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This is a great site for off-the-beaten-track individual travel in China. The best parts are the routes and hidden gems. The section on Tibet gives some great tips. Especially about the train from Lhasa to Beijing.
Trekking, biking, climbing, ice climbing, mountaineering etc. This outdoor company, founded by local Lion Xu and Scot Lee Mclaughlin will set up/guide trips for you in Sichuan, based on your detailed requirements.
Recent events in the north of the province mean those areas are out of bounds for leisure, but contact them for recommendations for other areas.
Organization of people who live and work in Chengdu. Sichuan Quake Relief identifies the specific needs of remote communities that may not receive immediate assistance, sends out appeals, collects funds and supplies, and coordinates their delivery. Admin costs are nil.
Taxi queues at Central Station main exit may be very long at times. Try the dropping-off area one floor higher where many more taxis are available.
Hawkers selling food often have dubious health measures, and you can never be sure if they are legal or not. Best bet is not to be tempted to have a bite to eat with them just in case, you might ruin the remainder of your holiday.
This is probably the biggest tourist trap here into which many have fallen. Many of the shops on Nathan Road in Kowloon selling electronic products don't display the prices on the items. Many tourists have been scammed or cheated. One ploy is to give you an unbelievably good price, then after they have your money, they say they are out of stock, offering you another item but at an outrageous price. Some tourists have said that even calling the police did not help.
Water off the tap is supposed to be ok, but few locals do that. They boil it first.
This is a great place to learn Mandarin, they only hire full-time teachers, they are very serious about teaching Mandarin!
Quite the best way of travelling in Hong Kong and the many outlying islands is on the brilliant integrated transport system. The electronic Octopus card will save you both time and money, not least of all on the express in from the airport.
Unlike London airports where transport for London offers no prominent advice to those visiting the UK, The Octopus card is comprehensively trailed at a dedicated desk at the airport.
I had some free time to go to Lantau, an island off Hong Kong, which is reachable by road and rail.
This is actually most people's arrival point, as Hong Kong's new airport was built on an artificial piece of land that was added to accommodate the huge structure.
The island is home to some amazing little fishing villages (Tai O), where locals go at weekends to buy their dried fish, as well as Big Buddha, the biggest outdoor buddha in the world. Next to the Big Buddha temple, is a monastery, where its possible to eat some fantastic vegetarian food, with beautifully decorated and ornate surroundings.
A great afternoon out, and the chance to be outside of the polluted areas like Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.
The Chinese consider it polite to give and receive business cards with both hands.
Amazing! Check in and get rid of your luggage 24 hours before your flight time. So you can stroll around the city and not have to hang around in the airport. A great idea - why don'y we have this in London? (actually... we know why...)
Airport express check in. Honk Kong station - Central
Forget harbour cruises and the ferry to Lamma, hop in a cab to Sai Kung, HK's seaside getaway. Enjoy seafood on the waterfront or ideally hire a sedate sanpan/racy speedboat to ferry you out along the bay, past the country park (HK isn't all urban jungle!) to the beautiful islands off the east coast. Sail back at sunset, so romantic !
Sai Kung. Hong Kong New Territories. East coast. If you don't want to take a taxi, nearest MTR is Hang Hau/Choi Hung plus bus 101/1a) wander along Sai Kung waterfront and the sanpan hawkers will find you!
a restaurant. First went there in the 70s and again in the noghties. Fantastic, authentic food with crispy duck to die for
42 Mody Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon Nathan Rd.)
Hong Kong
2723-3637
The Shelter is a dark tunnel that is currently beating all nightclub competition in the city by a mile.
Hip-hop, dub, techno and d'n'b all sound good in this underground spot where the drinks are reasonable, people smile while they dance and the pretentious need not apply.
No chrome, no flashy lightshows, no rolling dice, no sparklers in Champagne bottles, great music. A breath of fresh air (despite all the tobacco smoke).
5 Yongfu Lu near Fuxing Xi Lu.
Line 1 Changshu Lu Station
6437-0400
Forget Silk Market for your Chinese tat and clothes. It's crowded and vendors are very pushy.
Go down the road instead. It's the same stuff, including great tailors, just as big but less crowded and therefore more fun.
Remember to haggle!
Yashow Market, 58 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District
This is where hundreds of Pakistani guys and Indonesian women hang out and flirt on their day off. It all seems very innocent and sweet until you sit and watch for at least an hour and notice some of the darker undertones.
Very, very interesting, quite sad and quite voyeurisitic. We felt like we were watching a fly-on-the-wall documentary.
Have a chat and make friends, everyone's very friendly.
The whole experience reminded us of the often miserable lives of immigrants, wherever they are.
I recently returned to the UK after a trip to Beijing.
I spent the time learning Chinese and doing an internship... you can get great experience and live in the centre of Beijing!
I would definitely recommend it for people looking to improve their CV and help them decide a career path.
The south of Hong Kong Island is a nice place to escape to after spending time walking through the interesting streets of Hong Kong.
Sit and enjoy the view of the sea and find the hotel with a hole in it - apparently something to do with the spirit of a dragon!
Probably best not to swim in the sea though - I hear it's quite polluted.
Get on a bus and take to the top deck for a ride across Hong Kong Island.
I saw a tip on this website about the Hutong School and was pleasantly suprised that someone else had experienced this gem of a place. I would definitely recommend you check it out!
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