China Travel Guide 3

[amihan07]

^ Thanks sis for the fashion tips. Hehe.. 

O ayan Sis thesoloist, nasagot na ni Sis Papemelroti yung query natin. Hihi.. 

By the way sisses, may nakapagstay na ba sa inyo sa Red Lantern House sa Beijing? I'm sooo torn kasi if we stay sa East Yard nila (modern look but cheaper) or sa New West Yard nila (more traditional which I like but way higher in price). Tatlo kasi kaming magtravel so medyo hirap humanap ng triple occupancy sa isang room. Mag-dyowa yung kasama ko so you know third wheel and tour guide/photographer lang ang arrive. LOL. Gusto ko kasi sana dun sa traditional pero mahal pati yung bed na gusto ko (astig kasi nung location.. parang pang Chinese movie ang dating) most probably dun sa 2 kasama ko mapunta kasi pang-double yun and single bed na yung isa. Magiging bitter ocampo lang ako if ganun. Ako nga nag-ayos ng buong trip namin, dun pa ako sa parang pang-assistant na kama. Hahaha! 

Plus, may nakapagtry na ba sa inyo mag-Great Wall Jinshaling to Simatai? Ayaw ko kasi ng super group tour. Plus I find them expensive 'e' kotse at lunch, with entrance pa siguro lang yung mga yun. Gusto ko kami lang for the reason na super photo ops ang drama namin. Baka nga magdala pa ako ng costume ko. LOL. Tapos yung 2 friends ko engaged kasi sila so I'll try my best to take a good pre-nuptial pic of them. Gusto ko sana commute lang kami tapos hire a guide on the spot sa sasamahan kami sa 4 hours trek (daw) or more (dahil sa photo ops)? Pwede ba yun or possible? I'm a mountain climber kasi dito sa atin, and sometimes we just do that. Di ko lang alam sa Beijing. Hehe.. Or do we even need a guide? Afraid lang kasi ako baka we might get lost.

[blueapple]

^ me sis. Beijing trip namen last June 13-17 we stayed at Red Lantern House yung triple room sa East Yard. 3 single beds. malapit yung East yard sa main building. the complimentary breakfast kasi is served sa main. DIY kami sa Great Wall, Mutianyu

[amihan07]

^ Waaahh!! Sis Blueapple!! Hehe..  Dyan na dyan kami magste-stay sa room na yan if ever yan ang piliin namin! Hehe.. Ang gusto ko kasi sa West Yard ay pang-Chinese movies ang style. Kaso mas mahal yung family room nila dun na pang-3 people pati yung issue ko na dun ako sa isang bed matulog. LOL. 

Kamusta naman yung room nyo? Yung facilities nila esp sa East Yard? Modern na ba talaga dating ng East Yard at wala na mga lanterns? Ask ko rin kung ok ba mag-avail ng breakfasts sa kanila? Kasi balita ko parang super basic. Do you have pics ba ng facilities ng East Yard like reception, lobby, courtyard, etc.? Plus gaano kalayo yung nearest subway sa kanila? Sensya na daming tanong. Hehe..

DIY as in commute kayo (bus) tapos you navigated/walked on your own? May map ba or something na binibigay dun or sunod lang kayo dun sa mga tao? Hehe.. Balita ko may mga nagtitinda pa ata dun. Ilang hours ba walk sa Mutianyu? Dun kasi sa Jinshaling to Simatai 4 hours daw average pace.

[blueapple]

^ oks naman yung room namen. malinis. very basic [textspeak!]. walang tv hehe. spacious naman yung CR compared sa HK. gusto ren namen sa West yard pero mahal nga, oks sana yung family room don kung 5 or 6 kayo. yung mga pix sa site parang ganon din naman sa actual nearest subway stn is xinjiekou, line 4. around 10-15 mins walk. nasa loob pa kasi siya ng hutong. free lang yung breakfast namen kasi yung mga kasama ko nagstay ng 5days. sulit naman, jam, toast, egg, juice or tea.

sa Great wall naman, yes commute kame, madali lang naman, subway to dongzhimen, then take bus 916 (12RMB) then nagrent na kame don ng car (30RMB each) hinintay na ren kame (30RMB each). 155RMB yung entrance+cable car+ toboggan. 2hrs. lang kame napagod na hehe

[mama squeak!]

^Sa Mutianyu side yan, sis? Anlaki ng tinaas ng entrance/cable car/toboggan. We paid RMB110 lang the time we went late 2010. Nandun pa rin ba yung pair of cats near the toboggan ride down?

[amihan07]

Sis Blueapple, di na kami mag-stay sa Red Lantern. Nagbook na lang ako sa isang hotel na mala-hostel na malapit sa Tiananmen Square. Mga 5-10 mins na walk nasa Tiananmen Square ka na at malapit din sa subway. Medyo mataray na kasi in the end yung babae sa Red Lantern. Kasi nag-ask na rin ako re their Great Wall Tour, hindi na raw nya masagot yung ques ko kasi mag-isa lang daw sya sumasagot sa dami ng reservations! LOL! 

Anyway, I have a ques mga sisses. How true is it na tumaas na raw minimum na bank deposit na kailangan for China visa? At least 100k daw at dapat yung 100k na yun ay nasa bank for 6 months at ipapakita mo ito thru bank statements for 6 months? Effective sa Monday daw. Ewan ko lang kung minamadali lang ako nung travel agency kasi marami akong tanong. LOL. Kanina or kahapon lang daw ito inadvise sa kanila??

I hope merong may kakilala rito na taga-China Embassy. Ang hirap kasi nila tawagan thru phone.

[sublime_79]

ang hirap mag decide kung saang hotel kami magstastay. mahirap kasi medyo madami akong concerns. may mga hotels kasi sa china na di 24 hours ang a/c or meron din na dependent sa outside temperature ang pag gamit ng a/c sa hotel. pawisin kasi mga anak ko and si hubby na din. tapos syempre mindful din ako sa budget.

gusto ko sana sa citytel inn kaso sabi nila minsan walang hot water but i have yet to confirm this. pinaka gusto ko sana sa novotel but i find it too expensive. by the way, baka meron tayong sis na may discount sa accor chains, nakakahiya na pero baka pwede malaman panu magkaron ng discount?

[dr.smile]

We stayed at 2 Budget friendly hotels.
The first one is Beijing fuxing hotel. Ok lang yung hotel not much to expect but the area is good. next to a pastry shop, grocery store, some chinese retaurants and mc donalds. Only less than 100m from the nearest metro station.

The second one is Soluxe Courtyard Hotel. Nice cozy courtyard style hotel but not much to expect from the area.  Also about 100 m from the metro station.

[blueapple]

@mama squeak!, yes sis Mutianyu side kame. parang hindi ko na nakita yung mga cats . nagmahal na nga, pero yung friend ko nakakuha ng 20RMB student discount kasi nagmamasteral siya.

@amihan07, si linda ba yung nakausap mo? hehe mabilis naman siya magreply sa email inquiries ko. ngask din ako ng GWC tour, medyo mahal sa kanila. ang laki naman ng show money ngayon. DIY lang din kame sa visa application. mabilis lang basta complete ang requirements.

[amihan07]

^ Haha! Sis, mabilis naman sya mag-reply nung una. Pero di nagtagal, after 10 days sya nagreply lately. Haha! Confirming our booking. Sabi ko nakapagbook na kami sa iba. Blessing in disguise na rin kasi walking distance lang yung hostel na binook ko sa Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City syempre, sa Qianmen and malapit din sa Temple of Heaven. Gitna kumbaga ang very strategic place. Lapit pa sa mga kainan and lalo na sa subway. ;-)

Re Great Wall, blessing in disguise rin kasi I got a great deal. We will be staying overnight in a farmer's house near the Great Wall Jinshaling. We will be staying until sunset and meet the sunrise. Dream ko pa naman yun lalo na sa pics! Hehe.. So blessing in disguise talaga. Naka-car pa kami papunta and pabalik para relax lang and can help lessen the pagod factor kasi super dami naming gagawin though I made it in a way na relaxed pace pa rin.

BTW sisses, how does the Yikatong card work ba? Para ba syang sa Octopus Card na pwede mo pa magamit yung dineposit mo or hindi? Estimated ko kasi makaka-34 RMB kami sa subway rides. Hindi ko na sinama mga taxi fare. Balak ko sana bilhin 20 RMB for deposit and 20 RMB for load = 40 RMB. Ok lang kaya ito or kailangan mas mataas na load ang bilhin ko? Sa Octopus kasi ang naaalala ko nagamit pa namin yung pinang-deposit pa namin.

[vain_kixie]

First time to visit China on January.. fiance (my hubby then) will go to Harbin for the snow festival!!!

[blueapple]

@sis amihan07, re Yikatong, the 20RMB deposit is not consumable. so you have to reload 14RMB pa sa initial 20RMB na load if you need 34RMb.

[yellow_bell]

hi mga sis, i also posted this on the Shanghai thread. I hope somebody could comment.

our trip is on Oct. 31, midnight na ata kami darating Shanghai. Gusto ko sana Nov. 1 ng gabi we'll take the sleeper train to Beijing. So November 2 morning nasa Beijing na kami. Overnight kami dun tapos Nov. 3 ng gabi balik sa Shanghai. Sleeper train ulit. Yung flight namin pabalik Manila is Nov. 5 ng 1am. Doable kaya?

If so, pano kaya ako makakapurchase ng tickets ng train from/to Shanghai. or safe ba na saka na magpurchase pagdating dun?

the reason why Manila-Shanghai-Manila yung tix namin ng mom ko is we were supposed to visit a friend who was working there kaso bigla nag asawa and umuwi ng pinas. Had I known, sana nag Beijing na lang  kami kasi mas gusto ko mag great wall.

thanks!

[jurlique]

hi sis.  same here.  i was told by the agency na nag change na daw requirements.  ano ba exactly ang change?  i can't find in the china embassy website.  concern ko eh wala akong bank passbook account na 6 months.  what i have are time deposit accounts that i am planning to withdraw a portion of it for my trip.  my bank account with statement eh payroll lang na walang maintained na 100k.  hmmm pano kaya yun?  may balita ka?

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[dr.smile]

Just posting pm answers to help others..

hi dr,

i read that you'd been in beijing, I want to travel this year to this place  and it's my first time here

want to ask some tips and infos like
1. mas mganda ba thru travel agency or pede na DYI?
2. how much is the budget???
3. mahirap bang kumuha ng visa?
4. di ba mahirap bec, of the language barrier???

thanks

I will appreciate very much your help

Hi there..
ill answer your q's
1. Travel agencies charge you a lotttt! So pwede talaga DIY kc madali lang naman at maganda ang transport system nila. Almost everything is accessible by train except great wall. Just do your research. Metro trains only cost u 2 RMB - Malayo/malapit. Thats 12-14 pesos only.

2. Depends on how many days and where you are staying. Kung budget traveller.. mura lang! I spent 20k for 7 days. not bad right.

3. Medyo strict sila sa visa. Dami requirements. Kailangan kumpleto. Basta kumpleto, you can get it easy.. I suggest you get a travel agent to help you with visa. Eto lang kunin mo sa travel agency service. They would only charge 200-300 pesos surcharge. This saves you the trouble of going there and falling in line, plus claiming your passport.

4. Medyo Mahirap ang language barrier. kc theyre not foreigner friendly. Iiwasan ka kaagad pag gusto mo magtanong. Do your research of how and where you want to go and write it down on an index card per destination, With printed online chinese translation, at the back attach a printed direction from google map. Para mas organize ang planning.


Beijing is a very nice place. A lot of places to see. The food sadly is not good. Depends probably but its not the typical chinese food you see here. Super oily din ng pagkain nila. Best time to go is on Sept. The weather is really good..

Hope this helps!

[mama squeak!]

^Correct! DIY is very easy as long as you have carefully planned your trip.

As to the language barrier concern, definitely meron as with any other languages naman. But it's not that difficult to communicate with them. Plus since the Olympics were held there in 2008, marami ng mga signages in English. And the younger generation are more familiar with the English language,

In both my trips there, hubby and I never encountered unfriendly locals. Opposite pa nga! Initially you'll feel the distance but they are willing to help if you ask them. As for their food, it is different from what we are used to since our local Chinese food is an adaptation of Cantonese or Hongkong cuisine. But we enjoyed their food very much specially their roast duck, noodles and dumplings.

[amihan07]

@sis amihan07, re Yikatong, the 20RMB deposit is not consumable. so you have to reload 14RMB pa sa initial 20RMB na load if you need 34RMb.

Thanks sis!   Sis, btw nung pabalik ka sa Pinas, san ka airport nag-depart doon? Sa Beijing or sa Shanghai? Meron ba silang travel tax or terminal fee chorva ek ek eklavu sa airport nila?

hi sis.  same here.  i was told by the agency na nag change na daw requirements.  ano ba exactly ang change?  i can't find in the china embassy website.  concern ko eh wala akong bank passbook account na 6 months.  what i have are time deposit accounts that i am planning to withdraw a portion of it for my trip.  my bank account with statement eh payroll lang na walang maintained na 100k.  hmmm pano kaya yun?  may balita ka?

Sis, yup maraming pagbabago. Ang pinaka sa pinaka ay yung bank account mo (ang alam ko savings or current lang tinatanggap na nila ngayon) dapat ay at least 100K ang laman. Plus di lang yun. Dapat for 6 months may ending and ave daily balance sya na 100K. You will submit a bank statement with debit memo or official receipt pati monthly statement for 6 months. Dapat din kada month gumagalaw account mo.

Pero wala ng NBI, SSS, Employment Cert, TIN ID pero meron pa rin ITR.

[jurlique]

tsk tsk katay.  i'll take risk na lang. grabeng unfair ng change na ito. 

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[blueapple]

@sis amihan, sa Beijing airport ang departure ko. wala ng travel tax and terminal fee. dito lang ata saten uso yun hehe

[yellow_bell]

thanks mga sis. i was on the process na of researching for hotels/diy tours/train schedules and then I read about this change in requirements for the visa. nakakapanlumo, nawala lahat ng excitement ko. tuwang tuwa pa man din ako kasi 2,900 lang plane fare na nakuha ko roundtrip with 20kls. baggage. hindi naman issue yung 100k sana. kakayanin ko iproduce yun since i have investments naman elsewhere. thing is, sa october na ang trip and makukumpleto ko yung 100k this august pa lang. hindi pasok sa 6 mos required na monthly adb.   

nakakalungkot, birthday gift ko sana to kay mom kasi she's turning 56. habang kaya pa niya lumaban sa mga lakaran. oh well.

sana may makapagbigay feedback na nabigyan visa kahit di na less than 6 mos. lang na meet ang 100k average monthly adb.