China Travel Guide 3

[mama squeak!]

^September is fall or autumn season already in Beijing. Temperatures begin to cool. Expect Highs of 25C and lows of 15C.

[eischied_21]

^ Not sure lang sis. I'm based here in Shenzhen, China and mainit pa rin kasi ang September. Beijing kasi is North while Shenzhen is South so may difference nga when it comes to weather temperature. Sana may sumagot someone from Beijing. TIA.

[mama squeak!]

^sis, you don't need someone from Beijing to answer since you can always check the Internet for that info. Plus my husband flies to Beijing and other countries regularly and he always checks the weather where ever sya pupunta. He's also my source  for weather and temperature updates.

 

[laviere]

thank you everyone! my friends and i have booked tickets to beijing for oct 27-31, and this thread has been really helpful. i'm kind of hesitant about pushing thru with the trip because i don't do well in cold weather. like sis tulip, any tips on winter clothing will be very much appreciated! should i wear thermals na? will leather boots be enough to keep me warm? what kind of coat should i bring?

everyone's a first-timer so we're thinking of booking a tour package to minimize the hassle of wandering around in the cold. ok ba sa uni-orient? ang hirap tumawag sa offices nila, pero kung may positive feedback from here, we'll try to contact them again.

[superbe]

best to go sis is oct to nov. its cold na din but not too cold na di mo na maenjoy. and hindi maganda to go to the great wall pag winter. languange is not a problem as long as you make your research. no need to ask them and talagang karamihan can't speak or understand english. people there are nice so pag nagsalita ka ng english, smile lang sila sabay sagot in chinese    ang pinaka problema ko lang talaga is when i go shopping. di kami magkaintindihan ng maayos so hindi ako makatawad. hehe! calculator would be your bestfriend.

[mama squeak!]

I was in Beijing first week of November last year and it was cold! I was in winter clothes and leather boots. I just had a nice woolen sweater underneath my thick coat so no need for thermals. Plus I also had a warm scarf. It really helps to keep one warm.

Sorry can't help with the packaged tours. All my trips were DIY.

 

[iluvescadasport]

thank you everyone! my friends and i have booked tickets to beijing for oct 27-31, and this thread has been really helpful. i'm kind of hesitant about pushing thru with the trip because i don't do well in cold weather. like sis tulip, any tips on winter clothing will be very much appreciated! should i wear thermals na? will leather boots be enough to keep me warm? what kind of coat should i bring?

everyone's a first-timer so we're thinking of booking a tour package to minimize the hassle of wandering around in the cold. ok ba sa uni-orient? ang hirap tumawag sa offices nila, pero kung may positive feedback from here, we'll try to contact them again.

re: winter clothings, magbaon ka na lang ng thermal. Better be safe than sorry. Manipis lang naman ang thermal clothes. Ako takot din sa winter, so ang ginawa ko is like this: bra + tshirt/longsleeves + wool jacket + winter jacket (yun meron na fur). Tshirt/longsleeves kasi syempre pagpasok ng mall, sure na meron heater yan so mainit. Hiwalay ang wool jacket and winter jacket kasi minsan kapag hindi ganun kainit, tinatanggal ko yun winter jacket with only the wool jacket to keep me warm.

Pero I don't suggest wearing thermals (unless you're spending a lot of time outdoors) . Kasi if meron ka thermal, tapos papasok ka ng mall na meron heater, super init naman, and pagpapawisan ka talaga.

For thermal, better if you buy thin ones (like sa Marks & Spencer). Kasi yun mga nabibili sa China, medyo makapal. So if you wear their thermal pants, tapos suotin mo pa yun pants mo, mahirap na (unless you're wearing loose pants).

And if mabilis ma-dry skin mo, use body oil instead of lotion. Ginamit ko lotion dati, no effect. Napagamit ako tuloy ng body oil, mas effective.

[mchristine519]

I was in China during the 3rd week of November last year. Shanghai was just right - parang naka centralized air conditioning lang but when we hit Beijing -  di ko kinaya ang lamig. It was below 0 degrees when we went there. Better check the weather trending leaving RP..so you can estimate if you need the heavy stuff. If you do, make sure to bring some gloves too as the biting cold can really get into your hands.. and oh, lotion too! Hehe!

[tulips28]

hello sisses.. mga how much yuan (pocket money) kaya per pax we need to bring for a 3-whole-day tour? we got a travel tour that includes the three meals per day na. Siguro, we'll bring pocket money na lang for mga sa gabing gala that are not included in the tour itself, mga shopping areas siguro like fare for metro/subway transpo and snacks. Exclude niyo na lang yung amount for shopping (hmm, i'l budget it myself, wish me luck). So mainly for the daily snacks, night transpo and foodies, how much should be enough kaya? Wala bang babayaran for the airport tax or any other expenses? TIA! mwahness..

[mimichaz]

Huhuhu, Hirap na hirap na kami ng mom ko, di pa din approve visa namin, eh alis na kami sa saturday papunta hongkong, tpos ferry lang dapat kami paputa shenzhen, kaso wala pa kami visa, possible ba makakuha kami sa HK kahit group tour visa? pls help....

dami na namin nagastos, plane ticket ko na adjust na dahil sa visa. haaay, so sad!

[wickedbone]

we'll be applying for tourist visa tomorrow morning and we do not have hotel bookings yet. Accdg sa website ng embassy, these are the only requirements needed (hotel voucher/e-ticket not included in the list):

             5.   For first time applicants to China (Philippine passport holders, 18 years old and above), they are required to provide the following:                         

              a) Original NBI clearance valid for travel abroad
              b)  Original bank certificate with receipt or original passbook, updated within the month that you are applying or....
                    - If a company will sponsor the trip, provide the company's bank certificate, sponsorship letter from the company and the company's business registration.
                    - If an individual will sponsor the trip, provide his bank certificate, sponsorship and invitation letter, copy of sponsor's valid residence visa and passport information page or Chinese national ID.
             c) For employed persons, also provide an employment certificate; company ID, SSS ID and contributions, TIN ID and latest ITR
             d) For students, provide school ID
             e) For businessmen, provide business registration of company, TIN ID and latest ITR
             f)  Personal appearance is required for those who are 16-21 years old.


May mga nabasa akong posts dito na ni-rerequire ng travel agency na mag-submit ng hotel voucher and ticket. We will be personally applying for our visa and not through a travel agency. I hope hindi kami hanapan bukas otherwise it's really going to be a problem for us.
 
Also, there's a part in the application that asks if we've traveled to China before. We haven't been to the mainland but Hongkong and Macau, quite a few times na din over the last 2 yrs. Should we say YES to the question?

[mama squeak!]

^If you haven't been to mainland China, then you should answer NO. Hong Kong and Macau are only administrative regions of China.

[wickedbone]

just got our passports back.. and with the sticker on them.. yey!!

[mimichaz]

just got our passports back.. and with the sticker on them.. yey!!

sis, personal kayo nag apply sa embassy? ilan days bago mo nakuha? ano mga papers hiningi aside from naka post sa website? kasi try namin apply ulit eh, thanks!

[wickedbone]

Hi mimichaz! yes personal kami nag-apply.. aside from the requirements listed in the website, we also submitted our plane tickets and hotel vouchers. Hindi naman binalik sa min. Mabilis namin nakuha 3 days lang actually. Good luck!

[monskie]

whats the temp there ng end oct or early nov ?

[pyramid]

will be there next week! ano kaya weather dun?

[monskie]

how's the weather in beijing? temp?

[hush puppie]

kung sa shenzhen lang pupunta kailangan ba the same visa din yung kukunin?

yung travel namin is march pa ok lang ba kumuha kami ng visa sa dec pa lang? kasi were from the province pa eh..punta kmi sa manila ng december for xmas ok na ba dun na kmi magapply ng visa? TIA how much nga pala yung visa fee mga sis?

[wowry]

i'm going to beijing tonight for a week! yey excited!