Why? ATMs tend to provide very good exchange rates, plus you get the peace of mind afforded by not traveling with gobs of cash. You won't need any RMB before your trip, I promise.

I'm a bit confused about your travel package providing a car service. I thought you already killed the travel package idea, no?

Not a big ATM user and, quite frankly, I didn't even consider it for this trip. I'll redeposit the majority of the cash tomorrow when I alert the bank to our travel plans and expected use of the ATM card.

My wife will be somewhat relieved with your assurance about not needing to arrive with cash (as will I, as I wasn't thrilled to be carrying that much money).

The travel package was purchased at the beginning of October when I committed to using the four SWUs. I used AA Vacations to ease the planning burden, among other reasons. Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination but they got everything squared away for me.

As I read and respond to the posts in this thread, I've come to realize I put way too much value on using the SWUs. I've lived overseas more than half my life and footed the bill for almost all of the travel. Getting the SWU (or eVIP or whatever) when I hit 1MM, 2MM, and my one year as EXP was quite the achievement for me -- no more 25,000 miles + ever-increasing co-pay!

Circumstances beyond my control kept me from taking advantage of the SWU until now, just two months before they were due to expire. I suppose I'd do things differently if I knew a year ago (when I began discussing the possibility of the China trip with my wife) what I know now.

Live and learn, I guess....

We have only stayed in hotels a few times. In all cases the actual booking was made by a local that we were traveling with, my wife pretended to be a local and I stayed out of sight at the time. The result was no hotel ever registered us but that wasn't the objective--rather, it's a matter of negotiating. She can never get as good a deal in tourist areas when people know she's not a local. (In all these cases we were properly registered at where we were staying in Shanghai, these were only short side trips.) The same thing with negotiating applies in the markets, I stay out of sight.

It *USED* to be official policy to charge the foreigner 2x the price. That's no longer the rule but the reality is that she fares better alone.

Unfortunately this means I can't answer your question.

Hotel clerks copy your passport, you do not surrender your passport.

Its Chinese law foreign travelers are required to have physical
possession of their passport at all times while in China or may be
subject to fines or penalties.:p

True, but I would keep my passport in the hotel safe, and travel with a photo of it on my phone.

OP: you are over-thinking this. China is not a war zone, but there are occasional hassles here, and that is part of the fun of exploring somewhere new and very different. You will likely get slightly lost, or get into a taxi whose driver doesn't have a clue...but other than being out by $3, and 30 minutes late, no harm will come of it.

Also, please DO NOT import the US-centric tipping culture into China -- it's already worse than it was a couple of years ago, but not having to tip most of the time is really a wonderful pleasure.

tb

PS not sure if you have realised the current AA promo, but your routing will still bring in 20k+ EQMs before year's end, just in case it is relevant.

Great idea having a photo of the passport on my phone. Will also have a photocopy, too.

I'm all for helping keep Western-style tipping at bay. From what I've read, service charges are already built into the price, as is the custom here in Germany. At best, we just round up to the next whole number.

You're right, tb, I'm sure we're over-thinking this, no doubt something that stayed with us having lived in Germany in the days before the fall of the Berlin Wall. It's past time to relax, go with the flow, and enjoy a new and memorable experience in China!

And I registered both of us for the AA promo as soon as it was announced. Thank you for pointing it out, though. Unfortunately, I couldn't take advantage of Hilton's promo that rdchen mentioned.

Cell phone data is easily compromised in China.
A paper copy is better if you fear losing sensitive information.

I think this is paranoia. To be honest, all emails etc can be/and may be 'monitored' here, let alone anything else.

Will any harm come from having a photo of your passport on your phone -- almost zero (obviously, the risk is not zero itself).

tb

Does a cellphone photo of your passport id page and visa suffice as a copy or is a hard copy
required?

I suppose one could ask at the local psb.


For banking matters I do believe the physical passport is required and other
things such as air travel...not sure if train ticket agent hsr would accept
Cell phone photo. Of course hotel needs original. Have been checked for
passport when entering by car cities with events...ie Beijing Olympics, Shanghai
Expo. Not sure if cell phone photo would work.

Is the risk of losing your passport while traveling in China worth keeping it in
a hotel safe when available?

In general I would answer, no.

Arrived at PEK last Weds night after midnight and waited an hour for a taxi in subzero temperatures. Totally regretted not pre-booking a pick-up. My colleague obviously hadn't suffered these long airport waits because she insisted it'd be a breeze getting a taxi and I needn't worry. When we saw the line and how slow it was moving she sheepishly acknowledged her bad call.

There were private drivers soliciting custom, I think the going rate was 300y to the city, which isn't too bad. My usual driver charges 200y, or 250-300y between midnight and 5am.

Agreed, although I never book a pick-up, and just suffer the taxi queue, not sure why?! Having said that, I was utterly shocked flying in yesterday evening to have <1 minute for a taxi from PEK - an absolute record!

tb

I don't bother with a car pick-up if I arrive during the day, just because it's easier to roll up the queue and get a taxi and not have to think about flight changes or delays and having to inform the driver etc, as I often have some flexibility on my return travel plans.

But for after midnight and especially in the cold or if the weather forecast projects rain or snow, I'd most certainly prefer a sure thing!

Whomever did the studies for the taxi and airport express queues at PEK T3 must have got there temperature data mixed up with PBI. It ridiculous for people to be freezing in those queues.

Agreed -- but my ORD-PEK flight gets in at midnight, so I'm often there, waiting 30 mins for the taxi! I try routing back via NRT these days, since that gets me in a couple of hours earlier, and the queues are shorter...

tb

I'd get a car pick-up for the long hauls.... after 12-15hrs I just want to get into my apt and bed tout de suite.... But that said, like you, I find myself chancing the line on a regular basis too :)

I suppose that's a good point; I know midnight can be hit/miss with taxis at the airport, and if it's "miss", you don't have many other options.

So how hard is it normally to get taxi? I'll be arriving around 5 pm on Monday.
So the queue is like outside, that's why some people freezing?

Covered, but no heat. Same for Airport Express..big glass roof but no heat.

http://www.mobypicture.com/user/marc...s/view/5663404

Might have to wait at least 20mins, definitely more if in bad weather. And by bad I mean any precipitation of any sort... LOL

200y sounds reasonable. Would it be possible to share your drive info?
edit: Or if anyone have info about reasonable+reliable airport pickup service?

FYI: we have a really big thread on this topic.

Thanks. I'll head up on that thread.

OP, chiming in here late so here we go:

1. Great job reading the sticky. Hope you found it useful

2. Don't arrive with cash (USD). Will do nothing but make you look more American and help you lose via exchange rate at the hotel. As others have said, bring your ATM card. Work fine all over China and you should have no issue where you're going.

3. With respect to the concern for your wife, in general if you stay with tour groups you'll be fine/safe or around your hotels and go to main areas. In some sense, unless you are Asian you won't be able to avoid folks coming up to you asking you to buy things. Tour groups (some) do run people through souvenir shops, but I haven't ever heard of one that forces you to buy anything

4. If you stay at western hotels with status as some discussion has been around, you'll be fine. Remember to utilize hotel staff who speak English and Chinese to help you.

Greetings from Beijing, mnredfox!

Thanks for your note. After some problems due to the Midwest's blizzard, we made it to PEK and managed to find our luggage which had arrived a day ahead of us.

I don't recall any comments in the sticky about the airport being so impressive and beautiful. Now, if only they would turn on the heat....

Absolutely no problems at immigration. Prearranging transportation to the hotel was a smart move for us. Followed advice from you and others in this thread and brought minimal cash; we're using ATMs as necessary.

Great Wall tour took us to the Mutianyu section as had been recommended by many in another thread. The bitter cold didn't dampen our excitement -- or awe -- at being at the Wall.

Wish the wife had read the comments about the tea ceremony -- we're now the owners of a $50 tin of tea!

The staff at the Hilton Beijing off the 3rd Ring have been very helpful. My Gold status doesn't do much but it did get the room upgraded (I think) and free Internet access.

Lots to explore in the next week and a half. We're hoping temps improve (as I'm sure you and the other Beijing-based FT'ers do) but, regardless, we're excited to be here in China!

Alka

P.S.: Got a great bit of advice from a UA pilot seated behind us and commuting into ORD. When I asked him about shopping in Beijing, he suggested speaking with the FAs and getting their recommendations. We did, as well as with the First Officer, and picked up some solid recommendations made from personal experience.

They go to the same markets as other tourists.

Glad that you are enjoying yourselves, and you're clearly made of sturdy stuff to be enjoying the GW.

Re: tea -- it's highly possible that you were not (very) scammed. Tea can be extraordinarily expensive here -- some teas go for many, many thousands of dollars a kg, and it is quite common to buy a small 'tin' of tea for US$30-$100.

So instead of fretting, I would show off your highly expensive tea to your friends back home!

tb

True the Chinese go overseas to buy the real stuff.
Of course if you want an LV bag for 20 bucks Beijing markets have a good selection.:D

I vote for, "not scammed, but probably didn't negotiate very well." I've never heard of the scam being run for less than Y1,500.

Yep, that was what I sort-of meant to say. The sum was too small for a tea-ceremony scam.

tb

Win hop fung. Monterey Park
The tea can be super expensive

I think its calculated at 9usd per gram ..to 36 usd per gram.
More expensive than humbolt kush.


http://pbr76.photobucket.com/albums/...pensivetea.jpg

Welcome to China. Glad it's working so far. Don't get too impressed with the PEK airport, many more bigger and better ones to be seen in China (and lots of bad ones too).

I wouldn't worry too much about the tea. Keep in mind good tea is expensive, so just consider it that. The true tea ceremony scam has you paying for tea a bunch of other people drank.

Glad you made it out of the midwest. MN right now is 5F and it's been raining cats and dogs in NoCal. Though for snow lovers Tahoe has gotten 8-10 feet in the past 7 days.

Enjoy, and make sure to try some adventurous food. It'll make the stories better when you get home.

Not to veer too OT, but I believe that T3 is the world's second largest airport building (the largest in China by quite a long way), and one of the world's largest buildings full stop.

I also agree that it is a very beautiful building, although I tend to notice it less and less these days, the awe giving way to the wanting to rush through the crowds.

tb

C'mon Moondog. be honest with them about the taxi situation. My wife and I are experienced world travelers and she was in tears over not being able to get taxis in Beijing. Less of a problem in Xi'an and Datong, but still a problem. Taxis in Beijing will pass you to pick up a Chinese person routinely and it took us over an hour to get taxis to pick us up at tourist sites. Pretty much the only way we could get a taxi was to have a hotel or restaurant arrange one or to get an indie driver from Moondog which even then has reliability issues and significant expense. To be honest with the OP, as a non native speaker, Beijing was the second most difficult city we've traveled in after Delhi (Asia, Europe, S. America). It's not impossible, but it's quite difficult. A Chinese guide should uncomplicate your logistics and make your day go by more smoothly and should alleviate frustrations. On both my trips to China, we didn't see some things we wanted to as a result of difficult transportation issues and language is a massive issue.

My reply was in regard to transit from the airport; taxis aren't allowed to refuse pickups from the airport so there is no need to worry about being passed by.

But equally, let's be honest that your experiences of China do not accurately reflect those of the vast majority of visitors -- either in experience itself (i.e. yes, getting cabs can be a pain, but not as bad as you suffered) or in perception.

Not to dispute that your trip was ruined -- but this does not necessarily mean that others will suffer the same fate or, importantly, have as bad a time.

For any savvy FTer who has read the relevant threads, they will realise that a) most Chinese DO NOT speak English and b) taxis in Beijing are cheap, but getting them at peak times in peak locations can be tricky but c) neither of these two facts require one to either hire a private hotel car or a private guide to enjoy Beijing.

tb

Well at least in Beijing you don't need a Chinese guide to enjoy your trip. The metro covers most places of interest for a tourist in Beijing, costs 2 Yunan, may involve two-three or even four changes, but still it is easy for a non Mandarin speaker to use. The only thing is that is packed pretty much any time of the day. The positive thing though is that the layout of Beijing is waay better than Tokyo for example which is basically just a mess (actually many small cities packed into one big one).

I concur. I've been going to China regularly for nearly 20 years. I find it no more difficult to get around than any other country where I don't speak the language. I find taxis in Beijing problematic only in that many drivers are from elsewhere in the country and don't necessarily know their way around the city. However, having the address of the destination written in characters, and a phone number (and cellphone) just in case, handles 99% of the problems when a driver gets lost (which is not that often). The other 1% of the time, just get out and get another cab. I've never had cabs pass me up for a Chinese passenger. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but it's certainly never happened to me. I've never, not once, had the slightest issue catching a taxi from the airport. Frankly, I can't imagine being tied to a guide for a visit to Beijing, Different strokes, I suppose.

The only thing worse about trying to hail a cab in Beijing is breathing Beijing. You don't need to hail a cab to do that...
I don't think they had such a uniquely unpleasant experience though. Shenzhen is equally frustrating (though since I used to live there, it's not as bad). Extending metro lines sounds nice, but then I remember which country they've been extended in... so buses, sadly, become my usual go-to (whereas most mainland cities don't have English on their buses- fair enough - Beijing, Shenzhen, and probably others increasingly do, not to mention also having announcements in local languages, depending on where in China you are).
I'd pay double the usual charges for some mode of transit that didn't have a tv (often playing videos of East German circus troupes) or mobile access. Since (taxis), buses and metros all have both of those things, I guess that's why I learned how to walk.

Ah, yes, the number 11 bus. :)

I also find those Touch Media displays in the Shanghai taxis to be maddening (I'm not supposed to say this because apparently those guys are a business partner of ours, but I am human). Invariably, the one part of the touch screen that doesn't work is the volume/power button in the lower right hand corner.

Neng pian, jiu pian!

Step back 10 ft, have the 178 cm chic wearing Marc Jacobs with a thick
LV bag, flag the cabbie. ^