 days in Xian I would like to take a 1 day trip to Weinan... 5 days in Chengdu means 1-2 day visit to Leshan and Emeishan as well... 6 days in Lhasa include traveling around to Shigatse or maybe up to Mt. Everest Base Camp (if I decide to extend it up to 8 days and find some cheap group tour which would be organized during winter time)... and finally 5 days in Beijing would in fact include 1 day trip to Chengde or/and 1-2 days trip to Qufu:))) On the other hand I need 2-3 days in each of my cornerstone cities not only to see the most important tourist attractions but also to get to know them and to catch their atmosphere... when you travel quickly you are able to see more but you cannot get the feeling of the place... so sometimes I do plan 1-2days more in particular place just to do nothing, that is to walk on the streets and observe and absorb:) different culture, different customs, different people... it's fascinating:))) |
| May 28, 2008 02:47 | #3 |
| and by the way, I really hope that sometime after Olimpic Games, traveling to Tibet will resume and conditions will be the same as they were several months ago... |
| May 28, 2008 09:32 | #4 |
| Not even Lhasa is open to foreigner travel at the moment. I would advise you to ask Losang (owner of Tibetan Connections) about this topic. AFAIK, only the Qinghai and Yunnan portions of Greater Tibet are still visitable by foreigners currently. Yes, if you mean 5 days in each including sidetrips then it does make sense. |
| May 28, 2008 11:16 | #5 |
| GUEST26175 | Hi Adrian, there are some website you can your trip visibility to local guides. Try for example www.chinatravelcompanion.com. They have also a section where you can advertise your flightschedule in case you'd like to have some assistance there. good luck |
| May 28, 2008 19:08 | #6 |
| HI I can give you some help when you travel in Xi'an , Pls contact with me by Email: live.cn|nehcchen |
| May 28, 2008 22:10 | #7 |
| Ellyse, thanks for the name of the agency... I have visited their site and indeed, traveling to Lhasa has not resumed yet... I think I'll try to contact them, and some other companies I found on the net, at the end of September... It should be optimal time since I need to organize it well in advance (it'll be 2 months before the intending crossing of Tibetan border) and, on the other hand, I should rather to wait for these pre-Olimpic tensions to ease... In fact Yunnan, you have mentioned, is my backup plan in case entering TAR would not be possible... in that situation I will rather travel by bus to Shangri-La, Lijiang and Kunming to take a plane from the latter to Beijing... by the way, do you know some of these companies below and which one of them would you recommend? http://www.toursoftibet.com/ http://www.visittibet.com/ http://www.tibetexcursion.com/ http://tibettouragency.com/ http://www.tibettravel.org/ http://www.tibettrip.com/ http://www.tibet-travels.com/ http://www.accesstibettour.com/ http://www.tibetlhasatravel.com/ http://www.tibetplus.com/ http://www.tibetholytour.com/ http://www.pan-tibet.com/ |
| May 28, 2008 22:15 | #8 |
| GUEST26175, thanks a lot for the link! I think this service is just starting so maybe that's the reason not too many people know about it and not too many are registered... but I'm doing to check it from time to time in coming months... |
| May 28, 2008 22:21 | #9 |
| NEHCCHEN, I'll contact you sometime in June-July after my schedule is decided, I mean at least this not-Tibetan and non-Sichuan part of it, since with these two I need to wait until September-October to figure out if it's possible to go there at all... Thanks a lot for your help! |
| May 29, 2008 03:11 | #10 |
| Sorry, I have no idea which of those are legitimate. Please ask Losang of Tibetan Connections. He knows best what the situation is and would be able to point you to something suitable. |
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