Advice On Traveling In China

by ucamoreno

posted on 10/01/2009

Get Your Chinese Visa

Traveling into China is like traveling into a whole different world. I am sure a lot of you have not traveled there but have to other civilized countries and came away with excellent experiences, great stories and memorable pictures. This is still the case when you visit China but in a more edgy exciting way. Chinese try to make everything 100 times harder than it should be.

First you will need a Visa if you are an American to get into China. You can get visas at the nearest Chinese Embassy and it usually takes a few days unless you are willing to pay the expedited service. There are a few different types you can apply for depending on the duration of your visit. The visas have a number of entries into the country, within a single month; you can get ranging from 1, 2, 3 or unlimited. A number of foreigners reside there and entre and leave the county a number of times during one month, thus the multiple entry option on a visa, thus the more expensive.

If you are visiting China for a couple weeks, you just need to apply for a single entry unless your itinerary has you moving in and out of china a couple times then you would need to apply for a double or triple entry visa.

When you arrive in China you will see that everyone seems to be in a rush. The people are walking extremely fast everywhere they are going and have little manners, and by little I mean none. Do not hesitate to cut in line when going through customs because they will certainly do so, it's a second nature that they have. There is no such thing as a line, they move along in mobs and have no consideration for anyone but themselves.

Along with being surrounded by what will seem like 1 million people upon arriving you will need to be careful with your personal belongings. The Chinese are expert thieves and often work in teams. Make sure that you do not put anything in your back pockets, carry your passport along with your currency in your front pocket. Do not put your passport in carry-on or luggage because if you are not luck that day, that's what they will target. So carry your passport in your front pocket along with your money. Of course make sure that you know where your party is at all times and don't forget to keep an eye on your things at all times as well.

Most likely you will need to use a taxi to get to your hotel. Taxi drivers, and you will see there is millions, are experts are lying on fare prices and use fake currency when change is due to the customer. First, make sure that you use a taxi that is legit. They are easy to spot; they look like taxis and have taxi lights and meters. For your safety stay away from underground taxis because you never know what intentions, other than driving, you they have. When in the taxi make sure that they use the meter and that it works. Taxis in China are extremely cheap but the drivers will tend to trick foreigners into agreeing on a set price to get you to your destination, so make sure that the meter is running once the car starts moving. Once you have arrived at your hotel pay the taxi with small bills and coins to receive as less change as possible from the driver. This will eliminate the chances of you receiving fake currency from them. Remember to get everything out of the taxi before you close the door because, as mentioned before, they will wait for no one or anything. So you have gotten into your hotel, which in most cases will have an English speaking Chinese native to assist you.

Traveling around you will need to use taxis. Again, they are cheap and reliable. So unless you are on a tour bus, you should be in a taxi. The drivers, even though they try to cheat you with the money, are very friendly and not dangerous at all and you should not fear for your safety. They speed, don't wait for pedestrians, hit the gas on a red light and will give you a great thrill. Accidents in certain parts of China are rare, so again, you should be safe.

Eating will be an experience you and your behind will never forget. You can order in any typical restaurant anything from bees to beef, from dog to lobster, its common. Try as much food as you possible can, you will get sick regardless so why not try something you will never get to try ever again. You pay for what you get so if a lobster is 100RMB (Yuen) in one restaurant and 1000RMB in another restaurant, something is a little wrong with the first restaurant or the second restaurant would probably be a little better. But don't be shocked to see the first restaurant filled with more people than the other. Remember that everyone standard of living here is different.

The main reason people go to China is to visit the Great Wall in Beijing, and you should do the same. The Wall is awesome and makes for great pictures. Most, if not all, of the hotels will have tours that will take you there and other locations around Beijing from the hotel. These are extremely safe and they will provide you with an English tour guide that will guide you through most of Beijing.

In conclusion, China is an awesome place to visit and I would encourage everyone to head overseas when the time permits. If you are really looking for an adventure with small hardships and lots of fun, China is the place for you. Who knows, in end you might want to get the multiple entry visa to continue coming back.

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