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Ceciltron posted:I guess for me the real decision-makers are whether or not a city has: Tianjin is known for its good and shopping but we do have am ancient section of the Great Wall like 3 hours away, and I'm not horrible, but our air isn't good and we don't have that great gardens. I really should do an updated My Goon City
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Aug 14, 2014 03:14
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Ceciltron posted:I guess for me the real decision-makers are whether or not a city has: Chengdu is bipolar with the air. We've been the worst, but lately it's been ok. The entire months of June and July were like we were in some parallel dimension and the AQI was under 50 for weeks at a time. It hasn't gotten much above 150 since give or take a few bad days. The sky is blue today. Last year was miserable though. There's a ton of cool old, stuff, but Chengdu is more for nature-y types. You can just take a public bus to the loving mountains and hike around all day, and the big mountains/tibetan steppe is real close as well. There are a huge number of decent national parks around as well. Chengdu itself is a weird city. I've now lived here for just about 2 years and it's grown a ton in that time, so much so it's almost unrecognizable. We got a really nice BRT system that services the entire second ring, line 2 of the subway opened with 3 supposedly opening early next year and 4 in mid-late 2015. Traffic here is really not bad as most people bike or take public transit, and the public transit is nice and getting better. There are more and more international restaurants opening up which is good because while the local food is incredible, it did get old after a while. Chengdu is also really loving cheap. Like absurdly so. I think Argle pays next to nothing for his place, and I live in a relatively decadent place in the city center 2 blocks from stops on either of the subway lines above a mall with a carrefour/etc and pay a whopping 1,600rmb a month for it. You can get MUCH cheaper than that in nice areas like Yulin and Tongzilin, and if you get roommates sub 1k places are totally doable. Another benefit is because of all the huge tech companies in the south (Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, etc...) the internet here got real good recently (for China). I have a 100M fiber connection and get 3-4mb/s download speeds from Steam without a VPN running. I'm a giant goon though, so this may not matter to you. Also Chengdu people are super chill. It's always said life here is really 安逸 but compared to other cities I've lived in (Taipei, Qingdao, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou) the people are really relaxed and friendly. I don't see nearly as many screaming fights or angry people, especially compared to Shanghai, and the city is notoriously tolerant. I don't know if it matters to you, but Chengdu is famous for being a haven for gay people and is a very sexually open city in general. There are several 3-4 story sex toy shops and sex shops are about as common on the streets as anything. I have a gay friend from Japan here who says he feels Chengdu is way more accepting/ok to be gay in than his hometown of Kyoto. Overall I like living in Chengdu despite its myriad problems like lack of a real international scene, maybe being "too" relaxed, and no decent pizza. (We recently got Let's Burger though so you can get a decent if really expensive burger, and we have 6 Burger Kings.) It's inexpensive, it's nice, and it's only getting nicer lately with cleaner air and better stuff. Also it doesn't get cold or that hot, mainly because it's so dry here. Generally August is the worst month with a few days around 40 and 60% humidity, but normally it stays a dry 35-38 in the summer and seldom gets below freezing in winter. It rains a ton in spring/fall, though, which is annoying but good cause it means we generally have a surplus of water. Ailumao fucked around with this message at 03:37 on Aug 14, 2014 |
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Aug 14, 2014 03:32
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MeramJert posted:This is a pretty fun article to read: Yeah, it did cross my mind when I was cycling across the north eastern part of Henan that if I got into an accident I would end up in a hospital in what is still the worst affected area. Which would have sucked. But then, if I ever got in a serious accident in a semi-rural area though I would likely be passed around from clinic to hospital to hospital until I was long dead. They'd simply refuse to treat me if I was in anything close to a critical condition and wait until I croaked between stops. After being caught out once before (I don't know this random guy and my hands are now covered in his blood), these days I actually carry a pair of latex gloves in my stylish man bag when I am out and about in case I need to give someone first aid. GuestBob fucked around with this message at 03:41 on Aug 14, 2014 |
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Aug 14, 2014 03:35
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GuestBob posted:Yeah, it did cross my mind when I was cycling across the north eastern part of Henan that if I got into an accident I would end up in a hospital in what is still the worst affected area. Which would have sucked. I think I spotted those in your bag in HK. I seem to recall thinking you must just be a hobbyist proctologist
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Aug 14, 2014 03:49
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Magna Kaser posted:Chengdu  Looking forward to it. I like where I live now, but it's expensive as all gently caress, the jobs in Korea are increasingly terrible as the contract terms get worse, and the weather sucks.
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Aug 14, 2014 03:50
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welcome to chinar, do you want some aids? *sticks you with dirty needle* don't worry, there are no xinjiang terrorists here waving needles, only dirty government needles
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Aug 14, 2014 04:14
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simplefish posted:I think I spotted those in your bag in HK. I seem to recall thinking you must just be a hobbyist proctologist Well I do like to keep my hand in. Henan has 5000 years of ailments: http://www.chinasmack.com/2010/pictures/henan-chinese-granny-growing-horns.html
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Aug 14, 2014 04:43
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Magna Kaser posted:CHENGDUSTUFF Magna Kaser posted:Also it doesn't get cold or that hot, mainly because it's so dry here. Generally August is the worst month with a few days around 40 and 60% humidity, but normally it stays a dry 35-38 in the summer and seldom gets below freezing in winter. It rains a ton in spring/fall, though, which is annoying but good cause it means we generally have a surplus of water.
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Aug 14, 2014 05:32
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Dude is from Quebec so safe to say a winter that barely gets below freezing probably doesn't register as "cold".
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Aug 14, 2014 06:41
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It was never cold enough for me to wear a coat last winter, if you do this people will ask you "aren't you cold" 5 times in a row at the start and end of every conversation though.
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Aug 14, 2014 06:50
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I miss winter. It never really gets cold in my part of Korea. I've debated even bothering to bring my coat, but I suppose I might travel somewhere I need it. I can go to Tibet during winter I guess. 
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Aug 14, 2014 06:52
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Jimmy Little Balls posted:It was never cold enough for me to wear a coat last winter, if you do this people will ask you "aren't you cold" 5 times in a row at the start and end of every conversation though. Honestly given the lack of good insulation in Chinese homes I'm glad it doesn't get too chilly. When I was in hangzhou, where it does get below freezing and snows every winter, I'd need a heat lamp faced at me during the night while I was wearing like 3 pairs of socks and under 3 blankets. I'd wake up with numb toes/fingers quite often even still, but it was better. Here I never even bothered to use a heater.
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Aug 14, 2014 07:42
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I'm dumping HostVPN for Astrill. The customer service with HostVPN is great, but Astrill has way more servers and is a lot more reliable. The "Japan 2" server is screaming fast, faster than I've ever been able to achieve with HostVPN. edit: HostVPN's homepage is also not very accessible on account of it using font assets from the Google API servers, so it's nearly inaccessible because the assets refuse to load. Unless you're connected to the VPN. But you can't change servers while connected to the VPN. So yeah. It's a headache. Woodsy Owl fucked around with this message at 10:22 on Aug 14, 2014 |
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Aug 14, 2014 10:06
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Chengdu owns a lot. I thought the pizza at Mike's was pretty decent.
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Aug 14, 2014 10:09
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Beijing has a lot of cool old stuff. We have the hutongs, the smelly dirty traditional courtyard houses. They are an endangered species these days, rapidly being replaced by boring ceramic tiled high-rises. But when you do visit the hutongs, it’s a nice look at Beijing’s past. Narrow cobblestone alleys, grey brick houses, porcelain tile roofs, street vendors, grandmas, and naked babies. Besides the Hutongs, we have a lot of old temples and parks, although since the invading foreign devils burned Beijing, most of the buildings today are replicas. Most people go to visit the big temples and parks in eastern Beijing closer to the expat areas. Honestly, most of the well preserved temples and buildings are located in the western mountains where they managed to escape most of the fires and looting. To the north is the Great Wall. Most tourists go to Badaling or Mutianyu, but there are a lot of good ‘undeveloped’ sections in between. These sections range from a mound of dirt to the crumbling watchtowers. But I mostly just like getting lost in the old villages in the countryside. Nice people, tasty food, and you can always see something new.
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Aug 14, 2014 10:56
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I agree that Chengdu is good. I pay half of what MK does in rent and would move further into the city in a heartbeat if I didn't live 2 bus stops from my work. The people in south sichuan seem even more laid back than chengunians, I was shocked to see yibin has a public bike system with bikes still in the racks, and not even stolen a little bit, and everyone was sharing cabs and being polite. When i got to the park without a car some locals just gave me a ride in their own.
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Aug 14, 2014 11:13
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Jeoh posted:Chengdu owns a lot. I thought the pizza at Mike's was pretty decent. Coming from Holland, everything must taste pretty decent 
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Aug 14, 2014 11:24
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Hey guys, it's been fun posting with ya'll in your thread as I tried to get a job teaching the Chinese Youth. But, I just got an offer for HESS in Taiwan, so I won't be going to the Real China. Figured I'd let you guys know because maybe I'll eventually find myself up in your neck of the woods. Also, you are all terrible posters (I am, too). Thanks for the help and advice you've given me, especially goldboilermark. I promise to make it to Tianjin and maybe Chengdu sometime. Then we can go find a woman to dent my iPhone.
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Aug 14, 2014 15:31
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Congrats man. Welcome to this side of the world and don't be a stranger in these threads. We aren't Taiwan (though Taiwan is part of us  ) but a lot of posters here and the LAN thread have been to Taiwan and can offer differing types of ideas, solutions, all that jazz. I'm actually still Stateside if you want to chat about anything before you go, just shoot me an email, happy to help out. Well done buddy!
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Aug 14, 2014 16:06
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Congrats, you made it into the good China.
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Aug 14, 2014 16:56
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About the VPN issues, it seems like things have gotten much worse recently according to my co-worker there (Shenzhen). Has anyone heard of success stories running your own VPN? I could deploy one to an Amazon EC2 server. If the govt is just blocking well known VPNs then I would expect a small personal VPN would fly under their radar.
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Aug 14, 2014 18:23
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I also want a VPN into China to watch horrible TV shows
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Aug 14, 2014 18:59
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Instead of sight seeing you should turn this into a goon grilmage across CHINA  Yes, there are awesome regional places and all but the actual city themselves look pretty similar. Maybe the food, the language is all different and jazzed up. Plus you already lived in the desolate north so the rest of China shouldn't feel that new. Crazy fashion and bow ties will still be around. Ceciltron posted:Actually trying to fit in Tianjin but doing so may jeopardise my plans to go to Chengdu. Actually the south is perfect during November. The North gets a bit too chilly  It's not cold cold cold Quebec snow storm burn your futon stay alive cold, but just not pleasant.1. Start Hong Kong, cross over land to Shenzhen, say hi to Meramjert and Pedro. If you do cross overland, we can probably do a mini meet and eat Xinjiang food. If you are on budget or feeling adventurous take an overnight bus to Yangshuo/Xingping/Not Guilin but around the area. The mountains are nice and great rock climbing. 2. From Guilin you can slum it a la kenner116 and take 18 hour train ride or just take a 1 hourish flight to Chengdu, this leg will probably be the pricier one if you fly. Chengdu is Goondu, home of pandakaiser and grumpybargle. The tea houses and gardens are actually pretty legit and doesn't feel too touristy. Lots of excursions as well and cheap as heck. SPRING AIRLINES CHENGDU --> SHANGHAI 3. Shanghai/Suzhou/Zhouzhuang can be lumped together. In the East, every other freaking town has their "river village" and it's nice for the first 2 hours. Heck, even Beijing and Chengdu or other amusement parks have their imitation version. It's pretty bad. And when you do go to those towns, it's just tourist local knick knacks of OUR SPECIAL FOOD (available in taobao of course). 4. Then there's Nanjing, it's a pretty chill place with that morbid museum. Fast train is not too expensive and pretty fast. But.... Secret trip: Go back to Pudong, SPRING AIRLINES ---> Osaka It's no Tokyo, but it's still Japan  Be amazed at the cleanliness of Japan's scummiest City. Besides, Japan is a nice break (if you can afford it). Lots of kickass garden's in Kyoto as well!Osaka SPRING AIRLINES --> Tianjin (That's why, you can visit GBM!) 5. Have fun I guess. If you ever get bored you can always head to Beijing! Ceciltron posted:I guess for me the real decision-makers are whether or not a city has: Chengdu, but I bet the dumplings are not as good
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Aug 14, 2014 19:23
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caberham posted:I also want a VPN into China to watch horrible TV shows 
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Aug 14, 2014 21:54
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4 hours to kill at the Qingdao airport. I want to sleep, but not miss my flight. If only they made a cellphone battery that lasted more than a few hours.
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Aug 15, 2014 00:37
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I really like Chengdu as a place to live but I don't know why anyone would want to visit, there doesn't seem to be much of interest here. The rest of Sichuan is pretty cool though.
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Aug 15, 2014 01:12
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DontAskKant posted:4 hours to kill at the Qingdao airport. I want to sleep, but not miss my flight. If only they made a cellphone battery that lasted more than a few hours. Buy spares and have those usb charging bricks ready! And some Cathay flights have usb ports
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Aug 15, 2014 01:30
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Jimmy Little Balls posted:I really like Chengdu as a place to live but I don't know why anyone would want to visit, there doesn't seem to be much of interest here. The rest of Sichuan is pretty cool though. I'm going in 2 hours to meet some internet strangers for the weekend. It's still pretty nice as a city base for out of town excursions. Plus as a city it's concentrated enough for Tibet and other food in a day. There's always the provincial museum.
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Aug 15, 2014 01:33
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Looks like I may have to book a flight to Hong Kong as a way of tricking the Taiwanese into letting me into the country. I'll let you guys know, but figure on November or December getting drunk with a Pollock.
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Aug 15, 2014 02:11
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caberham posted:There's always the provincial museum.
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Aug 15, 2014 02:22
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Tom Smykowski posted:...good if you have kids. Caberham is broody enough without your encouragement.
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Aug 15, 2014 07:04
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When is Autumn festival in China? Rather, what days will air travel be crazy and expensive in October?
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Aug 15, 2014 07:37
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Aug 15, 2014 07:53
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I'm enjoying the secondhand fame but I also legit need 2 know about October holidays. My parents are going to come visit Japan but they'll fly in somewhere cheaper then take a cheapo asian airline to Japan.
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Aug 15, 2014 10:34
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When I have a question like that, I look at my phone and yell at it: OKAY GOOGLE WHEN IS THE MID AUTUMN FESTIVAL IN 2014? And it will think for a minute and say Here are results for "big condom testicle in 2014" And then I say OKAY GOOGLE WHEN IS. THE MID. AUTUMNNN. FEST-I-VAL IN TWENTY FOUR-TEEN? And then it says "The Mid Autumn Festival takes place on Monday, September 8, 2014." So you can try that.
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Aug 15, 2014 10:41
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Everyone knows Google spreads decadent lies about China bro
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Aug 15, 2014 10:58
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And sorry I've been here for a while so I should know by now that no one will know their October schedules until after it finishes
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Aug 15, 2014 10:59
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The bigger issue is the NATIONAL DAY OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, which is always October 1st and there's a week holiday around it. So just watch out for the first week of October.
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Aug 15, 2014 11:30
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Relatedly, my area (Ehime  ) is full of crazy festivals October 5-19 anyone coming???? Maybe you can meet Grandpa Peanut!
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Aug 15, 2014 14:23
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I want to know more about big condom testicles. Sounds like something that could be pretty cool.
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Aug 16, 2014 10:01
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