Getting ready for my first trip to China ...

[Iceland]

Hey, all.

My first trip to China is coming up and I am hoping that the more experienced members of this forum can give me some tips, and answer some questions.

I will arrive in Hong Kong on October 25th around 16:30 and I want to go straight to Zhongshan.

As I understand it there is a ferry going across the Pearl River Delta from the airport to Zhongshan.

Q: Will I have to book with a ferry in advance?
Q: Should I consider getting to Zhongshan in another way?

In Zhongshan I have booked a Hotel for three nights. The Hotel is called Zhongshan Yihe Grand Hotel and is on 5 Xingzhong Avenue.

Q: Does anyone know this Hotel? Is it a good choice? Should I consider another one instead?

On Friday October 28th I want to go to Guangzhou South train station and catch a high speed train to Changsha.

Q: Do I have to book a train seat in advance or do I just buy it when arriving to the station?

In Changsha, I have booked a room for the first 4 nights in a hotel called Days Hotel and Suites, near the Furong Square. I believe it’s a good one and according to booking.com it’s rated 5 stars.

Q: When booking Hotels with booking.com I have repeatedly come across a Hotel chain called JJ Inns. These are rated 3 stars hotels and are of course much cheaper than the 4 and 5 stars. Does anyone here have experience with the JJ Inns?

After Changsha I am going to Yangshuo, near Guilin, where I have booked a Hotel called Yangshuo Village Retreat for 14 days.

Q: Does anyone have experience from this place?

To get from Changsha to Yangshuo I will need to take a train or fly. I would prefer to fly to Guilin and then take a bus or a boat to Yangshuo but when I try to look up the Changsha-Guilin flights I get so ridiculous prices they can’t be true.

Q: Can anyone tell me what to expect a flight from Changsha to Guilin to cost if I buy the ticket once I am there?

There don’t seem to be any high speed trains from Changsha to Guilin and the fastest train ride between these two places seems to be around 7 hours and 30 minutes with a train called T5.

Any tips regarding long train rides?

Any other tips?

I haven’t planned what to do after my stay in Yangshuo and I will probably not plan anything further until I am there and getting more familiar with things. I might stay longer in Yangshuo, I might go to Nanning or even further west to Kunming and Lijiang. I might go home also but if I like it in China I can stay until January. It is all open after November 20th.

Does any member of this forum actually live in Zhongshan, Changsha, Guilin, Yangshuo, Nanning or other places that are in or close to the route I am taking? If so, maybe we could meet when I am there?

I will probably have more questions later and I intend to write my story here for those who want to follow it but for now I would be happy for any answers and tips you can give me.

[Philip]

Hi Iceland,
Willy is in Zhongshan, so he could tell you more than I could. I live in Hong Kong, so I can tell you a bit. I take the ferry from the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon (one every 2 hours, 1 hr 45 min journey), but I’m pretty sure there is a ferry straight from the airport, which avoids you having to go through customs more than once. I doubt if you need to book. The Zhongshan ferry is a fair distance from Zhongshan, so you will probably need a taxi. Don’t know the hotel. Ask Willy.
Don’t know how you are getting to Guangzhou from Zhongshan, but if it is by train, you will probably end up at Guangzhou main station or Guangzhou East. Just take the metro to Guangzhou South. You should be able to get a ticket no problem. 2 hours 20 minutes to Changsha South. Get an official taxi to the hotel (about 30 rmb). Don’t go to the taxi touts. There are many good cheap hotels in Changsha from about 130 yuan upwards.
Don’t know about the other cities you mentioned, but can say a bit about train travel. I like travelling on overnight trains. For example the Shenzhen to Changsha train takes 10 hours. Seats costs 115rmb (not advised),  Hard Sleepers cost 200/206/213 rmb (6 narrow berths, 2 triple-deckers,  no door to cabin, open to corridor, ok, but no privacy and quite cramped), Soft sleepers cost 308/322 rmb (4 berths, 2 double-deckers, wider, quite comfy, cabin has door, very nice.) To Guilin, you should be able to get the equivalent, and it will be way cheaper than the flight. You can only get tickets up to 10 days in advance. They usually only take cash. To avoid big queues at the station ticket office, you can pay 5rmb or so more and got to a ticket shop.

[Neil]

Man, you're going to have a great trip.  You're going to see some of the most beautiful parts of China, starting in Hong Kong.  I hope you're going to take tons of pictures.

If I were you, I would check the information at the airport about ferry times to Zhongshan.  When I went, they only left once per day and my flight arrived very early in the morning.  It was easier for me to take the train to the China Ferry Terminal in down town Hong Kong and then take an hourly ferry to Zhongshan.  What I was really surprised about was the difference between Hong Kong and China.  You'll find most people can speak a good bit of English in Hong Kong, and signs will usually have English and Chinese.  China had no English in the ferry terminal and nobody spoke much English either.  Oh, and there was no pay phone in the Zhongshan ferry terminal, but the cashier at the refreshment area will let you use the phone for a price. 

I made the mistake on my first trip of passing through Hong Kong immigration.  Once you do that, you can't reenter the airport without an airline (or ferry) ticket, so my only choice was the China Ferry Terminal.  It is a scenic trip though.  There's a fast train, then a free transfer to a bus that drives around down town, then drops you at the ferry terminal.  It's very affordable. 

Guilin/Yangshuo are amazing places.  Incredibly beautiful.  They are very touristy locations.  There's lots of history and tours you can take while there.  Also some of the most friendly people I've ever met. 

[shaun]

Iceland,  Take the ferry.  It is the easiest.

Once you get off of the airplane head for the ferry ticket counter.  To the left I think?  You don't need to purchase your ticket in advance.  It is first come first serve.  They will get your luggage for you.  Then you go down stairs and wait for your ferry there at the airport.  Easy.

I don't know how accurate this info is but I was told that you can only purchase train tickets 24 hours in advance.

Good luck.  Write when you can but what we want is PICTURES.

[RobertBfrom aust]

What a terrific trip you are going to have Mr I , Make sure you have enough sd cards for your digital camera as you can blow a couple of hundred in a day if so inclined , I almost ran out at one stage and grabbed one which did not work in my camera , but we survived just , my new camera can hold 8000 , but we never delete from cards just store them away as well as on disc , surely we cannot lose both ha ha , Changsha is a great city along with the rest of your stops .
 As someone has said Willy knows a lot about your first stop so long as he gets off the balcony from checking out the scenery , long enough to answer , regards Sujuan and Robert .

[Rhonald]

Iceland,  Take the ferry.  It is the easiest.

Once you get off of the airplane head for the ferry ticket counter.  To the left I think? 

Ya like Beyonce and Shaun said...it's to the Left 

[Iceland]

Write when you can but what we want is PICTURES.

Yes, I will both be taking a lot of pictures and videos from this trip.

[auburnkp]

Have you tried Ctrip.com to see if the prices are cheaper? They usually have some of the best prices. They do airline tickets and hotels. Have a great time!

[Iceland]

Thanks all for your information. I can't wait until I take off on the 24th, only 1 week+ from now.

I have been in contact with Willy for the past days and we are going to meet once I am in Zhongshan.

Looking so much forward to it.

I will send updates about my trip to this thread.

Bergur

[Rhonald]

Have a good trip and enjoy breaking the Ice once you land with your girl. Say hello to Willy as I can bet where you guys will meet & eat meat.

[Iceland]

Have a good trip and enjoy breaking the Ice once you land with your girl.

Actually, there is no girl ... After my bad experience with Chnlove I decided to drop that nonsense and simply go to China with all options open - and to travel and explore for 6 weeks.

[Arnold]

Have a good trip and enjoy breaking the Ice once you land with your girl.

Actually, there is no girl ... After my bad experience with Chnlove I decided to drop that nonsense and simply go to China with all options open - and to travel and explore for 6 weeks.

Funny , even without a "Girl" waiting .. his Sentence is still correct . -- ones you LAND a Girl --

[Rhonald]

Maybe Willy is going to reprise his role of Fiddler On The Roof
Match maker, match maker make him a match, catch him a catch, find him a find..... remember kids, don't play with matches! 

 Eventhough - I still wish you a good trip Bergur(that is your name is it not?), and who knows, you still might get some contacts.
But I had heard once that Iceland is home to many beautiful ladies, or is Jade more to your Viking liking then women with Ice in their veins?

[Iceland]

Oh, the women here are very cool, that is true.

But after living with a frozen one for so long, I now want to find a hot one.

And yes, Bergur is my real name.

[RobertBfrom aust]

Mr Ice , good on you , now that your country has sold a lot of land to China , it is time you went and saw what you can acquire of there's you will have a great time , but remember you are only allowed to import 1 lady for each acre that China bought , or was it 1 per hectare ha ha , in 6 weeks you should be able to at least get to 3 cities  , regards Sujuan and Robert .