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| View of Shanghai Business District from The Bund. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
China is undeniably one of the most enigmatic
countries in the world. The vastness of its land area, the almost a billion
people who live in it, its cultural heritage, and its rich history create an
interesting landscape that every curious traveller would like to explore and
experience.
Here are some important reminders that every
traveller must consider before going to this country:
1. Visa requirement
Filipinos
and other nationalities are not exempted in this requirement. You can seek help from travel agencies in
processing your visa for a fee. You may visit the embassy website for details: http://ph.china-embassy.org/eng/lsfw/visas/t960523.htm.
However, if you want to do it personally,
here are the requirements
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Passport
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Visa Application Form
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Photo
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Information about finances,
employment, studies
For other
citizens, check if Chinese visa is required to the citizens in your country to
gain entry to China.
2. Language Barrier
Language barrier
can be an issue while in China. Very very few locals speak English, so it would
be very helpful if you know some Chinese phrases or if your smartphone has an
application which will allow you to translate from English to Chinese and
vice-versa. To avoid the hassle of getting a taxi at the airport or anywhere, make sure have a written name (in Chinese character)of your hotel or airport and show this to the driver.
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| Local name and address of hotel to be shown to the driver. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
3. Transportation
Our first visit
to China was in Shanghai. There are several means of commuting in Shanghai;
there are buses, metro, taxis, and of course Maglev trains. Before going to
China, take photos or write the names of your hotel and your destination and
their addresses in the local language. This is what you will show to the taxi
drivers or to locals so they can help and understand you more easily.
3. Internet access
Internet access
in China is not impressive unlike in other Asian countries, say South Korea. I
can say that Internet access in the Philippines is even better. There are areas
even in big cities such as Shanghai with very poor mobile Internet services, so
be very cautious when using the so-called flat rate roaming services from your
mobile provider. Chances are, you will not really make use of it; you will be
paying for a service that you cannot actually use. Just don’t.
There are also
hotels whose Internet services, although advertised as available, are not
working well. Read the hotel reviews well and judge based on what customers say
about their experiences.
Facebook and
other social networking sites are blocked in China. You want to use them to
update your status and post your latest pics, right? To do this, you must have
a VPN application on your smartphone. The one that I used which was also
recommended to me was Betternet. It is for free and really very easy to use.
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| Colonial building along The Bund. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
4. Attractions in Shanghai
Shanghai is a
modern city. Its skyline is dominated by skyscrapers which are considered one
of the tallest in the world. It is also one of THE attractions here.
a. The Bund
b. Nanjing Road
c. People’s Park
d. Old Shanghai Street
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| Affordable traditional Chinese food. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
5. Food
I like authentic
Chinese food and I mean noodles and dimsum. Noodles in all shapes and prepared
in various ways are what you will see on menus in restaurants here. For those
who can not eat noodles all the time, there are also American fast food chains
around which serve burgers and other familiar food items.
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| City Sightseeing bus. (Photo by Gregg Manalo) |
6. Activities
a. Sightseeing by Big Bus
b. River Cruise
c. Shopping: high-end and bargain
d. Temple visitation
e. City exploration by foot
f. Food tasting adventure
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