Hooray we will be on our way to China this time next week. Let the countdown began. We are all excited, me, my wife who cannot sleep now, my in-laws (father in-law cannot sleep as well), and our friends. In fact we are now chatting with many friends on QQ (China instant messaging) every night and we have too many friends who want to meet us at the airport. I am so glad this trip we will spend 4 days in Beijing before heading to Nanjing because when we arrive it is full celebration and it will give me time to get over the jetlag. The Chinese love to celebrate holidays, friends, family, business, or any reason to have a great time which is 1 of many things I enjoy about China. It seems to me everyone always has a smile and willing to have a Chinese banquet style meal which includes lots of drinking. I believe food and drinks are a great social ice-breaker. It is funny to observe at the beginning of our meals everyone is very shy and quiet but after the drinks start it is a great time and everyone gets loose with alcohol. I hope to capture some of these experiences like Chinese Banquet meal, nighttime BBQ, KTV, or any event with everyday Chinese people. We have many family and friends from all walks of life in China. Travel Smart and Travel Safe.
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This article supports the number one crime for travelers which are pickpockets. This article reviews times and stations to avoid on the Beijing subway. This is great information for us because we will be using the subway in Beijing in 1 week. It should be noted that any subway around the world is the place for pickpockets so you should always be on your guard. Again always protect your most important document which is your passport when traveling internationally. Travel Smart and Travel Safe. http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90882/8384301.html The traditional Chinese alcohol drink is called Baijui and it is distilled rice. It is a very strong drink which is always consumed with food. It has a strong taste and smell coupled with a strong alcohol content it is something to get used to in China. It took me several trips to China and lots of drinks to now prefer it. Usually the least expensive will be the strongest. I prefer around 42% volume which is 84 Proof which is strong but you can still taste the sweetness without it tasting like Rocket fuel. Today in China many drink red wine and beer but for a traditionally Chinese banquet Baijui would be served. In my experiences Baijui is never drank without food and it is not a casual drink like a beer at the bar. Again it is a banquet style traditional drink and should always drink with food. If it is your first time in China please try different brands because there are so many and drink a little at a time. There are small places that make it in the clay pots as shown in the photo. Also, it is served in small glasses because as the Banquet meal goes on your host will want to shoot (Cheers) or bottoms up with you and it is best with a small amount. Please try it during your next trip to China and it will be a great experience. Travel Smart and Travel Safe. http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2013-08/28/content_16926532.htm Wow, that is scary with the John Wayne airport and I have experience that flight when they shut down the engines. It is a crazy feeling when they do shut down the engines. The section I was interested in was the amount of fuel they use to reduce the weight of the airplane and this is new to me but it makes sense. It is just like auto racers but with a lot of more responsibility with a load of travelers. The padding of time for the flights is typical in any industrial to meet the goals of the company. We did this all the time in manufacturing so management could achieve their goals which in turn meant bonuses. Pilots please tell us all! Travel Smart and Travel Safe.
http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/13-secrets-airline-pilots-wont-tell-122420158.html Another Visa Free for 72 hours city in China and it is Chengdu. Again when something works in China they just do it or copy it. Looks like the major cities want the tourism dollars which is a billion dollar a year industry worldwide. Other China cities have been successful with tourist agencies getting very busy with many tours. If you want a taste of China and use this 72 hour visa free policy then a tour maybe perfect for you to maximum your time in China. After you experience China like me maybe you will want more and take a long holiday to see the great things to do all around China. Travel Smart and Travel Safe.
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/205040/8374896.html This is a great cat story in China dealing with a rat problem and using the best method which is cats. It is so much better than chemicals which get into the water and everywhere. The rats will start to disappear and this is the best method. I have a great story to support this method. My uncle’s company in New Jersey had a major rat problem and he sprayed all the chemicals and tried every method without any luck. Then he went to the Humane Society and asked for a mouser (female cat & outdoors) which is great for hunting. He let the cat roam in his factory at night and they started to see dead rats all over the factory and within 2 weeks the rats packed up and moved out. Problem solved and it was a natural method. The cat was the king of the factory and went where she wanted and stayed comfortable in the boardroom. Yes, China needs to solve the problem with so many cats and the weather but there is no better way than a natural predator. Travel Smart and Travel Safe.
http://english.people.com.cn/90882/8377068.html Who says China has cheap labor, just look at the salaries for pilots. This is excellent for US captains and they can double their salaries. China is expanded fast and with many new flights in China there is a demand for more skilled pilots. As the salaries increase more and more Chinese factories are moving to places like Vietnam just look at your labels on the items you buy. My travel accessory competitors now have factories in Vietnam. This is good for the Chinese pilots as well because they can gain more experience from US captains which will make flying safer. Travel Smart and Travel Safe.
http://www.chinatraveltourismnews.com/2013/08/chinese-airlines-lure-pilots-with.html This article reviews the top travel booking giants but I prefer to book direct. The sites are great for researching price and availability but after that there is not these online giants can do for you. If there is a problem they have always told me to deal directly with the airline or hotel. From my experience they do not have any value to book with them and it is always more flexible when you deal directly with the airline or hotel. I search a lot and I mean a lot and after I book with airlines and hotels I am always going back to check on prices daily, so again after researching to compare companies I book direct. These online companies are like a phonebook with most options in 1 place but it is good to deal directly after your research which is the fun part of traveling for me. Travel Smart and Travel Safe.
http://skift.com/2013/08/23/how-the-travel-booking-giants-stack-up-and-where-they-are-heading/ We enjoy booking our domestic China flights on eLong and it is easy and fast. We just booked our parents flights from Nanjing to Beijing and it was less than the bullet train. Elong is part of the Expedia Company but I think the elong booking process is a lot more efficient. If you are looking for domestic flights in China I would definitely check out their website, www.elong.net . It displays its information in English and Chinese. Also definitely sign up with an account because a lot of travel sites will give rewards and hotel discounts or free.
http://skift.com/2013/08/15/expedias-elong-creates-100-million-fund-for-mobile-tech/ This article reviews the top online communities for travelers. The top company is Tripadvisor which I use for hotel reviews and photos of hotel rooms to determine which hotel to select. I think YouTube is great and I have started to use it more and more because the videos tell a great story. It is good to see Travelblog.org which I read daily and will post in my next trip to China. It is one of the few online blogs to post while in China. As with any online community the information must be reviewed to determine if the information is of value. There will always be extremes both for and against the thing to be reviewed, some will hate it and some will love it but you need to weed through all the reviews to get a fair assessment. Travel Smart and Travel Safe
http://skift.com/2013/08/22/the-top-online-travel-communities-used-by-american-travelers/ |
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September 2019
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