China Travel Guide II

[mama squeak!]

mama squeak, how may days kayo dun? ganyan din gusto ko na IT for our beijing trip. is 4 days enough?

sis, we only had 2 full days kasi sumama lang ako sa flight ni hubby. We arrived past midnight of Tuesday and left early morning of Friday. Cebu Pacific yung flight namin. Here's our IT:

Departure MNL 09Nov/Tue 1935H, arrival Beijing 0005H/Wednesday

Wednesday morning - Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. We hired a taxi from the hotel for RMB500. Less hassle than commuting by train or bus. Left the hotel at 1100H arrived Mutianyu around noon. Took the skylift going up and toboggan going down the wall for RMB220/2 pax na. Stayed until 1400H. Back at the hotel by 1500H. Rested a bit at the hotel then rode the subway to Wanfujing (shopping area). Had dinner at the Donghuamen Night Market (still at Wanfujing area). After dinner rode the subway to the Olympic Park. Stayed there until 10PM. Then uwi na sa hotel.

Thursday - Left the hotel at 10AM and rode the subway to Tiannammen Square and Forbidden City. Had late lunch at one of the restaurants at the area. Went back to the hotel around 4PM. Would have wanted to go around some more kaya lang hubby had to rest up a bit kasi he was flying the plane coming home to Manila. At 1030PM left for the airport for our 1AM flight. Our hotel's just 15 minutes away from the terminal.

Friday - 1AM flight back home. Arrived Manila at 5:30AM.

Bitin-bitin talaga but looking forward to going back again. Sana may flight ulit si hubby next month so we can go back to the Great Wall when it's covered in snow. Brrrr!

So your 4 full days should be okay to visit the must-see places  compared to our blitzkrieg visit. Pero sis there are so many things to see and do if you really want to feel the place and the people.

[vhanya]

cool! im planning to go to beijing after ng japan trip =) im glad 4 days is enough kasi baka madami gastos sa japan hahahah!

[stameygirl]

How much does the agencies charge for china visa application?

[mchristine519]

Uni Orient Branches have different fees for their Chinese Visa services. In Binondo, they charge 1,700. Sa Makati, 1,900. Hopefully, I'll be getting mine next week. 

[angelica_snoop]

wow mama squeak, pilot pala hubby mo sa cebu pacific? pag flight crew ba multiple entry visas din? kawawa ang flight attendants kasi walang swap/change. flight crew lang... 3 pa sila dba

[mama squeak!]

^Yup, he used to fly for PAL way back in the 90s but that's a long story.       
Yes, he has a commercial multiple entry visa. I was telling hubby nga kawawa talaga yung mga cabin attendants kasi balikan sila and that's a 9 hour turn around flight. Kaya 5 kaagad yung cabin crew para di daw masyado mabigat trabaho.

Pag may route qual or OBS, nasa 3 FDC but if regular flight lang 2 lang sila. Papunta namin Bejing may nag OBS and meron ni-route qual si hubby kaya 3 sila. But coming home 2 na lang sila.

[angelica_snoop]

^Yup, he used to fly for PAL way back in the 90s but that's a long story.       
Yes, he has a commercial multiple entry visa. I was telling hubby nga kawawa talaga yung mga cabin attendants kasi balikan sila and that's a 9 hour turn around flight. Kaya 5 kaagad yung cabin crew para di daw masyado mabigat trabaho.

Pag may route qual or OBS, nasa 3 FDC but if regular flight lang 2 lang sila. Papunta namin Bejing may nag OBS and meron ni-route qual si hubby kaya 3 sila. But coming home 2 na lang sila.

Sorry I am not familiar with the terms "route qual, OBS, FDC" hehe.

Pagbalik namin to MNL, I saw three 5J pilots parang arguing sa checkin counter kasi paano daw sila mag a-attendance  marami na sila dala tapos nag duty free pa. Hehe.    I never thought na may layover ang 5J pilots. Siguro exception ang tulad ng Beijing kasi more than 4 hours ang flight.

[mama squeak!]

^Oops sorry! Route qualification, before ma-release ang pilot in a route dapat i-familiarise or i-qualify sya. OBS, observer. FDC, flight deck crew (pilots) as compared to cabin crew (flight attendants).
So far, Beijing and Incheon ang may lay-over ang 5J na international.

[angelica_snoop]

^Oops sorry! Route qualification, before ma-release ang pilot in a route dapat i-familiarise or i-qualify sya. OBS, observer. FDC, flight deck crew (pilots) as compared to cabin crew (flight attendants).
So far, Beijing and Incheon ang may lay-over ang 5J na international.

ah,ok. thanks for the info kaya pala may pilot na naka upo doon sa pinakaharap. ur so lucky to be flying for FREE 

[roseydosey]

HELP. Need directions going to the Chinese Embassy. How do I get there using private transportation? Thank you!

[mama squeak!]

^sis check their website for the address of the consular section.

http://ph.china-embassy.org/eng/sgxx/lxfs/

Pinaayos ko lang yung visa ko sa travel agency para di hassle sa pila.

 

[roseydosey]

^sis check their website for the address of the consular section.

http://ph.china-embassy.org/eng/sgxx/lxfs/

Pinaayos ko lang yung visa ko sa travel agency para di hassle sa pila.

 

Thanks sis! I went na din sa agency and they'll pick all the documents na lang sa place ko. Convenient din

[roseydosey]

Twitter and Facebook still banned in China pa ba?

[vhanya]

^yup

[mama squeak!]

^^Yup, I tried accessing my FB from the hotel pero wala. But I'm wondering kasi I have this friend who is studying in Beijing now nakaka-post/access sya sa FB. Teka I'll ask him nga paano nya ginagawa yun.

[roseydosey]

I've read online na dapat daw my proxy something. I'm planning to bring my laptop. I want to tweet din, pano kaya sa iphone, naka block din yung mga apps? Err..

[mama squeak!]

^sis, according to my friend who's studying there he uses a VPN (virtual private network). It allows him to be located wherever he wants to be among the 50-odd locations available. So if  he wants to appear elsewhere let's say in France, he just clicks Paris and voila, he's located there.

 

[roseydosey]

^sis, according to my friend who's studying there he uses a VPN (virtual private network). It allows him to be located wherever he wants to be among the 50-odd locations available. So if  he wants to appear elsewhere let's say in France, he just clicks Paris and voila, he's located there.

 

Thanks sis! I'll research na lang what to put in my VPN configuration, I've read na you have to change it nga. Thank you!

We'll be applying for visa this friday, is it too late na ba. Flight is on the 23rd? Or okay lang naman di ba? Kasi 4 days lang naman yung processing? Family naman kami

[mama squeak!]

^Okay pa yan. Haba nga lead time mo eh. They're quite efficient naman basta kumpleto lang documents mo.

Bundle up because it's really cold na. Hubby just came from Beijing the other day and he said nag-ice na daw yung mga river/lakes nila.

Enjoy your trip!

[roseydosey]

Thanks sis, I've read the temp is 10deg. Aww, start na ng winter nila?

We applied kanina and hopefully our visa will be released on thursday daw. My 2 brothers were interviewed and it went okay naman. Sana they'll grant our visas, we'll be traveling as a family and spend Christmas there