Travel Tips: Destination - China
Flying into and out of Hong Kong is usually the least expensive way to get to China, particularly if one can arrange to fly mid-week (Tues-Thur) on both legs. Hong Kong is also the best place to obtain an entry visa for the PRC. Unlike the Embassy and Consulates where only 30-day tourist visas are generally available, 90-day tourist visas can still be obtained in Hong Kong, and at less cost-though this would probably necessitate a 2 or 3 day stay there, which of course is a much more expensive place to stay than the rest of China (on the other hand, one can also request an expedited 24-hour visa for an additional premium). If one needs to fly on to Beijing, Shanghai, or elsewhere in the PRC, taking the train or boat to Guangzhou and flying from there rather than straight from Hong Kong will also save a fair bit of money.
Try to keep your travel plans as flexible as possible and avoid locking yourself into anything until the last minute. The severe flooding in Southern Manchuria in July and August, 1995 is a case in point. Likewise, early 1996 might have proved an inopportune time to travel with the heightened tensions and military maneuvering in the Taiwan Straits leading up to Taiwan’s Presidential election. While the Chinese (both government officials and ordinary people) are usually quick to draw a distinction between American travelers and the actions of our government, and I certainly didn’t see much in the way of overt hostility in any case while I was there, it’s also best not to tempt fate too much. If at all worried about potential political developments, by all means take along a portable short-wave radio to keep abreast of things, and register with your embassy or local consulate.
While serious crime such as robbery, rape and murder is still fairly rare in the PRC, especially when compared with virtually any urban area in America, one still needs to exercise due vigilance against potential thieves and pickpockets. Never leave anything unattended in a public place, even for a moment, and avoid carrying your money and other valuables in anything that could be sliced open or torn from your hands with a minimum of effort. Waist packs should definitely be worn facing front rather than toward the rear, and backpacks can be quite a challenge to adequately safeguard-one more reason to keep your load as light as possible and your hands free at all times.
Try to learn at least some basic Chinese before arriving. Though it’s certainly possible to have an enjoyable and successful trip without understanding a word of Chinese, even a rudimentary grasp of the language (particularly learning to recognize some of the more common written characters) should do wonders in terms of how much additional insight one might obtain.
Regardless of advance preparations, realize that things will not always go as planned, so be prepared to improvise!
Written by Dave - daveng@hotmail.com
Filed under: Travel, Asia, Travel Guides