About our trip

We intended to travel independently using trains to get around, but Erik's limited time off from university meant we had to be somewhat organised so as not to waste time.  As Erik paid his own way, the budget was tight as well.

So the trains gave way to air travel.  I was expecting to have to nurse ducks and pigs on the plane while sitting on a fruit box, having heard about the age and condition of China's air fleet.  And that may have been the case a few years ago.  But we had brand new planes and all the airports we visited are new or being rebuilt.

We travel light - 10kg each.  Each of us had a bag with wheels small enough to be carried on board aircraft.  We did check our baggage into the hold because it was overweight for cabin baggage but it was still light and easy to carry.  No need for porters and no hastles.  Because we were forced to minimise our possessions, packing and unpacking was not a problem.  Even so we took too much.  Have a small suitcase and only 2/3 fill it!

In each city we had a guide and driver for just us.  We were met at the airport, taken to the hotel and helped with check-in.  We were then shown around and taken to the sights and to restaurants for meals at appropriate times - all included.  When we had spare time (very little in our hectic schedule) the guide recommended somewhere to go.  This worked really well because we could spend as long or as little time as we wanted at each sight.  I don't know how much of a premium we paid for this service over a coach tour but it wasn't much.  And we both hate guided tours where you move at the speed of the slowest and oldest person, and you are forced to sit near loud elderly American women.

We stayed in 3 star hotels which were of a very high standard with rooms similar to high class hotels at home.  The language is a problem.  These 3 star hotels are mainly frequented by domestic business and family travellers and there is often no one who speaks much English.  But they are modern, spotless and with most facilities. The breakfasts are Chinese - some weird stuff but also eggs, pork buns, and other delicacies.  Sure you can stay in an American Chain hotel where there will be English speaking staff and an American Breakfast. but you will pay four times as much for the same room.

The cruise took up almost half of our time.  The attraction of the cruise was we could see the Three Gorges, the Three Gorges Dam (a must see for any engineer or techie), and it had a day trip to Huangshan, which I really wanted to see.  Huangshan is difficult to get to when making a round trip except with long bus trips and with long legs, that didn't appeal.  Hence the cruise.  We are not group-travel people so the regimented routine was somewhat of a chore, but it did allow us to see what we wanted in a relatively short time in comfort. Each day the ship docked and we had an excursion.  These were to the Lesser Gorge, the Three Gorges Dam, Wuhan, Huangshan and Nanjing. The cruise was expensive at $US800 for the 6 nights but included all meals and excursions, talks and activities.  The ships are small but very luxurious, carrying just 200 passengers.  In the off season when we went there were only 35 passengers and 120 crew, so the service was excellent.  And the ship had internet so we could keep in touch with home, albeit very slow over a mobile phone modem.

The Highlights

For me, Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) with its precipitious peaks and swirling mists is like nowhere else I have been.  We originally intended to spend two nights on the mountain but time and budget reduced this to a day trip.  We travelled up in the cable car in time for lunch after a long drive through flooding rain and found the mountain covered in cloud.  But after eating, the clouds lifted to show the mountain through a curtain of mist.  Eventually even the mist cleared.  The paths are not for those scared of heights but they are substantial.  The mountains are always misty so the paths can be a bit slipperly.

The Three Gorges for their sheer size are amazing and while they will lose a lot of their grandeur when the dam is completed, particularly the third gorge, they will still remain a spectacular sight. Several side gorges, previously inaccessible because of shallows, will be opened up and while much smaller than the Three Gorges, their narrowness adds to their impact and I am sure will become famous in their own right.

The size of the dam disappearing into the mist cannot truly be appreciated.  The wall is 2 km long and the water will go back to Chongqing, 600 km away.

The overwhelming scale of the construction in all cities could not happen anywhere else.  They are literally bulldozing their way into the first world.

The food.  So much; so good; so varied.  Apart from the hot, spicy Chongqing food that could be too hot to eat, we feasted like emperors.  But boiled cabbage for breakfast?  We stuck to the pork buns.

The History.  Many of the famous places are not as old as I expected.  For example, the Forbidden City was completed in the 1400s and many other famous imperial places were from the Ming dynasty of the 1600s.  All of the temples and any historic buildings are being completely restored to be in immaculate condition for the time of the Olympics.  However, in the museums are relics dating back more than 4000 years, and plenty of them.  Many buildings are constructed of timber so do not survive like the European stone castles.

The Yangtze Cruise

Most people cruising on the Yangtze travel between Chongqing and Yichang or Wuhan.  We decided to cruise all the way to Shanghai because the cruise had a day trip to Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) that I particularly wanted to see.  There are also day trips to each port where the boat tends to stop for a day.  Most travelling is done at night.

I was warned that the Yangtze gets boring after Yichang and the banks certainly get much flatter but with most travelling being at night, the constant river traffic to watch, and entertainment on board, it is never boring.  There is only one 5 star ship that cruises all the way to Shanghai, the Victoria line.

These ships are small to anyone used to ocean cruising, just a maximum of 200 passengers, but are very luxurious and plenty of facilities for their size.  Costs on board are a rip off though (see section on Details of the trip / Costs) but can be avoided with a little planning.

Life on board is very regimented, by necessity, with fixed meal times and early rising to have breakfast in time for the excursions.  While it is all optional, I would recommend going on all excursions to get a glimpse of life in inland China and the river sights.

The highlights are the Three Gorges, side trips in a small boat up the Lesser Gorge, and of course the Three Gorges Dam - the world's biggest.

There are cheaper boats used by locals from ferries to less luxurious cruises, but these don't include the excursions.

The Food

The Chinese live for their food.  Each region has its own style that can be quite different to adjacent regions.  We ate banquets which is the only option when most waitresses speak little English.

There were very few dishes containing prawns so I had no problem with my allergy.  Fish was quite common though.  We preferred not to think about the water that the fish were caught in.

I had expected more vegetables.  We are told that Australian chinese food is nothing like that in China, but I found that it is, in that some dishes are totally meat while others totally vegetable, just as we order at home.  Greens were the familar chinese vegetables we get at home but cooked in a lot of oil - tasty but less healthy.  The only ubiquitious dish is our favourite, sweet and sour pork.

Pork is the most common meat followed by duck, fish and chicken and then beef.   Beijing Duck is common (in Beijing) and doesn't seem to command the price premium that is imposed in Australia.

A drink is usually supplied; beer, coke, water or tea.  Tea is not always supplied if a beer is ordered.  Water is never on the table possibly because it must be bought.  Beer and water is the same price on the street though the beer bottle is a little smaller ($1 for 600 mls beer or 1 litre water).  The beer is excellent in most cities.  Each city has its own brand and it is very difficult to get beer from other places, except in the 5 star hotels.

Meals are enormous and we seldom finished more than half, so we could eat our fill of our favourites and leave the less tantalising.  How do you eat peanuts with chopsticks?  Rice was generally supplied but not in big quantities, sometimes just a small bowl each, so we had to fill up on pork and duck! 

Chongqing had very hot spicy food, some dishes were too hot to eat.  They cook in oil impregnated with chillies and the food is served sitting in the hot oil (hot with heat as well as chillies).  The longer it sat the more chillie it soaked up.  Macdonalds next time!

Every meal is finished with watermelon. It is the only way to tell there are no more dishes to come.

Health and Safety

We never felt in any danger wandering around the back streets of any city.  We were never ripped off and while our bargaining skills probably meant we overpaid, we were happy with the price and so was the seller - so what's the problem.

The government is particularly strict on crimes against foreigners so crime with violence is almost unknown.  However, pickpocketing is rife so watch your bags.

The health issues are overrated in the travel books.  It appears that in Southern China, the tropical areas, insect repellant should be used always when outside as almost all the nasty diseases are mosquito borne.  Apart from that, the hygiene in China is improving rapidly.  However, the water is not safe to drink - use bottled water - it is available everywhere and is often provided in hotels.  We had Hepatitis A injections which I now think are unnecessary if staying in the tourist areas and big cities.  Worth carrying broad spectrum antibiotics in case a bug is picked up, but I guess this applies to any country where we have less immunity to the local bugs.

I have picked up more bugs in the US than Asia.

Difficulties

By far the major difficulty was language.  I had expected many more people to speak English.  Even in hotels there was often no one who could speak, or al least, understand English.  They knew enough to ask for passports and for you to sign the register but little else.  But they are a patient people and with much sign language, we could sometimes find what we wanted.  Few signs are in English either.

There is no international symbol for Internet or Email so finding if there was a computer somewhere we could use for email was difficult to impossible.  We saw very few internet cafes outside of airports.  Computers and specifically the Internet are not generally used by locals.  Internet access in hotels can be quite expensive because you are effectively hiring their business centre.  Phones are difficult to use.  There appears to be no single company covering the country and SIM cards need to be activated over the phone (in chinese).  But by buying two SIM cards, it could be done, albeit at a price.  Many Chinese have two phones to take advantage of lower rates in local areas.  Coverage is impressive though.

What would I change next time?  Actually, nothing.  More time in Xi'an and Shanghai, just one more day in each, would have been better but time was the limit here.  We had practically no free time except after dinner so there was little time for shopping.  That is not a problem for us but had we taken the girls, they would have had some withdrawal symptoms, seeing all these stores and no time to shop.

Don't even consider driving.  Life is cheaper here and they seem determined to cash it in.  They don't drive fast but never want to stop - just keep squeezing in.  Best to just look at the scenery.  Crossing the road is not without its dangers either.  You need a very good reason to cross a busy wide road.  What you want is probably available on your side of the street too.  Bicycles and mopeds will use the footpath if the road is busy.

What is China like?

I read somewhere that everything you think you know about China is probably wrong.  That is so true.  And what you see today will be changing tomorrow.

I read several travel guides from Lonely Planet, Let's Go, Fodders, and Rough Guide in planning for the trip and much, even most, of the information in them is out of date, even though they were current editions.  It is impossible to get up-to-date information, but at least, it will be better than the guides describe, and probably a lot better than you expect.

Everything is changing so fast in China.  It is safe, modern, clean and wealthy.  Sure the old parts are only a block or two away but they are rapidly being demolished.  And I am sure out in the country, things are different.  But where the tourists go is undergoing a total transformation.

If you are thinking of going to China, then GO!  You will have a great time.  You'll be amazed at the scale of the construction and development, and stunned by the scenery.