China

studstar in beijing definitely take the trip to the forbidden city,, and of course the great wall of china, its an amazing place to be at, seeing how big it really is and how thousands of people took hundred of years to complete it,, really a marvel to behold. ideal to take a tourist guide or a bus tour as the accompanying history lesson is quite interesting as well. good luck! fayz

• hcaleman wrote:
  Food in China can look intimidating but just don't think about appearances

Agreed the shrimp and chili sauce wasn't nearly as bad as it sounded :P :P
This was tasty though, it was some sort of crab apple type thing, tasty.
hcaleman Beijing, do the tourist stuff like Forbidden City and Tianamen Square. Be prepared for an onslaught of people trying to sell you garbage. Other than that I just kind of wandered around the city on foot to find stuff here and there, that's my favorite way to explore large cities. At night there is Sunlitan bar area, the older district, and Hou Hai, newer place full of people trying to peddle smut. Food in China can look intimidating but just don't think about appearances, if a restaurant is crowded (even if it looks dank) it must be good. Otherwise the locals wouldn't eat there; simple rule I live by at least. I've eaten all kinds of stuff all over China and have never been let down. I hear Beijing has cleaned up a lot over the past year in prep for the olympics. I now prefer Chengdu (great food) and the tibetan border area in the west and Sanya at the southern tip of Hainan. It really helps if you have some local friends in China though if you don't speak Chinese. If it wasn't for my girlfriend I probably would have hated the place and never gone back after my first try. MaaaD Can someone please recommend things to do / see in the following 3 cities Beijing Shanghai Xian Thanks ! fayz i'll write more when it's not 3am but read here. Xin tin dii is for you, you'll have a blast. susan205060 Hi, Maaad, Below pls find suggestions for scenic spots(too much choices, we list some must-see places normally): 1) Beijing Forbiddan city / Great Wall / Summer Palace / Tian'an'men flag opening ceremony in early moring / Temple of Heaven 2)Shanghai Shanghai Bund / Chenghuang temple(old town)/orientital TV Tower/Water village at suburbs 3)Xian Terra-cotta warriors and horses at tomb of qing shi huang / bronze chorits / Big wild Goose Pagoda . Enjoy! Yours sincerely, Susan Zheng(China Tour Guide) MSN: pinoy1 According to the chinese consulate in dubai website, one requirement for a visa is a letter from the company or sponsor. Is it also required for tourist visa's? fayz I've flown from Dubai to China, I've never needed a letter. Probably best to check with the consulate but I don't think so. BabyDoll Watch out for the spits ! Watch out of the lack of queues ! Watch out for people speaking loudly ! Watch out for stares ! If you eat at the hutongs, watch out for dirty finger in your food when they bring your dishes ! Joking aside, you will have a blast. Enjoy the scenery. When you are at the top of the White Pagoda behind the Forbidden City, look out towards Forbidden city. The thick blanket of clouds will amaze you esp during winter. BTW, the above did happen to me. pinoy1 ^ I thought you were talking about Dubai there! lol. How cold does it get in Beijing (especially on the great wall) during early january?

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BabyDoll COLD. When I was there is was near 0 degree. Its the rain that makes it freezing cold. pinoy1 I just came from the chinese consulate and guess what? No chinese in sight! The gals at the counter are all Filipinas! Weird. :lol: BabyDoll

• pinoy1 wrote:
  I just came from the chinese consulate and guess what? No chinese in sight! The gals at the counter are all Filipinas! Weird. :lol:

I think you will find this in most consulates, restaurants, clinics, shops, customer service counters etc. pinoy1 yeah but I expect consulates to be run by the citizens of it's country :? anyway... so I'm going to Beijing (I'll just ride a bit on your thread, Maaad :wink: ) and I plan to visit the Mutianyu section of the great wall (the badaling section I read is overly touristy already). Has anyone here been to Mutianyu GW? How did you go there from the city? Any recommendations on how? BabyDoll

Quote:

• How did you go there from the city? Any recommendations on how?
  By car, taxi or tour buses. Once you are there, on foot ! 8)