Bikes are the people's chosen mode of transportation here. Having a bike gives you alot of mobility and eliminates the need for taxis/buses.

On average a bike will cost you 160RMB-350RMB. If you want a flashy new spring loaded mountain bike you'll be looking at 450-600RMB. One of those electric bikes is 1200-2500RMB. A motorized scooter bike costs from 2500RMB-5000RMB.

The larger streets have bike lanes on either side and they are unidirectional just as the automobile lanes are. On the smaller side streets with less traffic you can ride anywhere on the road you want.

When you run into bike problems you can go to any one of the bike mechanics setup on street curbs all around the city. Using their air compressor to inflate your tires costs 0.20RMB. If you need other minor repairs like chain greasing or screw tightening it'll cost an RMB or two.

In the event it rains when you're biking just find some cover and signal over a yellow taxi bus. They'll take you and your bike to where ever you need.

If you are caught crossing when you shouldn't the policeman man will grab your bike, lock the rear tire with your lock and make you wait 30 minutes then give the key back.

If you buy a nice bike then ensure to lock it always. I have two locks. One to lock the rear tire to the frame and one to lock the frame to posts or other bikes. There are secure parking garages down various alley ways where you can park your bike for 12RMB/month. You can and go as much as you want but the garages lock up at 23:00

They say blind people are more tuned to do massage than those with sight. There is a blind massage clinic beside Ma Chang Dao primary school on Jin Gang road in the Nan Kai district. Its called Kang Hua Mang Ren (Blind people) Massage Clinic. They don't speak any english so you'll need some chinese to tell them your ailment.

It costs 30RMB for 1 session or 125RMB for 5 sessions. 60RMB for the full body massage. They massage you with your clothing on, they put a sheet over the part they are massaging. I bought 5 sessions and they did wonders for me. The two younger men didn't seem so blind because they kept staring at my gf's chest. :D Still.. nice people.

Hours: 08:00-21:30 (every day)
Tel: (86-22)23283812

On the end of this street is a Bank of China and if you go left from there you'll walk to the Tobacco World, McDonalds, Foreign Bookstore, a China post, and Be For Time Tea.

There are other clinics with massage around town. I went to one in the Wang Ding Di district which had a dentist also and got chinese suction cup treatment and a useless massage. The suction cup treatment hurt and left me with gigantic suction welts allover my back. Picture coming soon :D

A city bus costs 1RMB per person. If you are planning to be in Tianjin for a while then its good to learn the buses on the routes you commonly take. I'd advise taking an umbrella with you if you are waiting for the bus.

There are two types of taxi here. The red taxis and yellow taxi bus'. They both start the metre off at 5RMB for 3 km. Then you are charged depending on which you use. A red taxi charges 1.5RMB/km beyond 3km and 1.5RMB/minute when you are waiting. The yellow taxi bus' are cheaper at only 1.3RMB/km or per minute idling.

RMB. On average I pay 6.5-12 for my trips around town but when traffic is bad I see upwards of 16.

During peak hours traffic gets heavy. Buses are filled up and taking a taxi means alot of idle cost. During times like this you don't want to take the bus as it stops often and that means no wind blowing inside to cool you off. Instead take a taxi and haggle for a set price. 12RMB should be good.

For 4 of us to eat at a local chinese food restraunt it cost 133RMB. For a party of 8 of us it cost around 320RMB in a private room. Your table will be covered in dishes and there will always be extra food going into the garbage. You'll eat things like duck blood, jelly fish heads, pig knuckles, big clams, sheep eyes, fish skin, giant shrimp (with heads, eyes, and legs attached), goat, and other neat items. Vinegar is common in the food. I believe its to hide the sour taste of food gone sour.

If you enter a restraunt and it smells dirty and unclean then don't eat there. Not all restraunts wash their dishes nor keep clean kitchens/food. Some just give a quick wipe to everything. We've had to re-wash our dishes in the provided hand sinks.

Icecubes from poor restraunts and side vendors are going to be made from local tap water. Those little shacks which sell the shaved ice with fruit toppings don't use clean water either.

Breakfast on the street consists of a couple of dough sticks rolled up in an egg-dough omelette. If you bring your own eggs it'll only cost 1RMB. If not then maybe 2RMB.

You can find roasted duck restraunts all around the city. Duck is very greasy so if you are watching your fat content don't bother eating it. They roast duck restraunts will throw the uncooked ducks into a fire oven then cut it up afterwards. You can watch them do it in most restraunts.

In the outskirts of Tianjin near the water is an area called Tang Gu. Its like a city within a city. Its home to a popular market called Market Exotic. They sell alot of swords, binoculars, telescopes, knives, lights, tobacco products, fishing gear, clothing, pens, shoes, and I even saw electric tasers guns. They ask extremely high prices at first so you have to work them down to realistic values.

We got one seller down to 5RMB for some small keychain lights which someone else asked 30RMB for. I was prewarned about their extreme markups before I came. A light magnifier which you'd see in bulk at a dollar store had an asking price of 180RMB there.

They go as low as anywhere else + 10%.

To get there go on the Jin Bin Expressway (toll highway). When you arrive you'll see a shopping street on the left with a monument of 4 women holding a glove in front of it. Thats where to start.