Reflections of Mainland China - Now With More Thailand

D Hulk

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hey, let’s all go to China! :D

I’m on my way down to LAX right now via a luxurious combination of metro, bus and Lyft. Gonna be out in China for roughly 2.5 weeks seeing all of their ancient masterpieces - the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai Disneyland.

4B16AAF2-5F28-4ECC-9360-438D77C42A25.jpeg

This trip begins solo, as is my wont. Who’s going? Me, Doug. A few days in I’ll be joining up with a big Australian tour group for most of the trip.

But first I start out alone in Beijing, where hopefully my VPN can get me around the Great Firewall of China and I can still provide regular updates as the adventure unspools.

A PREVIEW OF COMING EVENTS

The general ambitious itinerary? A few days in Beijing to start.

140225172701_0791.jpg


Hiking dozens of miles on a less traveled portion of the Great Wall.

Traveling by overnight train to Xi’an and environs.

img_173_d20140516163510.jpg


Climbing the fabled (and insane-looking) Huangshan Mountains.

hangzhou-1871458_1920.jpg


Trips to ancient water towns and modern Shanghai, climaxing in...

A day or two at Shanghai Disneyland at the month’s end, a glorious relaxing conclusion to a wild journey.

f387d4139fed440989e2b23d_300x200.jpg


No question I am excited and anxious about all this to come. There will be tons of amazing food, astounding sites, unique cultural experiences, and communist bureaucracy. I can hardly wait!

More to come, most likely once I get bored in the airport.
 
Last edited:

Voxel

President of Progress City
Hey, let’s all go to China! :D

I’m on my way down to LAX right now via a luxurious combination of metro, bus and Lyft. Gonna be out in China for roughly 2.5 weeks seeing all of their ancient masterpieces - the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai Disneyland.

View attachment 311446

This trip begins solo, as is my wont. Who’s going? Me, Doug. A few days in I’ll be joining up with a big Australian tour group for most of the trip.

But first I start out alone in Beijing, where hopefully my VPN can get me around the Great Firewall of China and I can still provide regular updates as the adventure unspools.

A PREVIEW OF COMING EVENTS

The general ambitious itinerary? A few days in Beijing to start.

140225172701_0791.jpg


Hiking dozens on miles on a less traveled portion of the Great Wall.

Traveling by overnight train to Xi’an and environs.

img_173_d20140516163510.jpg


Climbing the fabled (and insane-looking) Huangshan Mountains.

hangzhou-1871458_1920.jpg


Trips to ancient water towns and modern Shanghai, climaxing in...

A day or two at Shanghai Disneyland at the month’s end, a glorious relaxing conclusion to a wild journey.

f387d4139fed440989e2b23d_300x200.jpg


No question I am excited and anxious about all this to come. There will be tons of amazing food, astounding sites, unique cultural experiences, and communist bureaucracy. I can hardly wait!

More to come, most likely once I get bored in the airport.
I’m excited to see this!! Hopefully you be better than me at updating!!
I keep finding myself in a small bar every night forgetting about my report.

Good luck and have fun. Hope you get through the great firewall!
 

D Hulk

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I’m excited to see this!! Hopefully you be better than me at updating!!
I keep finding myself in a small bar every night forgetting about my report.

Good luck and have fun. Hope you get through the great firewall!
Thanks! :p

Funny, drunkenness is already helping me update regularly. (I stopped at my local brewery on the way to the metro line. Had to make a pit stop at the bus station restroom - not recommended! :cautious:)

Still looking forward to more Japan updates. You trying all their wild bar grub?
 

Voxel

President of Progress City
Thanks! :p

Funny, drunkenness is already helping me update regularly. (I stopped at my local brewery on the way to the metro line. Had to make a pit stop at the bus station restroom - not recommended! :cautious:)

Still looking forward to more Japan updates. You trying all their wild bar grub?
Haha nothing too crazy. Had horse and some other interesting things. I’m now in Osaka so my eating will start fully the next 4 days. Including my stop over I’m Kōbe.

I will saying coming to japan was great for my waste line. I’ve lost some weight while here.
 

AceAstro

Well-Known Member
Hey, let’s all go to China! :D

I’m on my way down to LAX right now via a luxurious combination of metro, bus and Lyft. Gonna be out in China for roughly 2.5 weeks seeing all of their ancient masterpieces - the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warriors, Shanghai Disneyland.

View attachment 311446

This trip begins solo, as is my wont. Who’s going? Me, Doug. A few days in I’ll be joining up with a big Australian tour group for most of the trip.

But first I start out alone in Beijing, where hopefully my VPN can get me around the Great Firewall of China and I can still provide regular updates as the adventure unspools.

A PREVIEW OF COMING EVENTS

The general ambitious itinerary? A few days in Beijing to start.

140225172701_0791.jpg


Hiking dozens of miles on a less traveled portion of the Great Wall.

Traveling by overnight train to Xi’an and environs.

img_173_d20140516163510.jpg


Climbing the fabled (and insane-looking) Huangshan Mountains.

hangzhou-1871458_1920.jpg


Trips to ancient water towns and modern Shanghai, climaxing in...

A day or two at Shanghai Disneyland at the month’s end, a glorious relaxing conclusion to a wild journey.

f387d4139fed440989e2b23d_300x200.jpg


No question I am excited and anxious about all this to come. There will be tons of amazing food, astounding sites, unique cultural experiences, and communist bureaucracy. I can hardly wait!

More to come, most likely once I get bored in the airport.
Can’t wait to follow along! Should be a good few weeks!!
 

D Hulk

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Well, I’m at my gate at LAX. Just polished off my final American meal of the month - KFC. :hungry: It was as good as it looks!

AE2CDC41-6B8A-4B42-8FA8-D1A5456A1291.jpeg

The guy ahead of me in security, no joke, tried using a Disneyland Autopia “drivers license” as his primary form of ID. :facepalm:

The China Southern fight leaves at 11:50 (it boards an hour prior). The entirety of Sept 9th will be spent in the air - we skip forward 24 hours into the future at the International Date Line. Transfer in Guangzhou around 5 am on Monday, then reaching Beijing before noon local time.

E9B03272-9F70-4EE0-8F64-A5C728C9AF2D.jpeg

For luggage I have only a single overstuffed carryon backpack. There will be a lot of travel by foot through subway stations and such, so I wanna travel as light as possible.

Let’s talk travel visas! :D There are two ways to visit Mainland China from the U.S. You can do a short 144-hour visit if you’re basically doing an extended layover between two other destinations. This is a good way to see like Hong Kong or Tokyo on the same trip.

But if you want a multiweek trip deep into China’s interior, you need to apply for a travel visa. This is a lengthy process with tons of paperwork. Most people use services to apply for them, since the only other option is to personally visit one of the nation’s 5 or so Chinese embassies. Luckily for me the Hollywood embassy is convenient, and near good restaurants, so I applied in person. Still had to spend the better part of two days hanging out at “communist DMV.” They needed so, so much info, including the name and address and phone number of every hotel throughout the trip. Yeesh! Oh, also weirdly specific photos (the kind pharmacies cannot take), and other nitpickery. Make a single mistake and the whole process resets...somehow I lucked out.

Time to board. I’ll see you all in China!

@Voxel, check out the nightlife and street food at Osaka’s Dotonburi district!
 

Voxel

President of Progress City
Well, I’m at my gate at LAX. Just polished off my final American meal of the month - KFC. :hungry: It was as good as it looks!

View attachment 311486

The guy ahead of me in security, no joke, tried using a Disneyland Autopia “drivers license” as his primary form of ID. :facepalm:

The China Southern fight leaves at 11:50 (it boards an hour prior). The entirety of Sept 9th will be spent in the air - we skip forward 24 hours into the future at the International Date Line. Transfer in Guangzhou around 5 am on Monday, then reaching Beijing before noon local time.

View attachment 311487

For luggage I have only a single overstuffed carryon backpack. There will be a lot of travel by foot through subway stations and such, so I wanna travel as light as possible.

Let’s talk travel visas! :D There are two ways to visit Mainland China from the U.S. You can do a short 144-hour visit if you’re basically doing an extended layover between two other destinations. This is a good way to see like Hong Kong or Tokyo on the same trip.

But if you want a multiweek trip deep into China’s interior, you need to apply for a travel visa. This is a lengthy process with tons of paperwork. Most people use services to apply for them, since the only other option is to personally visit one of the nation’s 5 or so Chinese embassies. Luckily for me the Hollywood embassy is convenient, and near good restaurants, so I applied in person. Still had to spend the better part of two days hanging out at “communist DMV.” They needed so, so much info, including the name and address and phone number of every hotel throughout the trip. Yeesh! Oh, also weirdly specific photos (the kind pharmacies cannot take), and other nitpickery. Make a single mistake and the whole process resets...somehow I lucked out.

Time to board. I’ll see you all in China!

@Voxel, check out the nightlife and street food at Osaka’s Dotonburi district!
I’m in dotonburi right now. Loading up on ramen than beer and junk food for the rest of the night.


Gotta love long air travel! But seriously they wouldn’t take an autopia ID!! Delta did on my flight! Outrage!!
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
Well, I’m at my gate at LAX. Just polished off my final American meal of the month - KFC. :hungry: It was as good as it looks!

View attachment 311486

The guy ahead of me in security, no joke, tried using a Disneyland Autopia “drivers license” as his primary form of ID. :facepalm:

The China Southern fight leaves at 11:50 (it boards an hour prior). The entirety of Sept 9th will be spent in the air - we skip forward 24 hours into the future at the International Date Line. Transfer in Guangzhou around 5 am on Monday, then reaching Beijing before noon local time.

View attachment 311487

For luggage I have only a single overstuffed carryon backpack. There will be a lot of travel by foot through subway stations and such, so I wanna travel as light as possible.

Let’s talk travel visas! :D There are two ways to visit Mainland China from the U.S. You can do a short 144-hour visit if you’re basically doing an extended layover between two other destinations. This is a good way to see like Hong Kong or Tokyo on the same trip.

But if you want a multiweek trip deep into China’s interior, you need to apply for a travel visa. This is a lengthy process with tons of paperwork. Most people use services to apply for them, since the only other option is to personally visit one of the nation’s 5 or so Chinese embassies. Luckily for me the Hollywood embassy is convenient, and near good restaurants, so I applied in person. Still had to spend the better part of two days hanging out at “communist DMV.” They needed so, so much info, including the name and address and phone number of every hotel throughout the trip. Yeesh! Oh, also weirdly specific photos (the kind pharmacies cannot take), and other nitpickery. Make a single mistake and the whole process resets...somehow I lucked out.

Time to board. I’ll see you all in China!

@Voxel, check out the nightlife and street food at Osaka’s Dotonburi district!

This all made me smile. A few years ago, a few of the bosses at work had to travel to China for some meetings. I remember the visa debacle we went through. :facepalm: I finally convinced them that we needed to go through a professional visa prep company (one of the top companies in the business has a location in our city), and just pay the fee--well WORTH the price, for their services to get all the paperwork done correctly!

Looking forward to your TR -- you've had some great ones in the past! :)
 

James G.

Well-Known Member
This is going to be a great two+ weeks for all of us, riding along with you on your discovery of China without having to pay for our own meals and bribes to local officials! ("How much?:eek:!) Have a great time, and if you see one of those Chinese KFC outlets try it and compare the chicken to your final American meal.
 

D Hulk

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Great Guangzhou greetings, guests!

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I’m minutes away from boarding the second flight into Beijing. Doing a layover this far south is excessive, but it came with the best air travel price so it’s an OK trade off.

Besides I’m glad to have passed through Chinese customs here instead of in Beijing. Did a layover there last year flying to Hong Kong and the place was a free for all chaotic mess. I gather from friends who’ve traveled there before (my aunt & uncle, my brewer, my DJ) that all of Beijing is rather bureaucratic and Big Brother-like. We’ll see for ourselves later today!

Long plane flight through perpetual nighttime. Mostly I just slept - it’s 7 AM out here now. Watched two Chinese blockbusters: Operation Red Sea (amazing military action) and Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon (martial arts wuxia zaniness).

See you in Beijing!
 

D Hulk

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
So I’m now relocated to Beijing, and apparently this discussion has relocated to the Chit Chat thread. :confused: Not sure how to feel about that.

Gotta head out soon and explore the city! Expect more details as I settle in tonight.

Have a great time, and if you see one of those Chinese KFC outlets try it and compare the chicken to your final American meal.
893E7806-6A43-4446-AA85-FF7706DB0F44.jpeg

Red Square famously has a McDonald’s, and Tiananmen Square has a KFC! Hope you were just kidding, James. ;)
 

Voxel

President of Progress City
So I’m now relocated to Beijing, and apparently this discussion has relocated to the Chit Chat thread. :confused: Not sure how to feel about that.

Gotta head out soon and explore the city! Expect more details as I settle in tonight.


View attachment 311857

Red Square famously has a McDonald’s, and Tiananmen Square has a KFC! Hope you were just kidding, James. ;)
Mine got relocated too.. :/. Oh well.

Glad to see your well in China.

I found out I can not keep up with the locals when it comes to bars in Osaka..
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
So I’m now relocated to Beijing, and apparently this discussion has relocated to the Chit Chat thread. :confused: Not sure how to feel about that.

Glad you made it to Beijing. I'll bet that's a fascinating city to explore.

As for the relocation of your China thread, my guess is that maybe the TR section is being more closely monitored to include just "WDW" (Florida) trips now. But not to worry--I found you here, and apparently others did as well! :happy:
 

James G.

Well-Known Member
Glad you made it to Beijing. I'll bet that's a fascinating city to explore.

As for the relocation of your China thread, my guess is that maybe the TR section is being more closely monitored to include just "WDW" (Florida) trips now. But not to worry--I found you here, and apparently others did as well! :happy:
For us low-tech Neanderthals, what is a Chit Chat thread and how do I find it? (asking for a friend ;))
 

spacemt354

Chili's
So I’m now relocated to Beijing, and apparently this discussion has relocated to the Chit Chat thread. :confused: Not sure how to feel about that.

Gotta head out soon and explore the city! Expect more details as I settle in tonight.


View attachment 311857

Red Square famously has a McDonald’s, and Tiananmen Square has a KFC! Hope you were just kidding, James. ;)
Mine got relocated too.. :/. Oh well.

Glad to see your well in China.

I found out I can not keep up with the locals when it comes to bars in Osaka..
I have to make sure the 'watch thread' is on went to look for both of yours and got confused. It's odd...my guess would be because it's for wdw trip reports but at the same time its always been a place for other trips as well. Maybe a new thing.

Either way now we expand to other sections :p
 

D Hulk

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Yesterday proved exhausting, and I zonked our super early at 8 PM without even recapping my day. Blame nearly 24 straight hours in airplanes/ports, being up since 2 AM, and over 7 miles already walked in Beijing.

0597902C-3692-4739-9255-2EBCF1006E04.jpeg

Beijing is interesting, but it’s certainly not a pedestrian town. Everything is laid out on a too-vast scale with football field-sized concrete expanses between everything. No wonder locals ride bikes, or powered scooters, or tuk tuks, or other non-standard wheeled contraptions. Weather’s nice!

Approaching by air the Beijing sprawl resembles SimCity, all geometrical grids with 100s of wholly interchangeable square McCities made from the same blueprint. It looked computer generated. This is the smoggiest place I’ve been to since it stopped being the 1980s in Los Angeles.

Took the subway from the airport into downtown. It’s a familiar big city metro, cleaner than some but still with the expected stinks and crowds (people walk in a nonintuitive way around here, stopping and changing direction at a whim).

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The trains finally let me out at the southern mouth of Tiananmen Square itself. That place seemed as oppressive and governmental as I’d imagined...we’ll be visiting it properly later. Rather I headed south onto Qianmen Street, a wide pedestrian boulevard going south for a mile from Tiananmen. This is old Beijing, tightly-gathered traditional buildings with ornate details like gold trim and dragon bannisters - a huge divergence from the 20th century brutalist look elsewhere. Qianmen and the surrounding mazelike hutong alleys resemble (cliche though it is) every Chinatown in the U.S., doubtlessly because it inspired ‘em all.

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I walk through touristy corridors to my hotel slightly off the beaten path. Kings Joy Hotel, a 3-Star hostel where I’ll be meeting the Intrepid tour group on Wednesday. For now I remain solo.

Initially I merely unwind in my barebones but adequate & comfortable little room. Very familiar from the hostels I’ve done elsewhere in Asia. I shower, I remove my grody airport clothes (not in that order), I get onto Chinese internet. That took awhile, switching SIM cards and activating the VPN, but with ‘em I’m not roaming and I can still access US sites (WDWMagic isn’t blocked in China...yet). Even with 4G from China Unicom, internet seems spotty so far. Mind you all this I’m typing on an iPhone.

Eventually recovered, I head out for food. Stopped at a local dive which was packed on the way in closer to noon - trying to avoid the touristy spots at Qianmen or the seriously four KFCs I’ve seen so far! The menu was hysterical with Engrish. Delicacies included “Old Beijing Fried Enema,” “Three Things For a While,” “Spicy Fungal Exploding,” and multiple varieties of “Mushroom Rape.” :hilarious: I ordered a simple seafood medley which was tasty, cheap, and still bubbling upon arrival. Used a point ‘n’ nod ordering style due to a total and complete language barrier. Should’ve gotten rice too.

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D Hulk

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
The day’s remainder concerned visiting the Temple of Heaven (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), a genuinely massive 660 acre park complex in the central city’s southeast corner. Walked there on foot, seeing not another foreigner the whole way through raggedy neighborhoods and earning many curious stares from locals.

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The “temple” is mostly a ginormous city park laid out in perfect grid. Said grid includes the old growth trees’ spacing. There’s a lot of gridlike precision so far in China. The complex dates back to 15th century or so and was used by Ming and Qing Dynasty emperors as a ceremonial space to worship the heavens and seek good harvest. A half mile down wooded walks are the main memorial structures laid out on an elevated stone grid (the Vermillion Steps) overlooking the treeline. Here I see other nationalities.

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First I visit the Imperial Vault of Heaven, a circular temple with blue tile roof hidden behind several fortress walls. Love the red, gold and blue color scheme on all these structures! Raucous tourists somewhat undermine the site’s intended serenity.

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Next is the Circular Mound Altar, a three-tiered stone slab within a massive ceremonial square. Stone handrails feature carved heavenly dragons. Apparently this whole space was designed to echo prayers from the center, thus sending them to heaven. As it stands, inundated with tour groups, that’s lost. Half a mile in every direction, over treetops, you can see modern Beijing’s grey crumbling midrises encroach on the sacred grounds. (So far I haven’t seen any modern highrise district, while is likely far from the historical downtown.)

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Lastly I visit the Epcot China Pavilion - er, I mean the Temple of Prayer for Good Harvests. This is the park’s masterful centerpiece, considered among the country’s most beautiful structures. It is like the Vault, circular in the same design style, but with more tiered gables and a magnificent altar-like marble foundation. Lingered here a bit on the less-crowded backside admiring detailed wood panels and the overall ambiance.

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I head out towards the North Gate (entered from the West). Under gabled walkway verandas (with ageless weeds growing in the roof tiles - a wonderful sight), elderly Beijingers play card games and mahjong. Up through manicured lawns, others practice tai chi. I expect to see much more of that to come!

From there I trekked back through the oppressive city into the neighborhood near Qianmen. Wandering strange hutongs, through an over-maintained spotless art gallery area and then through a shoulder-wide “backstage” residential alleyway full of wires and cement bags. At last back to the hostel at nightfall. Any plans I started making for the evening were fruitless, as I soon just passed out.

Good to restore some energy. Today we visit the Summer Palace! :D
 

MinnieM123

Premium Member
For us low-tech Neanderthals, what is a Chit Chat thread and how do I find it? (asking for a friend ;))

Well, I'm a no tech Neanderthal, :p , and it took, me quite a while to (initially) find this section of the forums. (Joined back in 2013, and started browsing this section maybe a year later.) Many members don't venture down here to the bottom of the forums, but once you discover this place, there's plenty of fun threads--and equally fun members that post down here as well! :)

So, @D Hindley may gain a completely new group of TR followers, in this new section for him as well.
 

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