| Submitted by: Timothy M W Eyre, United Kingdom |
| Submission Date: 03 February 2005 |
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This is the exact text of a letter I sent to Lonely Planet giving technical details of my three month journey July, August, September 1993 through Hong Kong, China and Pakistan.
Things are changing fast in China and any info you find is bound to be out of date to some extent - even if it`s just three weeks old. China is a good place to learn to travel without clinging to a guidebook; though of all countries I`ve been to, China is the one where a guidebook is most useful as no one speaks English to ask for directions. Opportunism is vital in China. Also be warned that China can be hard on your patience. It is, however, an awe-inspiring and beautiful land.
If you want any more advice, e-mail me.
Tim Eyre,
Department of Mathematics
University of Nottingham
Nottingham
UK
tmwe@maths.nott.ac.uk
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3rd October 1993
Dear Lonely Planet,
I've just got back from a trip to China and Pakistan and so here's some info.
I took an Emirates flight from London Gatwick to Hong Kong via Dubai. It cost UKP522 plus full travel insurance (about UKP50 for 3 months!). This was through Airline Ticket Network who are pretty good in my opinion and their number is a freephone one. Emirates is pretty luxurious, I must say, though the 8 hour stopover was a bit of a downer.
My luggage was ultra-light and definately the way to go. My equipment amounted to:-
1 pair leather hiking boots
2 pairs thick socks
2 pairs thin socks
one pair baggy cotton trousers from Java one pair smartish knee-length shorts
one t-shirt
one headscarf (multi - purpose, very useful)
one showerproof jacket with fluffy lining
one plastic lined money/camera pouch on a chain around my hips
notebook and pen
Malaria medication, Immodium
Elastoplast, bandage, asprins, anti-fungal cream, antiseptic cream
Needle, thread, string, Swiss Army knife, alarm clock, compass
Sun block, insect repellant, sunglasses
Too many novels, envelope full of documents, SW radio, metal mug
Camera, 10 films, spare camera battery
Money in US dollar TCs and French Franc TCs (oddly enough)
LP Guidebook
All this went into a 25 litre daypack, the Berghaus Blitz, which is a great item of equipment. Travelling light cannot be overrecommended. The main problem is cold and wet, but as a Brit, I avoided places like that as far as possible. I went with an old friend who proved to be intolerable company after 72 hours so I abandoned him without guidebook, phrasebook or any independant travel experience. Choose parteners with care! Food in China is good, usually clean and cheap, you really feast off the street. This is a very positive point. Being a vegetarian wasn't a problem for me (but then I eat fish), though on more than one occasion I accidently ate something with a tiny amount of meat in it, as many snacks are like this.
Finding out a Chinese equivilant to your English-language name is a good idea. A Chinese student told me that I could be ai qing, and he taught me how to write this in Chinese characters. This came in handy very often indeed. It is significant that every Chinese English student has an English language name.
Now follows a transcipt of the notes I took whilst on the journey.
Possible to WALK to Chungking Mansions from airport if you have small baggage load, the maps avaliable at the airport enable you to find your way quite easily. Stayed at Cosmos Hotel (B-5) with the aid of a tout. A microscopic double room which contained a bed and TV with room for only one person standing cost HK$80. Food is pricey around here, too. A couple of bananas cost HK$4 and a bottle of mineral water HK$7. Ferry to central HK$1.5/1.2 upper/lower deck, takes 10mins. Peak Tram very interesting and pleasant walks at top of hill. HK$16 return and takes about 15 mins. At 26 Harbour road visa office got 60 day visa (this is the max) for HK$100, overnight. Other options are avaliable, such as $200 for multi-entry 3 months. Only need one passport photo and the queues are fairly moderate. Ferry to Canton leaves in morning and evening (9pm) for HK$180/240 (2nd/1st). Kowloon park has a nice swimming pool. Checkout of hotel by leaving keys on fridge. Pick up visa easily at 9am, took ferry direct to Wanchi, HK$1.5 from same terminal. Bus 5C from Sea Star boat port goes to railway station for HK$2.6. Train to Lo Wu HK$27. Immigration confusing but possible, make sure you use the Bank Of China when you see it as there's nowhere else to change money nearby. The vendors accept HK$ at one to one rate with yuan. Foriegners must buy tickets to Canton UPSTAIRS (no signs to this effect) Y39 soft seat air-con. Two hours. Bus 15 and bus 5 both go to a stop near Shamian Island. Guangzhou Youth Hostel Y42+Y50 deposit in 3 bed dorm with TV, fan, toothbrush, tea etc. Very nice place. Bus from Canton to Hai'an harbour Y85 from 'Tourist Ticket Agency' opposite railway station. Interesting ride but a bit tough, though the bus is fairly comfortable. It takes all of 22 hours, despite their claim of 14. Phew. Fast boat to Haikou Y38, possibly a slower one for Y4.3 but difficult/impossible to get what you want unless you speak Chinese. Haikou is an accomodation nightmare, no cheap hotels at all; the Cinese Overseas is Y160fec, the cheapest and was full. Horrible place all round, though it's interesting to see the full ravages of Chinese Capitalism - there are naked beggars on the streets. Bus 7 goes to long distance bus station for Y1. Lots of buses go to Sanya, 8 hours Y26/40. Expensive buses cleaner and more comfortable but not faster. Seaside Holiday (Tel 213898) Inn at Dadonghai Beach is fairly reasonable at Y35 in 3 bed dorm with air-con (very necessary in summer!), TV and mosquito net. They claim the last winter beer consumption reached 200 bottles a night! Very, very hot in July, extremely uncomfortable to go walking during the day, but ok for beach life. Beach area massively developed, loads of hotels and there's a swimming pool with waterslides etc. for Y20, though may not be open to big noses (excuses about AIDS might be given!) Mayflower restaurant is the backpacker hangout, reasonable with English spoken (in a strange accent that sounds like singing), though it does have rats. Ought to pay to get on beach but fairly easy to slip,past or go round the back way. Get ticket from Haikous bus station straight through to Hai'an for an extortionate Y24, 1 hour. An extra Y3 will allow you to watch TV on the boat. To Zhanjiang South from Hai'an Y30 in express luxury minibus with AC, 4 hours and crowded. I was directed to a Y100 joint, but as I prpared to sit out the night at the station, an angel cunningly disguised as an old man directed me to a Chinese hotel where I was the sole occupant of a three bed dorm with mosquito net, fan, Tv and soap and bath for Y18rmb. Very close to station; turn left at station entrance (as you look away from station) and walk about 200m, turn right under a square arch, then turn left. Only one forien exchange counter in Zhanjiang and it's right off to the south in the head Bank of China - you'll need a taxi or a guide. Hard seat to Guilin Y53 in AC carriage (!) 13 hours and I was told this was Chinese price. Buying tickets at station hard work and CITS not in evidence. Rongshuluo Hotel reached with the help of a guy who works there that I met on the train. Y50FEC for a double with AC and so on. This was the most I ever paid for a room in China, so it's not all that expensive if you stay out of the Special Economic Zones. Reed Flute Caves Y20FEC, very wonderful but very crowded. Bus to Yangshuo Y5, lots of places to stay, but only stay at Yangshuo Youth Hostel (Y5 in 5 bed dorm) near bus station and next to Twin Peaks Cafe under the severest physical intimidation. Not only is it noisy because of the buses and when they fill up people are crammed onto the floor (ten [people in a five bed room one night), but one of the room maids 'accidently' threw out ALL my luggage while I was out on a day trip and the management was extremely unapologetic about my having to fish my malaria tablets, TC reciepts, first aid gear etc. out of a mire of used tissues, toilet paper and sanitary towels and the very real possibility that it could have all been on the fire by the time I'd got back. Bike rental Y5 a day for a mountain bike, other places do Y2 day for ordinary bike. At the bottom of Moon Hill (Y1 to walk up, we took up a watermelon, which was good) there is a advertisement for the 'New Water Caves'. These are really very good indeed, on a par with Reed Flute but in a different way. For a start, we were the only group there (two of us, Y15). Afterwards we were invited for a meal at a peasant's house. Very nice food, but rather good at giving you diarrhoea. Bus to Liuzhou Y17, took 8 hours because of delay. Also quite rough. Nanjiang Hotel Y31 a single with bath and hard bed. Y31 for hard seat to Dayong (Chinese price), leaves at 16.38. Lots of bakery products here. Get bus no.2 from railways station to a pleasant park (Y2) with a giant Buddah and a zoo. 16.5 hours to Dayong, not a nice trip. The LP entry for the Qingyanshan area is totally out of date as the region has been developed as a tourist region aimed at the Cantonese. It is now very overpriced and taking a tour is the only realistic way of travelling here as they really do overcharge foriegners massively here. I paid Y400FEC for a four day tour (3 nights), excluding food. Hotel prices are ridiculous considering how cold, damp and dirty the rooms are, and if you're not on a tour immovable overcharging would be inevitable (my travel partener told about how the Cantonese are overcharged just as much as Westerners, but they take it much better than us routards). Our guide only spoke Chinese (I was travelling with a Cantonese girl at this point), an English speaker would almost certainly cost more. I rather amusingly lost his ID card which he'd given me for security. Y100 calmed him down. Transport is by bombshell bus, one REALLY rough jeep ride and lots of walking, so you'll have to dump your gear if you're not sensible enough to be travelling light. The scenery is UTTERLY STUPENDOUS, in my opinion better than Guilin and Yangshuo, plus it's cool here in the summer. Very quiet as the routes you take are all away from roads. Food is of variable quality, often horrible, but invariable price; a meal will cost a good Y20 but the restaurants are all the type that would be Y0.9 for soupy noodles in the cities. Going to this place independantly would require a good knowledge of Chinese (no English anywhere due to total lack of Westerners, I saw one other big nose all the time I was there) and a good Y200 a day. Train Dayong to Yichang is Y18 hard seat, 6 hours 8pm to 2am, but I managed to upgrade my ticket to a soft sleeper to Luoyang for just Y3 after befriending the train staff in the dining car!! That took the wind out of other people's train ticket boasts! Arrived in Luoyang's (took 22 hours, scenery dull) East station, a minibus to the railway station was Y2 and fairly easy to find. Touts for cheap Chinese hotels are all over the place, but be careful about the location of your hotel; I almost lost mine and I met someone who had to sleep at the railway station because he couldn't find his hotel! It's this sort of situation where a small compass is really useful. I paid Y25 for a room to myself; the washrooms were pretty gross. Some rooms are just Y10. Tianxiang Hotel Y40FEC a night, so not bad. The restaurant there is still very good. |
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| Copyright © - "Timothy M W Eyre" |
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