Viking China

[MARRYREV]

Emily,

Wonder Spouse and I were on the Beijing to Shanghai Jewels arriving in China Oct 2 and leaving Shanghai 11 Oct.

WR/Bob

[MSEm]

I know that many street vendors will have the $2 Cholex's for sale.

Is there any place that I should look for watches are higher quality maybe $15-$25. I would live to purchase several for Christmas gifts.

 

Should I purchase the watches in Hong Kong before we begin our tour in mainland China?

 

Emily

 

PS Leave on Wed for Atlanta and Thursday (Nov 1) for Hong Kong.

[MSEm]

I got a reply from Viking River on Robes in the cabins. At this time robes are furnished for guest use on the China River Vessel, but robes are NOT furnished on the Europena or Russian River Vesse.s

 

I suggested that VR furnish robes for guest use. Most of the mass market and higher sea cruise ships do furnish robes. It is 1 less thing to pack and with the limits on luggage on air flights, the less I pack the better.

 

Emily

[coasters]

Emily, you will find the 15.00 dollar watches are the ones sold by the street vendors as the bus arrives at the tour location....they then become the 2.00 watches as the bus is ready to depart from the same site.

These still make unusual gift items .. At any LOW price. Go with the flow!!

Things are about the same price in Hong Kong as they were in Mainland, just that you have to drag it with you all around. We had been told that things were better priced in HK, however we did not find that so.

Jerry

[arlenez]

I know that many street vendors will have the $2 Cholex's for sale.

Is there any place that I should look for watches are higher quality maybe $15-$25. I would live to purchase several for Christmas gifts.

 

Should I purchase the watches in Hong Kong before we begin our tour in mainland China?

 

Emily

 

PS Leave on Wed for Atlanta and Thursday (Nov 1) for Hong Kong.

 

Please tell me what a "Cholex" is.

 

Thanks & regards,

[MSEm]

That is what I call the Chinese made Rolex Knock-off watches.

Emily

[Osnab]

Our group was very cohesive, and no one caused any problems. We didn't have the probem of ever waiting for the stragler.

I would recommend this trip to anyone. Larry

 

Larry:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your recap of your trip. I'm sorry your weather wasn't the best. I think you were in Shanghai right after I left, since we left the day of the typhoon.

I thought the meals were very good, with a couple of exceptions. I agree about the hotels (and also found the Shangri La to be quite nice.)

I also agree about Viking being a great, organized and top notch company. Very much worth the money!

Felicia

[Osnab]

For those of you seeking information and photos of Viking River Cruise China Cultural Delights, I'm re-posting the links from our April 2007 trip.

Tried to cover many of the questions we read on this site, as well as those that we had that went unanswered prior to our wonderful visit.

Enjoy.

Jerry

http://picasaweb.google.com/JerrysWebPage/VikingBeijing

http://picasaweb.google.com/JerrysWebPage/MtJiuHuaBuddistTemples

http://picasaweb.google.com/JerrysWebPage/VikingBeijingToShanghai

http://picasaweb.google.com/JerrysWebPage/PorcelainFactory

http://picasaweb.google.com/JerrysWebPage/HongKong

http://picasaweb.google.com/JerrysWebPage/Guilin

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/vikingjournal.htm

 

 

Glad you reposted, especially the report! I had originally printed it out and read it, but now that I'm back, I want to read it again.

Felicia

[WIT]

That is what I call the Chinese made Rolex Knock-off watches.

Emily

Emily - Our guide called them called them 'fauxlex' watches.

WIT

[MarbellaSD]

That is what I call the Chinese made Rolex Knock-off watches.

Emily

 

LOL. that is cute! My daughter (age 24) calls them Faux-lexes. :D

 

Oh, I just read that WIT's guide also used that term! Well, great minds and all that.

 

And hers is stil working 14 months later. She just changed the battery in hers--amazing because I assumed that opening them would be next to impossble.

[arlenez]

LOL. that is cute! My daughter (age 24) calls them Faux-lexes. :D

 

Oh, I just read that WIT's guide also used that term! Well, great minds and all that.

 

And hers is stil working 14 months later. She just changed the battery in hers--amazing because I assumed that opening them would be next to impossble.

 

Thanks for the info, I plan to buy some for gifts.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[Osnab]

Glad you reposted, especially the report! I had originally printed it out and read it, but now that I'm back, I want to read it again.

Felicia

 

 

I did as I promised. I printed the report and read it again. I got a different viewpoint reading it after having walked some of the same trails as you!

 

I also wanted to elaborate or comment on some of your comments. They are in no particular order.

 

You mentioned no one wearing a mask.....

 

Me too-never saw it once. But I was there in Sept and the weather was crystal clear the entire time. (I understand we were fortunate.)

 

You wrote that your guide, Edward, gave you instructions in case you got separated from the group.

 

Those instructions came in handy for one man in our group. He stopped for a quick minute to take a picture in the gardens outside the Forbidden City. We had on the headsets (which were quite practical) and he said he heard Paul (our guide) for awhile, then Paul faded out and when he looked up, we were all gone. There were throngs of people, so he could not see the flag Paul was holding. He said he heard Paul say "Watch out for traffic" but that didn't give him a clue where we were! Anyway, he got one of the other guides from another tour company to call Paul on his cell, as the phone #s are on the back of your name tag. Paul found him in 5 minutes. So don't ever forget your name tag!

 

Another thing you talked about was the Peking Opera. My itinerary was the opposite of yours. I started in Shanghai and ended in Beijing. So I wasn't as tired as you were, and I actually enjoyed the opera more than I thought I would. Frankly, the thoughts of opera and Chinese opera to boot really made me cringe. However, there was only one song in Chinese which lasted about 5 minutes. We were given ahead of time, the story of the 3 scenes that would be enacted. I could not decipher the acting with the scenes at all.

 

The show I didn't care for was the Tang Dynasty. You are right, the inside of the theater is gorgeous and I thought the food was excellent. But I was sitting close to the orchestra and that non stop shrill screeching of the instruments was about to kill me. At one point, I glanced around to see if others had possibly passed out from the noise and one woman was sitting there holding her hands against her ears. I also didn't like the way we were seated in there, although I don't have a better suggestion in order to get so many people in at once. My neck was sore from having looked left for (what was it - 10 hrs?!) LOL Had I known then what I know now, I'd have opted out of that.

 

Ok, let's see.....you mentioned that the lazy Susan was constantly refilled w/ new & delicious delicasies. I should point out that, while true, it's not refilled with the same items. So if you taste something you like, just know it's not coming back. OTOH, please don't take so much that you leave 1/8 cup for the last person! :D

 

Next, I see you talked about the Ming Dynasty Tombs. Did you do just the walkway or see the tombs themselves? We just did the walkway. It was pretty, but we'd already walked ourselves senseless at Tian. Square and Forbidden City and I coulda done without another 30 min walk along a walkway. But like you at one point, I was getting cranky. So I didn't appreciate in full the walking along the Sacred Way. (although it was beautifully manicured.)

 

You mentioned bringing your own toilet paper. So true. But there is usually a restroom attendant (at least in the ladies room) and even if you don't take the thin sliver of paper they hand you, they are still there to open the stall door and then walk back with you to the sink and then hand you another sliver of paper to wipe your hands. And how could you not give them $1 for that? I know some people resent paying someone $1 for services they didn't ask for, but it's $1 that I think we could all easily afford.

 

You're right about the signage in English at times being quite funny. My favorite one was at the railing near the Three Gorges Dam. It said, "No rolling over please." :)

 

I've been on a few other tours where you had to go thru the factories in hopes of buying something, but Viking seemed to handle it the best. It was there if you wanted it, but if you didn't, you could just linger over lunch or go outside. At the silk factory, it was more like a museum. They were not pushy at all. And I agree it's worth the stop. Those works of art are beautiful.

 

I didn't care for the jade store at all. I think if I'm going to buy jade, at the prices offered, I'd do it at home with my neighborhood jeweler.

 

It seemed you had a local guide in each city. Was this a person who was the one to give you information on the city? I thought that was the way it was supposed to be, but we didn't have someone like that in Shanghai, Fengdu or Beijing. Paul, our main escort filled in there. He was excellent, of course, but it wasn't like in Xi'an or Chongqing, where we had local guides to talk about the Terra Cotta Soldiers or go to the zoo.

 

In Xi'An, our local guide was Michelle. She was absolutely wonderful, better than Paul I thought, and that's saying a lot! You were talking about the farmers who discovered the soldiers and I was just going to add that she said the government paid them the equivalent of $4 for their discovery and gave them the "additional benefit of fame". Yeah, hmmmmm, a Communist government offers you $4 and fame and you jump for joy? Isn't there another underlying reason for this?

 

Michelle said that the only living farmer would be there to sign the book if we wanted to get him to, but he would not speak to us or acknowledge us. She said he's quite grumpy in his old age, but I thought I would be, too, if I had to encounter 20,000 tourists in a week! You're not allowed to take his picture, but there is a large picture above where he sits that you can take a picture of, provided it's before he sits there. He is illiterate and can write his name only. I woudl imagine that's typical of Chinese farmers.

 

Ok, ship talk: The dining room IS quite noisy, I wholeheartedly agree. We missed it the first night, due to the 13 hr delay in the Shanghai airport. The

2nd night I slept thru dinner. The 3rd night I sat at a table in the middle and could barely hear the person next to me. But the 4th night I lucked out and sat at a table near the window --- the first table on the left. This is a quiet table, a far cry from the others. So if you're reading this and preparing for your trip, you now have inside information that others who don't read Cruise Critic won't have! :) I do think Viking should do something about that sound. Seems like a little remodeling is in order.

 

You also mentioned the 30 minute minimum on the internet on the ship. I was not aware of that ahead of time. However, if the connection is poor or missing altogether, they are good sports about crediting you for your time.

 

One other note about purchases on the ship. You sign up for massages at the reception desk. Then you go to the spa when it's time for your massage. You get your massage, and while you're standing in the room naked as a jaybird, that's when you see the sign that indicates you can't add the gratuity to your account! So you have to go to your cabin for the yuan and return and hope the masseuse gets the cash you leave for her.

 

I really think it would make a lot of sense to have on the sign up sheet, in large letters, something to indicate that tipping can't be added to your account. Or maybe at the desk inside the spa? Maybe it was there, but I sure didn't see it.

 

You mentioned that some beggars were part of a syndicate. Do you mean someone places them in strategic areas, then they collect part of what they collect at the end of the day? It might explain one man I saw in particular who was supposedly legless on a board with wheels. I thought it was probably a scam because he was in the middle of the steps in Fengdu. I could barely walk up and he had somehow managed to rollerblade down 100 steps. Ok, maybe he had gotten used to that, but then how could he get back up? So maybe someone had brought him down and then would come back for him later???

 

How is your wife doing on the no-smoking goal?

 

I didn't have any problems with hearing the commentaries with the PA system. It must have been better on the Sky.

 

The observation lounge smelled really bad, like mold. I noticed this each day.

 

Desert was ice cream - but wasn't it different from the ice cream we get? I found it delicious, but it wasn't as sweet. The flavors seemed more genuine and not as overpowering with sugar. (although I do like sugar!) I didn't care for the fruit at all. Maybe it was just not in the good season for fruit there, but it tasted like the stuff we get here in the dead of winter.

 

You said you video taped the acrobat show. I wish I'd been able to do that. Words and pictures cannot describe the talent of the acts. Each one was more amazing than the one before it. It was by far my favorite of all the shows! They did tell us no videotaping, and no photography even without flash, but people did that anyway, even with flash. I can just imagine, you're on that chair 100 feet in the air and a flash goes off in your eyes! But the theater didn't enforce their request, for which I'm grateful. I got some great pictures (even without flash.)

 

Lastly, Jerry, you talked about your fondness for Viking. I must wholeheartedly agree. They are top notch!!

 

Thanks again for re-posting the link to your journal. I really enjoyed reading it again.

Felicia

[couchking]

We also had Michelle, and we agree that she was FANTASTIC.

Larry

[coasters]

Felicia,

I enjoyed your added comments to my journal. Happy that we had so much positive to agree on.

Yes, my wife is no longer a smoker - after 40+ years, thanks to Chantix. Surely a wonder drug!

If you would like a copy (DVD) of the acrobatic show, call me at the number I gave you before or send me an email with your address. use jlevitzmail@gmail.com

 

Jerry

[coasters]

Felicia,

We were told that the few disabled beggars we saw (and kept seeing from place to place) were transported by a "syndicate" ... people who profit as they watch to see how many visitors make donations. We think that these were the same persons on motorcycles who always seemed nearby the beggars.

 

Also, my wife suggested I add how very pleased with the purchase made at the silk factory. A king sized quilt with silk duvet cover. The king size fits our queen bed nicely - it's lightweight yet delightfully warm.

 

Jerry

[coasters]

deleted duplicate

[coasters]

Where is everyone??

Perhaps cruising or touring??

Jerry

[WIT]

Felicia,

Also, my wife suggested I add how very pleased with the purchase made at the silk factory. A king sized quilt with silk duvet cover. The king size fits our queen bed nicely - it's lightweight yet delightfully warm.

 

Jerry

We agree. Among the various things we got in China, none has been more appreciated than the twin duvets we purchased in Suzhou. We put two on our king-sized bed and no longer compete for covers. The silk stuffing makes them incomparably light and warm.

 

PS - Where is everyone - Jerry was the last post earlier this month!

 

WIT

[arlenez]

Hi Everyone:

 

I have certainly enjoyed reading all the posts about your Viking river cruise to China. DH and I are going next May and we are very excited.

 

Can anyone tell me the best place to purchase a bunch of the silk jackets. I want to get some for my daughter, daughter-in-laws, granddaughters, and of course, one or two for me! We start our tour in Shanghai and end in Beijing. Beijing would be ideal so that we don't have to cart them around, but I am willing to if I have to. I also hope to get everyone a "rolex" watch from the street vendors. What should I expect to pay for these imitations?

 

Thanks for all of your helpful advice,

[coasters]

Arlene,

When the ship docked for the Three Gorges Dam tour, we were met at the bus by many street vendors. (Not the souvenir shops)

Embarrassed to tell you that we "negotiated" with a lady who met our bus while getting ready for the tour. Six of us promised to purchase silk jackets after the tour together for her best price...which she then quoted us.. TEN US DOLLARS each !!

My wife gets wonderful compliments each time she wears hers. Only regret is that we didn't purchase more as gifts.

BTW, there were child size silk jackets (and PJ sets) we purchased for our grand daughters also for 5.00 and 7.00 depending on size.

$2.00 to 5.00 US dollars for the "Rolex" fakes is all you expect should pay.

Best suggestion..if you see it and want it, buy it - but do so and negotiate for price (it's expected) just before the bus is ready to leave...

Jerry

[arlenez]

Arlene.

Embarrassed to tell you that we "negotiated" with a street vendor lady who met our bus while on tour. Six of us promised to purchase silk jackets after the tour together for her best price...which she then quoted us.. TEN US DOLLARS each !!

My wife gets wonderful compliments each time she wears hers. Only regret is that we didn't purchase more as gifts.

BTW, there were child size silk jackets (and PJ sets) we purchased for our grand daughters also for 5.00 and 7.00 depending on size.

$2.00 to 5.00 US dollars for the "Rolex" fakes is all you expect should pay.

Best suggestion..if you see it and want it, buy it - but do so just before the bus is ready to leave...not when you arrive..

Jerry

 

Hi Jerry:

 

BTW, my DH's name is also Jerry. Thanks for the info. Do you have any photos of your wife in her silk jacket? I would love to see what they look like.

 

BTW, I just read your profile and saw that you grew up in Brooklyn. Well, guess what! So did DH and I. I was born in Flatbush and moved to Brighton Beach when I was 12 and DH was from Sheepshead Bay. We also moved to NJ in the 60's. Small world!

 

Thanks & regards,

[coasters]

Arlene,

Small world!

Flatbush was home for me as well. East 12 between Newkirk and Foster Ave. Cousins on Brighton 12th and also Manhattan Beach.

Below are links to photos of my wife in her $10.00 jacket and grand daughter in her $5.00 PJ's.

All items were available in many colors.

They're labeled "silk"... but who knows, a Rolex for 2 bucks sounded too good to be true also!

Jerry

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/silkjacket.jpg

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/meginpj.jpg

[arlenez]

Arlene,

Small world!

Flatbush was home for me as well. East 12 between Newkirk and Foster Ave. Cousins on Brighton 12th and also Manhattan Beach.

Below are links to photos of my wife in her $10.00 jacket and grand daughter in her $5.00 PJ's.

All items were available in many colors.

They're labeled "silk"... but who knows, a Rolex for 2 bucks sounded too good to be true also!

Jerry

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/silkjacket.jpg

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/meginpj.jpg

 

Hi Jerry:

 

I lived on a little street called Oakland Place, which was right off of Albermarle Road and two blocks off of Flatbush Avenue. Then we were right on Brighton Beach Avenue and Brighton 6th Street. I probably went to the same schools as your cousins, P.S. 225 and Abraham Lincoln High School.

 

Your wife looks beautiful in her $10 silk jacket and your granddaugther looks adorable. I can't wait to get some for all my girls. Thanks for the photos.

 

Maybe our paths will cross same day.

 

Warm regards,

Arlene

[coasters]

Arlene,

There were other shopping tips in my journal should you be interested in looking a second time. Where we were, what we purchased and what price we paid for are in the report.

Cousins from Brighton are Bob and Janet Walker, Leonard Frank...

Jerry

[Grumpy7]

I've been following the posts concerning China because we are on the same ship with a pre-cruise in Hong Kong on July 5, 2008.

We were going to just casually follow posting for a while because we have other things planned before. However I couldn't resist your Brooklyn comments.

My cousin was the Principal of your HS when you went there.

We are also transplanted Brooklynites and proud of our heritage.