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China trip status report.
Mar. 15th, 2003 01:48 pmCurrently all still seems to be on course with the trip to China in September. This assumes that the President does not take us into a war so internationally unpopular or bloody and lengthy that the plane will be stoned when it touches down at Tokyo Narita on its way to Beijing, of course. Consider that the standard disclaimer for all future updates...
Anyway. Current status:
Still not going on a tour. Will argue with parents about that later. Not worth it right now.
Price to beat for flight: $1,009. This is for travel on United Airlines, leaving 9 September (Tuesday) from Newark International Airport. The plane would land in Beijing the next day. Return flight would be out of Hong Kong on 25 September (Thursday) and land early in the evening of the same day, if I am reading orbitz.com's 'Matrix Display' right.
Lodging likely status:
BEIJING
Zhaolong International Youth Hostel. 2 Workers Stadium Rd (N), Chaoyang District, Beijing. Tel. 86-10-65972299-6111, Fax 86-10-65972288. At current exchange rates, a bed is $6 a night. I think this is for HI members only, so I will have to either get one of those stamp cards (one stamp per night at hostel yields a working card after six nights) or buy a membership (good for one year). This hostel has daily tours to the Great Wall at Jinshanling for 90 yuan, transportation only. Internet access, bike rental, 5 km from train station, possible airport shuttle.
Backup lodging possibility: Fenlong International Youth Hostel. No 5 You An Men Dong Jie, Xuan Wu District, Beijing 100054. Tel. 86-10-63545836, Fax 86-10-63536446. Also $6/night. Bicycle rentals, low budget tour booking. 5 km south of Tiananmen Square, 8 km from one train station, 7 km from the other. Shuttle to the airport.
XI'AN
Um. I'm not sure how to read the phone numbers in the Lonely Planet guide book. I assume they all start with 86, that's the country code, but I'm looking at phone numbers of the same length as American phone numbers and that doesn't synch up with what I have for Beijing and Hong Kong at all. I'll have to read the section on phone services more carefully... anyway. There are a couple of backpackers' places, one of which is said to have 'toilets that don't look like they've been cleaned since the Ming Dynasty', and one which gets 'extremely mixed reviews but you can't beat the location'. There's a place called the Lijing Jiudian which charges $48 US for a single room, I can deal with that. There's another called the Jiefang Fandian directly across from the train station, with double rooms for as low as 198 yuan and as high as 320 yuan. Comes out to around $39 at worst. Also something I can deal with.
WUHAN
The Foreign Student Dormitory of Wuhan University looks like the winner here, esp. since the easiest way to get across campus to get there is to hire a motorcycle with a sidecar. That just sounds like fun. 40 yuan a night for a dorm bed. Phone number given as 8768 2813. They say to call ahead. Since I had planned on making reservations if at all possible for, oooh, every place I plan to stay 'if at all possible' means 'a month in advance' inside my head. No problems there.
Backups include the Marine Hotel which is directly opposite one of the three main train stations and charges up to 138 yuan a night. That's $17 American. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am not a fussy person when it comes to where I sleep on a trip. I also have a penpal in Wuhan, but he lives with his parents and I am not going to impose if I can help it.
HONG KONG
Jockey Club Mt. Davis Youth Hostel, Top of Mount Davis Path, off Victoria Road, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong. Tel. 852-2817-5715, Fax 852-2788-3105. $65 HKD/night, which translates to $8.50/night American. Cannot accommodate kids under age 5. 9 km from the airport. Many HK tour-type things available there, but they suggest you contact the tourism division at the airport for your details.
Possible backup for Hong Kong: my penpal's apartment. She has offered to let me stay if I want, but I don't want to impose on her and her family.
Train information later, when I've puzzled out exactly which trains I need to get to Xi'an and then to Wuhan.
Anyway. Current status:
Still not going on a tour. Will argue with parents about that later. Not worth it right now.
Price to beat for flight: $1,009. This is for travel on United Airlines, leaving 9 September (Tuesday) from Newark International Airport. The plane would land in Beijing the next day. Return flight would be out of Hong Kong on 25 September (Thursday) and land early in the evening of the same day, if I am reading orbitz.com's 'Matrix Display' right.
Lodging likely status:
BEIJING
Zhaolong International Youth Hostel. 2 Workers Stadium Rd (N), Chaoyang District, Beijing. Tel. 86-10-65972299-6111, Fax 86-10-65972288. At current exchange rates, a bed is $6 a night. I think this is for HI members only, so I will have to either get one of those stamp cards (one stamp per night at hostel yields a working card after six nights) or buy a membership (good for one year). This hostel has daily tours to the Great Wall at Jinshanling for 90 yuan, transportation only. Internet access, bike rental, 5 km from train station, possible airport shuttle.
Backup lodging possibility: Fenlong International Youth Hostel. No 5 You An Men Dong Jie, Xuan Wu District, Beijing 100054. Tel. 86-10-63545836, Fax 86-10-63536446. Also $6/night. Bicycle rentals, low budget tour booking. 5 km south of Tiananmen Square, 8 km from one train station, 7 km from the other. Shuttle to the airport.
XI'AN
Um. I'm not sure how to read the phone numbers in the Lonely Planet guide book. I assume they all start with 86, that's the country code, but I'm looking at phone numbers of the same length as American phone numbers and that doesn't synch up with what I have for Beijing and Hong Kong at all. I'll have to read the section on phone services more carefully... anyway. There are a couple of backpackers' places, one of which is said to have 'toilets that don't look like they've been cleaned since the Ming Dynasty', and one which gets 'extremely mixed reviews but you can't beat the location'. There's a place called the Lijing Jiudian which charges $48 US for a single room, I can deal with that. There's another called the Jiefang Fandian directly across from the train station, with double rooms for as low as 198 yuan and as high as 320 yuan. Comes out to around $39 at worst. Also something I can deal with.
WUHAN
The Foreign Student Dormitory of Wuhan University looks like the winner here, esp. since the easiest way to get across campus to get there is to hire a motorcycle with a sidecar. That just sounds like fun. 40 yuan a night for a dorm bed. Phone number given as 8768 2813. They say to call ahead. Since I had planned on making reservations if at all possible for, oooh, every place I plan to stay 'if at all possible' means 'a month in advance' inside my head. No problems there.
Backups include the Marine Hotel which is directly opposite one of the three main train stations and charges up to 138 yuan a night. That's $17 American. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am not a fussy person when it comes to where I sleep on a trip. I also have a penpal in Wuhan, but he lives with his parents and I am not going to impose if I can help it.
HONG KONG
Jockey Club Mt. Davis Youth Hostel, Top of Mount Davis Path, off Victoria Road, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong. Tel. 852-2817-5715, Fax 852-2788-3105. $65 HKD/night, which translates to $8.50/night American. Cannot accommodate kids under age 5. 9 km from the airport. Many HK tour-type things available there, but they suggest you contact the tourism division at the airport for your details.
Possible backup for Hong Kong: my penpal's apartment. She has offered to let me stay if I want, but I don't want to impose on her and her family.
Train information later, when I've puzzled out exactly which trains I need to get to Xi'an and then to Wuhan.
