next week
1 week ago
and i’ll be off to visit my friend in Beijing for a week. probably not long enough but it’ll have to do. i’m excited and nervous because i’ve never been overseas and china is one heck of a first time.
People who have done this
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How to go to China
It made me
<3
 "Going to China was incredibly humbling and enabled me to grow spiritually as a would-be Buddhist, while also eating a deep fried frog (shh)."
How I did it: I went to China on a Study Abroad trip with my college for three weeks. I stayed in Hangzhou for two weeks, and spent my last bit in Beijing where I went on to visit the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. In Hangzhou I visited West Lake multiple times, went to the National Silk Museum, Lingyin Temple and a Daoist Temple, a Tea Museum where I could see tea fields also and taste Dragon Well Tea, and also I saw West Lake Impressions on it's opening night. My program fee was $3,700 which covered my roundtrip flight, all my housing and boarding, all my ground transportation on major excursions, travelers insurance and several meals. Lessons & tips: Use Travelers Checks coming there, and slowly cash them out at the Bank of China. You can only exchange 50% of what you change to qian back in USD, so make sure you only take a few days of expenses out at a time. Don't just visit the tourist attractions: there are tons of small side shops and alleys that are amazing. Don't drink the tap water. Don't eat the skin of the fruit. For God's sake, look both ways before you cross the street. The first time you get into a taxi you WILL have a heart attack. Just breathe deeply and remember they've driven this insanely all their life and know what they are doing. Visit tea fields in the mountains any chance you get. Be very careful with money while you're there: it is common to have fake money exchanged back to you. You can tell it is fake by feeling along the ridges next to the faces, and feel how it is raised. There are other ways to tell, but that is the quickest way I always used when there. Eat at every weird restaurant you find (with in the bounds of reasonable sanitation). Resources: I know a little bit of Mandarin, and a little bit goes a long way. Invest in tapes and a learn the basic lingo for money, exchanging, asking questions, etc. Get a hotel card to carry with you to show to taxi drivers. |
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More "How I Did It" stories
It made me
HAPPY!!
How I did it: I was able to find a great deal for the flight and hotel. The best time to go is during the September. Food and shopping was very cheap!. Read how I did it…
Mazen AlDarrab We will see ....
It made me
Amazed ! 
How I did it: NI HAO !Yeah .. China man , Finally ..one of my goals OR dreams since I was little .. is to visit China ..The worlds leader country , and When I graduated from the Uni and worked for 2 years I was able to save the money trip and VISIT CHINA..Unfortunately , My friend and I , took more than 500+ photos but we lost them all due to some issues with the memory card .I've been to Changshu ( Fair trade show ) and Hong Kong .. and the places wer… Read how I did it…
It made me
Hungry for more! 
How I did it: I, A. J. Baltes, was selected for a Fulbright grant. Went and traveled the country for 30 days as a scholarly pursuit. I am a college professor, and am a speaker and reader of Chinese, largely self-taught. Read how I did it…
It made me
:-)
How I did it: Took an organised tour to do this, spent 4 weeks with them touring the whole country. Then went back alone for Beijing and Hong Kong or an extra 2 weeks. Read how I did it…
timethief is now sleeping well
It made me
very happy
How I did it: I just booked a flight, got a visa, packed and went. From the time I decided to go until I stepped off the plane at Beijing was 3 weeks..make sure you have somewhere to stay arranged first, to get the visa. You can always cancel the booking after you get the visa.Rent an apartment if you are staying for more than a few weeks. Read how I did it…
→ See all 6 "How I did it" stories
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Entries
baileys_truffle is aiming to grow mentally, spiritually & physically.
Once in a lifetime ...
2 weeks ago
I’ve always wanted to go to China. A few years back I was going to volounteer to stay with a local family and teach the children there English but I didnt have the money.
Its just always appealed to me to go there not just to see the famous sites like see the great wall and the terracota army but also to go off the beaten track and learn more about their culture.
The only problem now is finding someone with a similar aspiration as mine so we can do it together. An experience like that has to be shared!
Go to China
2 weeks ago
One day I’d really like to see this ancient counrty and walk on the great wall
Kahdeksantoista is setting my goal list :-)
Right so.....
1 month ago
Before I can do this entry I need to do others. For example. The part-time job one; I need to accomplish this to earn the money to pay for the trip and also to pay for a passport. Ideally, but not a necessity, I need to have passed my OU course in Mandarin so I can speak with native speakers and become more proficient.
Mazen AlDarrab We will see ....
China Man !
3 months ago
NI HAO !
Yeah ..
China man , Finally ..
one of my goals OR dreams since I was little .. is to visit China ..
The worlds leader country , and When I graduated from the Uni and worked for 2 years I was able to save the money trip and VISIT CHINA..
Unfortunately , My friend and I , took more than 500+ photos but we lost them all due to some issues with the memory card .
I’ve been to Changshu ( Fair trade show ) and Hong Kong .. and the places were just fantastic ..
I was planning to write some dairy while I’m there , but my laptop damaged :s
I wrote some stuff here in Arabic
http://www.mazen.com.sa/blog/?cat=108
The only pictures that we had , is the one that I’m attaching with this post ( Funny :p )
Xie xie
three times
5 months ago
Once in 1995 and once in 2000 and once in 2007.
-Beijing
-Shanghai
-Changshu
-Dezhou
-Fuzhou
-Hangzhou
Would like to go back and explore more.
It will happen i know it!
10 months ago
Ive always been fascinated with Chinese culture and history, and I am hoping to work in china as an archaeologist in the future, and would like to go visit there before then. Ive never been out of the united states and it makes me sad. I want to travel the world. i want to be cultured, and to learn about new things.
