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An ex-pat's guide to Beijing


kaisatsu

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:) To Meg: Again, so much valuable information - many, many thanks. Of course, I'll download this to keep as a reference. We have begun preparing ourselves mentally for the density of population( & all that can be expected with it), so that its not too much of a shock when we arrive.:cool: Did not realise about the spitting - good to be forewarned so that one does not display too much shock or disgust, afterall we are guests in their country. Regarding Olympic site visitations - thanks for pointing out the venues - may possibly try CITS to see if they are running tours. Been watching on TV some of the construction & progress, particularly the bird's nest (as my husband is in construction he is most intereted). Would love it if the canal through the city were finished in time for us. A leisurely boat ride would be perfect;)

 

Love your Beijenglish - something else to download & keep - you don't realise how much pleasure you have given to other people:)

 

I was fully expecting the limo not to be one - but thanks anyway for the warning - as long as we arrive at the hotel without too many hassles, I'll be pleased (with only the two of us as passengers we should be able to relax & let the driver cope).

 

I'd love to continue talking with you over time, where do prefer to be contacted - on the boards or via email??

 

Thanks again,

'Bye for now,

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:) To Meg: Again, so much valuable information - many, many thanks. Of course, I'll download this to keep as a reference. We have begun preparing ourselves mentally for the density of population( & all that can be expected with it), so that its not too much of a shock when we arrive.:cool: Did not realise about the spitting - good to be forewarned so that one does not display too much shock or disgust, afterall we are guests in their country. Regarding Olympic site visitations - thanks for pointing out the venues - may possibly try CITS to see if they are running tours. Been watching on TV some of the construction & progress, particularly the bird's nest (as my husband is in construction he is most intereted). Would love it if the canal through the city were finished in time for us. A leisurely boat ride would be perfect;)

 

Love your Beijenglish - something else to download & keep - you don't realise how much pleasure you have given to other people:)

 

I was fully expecting the limo not to be one - but thanks anyway for the warning - as long as we arrive at the hotel without too many hassles, I'll be pleased (with only the two of us as passengers we should be able to relax & let the driver cope).

 

I'd love to continue talking with you over time, where do prefer to be contacted - on the boards or via email??

 

Thanks again,

'Bye for now,

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We will be in Beijing for a 4 night pre-cruise stay from Sept. 27 until Oct. 1/07 after our Yangtze River cruise staying at the Grand Hyatt. When does the city start to draw the crowds for the holiday. We depart Beijing on Oct. 1 for a 16 day cruise on the Sapphire Princess and look forward to exploring before we start the cruise to Bangkok. I just have to purchase my daughter a knock-off handbag so I can't let her down. I could have purchased one in Italy for her but was afraid to buy one as we had a warning with our tickets regarding purchasing such items. Lots of others did purchase handbags so I will see what happens this trip.

 

I sure have enjoy reading the info on this thread.

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Hi Meg - we have been to Beijing several times - once with a flight attendant friend (they know lots!) - but your info was so well organized, so clear, so helpful! It's people like you who make the Web the wonderful tool it is!

 

Xie xie!

 

Dee

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I'd love to continue talking with you over time, where do prefer to be contacted - on the boards or via email?

Both are fine! The board is good for anything that will be helpful to everyone, otherwise, my email is kaisatsu@gmail.com (Anyone interested is welcome to use that, except spammers ;))

 

A leisurely boat ride would be perfect

You can already cruise part of the city! A canal was built to help the emperor travel to the Summer Palace, and there are boats that make the trip in the summer, though I'm not sure how late into the fall they still run. The Chinese Culture Club runs a neat half-day tour along the canal, stopping in a few parks and temples along the way. If you have a lot of time in Beijing, it's worth checking out, especially as an interesting way to get to the Summer Palace:

http://www.chinesecultureclub.org/eventcontent.php?eventid=1202

You can also take the canal trip on your own. The boats dock behind the Soviet-looking Exhibition Center (west of XiZhiMen), and I believe you can take the trip from the Summer Palace as well, though I don't know any details. Some days you can also sail around the lake at the Summer Palace on a traditional dragon boat.

 

When does the city start to draw the crowds for the holiday.

I can't say for certain. The National Day is October 1, so the weekend just before will probably start getting bad. To be safe, I'd recommend doing the biggest sights as far from October 1 as possible.

 

Definitely try to do the Great Wall away from the crowds, because I think you can enjoy it better and move at your own pace. I've heard that during the holidays, Badaling can get so crowded that there are people on every step of the Wall! If you have to visit it during the holiday rush, consider visiting one of the other areas of the Wall. Simatai (and to a lesser extent Mutianyu) is bound to be less crowded, since it's harder and more expensive to reach. Sadly, hiring a taxi for the day isn't really in the budget of many of the Chinese tourists.

 

I just have to purchase my daughter a knock-off handbag so I can't let her down. I could have purchased one in Italy for her but was afraid to buy one as we had a warning with our tickets regarding purchasing such items

You will find no shortage of "designer" handbags in Beijing! Every market in the city sells plenty of them! One thing to remember is that a few of the brands have caused some fairly serious trouble for the market vendors, so they may not have all of their knock-offs on display. They still have them, though! If they don't have the designer you want, just ask! They usually keep them under the counter or in a back room and may have the designer's catalog on hand for browsing!

 

As for taking them out of China, you probably won't have a problem. However, I do recommend varying the styles, limiting the number, and possibly even dividing them between bags. If you're really worried, take off any tags and packaging materials. There was a case where a businessman was busted for bringing back a load of fake LV bags and had to pay hundreds of dollars per bag! But I've known lots of people (yours truly included) who've carried fake bags out of China with no problem. My everyday purse is a fake Tod's backpack, and I continue to carry it in plain sight through customs. The risk is looking like you're importing them to re-sell. If you just carry a few, I really doubt you'll have problems, but carrying a lot of them could be risky. If you need lots of gifts, there are plenty of cute silk brocade purses that look more Chinese, cost less, and have no customs risks! ;)

 

Xie xie!

不客气 Bu keqi! :)

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:) To Meg: Again, many thanks for your useful info - I will check out the web site you've recommended & maybe do a canal trip - perhaps it would be more relaxing than out on the streets;) ? Definitely desire to visit the Summer Palace even if I have to forego something else - this may be the way to do it. Can't believe Princess' timing in dumping us off there at beginning of the National Week. As you say might move along the streets, but each site may be near impossible. Keep our fingers crossed!!! I'll keep your email address handy, if I want to talk about something not of general interest.

 

Dear Meg, thank you again so much,

'Bye for now,

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Meg

 

Thank you for replying to my questions and it looks like I will have no problem picking up one of those handbags for my daughter, might even pick one up for myself. As far as the holiday goes we will just have to deal with it.

 

Your comments are most interesting on this thread. Looking forward to this upcoming experience.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Dear Meg

 

Just a question for you regarding the Great Wall. All my life I have heard about the great wall and now I am going to actually see it!

In my reading etc I realize that it is really several walls and built by different people.

Am I crazy to schedule an extra day into our itinerary so that we can visit 2 different areas of the Great Wall???

 

Right now the tour company is suggesting we go to Jin Shan Ling on 1 day and Mutianyu on another day.

The reason I had thought to do this on 2 days was so that I could pick the easiest location for my Dad who is 87 to negotiate. Which from reading seems to be Badaling. then hoped my Dad would skip the 2nd days visit and my DH & I could hike a more rugged section. Frommers says that at Badaling you can actually rent golf carts on the wall to ride in rather than walk it. Is this correct? Plus in Badaling there is a tram to take you to the top of the wall from the parking lot. At least that is what the guide books tell me.

 

Your comments on the above would be appreciated.

 

I had thought to do Badaling & Jin Shan Ling. What sections of the wall would you pick?

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Just a question for you regarding the Great Wall. All my life I have heard about the great wall and now I am going to actually see it! In my reading etc I realize that it is really several walls and built by different people. Am I crazy to schedule an extra day into our itinerary so that we can visit 2 different areas of the Great Wall???

 

Right now the tour company is suggesting we go to Jin Shan Ling on 1 day and Mutianyu on another day. The reason I had thought to do this on 2 days was so that I could pick the easiest location for my Dad who is 87 to negotiate. Which from reading seems to be Badaling. then hoped my Dad would skip the 2nd days visit and my DH & I could hike a more rugged section. Frommers says that at Badaling you can actually rent golf carts on the wall to ride in rather than walk it. Is this correct? Plus in Badaling there is a tram to take you to the top of the wall from the parking lot. At least that is what the guide books tell me.

 

I had thought to do Badaling & Jin Shan Ling. What sections of the wall would you pick?

You’re correct that the Wall is made up of many different pieces, not all of which are even connected. They were built at different times, but I’m not sure which sections were built when, especially since a lot of the commonly visited areas have undergone significant restoration. If the Wall is something you really want to see, and you have the time, I think it’s great to be able to see more than one section.

 

For the first trip, Badaling would probably be the safest bet. I don’t know about the golf carts, but there are multiple cable cars running up to the Wall from different areas. The Wall at Badaling branches in more than one direction, and the way we went was quite hilly. However, the other direction looked tamer (and much more crowded). Since there are multiple cable cars, it may be possible to walk from one to the other, rather than having to walk a ways and then walk back along the same path. Since Badaling is the closest and most crowded section of the Wall, it’s probably best equipped for visitors with less mobility. Just be sure to get a map or at least to figure out which direction is less strenuous. After hours of climbing up and down the steeper parts of the Wall, we realized that the only way back to where we started was to retrace our steps (no pun intended) or to walk along the road for about 20 minutes - not a fun prospect when you’re hot and exhausted!

 

For the second trip, I would definitely recommend trying to see some of the unrestored Wall. I don’t know much about Jinshanling, but I believe it has a restored section, and you can continue past that across unrestored areas. One popular route is to hike along the Wall between Jinshanling and Simatai. Jinshanling is also one of the places that lets you stay on the Wall overnight, and there are some companies nearby that rent camping equipment.

 

I would personally recommend Simatai as the second trip (or part of the second trip if you have the time/energy to hike from Jinshanling), since it’s known for having some of the best views (the lake at the base of the mountains makes lovely scenery) and some of the highest and steepest hills. The lowest portion of the Wall has been restored, but as you climb higher, it’s less rebuilt, and eventually the hills get too steep (and the Wall too crumbling) to keep going. Don’t worry - that point is clearly marked and sometimes guarded by park staff. Also, if you’re daring, the zipline across the lake can be an exciting end to the visit! I don’t know much about Jinshanling, so I don’t know how it compares, but I have heard a lot of people rave about hiking from Jinshanling to Simatai.

 

If you want to get even farther away from the tourist-friendly and restored areas, the Beijing Hikers (www.beijinghikers.com) regularly organize group hikes across areas of the “wild wall.” Also, there’s a post that I once saw on one of the Beijing forums that stuck in the back of my mind. I can’t vouch for its accuracy, but it always sounded interesting to me:

If you want to see the Great Wall in a completely new light, I suggest you visit with David Spindler, an expert on the subject with an MA in history from Beida. He's been conducting research for his upcoming book about the Wall for the past four or five years and gave a fascinating talk at the Bookworm last spring. To fund his research, he leads private tours to the wall. You can book a tour with David Spindler by contacting Wild China (6465 6602, www.wildchina.com )
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  • 4 weeks later...

Beth-

I can only repeat what everyone else said: Thank you so much for all this wonderful information!

I have a question that you or maybe some of the other CC members on this chain can answer:

How much is the dollar worth when you exchange it for RMB?? ...e.g. one dollar equals ??

I'm assuming that most places will not take American money ... for those who are cruising, are you getting money exchanged before the start of the cruise?? (I don't believe the cruise ships e.g. Princess will do money exchange -- correct?).

I am ending my cruise in Beijing (Oct. 1st), spending three days at the Presidential Plaza (booked by my TA) -- will they do an exchange of money there?

As you can tell, this is my first time cruising over to Asia!

Thank you for any info you can give me.

Cindy

P.S. How's the weather early in Oct? (Glad to be missing those sand storms in the Spring!!)

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Cindy,

Early October is a great time to be in Beijing. The leaves may be just starting to change color, and the temperatures will be nice and moderate. Not too hot, not too cold. Unless some unexpected weather appears, a light jacket should be the most you'd need (especially since you can pick up a coat at a market for $20 and some good haggling!)

 

Right now the Yuan (aka RMB) is trading at about 7.5 to the dollar, but you may end up closer to 7 after charges and commissions. The hotel will certainly exchange US dollars and traveller's cheques for you. If you have a bank card, you can get better exchange rates by simply withdrawing money from an ATM. However, not all ATMs can accept foreign cards. The hotel can probably help you find one that does, and I'm pretty sure most Bank of China ATMs can take foreign cards (and the hotel can definitely point you to the closest Bank of China).

FYI - You can track the currency conversion rate at Yahoo:

http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/convert?amt=1&from=USD&to=CNY&submit=Convert

 

On our Princess cruise in Asia, they usually had a currency exchange vendor set up either in the atrium or just outside on the pier. They were local change vendors, rather than Princess itself. However, they didn't have anything set up for our disembarkation port (Singapore in our case).

 

Since you'll be able to convert money at the hotel, if you have pre-paid transportation from the cruise port to Beijing, you really don't need to convert any money ahead of time. If you want some RMB for peace of mind, be sure to ask your bank well in advance, since they'll probably need to order it. However, once you're in Beijing, you'll need cash all of the time. Your hotel will accept credit cards, but only high-end restaurants and stores will accept them, and it's still mostly a cash-dependent society. Some places may charge a service charge if you pay by card, so it's good to ask first. Also, most credit cards these days charge a 1-3% "foreign transaction fee" themselves, so you may want to keep that in mind as well (btw, Capital One allegedly doesn't).

 

Cheers!

-Meg

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Once again - Thank you for all that good info!

 

Fortunately, I do not have to worry about transportation (and Yuan) from the port to the hotel -- that was included with the TA. But, we do have one other port stop before ending in Beijing - Dalian, so I will need Yuan for that port. By the way, do you know anything about Dalian (what to see/do)? Having a bit of trouble finding out about some of our ports (on CC posts) that are off the beaten track!

 

I'm also not too thrilled about going with our TA (one half day listed) to the Great Wall (they'll probably make us go to Ming Tombs, too, :rolleyes: but will check on this) and they also list Tiananment Square and lunch-- all for this "half day". Now, I'm not too sure in what order they're going to do all this (I have an email out to them now), but I'm hoping they do the Great Wall first, then lunch & Tian. Square last because I will try to squeeze in the Forbidden City that same afternoon since I would be right there, in that vicinity.

 

After that, I have one whole day "free" and I am thinking of trying to hire a driver (taxi?) to get me to the things I really want to see & do. Do you think it would be unreasonable to try to squeeze in (for one day) a trip to Summer Palace (which would proably take up most of morning since it's about 45 min. away), and then have the driver take us to Temple of Heaven (back towards city??) and still have time to do some shopping (a couple hours) at Silk St. or Pearl Market???

I know I'm pushing it, but the only other option might be to do Silk St. or Pearl Market after T. Square & the Great Wall tour - and then try to do Forb. City, Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace all in one day - :confused: :confused:

I know I'm pushing it - timewise - but I may not be back to this City ever again, and I'm trying to see & do as much as possible without skimping too much at each sight.

If we weren't arriving on Oct. 1st (the Holiday), I'd try to get over to Silk St. or Pearl (mid-afternoon), but I'm afraid the crowds will be overwhelming on this day ... and I'm not sure where to I can go (in a 2 or 3 hour span) that afternoon that won't be crowded!!

I'm open to any suggestions you have ... otherwise - thank you so much (again!) for all the good info.

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I'm also not too thrilled about going with our TA (one half day listed) to the Great Wall (they'll probably make us go to Ming Tombs, too, :rolleyes: but will check on this) and they also list Tiananment Square and lunch-- all for this "half day". Now, I'm not too sure in what order they're going to do all this (I have an email out to them now), but I'm hoping they do the Great Wall first, then lunch & Tian. Square last because I will try to squeeze in the Forbidden City that same afternoon since I would be right there, in that vicinity.

 

After that, I have one whole day "free" and I am thinking of trying to hire a driver (taxi?) to get me to the things I really want to see & do. Do you think it would be unreasonable to try to squeeze in (for one day) a trip to Summer Palace (which would proably take up most of morning since it's about 45 min. away), and then have the driver take us to Temple of Heaven (back towards city??) and still have time to do some shopping (a couple hours) at Silk St. or Pearl Market???

I know I'm pushing it, but the only other option might be to do Silk St. or Pearl Market after T. Square & the Great Wall tour - and then try to do Forb. City, Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace all in one day - :confused: :confused:

I know I'm pushing it - timewise - but I may not be back to this City ever again, and I'm trying to see & do as much as possible without skimping too much at each sight.

If we weren't arriving on Oct. 1st (the Holiday), I'd try to get over to Silk St. or Pearl (mid-afternoon), but I'm afraid the crowds will be overwhelming on this day ... and I'm not sure where to I can go (in a 2 or 3 hour span) that afternoon that won't be crowded!!

I'm open to any suggestions you have ... otherwise - thank you so much (again!) for all the good info.

 

Forbidden City, Summer Palace, and Temple of Heaven all in one day is a lot! I'm not saying it can't be done, but for me there wouldn't be enough time to really enjoy each place--and they all deserve to be enjoyed!! :)

 

I was in Beijing in April for a business trip and stayed a couple of extra days for touring. We did The Great Wall (Badaling) and the Summer Palace in one day--I can't recommend both of those on the same day as there's a lot of climbing involved at each--better done on separate days. In addition, we spent about an hour and half at a Friendship Store for a tour of the cloisonne factory and a little bit of shopping and had a great lunch there. Afterwards, a couple of us went shopping and the rest of the group went to an acrobat show.

 

The second day we went to the Temple of Heaven, the Forbidden City and T. Square and then went shopping at the Silk Market. It was a full day but we all felt we had plenty of time at each location.

 

I know what you mean about squeezing as much as possible in in a short time! I got there on a Saturday at about 5:00 p.m. and had Sunday slated to rest and get adjusted but ended up spending about four or five hours at Beihai Park, which was well worth the visit--loved it there!

 

There's a link to some photos in my signature if you're interested--there are about a 100 of the more than 1,200 that I took in the 8 days I was there. I had a wonderful tour guide for my second day of touring that I'd highly recommend. If you're interested in her contact info, just let me know.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

Jayne

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I can completely understand wanting to see it all. DH and I always have jam-packed vacations where we try to see as much as we can while we're there. However, that would be a ful schedule for any day, and you're going to be there around National Day, when half the country swarms to Beijing to celebrate! You might want to be prepared in case you run out of time and have to drop something. Your schedule sounds possible, but it's going to be pushing it with the crowds.

 

You say you're arriving on Oct 1st, so I assume your two sight-seeing days are the 2nd and 3rd?

 

If you're staying somewhere downtown and you can handle crowds, I would actually recommend going to Tiananmen Square on that afternoon. One thing I regret not seeing when I was in China was Tiananmen Square on National Day. We missed it by a few days when we first moved there, and then the next year we had to fly back to the US over the holiday. I heard from colleagues that it was an incredible sight, because the entire square is filled, and there are so many people from all over China. The big cities of the east are so far ahead of the rest of the country that the contrast is astounding. It's a once-a-year event, so you might want to take advantage of the opportunity.

 

Also, that afternoon may actually be a good time to visit Silk Stret or the Pearl Market. While they may be more crowded than usual, these two markets cater more to foreign tourists than they do to Chinese tourists. Even though things are ridiculously cheap to us and you can find quite a few Beijing-ren (people from Beijing) shopping there, a lot of the tourists from western China can't afford much, and these markets charge more than the other markets in town (where they don't speak any English at all).

 

For the other two days, when you're planning what to see/do, put the things you're most interested in earliest in the day. That way, if you don't make it through everything, you've seen the things you want to see most.

 

A half day at Badaling and a half day at the Forbidden City should be okay. You want be able to do a lot of exploring at either one, but you should have time to get a good look around. And a good look at the crowds! Be ready for a lot of people, but try to take it in stride. Just think, you're getting a chance to really experience the sheer number of people in China!

 

Aside from the long trip between them, I think Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace are about the right timing to do in the same day. Summer Palace will take a while, because it's big, and it will probably be super crowded. On a normal day, Temple of Heaven only takes a few hours to see it pretty thoroughly, and the Pearl Market is right outside, which is convenient. The nice thing about the markets is that they're open shop hours, which means they're open until around 9pm, after some of the tourist attractions have closed.

 

If you don't want to mess with the long drive across town, you might consider doing a hutong tour that afternoon in place of the Temple of Heaven. Personally, I don't think there's as much to see at the Temple of Heaven that's really unique from the Forbidden City and Summer Palace, and with the hutongs being demolished to build high rises, who knows how long they'll be around. But that's just my opinion! If you don't want to miss Temple of Heaven (and after all, it is the symbol of Beijing), you would probably be able to fit it in that afternoon!

 

Enjoy your trip!

-Meg

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Fortunately, I do not have to worry about transportation (and Yuan) from the port to the hotel -- that was included with the TA. But, we do have one other port stop before ending in Beijing - Dalian, so I will need Yuan for that port. By the way, do you know anything about Dalian (what to see/do)? Having a bit of trouble finding out about some of our ports (on CC posts) that are off the beaten track!

 

For the less-travelled ports on our Asian cruise (Nha Trang, Vietnam; Kuantan, Malaysia; Busan, South Korea; etc), I found that VirtualTourist.com was a huge help. Since the places aren't so popular, I just read through all the tips on the site and copied the information (and pictures) that looked interesting into a single file that we printed and carried with us. Check out the Things to Do and Transportation sections for some great info on where to go and how to get around on your own. The Dalian page has 72 tips for Things to Do, so you can probably read through them all fairly easily. There are always multiple tips for the same places, but it's nice to get varied opinions and to determine the things that most people really liked.

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This is all good info and will certainly help me plan my short stay in Beijing -- and the web site for the other ports (tips, etc.) will be a big help, too ... can't wait to browse through it!

 

I knew I would have to 'pick & choose' what I really wanted to see the most (because of the nat'l holiday/crowds), but I always like to have more options written down, in case my initial plans fall through! And believe me, I will try to squeeze it all in, if at all possible!

 

Thank you - Beth & Jayne!

 

And, yes, Jayne - I would very much like to know the name of the guide you used for your second day. I haven't decided if I'm going to try to get a taxi to run us all around the city for the day, or take individual taxi's to each site -- or hire a guide. If towns are small, I definitely like getting around by myself, but when we have a city like Beijing, I like the personal touch a guide gives ... getting you here & there, and providing history or other interesting facts along the way, that sort of thing.

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And, yes, Jayne - I would very much like to know the name of the guide you used for your second day. I haven't decided if I'm going to try to get a taxi to run us all around the city for the day, or take individual taxi's to each site -- or hire a guide. If towns are small, I definitely like getting around by myself, but when we have a city like Beijing, I like the personal touch a guide gives ... getting you here & there, and providing history or other interesting facts along the way, that sort of thing.

 

Hi, Duranee:

 

Beijing is a great city to have a guide--there's an incredible amount of history, as you already know!

 

Our guide's name was Catherine, and she has two e-mail addresses. You can reach her at either:

 

 

If you contact her, please tell her that "Jayne from Intel" recommended her. :)

 

You can learn more about her and see some of her offerings on her blog: http://www.catherine-travelinchina.blogspot.com/

 

Catherine is 25 years old and graduated from university. She has a sweet, bubbly personality and never failed to tell us about the history of each place. She's very easy to talk to and we discussed a lot about what it was like to live in China as a young, single person and the cultural differences between China and the U.S. The day we spent with her was truly a highlight of my trip to China.

 

She was very prompt in meeting us, and she provided a driver and a van. She chose a wonderful restaurant for us to have lunch. She was very flexible--the rest my group had a meeting in the morning they had to attend so Catherine picked me up at the hotel and off we went to the Temple of Heaven. We were talking on the way and she was asking me questions about myself and my family. I happened to mention that I'm a quilter and she asked if I'd be interested in touring a silk factory. I really appreciated that she added that stop in just because she knew I'd like--no extra charge. She even went with us to the Silk Market at the end of the day and she helped me bargain for my purchases--got some great prices! We all gave her a nice tip at the end of the day.

 

Have a fabulous trip!

 

Jayne

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Meg,

 

I have just discovered these posts today. We are thinking of visiting Beijing and China in 2009, so I have saved all your wonderful information into "Word" for future reference.

 

Thanks so much. This is why C.C. is such a great place for information on so many different places around the world.

 

Jennie

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Beth -- (or anyone else on this string who can answer this):

 

How long does it take from the port of Xingang to get to Beijing?

I know I saw it (length of time) somewhere but I just can't seem to find the answer right now.

We get into port in the morning and have transportation with TA (bus) to Beijing hotel .. And now I'm trying to arrange to have a guide pick us up at the hotel sometime in the afternoon for touring. But I'm just not sure if we will get to the hotel by noon time - or by 2 pm or some other time.... but knowing the distance from Xingang port to Beijing would probably help.

Thanks

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Hi guys -

Forget my last question -- I finally found the answer ... from Princess (on one of their post-cruise tours) ... it takes approx. 3 hours from port to get into Beijing ... and of course, it's the Nat'l Holiday, so I guess it's safe to say that we'll also have added traffic with that, on the way to the hotel.

 

So, I'm guessing it will be mid-afternoon before I can make any specific plans!

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Hi guys -

Forget my last question -- I finally found the answer ... from Princess (on one of their post-cruise tours) ... it takes approx. 3 hours from port to get into Beijing ... and of course, it's the Nat'l Holiday, so I guess it's safe to say that we'll also have added traffic with that, on the way to the hotel.

 

So, I'm guessing it will be mid-afternoon before I can make any specific plans!

 

Can you please give me the thread where you were on Princess? Thanx

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