Friday, April 17, 2009

Internet access in Beijing

Posted by admin in Tuesday, March 11th 2008 under: Tips Tags: travel tips
In this modern world today, we can not live without internet now, at least i think so. And i think most of the travellers will consider the internet access when they are out. Internet access will not be a problem for you in Beijing.

Most hotels provide internet service, either in the hotel-lobby (where you can expect to pay anything from 10 yuan and hour to 30) or in your room (usually 100+yuan for 24 hours). However, if you are visiting Beijing on a shoe-string, don’t be discouraged from heading out onto the streets to search for a bar. Look for the characters 网吧 (wangba) on the signs on shop fronts and around the streets. In most of these cafes internet should cost as little as 3 to 5 yuan an hour which will also include use of a plethora of violent and addictive computer games.

If you are planning to stay in Beijing long enough to warrant renting accommodation then getting broadband internet installed into your residence is simplicity itself. Most modern accommodation will have internet connections installed. To be connected simply let your landlord or estate agent know you want to use the internet before moving in.

The speed of the internet will be very good, but for some reason, some sites are blocked. So if you can not log on some special websites, check if it is available in China.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

How to rent a bicycle in Beijing

Bicycling down one of Beijing’s hutongs (ancient alleyways in Beijing) is a magical experience. bicycle rental shops always near the subway and park entrances.
The policy is diffrent between the different rental shops.
Cost to rent a bicycle:

The manager of “Bird of Freedom,” a well-known rental shop on historic Qianmen Dajie, charges 15 RMB / day for his nicer Giant brand bicycles, while only 2 RMB / day for his shabbiest, yet still functional, bicycles. Expect similar prices at other shops. If a shop is too expensive, simply go to another one.
Deposit

Foreigners looking to rent a bike should come with their passport. Rental shops will record your passport/identity card number and then ask for a cash deposit. Some might accept your passport/identity card as collateral, but we would advise against letting such important documents out of your possession.

Tips

Inspect your bicycle before leaving with it. Inform the rental store manager if there is any pre-existing damage, so you won’t be held liable. The rental shop will provide you with a lock, or even two. But these locks are usually pretty flimsy. So try to park in a safe place. .

Monday, April 13, 2009

what could be more innocent than students and tea

From other blog:
Watch out for students who want to practice their english in the Wangfujing area. I went to a tea shop with a young man who claimed to be an English student and wanted to practice (I'm a teacher). An hour & some tea & peanuts later, the waitress brought in a calculator and typed in our bill -- 560 kuai! I knew it was a scam the minute the waitress squeaked "dollar?" The young man was working for the tea house; he would bring foreigners in so they could charge them outrageous amounts. I heard a similar story from some Aussies who were charged 800 RMB (about $100 US) to see a tea ceremonies, again with english students.
I put 40 RMB on the table and walked out, despite the guy's protests that this bill would break his bank account. It was definitely a sketchy situation -- when has a waitress ever brought the bill on a calculator?
I've lived in china for a year and I love it here. Once you get past the belligerent yelling, most chinese are lovely people. Just be careful-- if something seems suspicious, leave!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

be aware of those so-called Optional Tours

hi, i just came back from beijing, and i met the most disappointing thing with my agent!! i'd like to post my bad experience here and hope you can avoid this trap in your tours.
A friend come back from Beijing told me about his experience in Beijing ,
his agent, offered him a very 'attractive ' plan with a very 'attractive' price at the very beginning, though with some optional programs exclusive in or around Beijing, like visiting to Summer Place, or to Hutong area etc.

After the tour commenced, he began to realize that with the optional programs, i had to pay here and there, and his expenses went up day by day, and his costs is indeed much higher than many all-inclusive tours.

he strongle suggest you ask your agents for prices of all-inclusive tours, DO NOT believe any optional programs, though that makes the cost low, they are only their tricks! If there is any optional programs, we must ask our agent to offer a complete plan and a final price incluing the costs of all those optional programs. We only need to get one price for a COMPLETE package and pay once to our agent.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Beijingers spend 70 minutes daily on road


Daily commuting takes Beijingers 70 minutes on average, which is 16 minutes more than 20 years ago, according to an official survey released on Thursday.
The Beijing Statistics Bureau surveyed 1,500 local residents to determine the commuting time.
The survey showed that travel time has extended, either because people live further from their workplace or because traffic is heavier.
Beijing’s rush hour traffic is among the heaviest in the world’s biggest cities, as the number of people who commute by car has increased.
The city registered an average of 1,302 new drivers per day last year, according to the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, whose latest figures also showed there were 5.2 million drivers and 3.56 million vehicles on road in the city as of Feb. 14.

Friday, April 10, 2009

How to bargin when you shopping in the Silk Street

SilkeStreet has a lot of things that you can not find in other places in Beijing. Like fake Famous brand jeans, Cheap clothes, Convenient exchangeable treads, really "luxury necklace and earrings" and so on. My friend was looking for a pair of jeans, a pair of Victoria Beckham jeans. And she found them there!! Of course they're not real but they're really cheap!!

Ok, here comes the tip of shopping in SilkStreet: The sale girl asked for 390RMB for that pair of jeans. Everybody knows they are fake but nobody should say it out. Why? I don't know. But whatever don't say it out, coz' nobody wanna make nobody angry. And then you gotta bargin. "Bargin", You really should remember this word in China. It works at almost every place here and helps you a lot. I drove a really hard bargin for my friend today. Remember to bargin harder and try to find some bad things about the things you are going to buy. remember do not behave like you really like it although you really like it.Just behave like it is not the type of thing that you are looking for and it is very bad, something like that.Remember how much did the sale girl asked us for the jeans? Yes, 390RMB. And how much do you think I gave her finally? haha, 70RMB. It's a lot cheaper!! They didn't cost me a lot right? They are fake brand, but they are worth to buy.

A place to see Peking Opera -----Laoshe Tea House

Few guys choose to experience the Peking or also known as Beijing Opera. Though it may not be to many tastes it is truly an experience that is wonderful. A combination of music, song, bright colorful costumes and martial arts it is truly a delight for the senses. Take some time to study the history of the opera and it won't matter if you don't know the language. There are many available to experience so depending on where you are staying ask for recommendations.
There is a place for you to drinking tea and seeing Beijing Opera------Laoshe Tea House ,you can find it easily:Qianmen West Street NO.3!