"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.
May 22, 09:02AM PDT
| 0 comments
| 3 cheers
