Guangzhou, Shenzhen, HK travel advice?

[Brian Ellis]

Another thing you can take with you as an emergency medication is Imodium. It won't stop jelly belly, but it can stop your guts working overtime. However, it's a two-edged sword. On the one hand, it is a fairly sure way of stopping an embarrassing diarrhoea within an hour or two, by a fairly drastic reduction of the intestinal peristalsis, allowing the water to be absorbed from the gut. On the other hand, the bugs causing the infection are not expelled naturally, so it is purely symptomatic medication, and has no curative action, other than the body's natural defences, which can work more effectively if the bugs stay put. However, be careful to stop the Imodium as soon as the diarrhoea is brought more or less under control.

[cjolley]

Which is why, instead of immodium, we are taking a giant bottle of Pepto Bismol.

Such a romantic trip

If I had my way we would take paragoric.
You can get it here without prescription, by signing for it.
But I'm not sure I want to try to bring a bottle of opium into china.

chuck

[Chrono_Wanderer]

man... why didn't I notice this thread? lol

There is nothing wrong with the water in Hong Kong, although some of the water in Hong Kong came from Mainland China. I lived in Hong Kong for ~10 years, and moving to Toronto and visiting other cities in Europe/N. America, I think Hong Kong is a world class city with probably even richer lifestyle, so in terms of basic needs, I don't think there's anything that you should be worried about. However, I think all Hong Kongers boil water, because we don't like the idea of having the water going through pipes/water pumps that are never cleaned. I think even the Japanese do that, thus most of us have "digital" water boilers at home.

The traffic in Hong Kong is excellent. I'd recmmend public transportantion, because that's what almost every citizen uses, since HK roads are just too narrow... its a crowded city. I'd recommend taking the subway (MTR) and/or bus to get around. You can get to virtually anywhere with these transportations. One thing, when you decided on public transportation, go to the subway/bus station, and get the "universal transportation card" (i don't know its official name). It uses a debit card system, and you can use it on virtually any transportation system in HK. You can get the 50HKD one if you aren't staying there for too long. Its very convinent, and organized.

About Hotels and such, perferrable live on Hong Kong island near the central district, living in Kaloon is also pretty convinent.

And yes, eat a lot while you are there!!!! Hong Kong has the best and greatest vireties there IMO. and lots of shopping too.

And while you are in Hong Kong, you can consider visiting Macau by jetfoil. Macau is quite portuguese, mixed with chinese cultures. Its very nice there imo.

About Mainland China, I'd be very careful about eating and drinking. DO NOT DRINK TAP WATER AT ALL COST. And don't buy food, packaged snacks, and even fruit that looks suspecious. Buy them at a "trustworthy" place (but then you never know what they do lol). I've heard a lot in Hong Kong news that they add poisonous chemicals to virtually all expired food (including fruits) that make them look nice and taste nice... very disgusting. Becareful of the people there...

Yes, even in Hong Kong, becareful with your wallet!!!!! Not to be racist or anything, because they HK govrenment opened up free travelling with mainland china, lots of mainland chinese come and commit all kinds of crimes...

But of course, while you are in Hong Kong, try all kinds of food and have fun there, its an excellent city!

[chaoliang]

The Peking Duck in the White Swan Hotel was one of the best that I have ever tasted, though it was about 14 years ago. It could compete the best Peking Duck restaraunts in Peking (less than 5 IMO). The price was rather high.

About HongKong: I can remember that there was a city area that had many small shops selling furnitures and articrafts. The shops were spreaded in several small streets.
Eating in HK was a nice experience.

[cjolley]

Originally posted by chaoliang
The Peking Duck in the White Swan Hotel was one of the best that I have ever tasted...

We love Peking Duck, so that is good to know.
Chuck

[XHotKolaX]

Originally posted by Brian Ellis
I don't know where Lansdowne is, but the water in parts of VA can be terrible, especially in the North, where it is used for the 7th time out of the Potomac. It is very heavily chlorinated and tastes awful. Boiling does get rid of the chlorine. It will also reduce the quantity of lime and iron in hard water areas (just look at the inside of a kettle to see the rusty lime deposits!). However, lime and iron, in moderate quantities are good for you. The worst water of the lot is ultra-pure water (:"18 megohm" water) which is undrinkable.

I live on the Potomac. North-eastern "shore" that borders Maryland. The water here smells of chlorine, stains my tops orange, and stains my ceramic pots white. I boil and make tea so it's not so bad on taste.

Did the same thing growing up in N. China's countryside. But we drew our water from a deep well rather than the lake.

I'm more worried about the chemically "enhanced" foods.

[GuchiGuh]

Originally posted by Brian Ellis
Wrong!

Not counting the fact that this island is geographically in Asia, even if culturally and politically in Europe (), I've been in Asia many tens of times, but only twice have I been there for holidaying, in both cases to places where I had not been professionally.

So am RIGHT! !

[KvHagedorn]

I would like to see Shanghai and Hangzhou. Saw some pictures of Hangzhou and it looks like a beautiful city.

[Brian Ellis]

Shanghai is a mixture of a concrete jungle and slum clearance. I spent only two nights there, but was not impressed, other than by the money that must have been invested there.

I've been lucky enough to see a few of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, all of them impressive. I believe that there is a meeting of the WHS Council going on at this moment in Suzhou at which there will be some more added to the list at http://cssa.mit.edu/worldheritage/ including the Forbidden City.

[chaoliang]

Suzhou and Hangzhou are both very beautiful. And the food there... Hmmmmmmm!

[GuchiGuh]

Originally posted by Brian Ellis
Shanghai is a mixture of a concrete jungle and slum clearance. I spent only two nights there, but was not impressed, other than by the money that must have been invested there.

Which area of Shanghai did you reside in?

[Brian R.]

Shanghai is changing so quickly that if you only visit once every 3 or 4 years, you won't recognize it.

[KvHagedorn]

I heard Shanghai was the first to buy one of those German Maglev trains, and you could get from the airport to the middle of the city in 8 minutes.

Unfortunately, the cost of building materials here has doubled, supposedly because of huge demand from a rapidly building China.

[cjolley]

We are here in the White Swan in Guangzhou.
Great flights OKC - Dllas - LAX on Delta, LAX to Guangzhou on China Southern.
Turns out we have a nearly full time guide.
(It's kind of unusual for people in our situation)

So breakfast and lunch in the hotel.
But dinner out in the actual town, eating at a very nice, but totaly non tourist resturant.
Seshuan (sp?) hot pot.
Spicy! Yum.
Everything from lamb to freshwater eel.
Good stuff.

I'm typing in the hotel room drinking a glass of Drambuie een' as we speak.

More to come...
Chuck