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SB35, can you just stick this part to your OP with a picture of a hard bed or something? Oh and add this by BloodnoseBloodnose posted:Never judge anything by star rating in China. There is horrible star inflation. Never stay lower than four stars and you probably won't get a soft bed for less than seven. This this and this. The official tourism board have a ridiculous "A" grading system. Some places like the ORIGINAL HANG ZHOU West Lake are AAAAA, while the horrible knock off (but still acredited) GUANDONG West Lake are AAA. I don't even want to know what's A grade. Or a B grade  Finding a Place to Stay in China With it's high population density and cheap transportation networks, everyone is always moving around and going on some sort of trip in the country. Which means everyone trying to find a place to eat and ultimately a place to sleep at the end of the night. You have migrants looking for a job, rural students taking a toefl test, travelling business men, Teachers on a visa run, tourists, mistresses and adulterers, temporary relocation, etc etc etc. If you want to be a ~~**free spirited back packer**~~ and not get tied down with reservations then this part doesn't affect you. If you are looking for a place to stay in a city for a few days, read ahead. But during the major holidays, rooms can fill up in no time in China. It's not like Bangkok where there are a string of places for you to pick in Khao San. Hostels - Stay away from Green Tree Inn in Wudaokao That place scammed a goon. Western style hostels are great for first timers in China. The staff speaks decent English, you can meet like minded tourists and mingle around the common room. And the mattresses are soft. Prices are hit and miss. Book through hostelworld or other hostel portals. Pro
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Couchsurfing Are you non Chinese? Land in China is spacious unlike Hong Kong so maybe you can try couch surfing and meet some interesting people. But it's couch surfing so you don't want to be that guy who just uses a persons place for a free hotel room (some hosts are ok with that) - depends if you want to meet Chinese folks and do a cultural sharing experience. You don't spend money on lodging but you would probably be hanging out with a host and all. Pro
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Goon couch It's worse than staying at a couch surfer's home, it's encrusted in cheeto dust! Actually you are lucky if there is an extra couch, most of the time it's just sleeping on a unsweeped floor. They will make forum references, show you their hentai collection, or wake you up after a long night of goon drinking and watch a stuttering football match with their lovely VPN. Then they make you cheer for the hurricanes when you just want to sleep a bit more  Serious talk, all goons in person I have met are cool and I appreciate their hospitality. Afroninja has a swank Bachelor pad that just oozes with cool.Air BnB I don't have experience with this. From what I have heard from my friends and the people I have hosted, it's basically just renting a room from someone. Great for large families on a budget or people who just want to try to stay in different places. Can't tell you much on this. Hotels - Chain - geared towards the China goon, or people living in China One important note for all places. Rabelais D posted:Pick a newly opened one (2011 or newer), any hotel more than two years old in China tends to get hosed up with mold, weird stains on the furniture, etc. During the day time there are 4-6 hour specials that ranges from 40~80 rmb. The noise is never bad though, I'm the one who is always noisier These are no non-sense chain hotels for you to sleep. Really plain and boring with hard mattresses but are plentiful and all over China in different locations. They all have a hot water kettle for you to cook your instant noodles and some of the rooms allow smoking. The rooms them selves may be renovated old housing blocks or new buildings. What's cool about them is that the rates are pretty much locked in year round and can get much cheaper than your average hotel or small time fake 3 star hotel. What's not cool is that some of them are just fronts for people to bring prostitutes, or places for people to meet up and gently caress. But I suppose that's what people do in hotels anyway. And if you want to book online, it's only available in Chinese (you can ask me for help). So that's a bit of inconvenience. If you don't want to pay a deposit, check in lasts until 6pm, but you can call the hotel ahead to hold onto your room. So which one to pick? It's really a personal preference. They all have hard mattresses.
Under the huazhu group, they even have bare basic single rooms with shared bathrooms for an even cheaper cost. But do note that the older/seedier places might be badly kept, cigarette burn holes, moldy floors, CRT tv's - Pro
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But wait goons, there's the best option to staying  Caberham's pick : Hanting All seasonsThis specific chain is an upscale version of hanting. It's super comfortable with wifi inside the rooms, rain type showers, soft mattresses, individual packaged soaps and shampoos, flat screen TV's, and just rocks. I stayed there so many times to gain Platinum status and have reduced discounts, 2pm late check out, free breakfast (  ). If any goons need a place to book and have trouble, PM me and I will see how I can assist. But that means giving an internet stranger your personal details and passport number. Since I know and met half of you guys in person it should be ok Only problem with all seasons is the number of branches. You can't choose as many spots as the regular chains.Caberham's pick : Hanting All seasons"Nicer international chain hotels" I'm super jealous if you have a corporate rate.  It's priced internationally but you better expect top dollar service. Some of the Branches like the Jing An Hilton or the hotels in the older buildings are not as good and to me are a bit pricier but I think this hotel talk is more along the likes of trip advisor/booking.com or whatever real hotel talk.
caberham fucked around with this message at 08:27 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 05:42
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English website has a listings of Chinese hotels.
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caberham posted:
OK the Hanting All seasons are good, but let's not go crazy and suggest they are like the Hilton. Definitely excellent value for money, but the rooms are small and the decoration sparse. Also, no minibar and poor selection of complimentary teas, if I recall. I'm going to say three stars - but well worth it if you're travelling on your own dime or you want to save your company some money. Pick a newly opened one (2011 or newer), any hotel more than two years old in China tends to get hosed up with mold, weird stains on the furniture, etc. Oh, yeah...and great informative post Caberham. You're right in that all those budget hotels are basically people loving 24/7, with thin walls to boot... Rabelais D fucked around with this message at 06:15 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 06:04
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Never judge anything by star rating in China. There is horrible star inflation. Never stay lower than four stars and you probably won't get a soft bed for less than seven.
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Jun 25, 2013 06:16
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Yeah I'm appending it. Calling it the hilton is a bit too much. No pool, no gym, no conference room, poo poo-tastic breakfast of only fried noodles, no fancier concierge etc. For me though, I just want that soft soft bed. And the internet. Heck I saved my company even more money by opting out of the all seasons and staying at a regular one so that my co worker can just chain smoke. **** Going to write another China traveling post. Maybe on cell phones? Yeah. Going to shill for a xiaomi. wechat needs more gooooooooons caberham fucked around with this message at 09:12 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 06:26
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I think that Jinjiang Inn is the nicest you have posted there - better than the average Hanting, Home Inn, 7 Days and so forth. Mostly this is because they are newer.
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Jun 25, 2013 06:35
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MeramJert posted:Your friend probably doesn't use the internet the same as you. Pro-PRC will back me up on this, just go with China Telecom. They have storefronts all over the place in every city. Just walk into one and ask about signing up for internet service (you'll need your passport). You'll have to fill out some info, then within a couple days some guy will come to your apartment and set it up. They'll provide a wireless router, but I've found that their routers don't tend to do PPPoE on their own so I prefer to get an additional router that actually logs in, so the devices that connect to it can just get on the internet right away. Here I am backing you up on this. Just go with China Telecom/Unicom If you can get fiber, get it obviously. You should be able to sign up online for it all if you're too lazy to go in person. The only point in going in person is either to get fapiao cus your company is paying for it, or you have no idea what you're doing. If you get fiber, just pay for the year in advance. You'll get a free landline and free calling time on their 2g sim card they give (sms is extra). There are also some packages where you sign up for their 3g phone plans and the internet is free. For fiber, the BEST speeds I have gotten are using the Asus RT-N16 router. It's also the only one that we can jam inside the box in the wall and still get good signal everywhere in the house. The modems they provide standard are kinda lovely unless you hack em, best to just use em as modems and not routers at all. Pro-PRC Laowai fucked around with this message at 09:36 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 09:17
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Smart Phones in China and You! 2013 Summer. Just get a Xiaomi, half the cost of flagship phones, RMB 2000 https://www.xiaomi.com Smart phones rock. In addition to the amazing translation, maps, chat apps, you can take random pictures of things where ever you go! In 2013, even the basic smart phones do an amazing job and get you your chat/map/browser app. What's important is signing up for China UNICOM for its faster 3G network. Hopefully China will get LTE sometime in the future. For now, 3G is all you got. Phone talk, yes everyone has the newest iphone or samsung galaxy S[something]. Or the HTC or whatever, but the best cell phone to get is the xiaomi. As of Now, 2S is the best. Price is 2000 RMB. If that's really too much, then get the 1500 2A version (rebadged last year). I'm using the 2A, and it's decently fast already but you can never get enough speed for your cell phone. Wtf is the xiaomi and why is there an "x" In short, it uses the same guts as a quad core samsung galaxy s4 (no octo) with a removable battery of 2300ma. The charge lasts forever and batteries are cheap. It's android based so that means you can use your google apps and google play to install apps. I know lots of people are apprehensive to the jump and so was I. Once you get it though, it's nice to be able to text people blazingly fast with swype text, join chat groups, use browsers and install maps. And check email. Best of all, install Pleco Optical Character Reader as a backup character reader. caberham fucked around with this message at 09:41 on Jun 25, 2013 |
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Jun 25, 2013 09:31
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Will custom roms for Samsung Galaxy S4 run on it?
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Jun 25, 2013 09:56
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caberham posted:Couchsurfing I am a CSer and a goon and I have mad street cred on CS and little cred on SA so obviously I'm awesome to stay with lol Also you accurately depicted TWM's place without ever setting foot in Tianjin, I am unbelievably impressed. I also feel I am not goony enough. 
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Jun 25, 2013 10:18
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I'm a CSer and a goon as well. I'm normally the host, and have never crashed on other people's couch. I have waaaaaaaaaaay more goon cred than CS cred. But too much goon cred means people think I'm creepy
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Jun 25, 2013 10:24
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AirBnB- If you're staying for a week or more, traveling in a group, need more space, want a kitchen... try renting an apartment. There are also rooms for rent like a homestay or clean and organized couchsurfing. Most of the hosts in HK and China are expats and well-traveled locals.
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Jun 25, 2013 13:17
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If I'm in a city without a hostel I'll just walk around looking for the characters "宾馆" written on a building. 40 yuan will usually get you a cheap little room in a bīnguǎn. Private bathrooms are available for a bit more. If there's no room at the inn or if they just don't accept dirty laowai, I will ask random people standing near buildings, "yǒu fángjiān ma" and make a sleeping gesture to imply I want a place to rest for the night. Hasn't failed me yet.
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Jun 25, 2013 13:33
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peanut posted:AirBnB- If you're staying for a week or more, traveling in a group, need more space, want a kitchen... try renting an apartment. There are also rooms for rent like a homestay or clean and organized couchsurfing. Most of the hosts in HK and China are expats and well-traveled locals. This is actually a very common thing to do. Tends to be about the same or less than a hotel (sometimes a bit more if they are really nice, but still cheaper than getting 2 rooms), but there are no limits on occupancy, you usually have a useful-sized fridge, and a kitchen of course. Search for 日租 or 短租 and that's where they'll usually pop up.
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Jun 25, 2013 13:38
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wow caber. you got to see a grown man almost cry on my couch due to a stuttering football match and a team playing terribly. :<
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Jun 25, 2013 14:01
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Dilber posted:...football... Unless pie and Bovril were involved then you can stop using this word.
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Jun 25, 2013 14:06
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kenner116 posted:Guy typing pinyin with tone marks I think you're the first person to do this in all of the China threads.
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Jun 25, 2013 14:44
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systran posted:I think you're the first person to do this in all of the China threads. Yeah I don't even remember what his post was about, but that stuck out to me
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Jun 25, 2013 15:13
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systran posted:I think you're the first person to do this in all of the China threads. Pīnyīn without tone marks is like simplified characters — crippled.
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Jun 25, 2013 16:11
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I'm going to bring back the "x" to represent a word repeating: A: nǐ de bǎox tài kěài le! B: nǎli nǎli, tā bú gòu pàng. A: bú yòng kèqi, nǐ yīnggai shuō, "xièx."
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Jun 25, 2013 17:03
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systran posted:I'm going to bring back the "x" to represent a word repeating: Woo shi.huan gwoyeu romatzyh…. bii pinin hao .de duo
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Jun 25, 2013 17:23
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If I had a time machine I would probably go back in time and prevent Wade and later Giles from ever stepping foot in China.
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Jun 25, 2013 17:25
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As a Japanese citizen, I'm able to fly into China with no visa and an upwards of a 15 day stay. Once I'm in China and want to extend my two week stay, am I able to do that if I go to a local embassy and apply for an extended visa?
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Jun 25, 2013 17:34
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Busy Bee posted:As a Japanese citizen, I'm able to fly into China with no visa and an upwards of a 15 day stay. Once I'm in China and want to extend my two week stay, am I able to do that if I go to a local embassy and apply for an extended visa? I'll admit I have no real idea given your situation, but all the visa stuff I know if is done at the local PSB when actually in China, including visa extensions. You probably just have to go there and not any sort of embassy. Unless you're going way out to the boonies you'll be able to get to one easily as every major city has one. They'll probably charge you some money for the extension, though, and you won't have your passport for up to a week while it processes. Also keep in mind you need a passport to get train tickets, board planes and check in to any sort of hotel or hostel; so it's best you arrange all that before you go ahead with the extension.
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Jun 25, 2013 18:22
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I should probably get removed fom the OP. Wife got her visa and we are in USA now, likely staying for a while.
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Jun 25, 2013 20:52
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Hello thread! I will be in Hong Kong as a tourist from July 7 - 10th. I read the 'my goon city' post by Caberham and it sounds pretty cool. I have a question on language: caberham posted:At the very least you can get by speaking English in most tourist places. Any tips for the American who speaks only English? I was planning on going to the big markets, Womens Market and Temple Street, where I assume English is passable for haggling. What other places are good? Where should I avoid? Any useful hand gestures I should use/not use? I was hoping to give Snowden a high five while I was over there  but it seems I'll have to find another way to celebrate freedom. Can I get Cuban cigars in Hong Kong?And whats the word on getting fitted for a suit? I've googled around and I think 4 days is not enough time.
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Jun 25, 2013 23:04
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waloo posted:I should probably get removed fom the OP. Wife got her visa and we are in USA now, likely staying for a while. Congrats man. I'll remove you. Wanna tell us how you did it? Couldn't hurt to have an updated account of the process.
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Jun 25, 2013 23:06
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PlesantDilemma posted:Any tips for the American who speaks only English? I was planning on going to the big markets, Womens Market and Temple Street, where I assume English is passable for haggling. What other places are good? Where should I avoid? Any useful hand gestures I should use/not use? Don't flip people off and you'll be good. I've only seen one elderly vendor in one of the big, popular markets that didn't speak English, and she was accompanied by like 3 younger guys that could. (Not that I needed them for translation, my cantonese was good enough to haggle a bit over the price  )
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Jun 26, 2013 02:58
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PlesantDilemma posted:Hello thread! Awesome I should be in town. Send me an email and we will grab a bite. Just Wondering if you have ever been to East Asia before? If you can bring me Buffalo Jerky that would be super duper awesome. Or help me carry some inane things if I buy stuff from amazon  I love USA quote:Any tips for the American who speaks only English? I was planning on going to the big markets, Womens Market and Temple Street, where I assume English is passable for haggling. What other places are good? Where should I avoid? Any useful hand gestures I should use/not use? Just don't flip the bird Remember it's a very popular tourist market with lots of foot traffic. Regular el cheapo markets tactics apply. Don't go to the first store you see, walk around, don't look to enthusiastic, don't fall for the "IT'S ONLY 20 US DOLLARS", and don't be a dick if the deal goes sour. Most important of all, be prepared to walk out and don't get pressured/guilt trip. I'm not so sure what kind of things you want to buy though. quote:I was hoping to give Snowden a high five while I was over there  quote:And whats the word on getting fitted for a suit? I've googled around and I think 4 days is not enough time. Think lots of the cheaper 1000 hkd range suits are actually contracted to the mainland. For fancier and upscale suits, I have to ask my super fashionable goon lawyer Beefeater1980. I normally just wear Star Wars/Addidas Collaboration t-shirts. Or Florida State University t-shirts. Hope you have a good time!
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Jun 26, 2013 03:05
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Thanks to colonial heritage, everyone in everywhere that you might want to go will speak some English and will speak English to you. A lot of the time, if you try Cantonese, they'll just speak English anyway because Rule Britannia! There are like 80 HK goons though and some of us are native Cantonese speakers and will probably be happy to take you around to do cool stuff off the beaten track. Too bad you're here during the brutally hot summer, rainy season, typhoon season and work week though. That's inconvenient.
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Jun 26, 2013 03:29
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Update on the July 1st visa change stuff. Just got a frantic call from my accountant who apparently thinks that the non-criminal record thing is applicable for all applications, both new and renewals. Based on that (the first notification I have seen that is not from a visa agent), I'll just go ahead and say that it's a very real thing. As far as renewals needing it, it makes sense obviously, but who the hell knows. I'll have more info after the 10th. edit: also no idea about actual requirements, be it a full out FBI check, or if state checks are fine, or if fingerprinting is required.
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Jun 26, 2013 03:50
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Bloodnose posted:Thanks to colonial heritage, everyone in everywhere that you might want to go will speak some English and will speak English to you. A lot of the time, if you try Cantonese, they'll just speak English anyway because Rule Britannia! You phrased that like you're a native Cantonese speaker, heh. Pro-PRC Laowai posted:Update on the July 1st visa change stuff. Is this only applicable in Beijing?
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Jun 26, 2013 04:01
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MeramJert posted:Is this only applicable in Beijing? Beijing, Shanghai and, alledgedly, parts of Guangdong. Hainan is asking you to submit a bit of paper which says you are a good boy but this can be hand written inside the police station if you like. In Beijing I thought that the regulations were for all "new" applications (where "new" relates to those coming into the country form abroad and going to Beijing from other provinces) so your lawyer dude might be over-reacting. Given that this is not a national policy and has not been loudly trumpeted I think you will not need a full FBI check. There's some confusion about whether applicants from within China need previous home-country records or just records from within China. Folks in Henan ain't been told squat about the new policies on July 1st officially though. So most of this is based on anecdotal accounts from people I sort of know over the internet. They haven't been wrong yet though.
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Jun 26, 2013 04:13
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GuestBob posted:Beijing, Shanghai and, alledgedly, parts of Guangdong. Hainan is asking you to submit a bit of paper which says you are a good boy but this can be hand written inside the police station if you like. Yes, I too thought it was only for new applications. All I know is that the policy is kinda vague at the moment and he heard it first hand. His advice is to wait and see. If too many people bitch and complain about it it will probably be loosened up somewhat. It's not July 1st yet, so, right now it's all kinda "who the gently caress knows". He has some renewals coming up on the 10th though, so he'll know by then and then I'll know. Should be doable using a travel agent without *too* much hassle.
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Jun 26, 2013 04:48
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Hmm, I'm in a part of Guangdong and I'm do for a renewal in about a month. I might be made aware of all this stuff pretty soon.
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Jun 26, 2013 05:42
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I'm getting an extension of my RP on July 1 and haven't heard anything about this, I was just told to hand over my passport. I hope nothing goes wrong cause I'm supposed to leave the country on the 15th 
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Jun 26, 2013 05:57
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Magna Kaser posted:I'm getting an extension of my RP on July 1 and haven't heard anything about this, I was just told to hand over my passport. You are also in Chengdu, so, Chengdu is not Beijing, Shanghai, parts of Guangdong or Hainan. I dropped my RP renewal/transfer application into the PSB today - well, the FAO clerk forgot to bring my Accommodation Registration so she is ferrying that down to them this afternoon (I tore a strip off her for not updating it to reflect my new passport number too) - and they didn't ask for anything untoward. Except now they keep a digital copy of a high quality photo (not the webcam on the desk), which is new I suppose. Pro-PRC Laowai posted:Yes, I too thought it was only for new applications. You thought I was talking out of my arsehole the first time I mentioned this, as I recall. I am not from Zumadian you know, I just live near there.
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Jun 26, 2013 06:38
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Travel question! Anyone (Chird maybe) been to or heard about a place called Liupanshui in Guizhou? There's a special railway in the mountains around there and the lass and I want to go and ride it (toot toot!) but we are concerned that we might get trapped in a bumhole town.
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Jun 26, 2013 06:39
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MeramJert posted:Is this only applicable in Beijing? I'm applying for a z-visa in Xi'an, and the company I want to work for is asking for a police check. It's a software development job, so this isn't an Education related requirement, or similar. Maybe it's just because they're used to processing visa's in Beijing. Work Permit Requirements Email posted:Criminal Record Clearances(The certificate must be issued by the relevant public security or judicial authority in the applicant’s country of nationality, and must show that the applicant has no criminal record from the age of 18 through the present. The certificate must be legalized by a Chinese diplomatic post in the country of issuance.) I've applied online, and I'm hoping a friend can have it "legalized" for me, back home. With the health exam, does that have to be done in country of origin? The advice I've got says it can be done in China, after the Z-visa has been issued.
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Jun 26, 2013 06:44
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Trammel posted:With the health exam, does that have to be done in country of origin? The advice I've got says it can be done in China, after the Z-visa has been issued. Country of origin, repeated in China. Some people get away with the first but 90%+ have to do it. The second medical is required as part of the process to get your Z Visa converted into a Residence Permit (the former allows you to enter China to work, the latter allows you to stay in China to work). Also, ding! http://houston.china-consulate.org/eng/vp/gzrz/
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Jun 26, 2013 06:51
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FWIW I never had to do a health exam in my home country. I just did it in China.
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Jun 26, 2013 07:09
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