My China travel guide book arrived recently, and I had a blast going through it page by page. What a phenomenal country China is! Each region is very different from the others in terms of cuisine, architecture, clothing, and customs. David and I will be traveling to north and central China in September for ten days. We will be seeing Beijing, Xian, Suzhou and Shanghai. I can’t wait!
Reading the guide book, I was struck by the following items:
1. Weight limit for check-in luggage is 44 lbs and for carry-on 11 lbs. This means we will have to use backpacks for our carry-on instead of suitcases.
2. Public toilets are the squatting type and are filthy, which means I will NOT be using them. Ewww. I’ll wait to use the modern restrooms in the hotel and restaurants, instead. We will pack toilet paper in our suitcases and bring wet wipes and hand sanitizers.
3. Use rubber slippers in the shower to prevent warts.
4. Remember to pack Immodium for diarrhea. Do not eat raw food like salads and cut fruits. Do not drink fresh juice or consume yogurt. Drink only bottled mineral water.
5. The newer hotels are the best, because they are modern and clean. We will be staying in 5-star hotels during our trip, but I don’t know how new they are.
6. No need to tip the waiter, taxi driver, maid, etc.
7. Bring an international adapter for electrical plugs.
I am so relieved that we will be traveling with a tour group from Hawaii, especially since I don’t speak or read Chinese. I hope the hotels have outlets for my computer, so that I can blog about my experiences. Way to go, Gigi!!!
January 24, 2012 at 7:14 am |
Sounds like fun!
1) If you wait to use a toilet until you get to the hotel, you will will be taking a side-trip to a questionable hospital for bladder extension and complete intestinal blockage. Better to just buy some toilet seat liners.
I saw an article about the squatting toilets, as they feel the body can empty better in that position.
2) Hopefully your international electric adapter will permit your computer to be used. Check at a computer store about any other weird adapters.
3) As in Mexico traveling, make sure your water bottles still have unbroken seals when you receive them. Some places and restaurants have simply refilled used ones.
4) Forget your cool red purse, and put necessary stuff in a belly pouch, and then put your pouch in the backpack, and get a tiny lock to lock the zipper pulls of your backpack. That way you can move and shop with both hands without worrying about someone stealing your “purse” from the backpack on your back. This worked well when I was in Hawaii, and all of the shops waited patiently while I took off my backpack and dug my payment out.
Toodles, DrumMajor
January 24, 2012 at 8:26 am |
There are no toilet seats on squatters, so no need for liners. I think I can wait til lunch time to use the bathroom in restaurants. No problem.
I won’t be taking my backpack while sightseeing. It’s just for the airplane. I’ll use a large handbag (not the red one) to store my 2 cameras, batteries, wallet, hand wipes, toilet paper, etc. In other words, too much stuff for a pouch! Lol.
January 24, 2012 at 8:32 am |
It’s also possible that the hospitals may be better than “questionable.” A friend of mine, Jean Fritz the children’s book author, actually, came through Hawaii on the way back from China. At that time, it was relatively rare for an American to travel in China. She had broken her ankle and was sporting a cast made in a Chinese hospital. As a result, I had to do more than normal duty to get her and her husband to places around Honolulu, including the Pen Women writer’s conference. When Jean went to the local hospital to have her cast removed, all the doctors gathered around to see how medicine was practiced in China and they gave a good report on how the cast had been made.
January 24, 2012 at 8:41 am |
Interesting. What year was this, Hank?
January 24, 2012 at 10:39 am
I’m trying to place it by some other event. It was quite a while ago, I’d say in the mid 1980s.
January 24, 2012 at 10:45 am |
I think it was the year of the Pen Women’s Writer’s Conference that was headed up by Nancy Mower, or at least Nancy was a featured speaker on children’s literature.
January 24, 2012 at 9:02 am |
I’m glad you will be traveling with a tour group too. It sounds like there are a lot of precautions.
I really like those Eyewitness tour guides.
January 24, 2012 at 9:17 am |
Are you going to eat dog? This is one of the treats offered to tourists at a picturesque peasant village. I read about this in a brochure at the Hong Kong Hotel in Kowloon.
I’m thinking right now about what to take on a trip to SF, Phoenix, and Seattle in ten days. Three different climates! I’ll be doing a lot of layering
I never take a handbag. I don’t even own one. My reinforced backpack looks nice enough for most occasions. A small clutch bag or no bag at all is fine for more formal settings.
January 24, 2012 at 9:29 am |
hmmm. good question. I might eat dog just to see what it tastes like, but I definitely won’t eat snake or cat. Go figure. Lol.
January 24, 2012 at 9:31 am |
I’m excited for you too. We Americans have a whole different standard of cleanliness than a lot of the world. Those public restrooms would frighten anyone though. I don’t like gas station bathrooms. I would feel better going with a group too. Can’t wait to hear more.
January 24, 2012 at 10:21 am |
I loved China in so many ways. I know you will, too. But I found that even very nice restaurants had squat toilets, because for one thing, no part of your body needs to touch them, and they are much cleaner to use (if the place is cleaned regularly, that is). Chinese must be horrified by our toilets when they first see them.
Don’t forget to forego the ice in drinks, too. It’s a culprit in many different places, since ice cubes are usually made with tap water. (Most Chinese don’t use ice in drinks, so the kitchen staff are trying to offer Americans what they think they want.) In all my time in China, I never had any problem with intestinal upsets.
It’s important to keep your valuables protected. I remember once when a woman who spoke no English walked up to me and through pantomime made it clear that I needed to keep my purse in front of me, not slung on my shoulder like I was doing. People are really friendly, too, although I’ve never been part of a tour group.
I have never eaten dog. Just the thought of it makes me sick. But of course I am a vegetarian anyway. I saw it fried in marketplaces.
January 24, 2012 at 10:35 am |
excellent advice!
January 24, 2012 at 11:11 am |
You should find the trip interesting as you have been there before and know where to go and what to do. You are braver than me.
My SIL and nephew just came back from China. My nephew was teaching over there for and his mother joined him for a while. Not me. I am home and that’s where I intend to stay. You go girl. Dianne
January 24, 2012 at 11:49 am |
huh? I have never been to mainland China. First time for David and me.
January 24, 2012 at 12:29 pm |
I have never heard of getting warts from the shower!!!
I remember the first time I went out of the country and my hair dryer started smoking while I was using it….lol
January 24, 2012 at 12:38 pm |
That information about the warts came directly from the China travel guide book!
January 24, 2012 at 1:03 pm |
We buy several bottles of rubbing alcohol from the nearest Walmart when we arrive at our destination and wipe down bath counter and toilet seat surfaces in our hotel room. I keep a small refillable spritzer of rubbing alcohol in my purse and spray my fingers all the time. It’s cheaper than buying the waterless hand cleaners. Also don’t forget to check for bed bugs. Before we bring up our suitcases into the hotel room we lift the mattresses and headboards if we can. I heard bed bugs are especially a problem where international travelers go.
Sounds like an exciting adventure. Happy travels!
L. from W.
January 24, 2012 at 2:15 pm |
Bed bugs are a concern. Some kind of flea or bug kept biting my ankles on JAL en route to Hawaii from Tokyo in 2010. Unbelievable! I wonder where that flea or bug came from.
January 24, 2012 at 2:33 pm |
There are definite pluses and minuses about travelling….and this trip will be here before you know it. you sound like you will be well prepared. The toilet thing sounds terrible though.
January 24, 2012 at 3:40 pm |
Wow, those seven tips sure take the glamour out of travel. However, I do envy you. China is on my bucket list ever since I read “The Good Earth.” Lucky you.
January 25, 2012 at 3:24 am |
A lot of good tips here, thanks Gigi. My sister-in-law and her husband are going to China within the next few months. I will give her this page address.
January 25, 2012 at 5:23 am |
How adventuresome! I have always wanted to go there but have never mustered up the courage for such a trip.
January 25, 2012 at 4:09 pm |
China was pretty magical. i was in South (hunan province) and wandered through very very rural areas, so I saw some pretty insane things.
things I learned
1) mounds of garbage exist everywhere. I mean… everywhere. Poss. this was only true of Hunan, but there it is
2) the toilets really are NOT for the faint of heart. I literally had PTSD nightmares about these toilets months after my trip
3) DO NOT, and i mean, DO NOT get on a train between the months of Jan-feb unless you want to be thoroughly squashed
4) due to where I was going i had to get a few immunizations – against yellow fever and Japanese Encephalitis. Granted this was 9 years ago, I’d encourage everyone going to check with the CDC or whatnot and see what’s required.
5) random monkeys wandering about. that was interesting
best of luck on your trip!
January 25, 2012 at 4:57 pm |
I’ll be waiting to hear about your trip since it’s on our Bucket List for 2013. And yes, definitely a tour group! I sure wouldn’t want to do it on my own.
January 27, 2012 at 4:11 am |
It is going to be fun I am sure of it.