Originally Posted by
uanj
I really wish you luck. Your base asumption is that "plenty of places" in China will be and remain free of covid in the months to come. Might be worth re-examining that premise.
The recent variants have popped up in Shenzhen, Shenyang, Shanghai and Beijing despite all the best efforts at containment. As they say in the securities industry, recent performance is no indicator of future performance. Maybe things will get better, but maybe things will get worse. It is not inconceivable that you will find yourself in a city where their version of lockdown allows no escape, especially the smaller cities with no international flights. Please be careful, there is a small but not neglible chance you will find yourself in a Wuhan style lockdown in a city even less prepared to deal with it.
A lot of people in China tell me that "this is it", once Shanghai is cleared everything will be fine. Of course that's what we want and everyone thought that after Wuhan, then Ruili (the border town with the Myanmar crossing), then Manzhouli, then Shenzhen, Shenyang and Shanghai. But what I see is a pattern, the big cities have a difficult time dealing with it and smaller cities do much worse. And there is no (dare I say) scientific reason to predict that Shanghai will be the last. Man, I certainly hope so, but I see no medical or sceintific reason to think it necessarily has to be the last.
We are routing for you, but be careful in your choices and be prepared to move on quickly. Your strategy is to outrun the virus and lockdowns, quarantine and travel restrictions as they get imposed. But you know very well how that can happen with little or no warning. So I wish you safe and healthy travels, and also lots of luck! Keep us posted!
Thank you so much. Appreciated.
Oh, I don't worry about any of the lockdowns. One, I avoid major cities like Beijing Shanghai Shenzhen etc. Too frequently positive cases occur. Two, I don't expect to leave China earlier than I planed. I hold a ticket PVG-SFO-EWR on September 4 and fully expect that I'll fly that ticket. I prefer small cities so lack of international flights to escape is not relevant to me.
One most important factor: connections, connections. I have connections in almost every city I plan to visit. I am confident that I will be taken good care of. For example, my trip from Q hotel to HQ railway station tomorrow: I have a courtesy car with government permit and a driver. My Q hotel in Shanghai is perhaps the best among all Q hotels.
I have a list of a dozen places for this trip: Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Guiyang, Nanjing, Changzhou, Fuzhou, Changsha, Wuhan. Will stay a week in each city. If any city has a star (meaning: middle level COVID), I will not travel there. I will be alert and ready to move quickly to another place if my current city has reported a single case.
I love challenge and am confident that I will outrun the virus and lockdowns. Almost everyone suggested that I abandon this trip, but so far I am enjoying it.
My final 7 days of Q will be in Hangzhou. I should get a very nice Q hotel and lot of care from my friends there. Already I have received multiple invitations for lavish dinners after my release on May 31. :-)
Will report back.
Originally Posted by
narvik
Best to stay where you are; IMO. Better to be in a known place, than face the unknown.
Marriott hotels accepting +7 guests were already difficult to find back in February this year....I can only imagine how much more difficult it is now.
Good luck!
Thank you!
Well, so far I have encountered no difficulty other than some crappy Q hotel food.
When you have friends everywhere you go, you have no worry. I look forward to finishing my next Q period, which is shortest among all Chinese cities for folks from Shanghai.