Finding Places to Stay When Visiting Hong Kong

Hong Kong is both a modern and ancient city. First appearances reveal a modern metropolis teaming with commerce, crowds and traffic you would expect to find in any major city in the world. Walk down an alley, however, and you will find all kinds of oddities and a feel for the underlying currents of the city. Big business is done in Hong Kong, but so is a unique way of life. Whichever you pursue, you will need a good base to survive this hectic city.

Place to stay in Hong Kong come in all types of quality, shapes and prices. There are really cheap youth hostels with lots of character and five star luxury hotels that would make an emperor blush. Universally, the accommodations are smaller than you would expect in other parts of the world. You can expect rooms to be smaller than Thailand, but a bit bigger than what you find in Japan for corresponding prices.

Luxury lodgings are primarily located on Hong Kong Island. Hong Kong Island is the central area of Hong Kong, the location you see in pictures of the massive skyline. It is situated on an amazingly thin strip of land between the ocean and mountains. If you are doing business in Hong Kong, this is where you want to stay as most of the major commerce centers are on the island. There are a bevy of five star places offering accommodations. In truth, your choice is limited only by your budget.

If you are looking for cheaper accommodations in Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New territories offer a variety of sources. You can even find hostels on Hong Kong Island. Put another way, accommodations are plentiful regardless of where you are. Hong Kong is a major transportation hub for Asia, so it caters to all budgets.

Finding a place to stay in Hong Kong is a piece of cake. Figure out where you want to stay and then shop around to find the best prices.

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Traveling around China can be accomplished in a number of ways. With over 140 airports throughout China, air travel is easy. Rail travel is also easily accessible. Traveling by automobile, on the other hand, can be difficult, expensive, and downright dangerous!

There are twelve main airports in China, covering mainly the eastern and southeast regions of the country. In the north, Beijing Airport and its northern partner, Dailain Airport account for the most passengers in the northeast. Further down along the coast, Shanghai has two major airports – Honggiao and Pudong – for the many millions of passengers who come to the Shanghai region each year. Xiamen, Baiyun, Baoan, and Hong Kong Airport take up the most southeast traffic. Further inland, the major airports of Xianyang, Chengdu, Chongging and Guilin make travel throughout the western areas more accessible.

The most popular airlines within China are Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Dragon Air, and Hainan Airlines. There are many more airlines and it is wise to check prices before you leave home in order to ensure you have a cheap and efficient flight within China.

The first railway in China was built in 1874. Now, there are tens of thousands of miles of track linking virtually every town and city. There are four classes of train travel within China – hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper, and soft sleeper. Like it sounds, hard seat is the most unpleasant but also the cheapest. It is similar to “coach” class. Soft seat is a first class ride for short distances. Hard sleeper is a semi-private sleeping car, soft sleeper is more private and bedding is provided.

Most travel guides encourage first-time visitors to China to NOT rent a car. It’s dangerous, many Chinese drivers have little experience driving, and it is not inexpensive. In fact, hiring a taxi driver for an entire day is often cheaper than renting a car!

However you decide to travel within China, planning ahead is the best way to make it a success. Do your research before you leave home and you will most likely have a safe and enjoyable trip.

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The Silk Road is one of China’s most popular tourist destinations. There are already heaps of travel agents and tour companies offering tours in 2010. So where is it and why is it so popular?

Traditionally the Silk Road extends from Xian in central China to either the Middle East or Europe. In fact there are many routes, some to Moscow in the north and those into India and Pakistan in the south. Just like travellers in the time of Marco Polo – the thirteenth century – the ancient trade routes still exist although the type of goods sold and the method of transport have changed. The reason why the Silk Road starts/ends in Xian is that it was the ancient capital of China and internal trade routes, in many cases along the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, were already established to distribute goods within China.

Nowadays, many tourists start their Silk Road journey in Beijing. The Imperial City, the Great Wall of China the many places of historic interest will make a 3-5 day stay worthwhile. Add to it a little shopping and time to experience northern Chinese cuisine and you are ready for your Silk Road experience.

Getting there.
Most international airlines fly into Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. There is a lesser choice of flights to and from western China and most of these are based out of the capital of Xinjiang Province, Urumqi.

China has rail connections north to Mongolia, Hong Kong, Tibet and west to Moscow. For the more adventurous there are multiple rail links into Vietnam.

Coach access from/to Pakistan is available along the Karakorum Highway, apart from November though April, when it is closed. Delays and discomfort can be part of this route so be prepared. Travel in Pakistan needs serious consideration. We spent 12 wonderful days travelling there in late 2007 but with the rise of the Taliban the risk for westerners has increased dramatically.

Visas are required for all access points to China and I recommend that these be obtained well in advance.

Getting around
Train travel is popular in China although it does have an extensive coach network. Of course you could fly but that would really defeat the main purpose of visiting China – to meet the people. Train travel is reliable, fast and cheap. “Soft” sleeping compartments either for four or on some routes for two persons are available or if you want to join the locals try the “hard” class, but unless you are on a tight budget, it’s not recommended. You will need assistance buying the rail tickets as few station staff speak English. The timetables and options can be complex. Ask a travel agency with China experience to help.

Many companies offer tours along the Silk Road. Most of these use a combination of coach and rail travel. International companies include GAP, Peregrine, World Expeditions, Travel Indo-China. You can find these using Google. Some tours include a lour leader and guide. Standards of accommodation and comfort are reflected in the pricing.

Another option is to hire a guide through Chinese companies like Xinjiang Silk Road Adventures in Urumqi. Local guides can be provided on a per day basis or overall for a tour, at very reasonable prices. Tour guides are required to be licensed in China.

When to Go
China is a vast country covering eight time zones. Its climate varies considerably. Summers can be hot and sticky and the winters extremely cold so the best months are in Spring and Autumn. Consult a good guide book for the temperatures that you can experience at the time of your planned travel so that you can dress appropriately.

Silk Road Highlights
To get the most out of a Silk Road journey it should not be rushed. Allow a minimum of 14 days in addition to any stay in Beijing. If you are including Uzbekistan add another ten days:

The major attractions are:

Xian the Terracotta Army and other historic sites
The Labrang Monastery in Xiahe, in the Gannan Tibetan Autonomous region
The Fort and Great Wall of China Museum at Jiayuguan
Dunhuang for riding the two humped Bactrian camels in the vast sand dunes. Nearby are the Buddhist Mogao Caves set into a desert backdrop of the Flaming mountains.
Urumqi has an excellent Xinjiang Regional Museum. Two hours away is the spectacular lake district of China, the Heavenly Lake. Here you’ll find Kazakh people living in yurts and grazing their herds of horses, sheep and goats. If you have the time, stay overnight and experience the food and hospitality of the locals.
Turpan is famous for its grapes, and nearby are the ancient cities of Gaochang and Jiaohe, the Bezeklik thousand Buddha Tombs and the underground water systems called karez that link Turpan to much needed snow melt from the distant Tian Shan mountains.
Kashgar, a trade route city for thousands of years. Visit the old city before it’s demolished and attend the famous Sunday animal market which although dusty is a great spectacle.
Those with extra time may find the southern Silk Road oasis towns of Yarkand and Khotan of interest. This area is less visited but does have some interesting side trips including camel safaris and treks into the Taklamakan desert. This predominantly Uyghur area has much of interest for those that are looking for something a little different.
A short train journey or flight will take you across the western Chinese border and then on to Tashkent the capital of Uzbekistan. Here the real gems of the Silk Road are to be found in the ancient cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva. Coach travel in Uzbekistan is comfortable and affordable, although the rail line west offers an alternative.

If you are looking for a vacation with a difference and you are a little adventurous, then travelling the Silk Road should be on the top of your list. It is safe and affordable. And it is a hugely rewarding experience. Yes, it will have its challenges but what a story you can tell when you get home, not to mention your fantastic digital photographs of the highlights of this scenic journey.

You could, like Marco Polo, even write a book about your experiences. I did. It’s called Following Macro Polo’s Silk Road.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_Lawrenson ]]> http://www.kmlycct.com/13/travelling-the-silk-road/feed 0 http://www.kmlycct.com/7/learn-about-china http://www.kmlycct.com/7/learn-about-china#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:04:27 +0000 http://www.kmlycct.com/?p=7 China is one of the most famous ancient civilizations, with a history spanning over 5,000 years. China is the most populated country with a large land mass and abundant resources. China opened up to the world in 1978, joined the world trade organization in 2001 (WTO), and hosting the 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing. With a much more open market policy, there’s increasing number of oversea visitors gaining interest in China’s culture, history, scenery, and lifestyle.

There are 56 ethnic groups in China, with the main nationality being the Han composing of 91% of the population. The remaining 9% of the population is made up of the remaining 55 ethnic groups.

The main language is also the Han Language, spoken in all parts of china and in Asia. The Hui and Manchu ethnic groups also speak Han, while the other 53 ethnic groups use their own languages. The Han-Tibetan language is used by 29 ethnic groups, who live mainly in the southern regions of China.

With a more open market policy, and improving standards of living, Chinese citizens have been able to go abroad as tourists since 1997. China has approved 52 countries as tourism destinations. About 20 million Chinese went abroad in 2003 – 14.8 million (about 73% of the total) were private travelers. China is ranked one of the top ten nations for outbound tourism.

Some of the most popular travel tour destination cities in China include:

Beijing
Shanghai
Xian
Hong Kong
Chongqing
Chengdu
Harbin
Hainan
Macao
Guilin
Nanjing
Tianjin
Kunming
Shenzhen

There’s an old Chinese adage that says: “People view food as the most important”. That pretty much sums up my view on food as well. I love to eat all types of food and cuisine, and I especially enjoy the hot and spicy food of the Szechuan province in China.

China’s food and cuisine has had a long history. The five flavors of spicy, sweet, bitter, sour, and salty has been used in Chinese cooking over 3,000 years ago. Today, traditional Chinese food ranks among the worlds best and most popular. Authentic Chinese cuisine focus on 3 key aspects: taste, color (display), and fragrance, and Chinese cooking is very particular about cutting style and cooking temperature.

The official currency of China is the RMB (RenMinBi), or translated as “the people’s currency”. The basic unit is the Yuan (or kuai), or equivalent to what we call the “dollar” in North America. Next unit down is the “Jiao” (or also “mao”), or “10 cents”. Finally, the smallest unit is the “Fen”, equivalent to our “penny”

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