Softdrinks (Or Soda's in the USA)
by machomikemd
like what I've said, buying softdrinks here is more cheaper than buying bottled water since prices of softdrinks like coke or sprite are equal or cheaper than bottled water, depending on where you buy. Usually a 355 ml aluminum can of softdrinks cost 2 RMB in Supermarkets and 5 RMB in Convenience Stores and 10-12 RMB in Tourist Areas or Restaurants while a 1.5 ml bottle costs 6 RMB in supermarkets, 12-14 RMB in Tourist Areas and 15-20 RMB in restaurants and Bars. but as everyone knows, softdrinks packs lots of calories!
Play Mahjong
by vickss
Well, if you are in Beijing and don't know what MahJong is probably you haven't ventured out of your hotel premises.
Every second street you go to youl wil find people playing it. OK, so what the hell is it...?
It is a classic board game of Chinese origin. So while I didn't find anyone playing Chinese Checkers which carries the Chinese pride in the name itself. This one is a puzzle game. It has plastic coins which some chinese characters and the goal is to remove all 144 tiles from the board. You may remove only paired free tiles. The tile is free when there are no tiles either to the left or to the right from it. Anyway, I didn't play it so don't know the critical details and expert comments to make. Here we have 2 people playing it though usually its a four guys/gals game.
Western Hills of Beijing
by gordonye
Explore the many canyons in the western hills, some have been opened up as tourist attractions with gates and parking lots, but otherwise these canyons are minimally developed.
Near the western outskirts is Xiangshan, a park with imperial relics. Ouside its north gate near Jade Cloud Temple (Biyun Si) starts the Cherry Canyon (Yingtao Gou) which contains beautiful walking and a hidden villa.
Further west from the city, the Eight Great Places (Ba Da Chu) is a series of temples and monasteries in idyllic forested settings.
There are a lot more scenic canyons, such as those near the Miyun Reservoir about an hour northeast of Beijing: the White Dragon Tarns (Bailong Tan); and the Black Dragon Tarns (Heilong Tan). The former has imperial plaques, the latter is pure scenic cliffs and waterfalls.
Cash not Credit cards
by unisil about Beijing
We are from Australia and I have a Citi Bank Mastercard. Citibank have branches and ATMs in Bejing.
Citi Bank are a big well know and respected American Bank
You would not beleive the number of times they refused my Mastercard, they took Mastercard... the ones with Chinese writing.
They took one look and made a phone call then said, sorry sir, we can't accept this card...blah blah blah.
So I stood my ground and started to shout and eventially they put the sale through but God help you all when you come to Beijing for the Olympics because if it is aint in Chinese, it aint real to them
The different transportation means in China
by drnantu
http://drtu.com/en/?p=42
I lived in the America where leisure travel means driving. As the Chevy’s advertisement says: In the Chevrolet, see the USA. I have driven to most of the states in the US except Maine and Alaska. The efficient?safe and toll free highway system is a perfect choice for travelers.
In China, the transportation choices are rather complicated. I have traveled to all the provinces using various transportation means. I have traveled by train, by car, by bus, by airplane. Here are my summary of the pros and cons for each of the means.
Although Chinese highway system is amazingly new and well developed, it is also very expensive. All the national highways are toll roads. The average toll is 50cents/km. Therefore, the 400 km distance from Beijing to Shaanxi will cost 200 RMB on toll. The national highway system is joined by the local expressways. While the national highway system is very enjoyable to drive on, the local roads are not. Signs are not well developed and the traffic jam in big cities is very common.
If you do not want to drive but still prefer to be on the road, then the bus is an efficient ways to get between cities and most of the touristy places. If the distance is long, a sleeper-over-night bus is a good choice. The bus is equipped with lying down plank and serves as a bed. The problem is of cause that the bus needs to stop every other hour in the rest area. The frequent bus stops and the snores from the neighbors made the night very tiring. Even such bus is staffed with two drivers. Overnight driving is still a major safety concern.
Airplane is an excellent choice for long distance traveling. Most of the Chinese cities are connected by airplanes. Because of the competition, air fare within China is reasonable and getting cheaper everyday. For example, there are times that the airfare from Beijing to Shanghai (1500km) can be as cheap as 300RMB. But the airports are usually far away from the city. Getting to the airport is time consuming and expensive.
Traveling by train is one of the best ways to travel in China. The Chinese railway system is the most traveled in the world. It covers all the provinces including Tibet. It is very efficient and rather cheap. There are over night trains which connect most of the Chinese cities. The trains offer hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper. Traveling in hard sleeper is rather comfortable and soft sleeper is even better. The train schedule is designed to allow travelers to get from one city to another over night. In other words, one can sleep on the train and get to the other city the next morning (saving a night of hotel cost). Traveling by train also allows interaction with the people and offers scenic views of the landscapes. China is developing the high speed trains which travel on average over 200km/hour.
There are other ways to travel such as by bicycle or by motocycle. However?none of them is suitable for long distance traveling.
I recommend the following strategy for traveling in China.
If the distance is shorter than 400km and the destination scenic spots are outside the city (ie.Datong in Shanxi), driving is recommended.
If the distance is over 400km, traveling by train is preferred
If the distance is over 1500km and the time is tight, then go by air plane.
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steel queen of stadium
Outside the Hakka Restaurant
the artificial hill where last ming emperor hanged
the lobby
