Tips for China travelers - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**zmsmith5** · 07-28-2007, 04:42 PM

hey guys, i spent 4 months in China last year as an English teacher, based in Guilin, and I thought I would share some of my experience with those of you planning to travel there. The way the class schedule was, I taught for three weeks then a week off, etc. for four months

1. I cannot stress this enough, an absolute must-visit in China is YANGSHUO. This is the backpacker's mecca in China. Its nestled on the Li River about an hour outside of Guilin, in the midst of all the misty gumdrop-shaped mountains that are so famous. Even amongst the Chinese, Guilin and the surrounding areas are considered the most beautiful landscapes in China and among the most popular tourist destinations. The main attraction in the town is the Foreigner's Street where there are numerous hostels, bars, and shops. Besides that, if you are outdoorsy then you will have a great time. Rent a vespa and a map and go riding around the mountain roads past rice paddies and tiny villages. Go on a bamboo raft and drift down the Li River. Go hiking up to Moon Hill or into the mudcaves (you will get covered head to foot in mud, so dress accordingly, there is actually a huge pool of mud to wallow in, super fun). Eat banana pancakes and try the local specialties: snake (3 courses: 1-soup; 2-drink made with alcohol, snakes blood and bile; then meat with noodles) and beerfish (local fish cooked in local beer, a truly taste-gasmic meal.) To get to Yangshuo just go to any transport station (bus, train, maybe airport not sure) and find a bus to Yangshuo. It should only cost you about 10-12 yuan one way. Guilin is a nice city too.

2. Xi'an is a fantastic city and I would recommend the Bell Tower IYH (you can book from this website), the hostel is located very centrally for the city sights: the Muslim Quarter, the old city walls, Big/Small Wild Goose Pagodas. Of course, youll be there to see the Terracotta soldiers and they are awesome but thats a day trip tops and Xi'an is fun for at least 3 days.

3. After Xi'an I went to the Shaolin monastery up in the mountains. And getting there was quite a headache but totally worth it. The temples are fantastic and there are some impressive sights. Plus the whole valley is full of kung fu students so you feel like youre walking through some ninja training camp. There are plenty of kung fu demonstrations done that are freaking amazing, like a guy throwing a needle through a pane of glass to pop a balloon! The Pagoda Forest is awesome, its like a massive graveyard where each pagoda is a shrine to some past abbot of the monastery. Theres like a thousand of them, and I was lucky to be wandering in just the right place to see a demonstration of a guy breaking a rather thick piece of wood over another guy's head. His kung fu was strong indeed.

4. There is plenty of stuff on Beijing so I'll skip it.

5. Transportation tips. I never flew within China so I cannot comment on the air travel. But I would recommend riding their fantastic train system in a hard sleeper which is actually a cushioned cot that is more than sufficiently comfortable. China is a big country and the train trips are long (24 hours from Beijing to Guilin) so if you can trade time for the money youll save then its the best to go. When youre in the cities, learn and love the bus system. With so many people, China's public transportation is very capable, but of course you have to deal with crowds. Taxis are usually reliable but a lot more expensive than taking a bus.

Seriously though, I spent 4 months in China and Yangshuo was far and away my favorite place, which was awesome because I lived only an hour away so I could go for weekends or whatever.

Thats enough for now, I wrote a lot. If you guys have any other questions, feel free to ask.

~ZACK