Five Things You Need To Know To Travel solo in China
Hard
to imagine anything can be more frustrating, than arriving China
unprepared. And we can speak with authority, since when we got here
the first time (May 2015) it was like we’ve landed on another
planet without a GPS and an oxygen mask. At nowhere else in the world
we felt as 'aliens’ as in China.
Absolutely no one speaks English,
and both Mandarin and Cantonese languages are unpronounceable. You
can try all you want, they won’t understand you. Even asking simple
things like "Where is the bus stop?" can be a very
frustrating and overwhelming task.
And to complete the picture, all
the gadgets that any modern traveler relies on, especially in times
of despair (like Google maps, for example) are blocked here.
But
with a little preparation, we believe your experience traveling solo
in China can improve exponentially. In this post we will share the 5
things you need to know to travel solo in China.
1. Download a VPN connection before you travel
The
VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a tool that basically allows users
to connect to the Internet through other location ports, in other
words, even if we are in mainland China, by using this application,
it is like we are connected from Los Angeles, Amsterdam or Singapore.
If you're like me, who relies solely on Google for everything in
your life, the VPN is probably the best thing that can happen during
your stay in China.
And I'm not talking only about the search engine.
All Google products are blocked - Gmail, Google Maps, Google Play,
YouTube, Picassa, Blogger. This is when that Hotmail account comes in
handy.
Is your phone Samsung? then it is even worse. Because the
Android system is also from Google, so you can’t use the Play Store
to download any alternative apps.
And if that was not enough
incentive, Facebook, Instagram, Twiter, Dropbox, Flickr, MySpace are
also blocked. The only thing that still works without a VPN
connection are Whattsapp and WeChat (widely used in China), but
perhaps when you read this post, it may have changed. We are
currently using ExpressVPN, which we paid 13USD for a 30 days access
up to two mobile devices and a computer. Super recommended.
2. Download at least one Phrasebook and a translation app
Our
second visit to China (October 2015) has been much smoother since
we’ve downloaded "Pleco". The nicest feature of this app
- besides the fact it is free - are the different tools, such as
Chinese character recognition using the mobile camera, and a brush
that allows you to write the character, and the application will try
to recognize it and translate the meaning.
We also recommend downloading
as many Chinese phrasebooks apps you can, with ready-made sentences
like "How much is it?", "Where is it?" And "Not
spicy" (this one we use every day, and it is super easy to say
"Bu
Lá").
As for the phrasebook apps we are using "Learn Chinese" and
"Chinese Lite".
3. Book accommodation at least one day in advance
Different
from all the countries we've been before, where we prefer to look for
accommodation as soon as we arrive in a city, this is an unthinkable
concept here in China.
First because there is no "backpacker
district" with several hostel options side by side, and the
distances in this country are quite considerable. Then, the online
prices are much cheaper than "trying to" negotiate directly
at the hotel.
We recommend using "Booking.com" which,
without a doubt, is the best hotel booking app on the market. Easy,
reliable, with free cancelation and no hiding fees - the payment is
directly at the hotel.
But
be careful! You may find good and cheap hotels options, but who can
only accept Chinese residents and are not allowed to receive
foreigners. Never book a hotel room that says "Mainland Chinese
Citizens".
4. Always carry a notebook with everything written down in Chinese
Spontaneity
is an expensive luxury and planning in China is a necessity. Always choose a
hostel where the reviews are "Good location and receptionists
who speaks English." DO NOT leave your hotel without writing it
down all the places you want to go, including the subway station, bus
stops, hotel name, museum, or mountain, in Chinese.
Remember to
ask the information for both ways. It happened once to us to leave to
a park and once we arrived, realizing we didn’t know how to get
back to the hotel because we forgot to write down the name of the
hotel’s bus stop in Chinese. These are the moments you appreciate
to have everything "pinned" on Google maps beforehand!
5. Use public transportation
One
thing that is absolutely outstanding in China is the public
transport. Most cities have a new and super modern metro system, with
subway lines reaching virtually everywhere in town.
In case you can’t
reach it by subway, you will get there by bus. At first, the bus ride
idea may seem a bit daunting, but trust me. Once you have the name of
the metro station/ bus stop written in Chinese, everyone will help
you. The cost of the bus ticket varies between 1-2 yuan (approx. 0.20
USD) and the metro between 2-8 yuan (0.20 - 1 USD) depending on the
final destination.
The amount of money and stress you will save by
not having to explain to the taxi driver where you're going, makes it
all worthwhile. All metro stations have ticket vending machines, and
the best, with an English option. You choose your destination, the
number of tickets, insert the money, and the machine dispenses the
card (or magnetic token) and your change.
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