Monkeyrockworld

I decided to put together a brief How To of traveling in China. This really just covers up the basics,  expect more random tutorials in the future. Everything is based on my own experience, or better, the one of a person with no knowledge of Chinese language and a pretty good sense of adventure and travel. Yes, because if you are looking for a relaxed, 5 star Chinese experience you can surely get that, but at the risk of spoiling it all of its true sense. Because China is a place that you really can’t understand if you don’t dive deep into it and its people.

1. As a first suggestion, I’d say: get out of Beijing and Shanghai. They are too easy, too busy, too different from what real China is. Let alone Hong Kong, that’s not China.
   
2. China is very big, you know it. Plan accordingly because transportation is slow, and often doesn’t cover all of the territory.
   
3. Bring a phrasebook and always have transcriptions in characters with you for the places you want to get to. Very few people speak English, and the fewer that do, most of the times speak a barely understandable version of it. This applies to cab drivers as well, so don’t get mad if you say “Take me to the Great Wall” and you’ll get a puzzled look back.
   
4. Get your train tickets a couple days in advance, especially if you want to get a hard sleeper for long distance trips. Remember you can’t book tickets with a larger advance than 4 or 5 days. Be ready to struggle when asking for a ticket, because again, even if they say they speak English, ticket booth officers don’t really understand what you say. Have somebody writing characters down for you.
   
5. If you are easily bothered by a bit of dust, please, don’t come to China. You might have a heartattack overhere.
   
6. If you want to see many places, but have a rather short time, consider flying. Two of the best and cheapest English written websites you can use are Ctrip.com and elong.com. They are reliable, I used both of them, don’t worry.
   
7. Remember that you can sleep for VERY cheap (as low as 2$) in very great accommodations if you stick to the youth hostel circuit. There are many hostels in the major towns, and most of them have a good English speaking staff, and they can organize free train station pick ups for you at all times of the day. The reception is very helpful and will help you booking train, bus and flight tickets for a small fee. Of course some of them are not top standard, but I’d say out of 20 and more I stayed in, I would have to just say something about the toilets of one or two.
   
8. Speaking of toilets, remember: this is Asia, and they can be very nasty, especially in China. So, be fully aware of this. And bring some tissues wherever you go…
   
9. Be always positive, and smile. China is a hard and diverse country for us westerners, but it is a beautiful one, also. Smoke stacks, dirt, touts, hardcore sellers, street food are all part of the experience. Always smile and bargain hard, no exception, unless you are in a mall.
   
10. Local food is great, and also the street food has great value. Everything is supercheap also. Don’t be put down by a bit of dirt. Usually the clean places are clean just because they cater to tourists, they’re more expensive, and possibly the food is not as great as in the cramped, old looking ones. The more loud and rowdy Chinese you see, that’s the place to go.
    
11. If a Chinese person approaches you, most of the times it’s because you are a walking wallet to them, but be aware that, if you need help, generally speaking these people are so friendly and helpful you wouldn’t believe.

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