Intermission: Travel Advice?
I interrupt my very-drawn-out Beijing recap to make this appeal for advice.
My group will have a week-long break in November for optional travel within the China/Southeast Asia region. Thus far, half of my traveling companions are leaning towards visiting Hong Kong while the other half are leaning towards Tibet. For those who have experience in these matters, I ask: which should I choose?
In an ideal situation, I’d choose Tibet, but having heard reports of hotel shortages, problems with the train system (which we’d likely be taking), travel permits, and winter cold, I’m feeling rather uneasy about the prospects of such a trip. Add this to the fact that none of our group members speak fluent Mandarin.
According to one of our Chinese friends, her mother rode the train and reported that “the scenery was so beautiful she was too busy taking pictures to notice the other passengers vomiting from altitude sickness.” Nonetheless, I can’t muster the blind optimism that my other group members seem to have about such a journey. We’ll likely be doing this through a travel agent, but unless we get teamed up with some native Chinese, I don’t know that I’ll be ready to sign up.
If anyone is wise in such matters, do advise me.
UPDATE: Thanks, everyone, for your advice. I’ll take it to heart when I make my final decision.
You will need a visa to visit HK just like a visa to visit Tibet. So, the amount of hassle will be the same.
Tibet is quickly losing its culture. The new train is quickly bringin Han culture west. If you want to see Tibet before it becomes ‘more Chinese’, now is the time. But it will be cold.
HK..the weather will be nice but you’ll be hanging out with Americans, British, Aussies, and the like. Is that what you went to China for?
I suggest some place in South Cental China. Kunming for example. Cheaper that HK, no issues around altitude sickness, and you’re in China…so you can put those language skills to further work.
↓ Quote | Posted October 6, 2006, 12:31 pmYour concerns about going to Tibet are real, but that’s all part of the adventure. Tibet is Shangrila, not the Hangzhou Shangrila. I’d go to Tibet over HK if I had the chance.
If you still feel uneasy about Tibet and don’t feel too interested in HK then Kunming/Dali/Lijiang, as dave suggests, would make an excellent in between choice.
Also, it’s great that no one in your group speaks fluent Chinese. It will force you to practice.
↓ Quote | Posted October 7, 2006, 6:39 amMy suggestions are spending half your week in Chengdu, and spending the next half in Kunming before heading back to Hangzhou. Both cities are great for completely different reasons. Even the hostels are nice. Chengdu if for no other reason than to see the Pandas. Be warned though, when I went in November, things were pretty cold, so bring a jacket.
↓ Quote | Posted October 7, 2006, 10:23 amDon’t you still think about xizang?
↓ Quote | Posted October 7, 2006, 11:48 am