Tag: China Travel

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Going to The Great Wall of China and Resisting the Urge to Get a Subway Footlong

Where: China
February 9, 2012 at 6:03 PM | by | Comments (0)

There may no longer be a Starbucks at The Forbidden City in China but there is a Subway sandwich shop at The Great Wall. Seriously.

You can find the footlong mecca at the entrance to the impressive 2.5-kilometer stretch of the Great Wall in Mutianyu. From here you can walk in, out and around several of the 22 watchtowers that were built during the early Ming dynasty.

Some of the steps are steep and tiny and, as to be expected, you need to watch where you're going.There are no handrails and very few informational signs. It's just you, the wall and silence (well, when the other tourists aren't chattering that is. We managed to grab a quick little video on our iPhone of the Mutianyu section. Enjoy!

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What Not to Do in The Forbidden City: The Top Five Tourist Mistakes

Where: Beijing, China
February 8, 2012 at 5:43 PM | by | Comments (0)

One of the top tourist sites to visit in Beijing is the Forbidden City, the former Imperial Palace.

We told you the other month how powerful it was arriving at Tiananmen Square—which sits across from the Forbidden City—but today we're telling you what NOT TO DO when you actually step inside the imperial walls. As always, these are just our tips so by all means, please add your own!

So without further ado, here is the Jaunted guide of What Not To Do In The Forbidden City: The Top 5 Tourist Mistakes.

5. Don't pay for your tickets with a credit card
Both locals and tourists mostly pay cash in the city, and the admission booths only had one window that accepted credit cards. Since we don't read or speak Mandarin or any other Asian language, there was a bit of back and forth with the cashiers about which one had the credit card machine. Save yourself the trouble and bring 40 RMB ($6.35) with you, per person.

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China Eastern Flight Attendants Are the Latest to Be Kung Fu Fighting

Where: China
January 10, 2012 at 10:18 AM | by | Comments (0)

Last April, we told you about Hong Kong Airlines training their cabin crew to ward off terrorists and unruly passengers by using kung fu. Now, the martial art safe for onboard combat is being offered to flight attendants on China Eastern Airlines.

The Shanghai-based carrier announced that the first group of 20 cabin crew recently finished their courses. In all, 2,600-plus flight attendants will be trained for self-defense by using the ancient fighting technique. Airlines executives think that flight attendants could be seen as an easy target for would-be baddies.

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Wish You Were Here: The Forbidden City

Where: Beijing, China
December 12, 2011 at 3:05 PM | by | Comments (0)

One of the most surreal moments we've had yet while traveling has to be our arrival the other day at The Forbidden City in Beijing.

Once the home for emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the Imperial Palace today is now pretty much an outdoor museum for tourists (mostly Chinese) to walk through since many of the actual halls and rooms of the palace are off limits. You can peek into these various halls and take photos; however, be prepared for a mob of people attempting to do the very same thing.

But what actually moved us most about arriving at the Forbidden City was standing in Tiananmen Square, where we snapped this photo. We were young when the 1989 protests and subsequent killings happened but we do remember hearing about the uprising and even watching some of the news clips. We just never imagined in a million years we would actually go there one day. But that's the beauty of travel isn't it?

[Photo: Jaunted]

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Hong Kong Airlines Will Also Birth a Baby Budget Carrier in 2012

December 1, 2011 at 8:40 AM | by | Comments (0)

Asia seems to be the breeding ground for LCCs with announcements about Peach, Scoot, and Jetstar Japan. Last week the chief at Hong Kong Airlines announced that they'd be doing a regional subsidiary as well. Hong Kong Express will be re-branded and operate as a low-cost carrier to compete with the slew of budget airlines popping up all over the region.

The full transition will take place middle of 2012 and flights will serve mainland China, South Korea, Japan and southeast Asia. Airbus A320s will hit the skies, but what the livery will look like (or even the airline's name), we can't yet be sure.

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You Can 谢谢 Us Later: Shanghai Restaurant Week Opens Reservations

August 18, 2011 at 5:16 PM | by | Comments (0)

Restaurant Week deals aren't just for major cities in the United States, nosireebob. Believe it or not, Shanghai and their multitude of fancy-pants eateries have been getting in on the discounted 3-course meal act for several years now, and the deals are again good from September 5-11.

Alack and alas, the majority of the 70 restaurants on the bill either specialize in western cuisine or call the 4-and 5-star hotels of the city home. This is not a deterrent! Hotel restaurants in Shanghai are not the hotel restaurants you're thinking of; they offer some of the most diverse menus, dramatic views and dressed-up evenings you can find in the Pearl of the Orient, and with a three-course dinner costing 248 RMB, or about $38 or a three-course lunch at 118 RMB, or $17, it's only good news.

The city is a bit like our photo above—it's completely traditional and affordable in some areas, but those parts are almost immediately followed by the high-gloss modern neighborhoods with their famous-chef restaurants and gold gilt bathroom faucets. You've just got to learn to love both, and getting the latter fancy food for cheap helps.

Reservations opened TODAY! Go here to get them.

[Photo: Cynthia Drescher]

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Beijing Airport Will Ship Your Banned Items Straight Home, Thank You Very Much

Where: Beijing, China
July 20, 2011 at 10:52 AM | by | Comments (0)

Does anyone even remember a time when passenger were allowed to bring such threatening items as scissors and full water bottles through airport security? We've had perfectly good bottles of bug spray and shaving cream thrown out for being .5 oz over the 3oz rule, and once witnessed a foreign traveler having his giant jug of very expensive pure maple syrup confiscated at Vermont's Burlington Airport. It's no fun, for sure, and a couple airports have stepped up to at least offer an alternative to the trash can: shipping your banned items home.

Singapore's Changi International pioneered the service, whereby travelers holding more than the allowances or with forgotten box cutters in their bags can now just ship it right from the airport to their home.

Following Changi's lead is Beijing International Airport, where Shanghaiist reports Beijing Capital International Airport Terminal 2 is charging 20 RMB for items weighing less than 3kg shipped to Beijing addresses, and 100 RMB ($15.50) to be shipped anywhere else. Not too shabby at all! Everyone is getting Chinese ginseng and swords at Christmas this year!

[Photo: nemo's great uncle]

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The World's Fastest Train to Zip Between Beijing and Shanghai Starting July 1

June 9, 2011 at 4:08 PM | by | Comments (0)

Amazing news from Shanghaiist today: The world's fastest train will begin traveling between Shanghai and Beijing as soon as July 1! For lovers of train travel, technology and more transportation options, this is huge news. Plus, it means far less airport congestion and delays on this popular and heavily-trafficked route.

The zippity-quick train at the focus of the new service is the CRH380, a beast of a bullet train that most closely resembled an actual bullet, more so than any other bullet train we've seen. It's a China-designed and China-made train, coming in both 8-car and 16-car lengths. It made the world record for fastest train last year, after the 16-car version hit an incredible 486 km/h (302 mph).

· Time it takes to fly between Beijing and Shanghai: 2 hours for just the flight, not counting airport transportation, security and wait times.

· Time it takes the CRH830 to travel from Beijing to Shanghai: 4 hours, 48 minutes

· Time it takes a regular train to travel from Beijing to Shanghai: 9 hours, 49 minutes

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Planning a Trip to China? You Should Know About Spring Airlines

Where: China
April 28, 2011 at 9:53 AM | by | Comment (1)

This week seems to be new airline week—or at least new to us—as we’ve shared the secrets to a cheap Europe vacation thanks to XL, a frugal find to visit down under, and today we want to talk about Spring Airlines. Just like everyone else this week they have some pretty cheap airfare—like around $100 roundtrip before taxes—but any money you save on airfare you’ll be blowing upon arrival. That’s because these planes are going to Macau.

In case you haven’t heard, Macau is like the Asian version of Vegas, so expect plenty of gambling, boozing, and spending—all while having an awesome time of course. Spring Airlines is looking to cash in on the booming travel market, as they just started up service between Shanghai and Macau each day of the week.

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Where to Find the World's First (and Only) Store Devoted to Moleskine Notebooks

April 26, 2011 at 4:25 PM | by | Comments (0)

We bet New York, San Francisco and Paris are quite jealous of Shanghai right now. Why? Because earlier this month, the world's first standalone Moleskine notebook store opened in the city's Xintiandi Style Mall. Shanghaiist kindly reminds us that Moleskines are "supposedly the notebook of choice for Oscar Wilde, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Henri Matisse," but we know them to be equally beloved by contemporary travel writers and creatives as a stylish physical alternative to tapping away on a laptop all the time.

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Mickey Mouse Isn't Letting an Earthquake and Tsunami End His Fun in Asia

April 7, 2011 at 9:12 AM | by | Comments (0)

April is a big month for Disney when it comes to its theme parks in Asia. It seems like we’ve been talking about the House of Mouse opening up a new park in China for some time now, but it looks like tomorrow is the day when the bulldozers, shovels, and cranes finally arrive in Shanghai. The official groundbreaking is set for April 8—assuming all goes according to plan.

It takes quite some time for all those iconic Disney rides and attractions to be built from the ground up, so don’t expect to visit anytime soon. As of now, they’re thinking that it’s going to take about five years or so. The city of Shanghai has created a special tourist zone just for the park, and they’ve set aside just shy of 2,000 acres for hotels, parking lots, and a lake. They’ll also be adding a stop to their subway system too, so accessing Mickey will be pretty simple.

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Happy Year of the Rabbit! It's Chinese New Year Today

Where: China
February 3, 2011 at 1:37 PM | by | Comments (0)

Happy New Year! It's the Year of the Rabbit in China now, and although the streets of China (and Chinatowns in the US) will fill with dancing dragons today, the party really won't end until next week begins. Thus, for many, China will be on the mind, and although you'll have problems accessing Twitter, Facebook and the like over there, we say it's time to book a trip (or enter the Cathay Pacific contest). For a little inspiration, here's some of the recent great stories on China Travel:

· Three of the Best Cities for Welcoming Chinese New Year
· Go Around the World, For Free, with Cathay Pacific's New Contest
· How to Get a Chinese Visa (for US citizens)
· The world's 5 Most Shocking Malls has a China entry, of course
· Our Southwest China Field Trip
· Tour a Nuclear Plant...in a cave!
· One of the most scenic (and surprising) McDonalds' in the world
· Visit the China Sex Museum
· The Top Five Counterfeit Shopping Districts in the World
· Hong Kong's Crazy Late-Night Laser Show

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