Travel Answers

Xining

What is the best mode of travel from Shenyang to Shanhai Pass? By car or train?

Hello ! I am travelling to the Xinjiang province at the end of june. I am french and i'd like to know if anyone is travelling to that province at the same time so we could possibly team up :) thanks !

Anyone know the Gongbei - airport - Gongbei express bus timetable? We have a flight in the morning from Zhuhai to Beijing at 8.30am. Is there a bus around 6am?

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I am looking for a business called lili Photography from what i have been told it is 10min driving distance from the Huatian hotel. From what i have gathered from my own research is it may be in the TianXin District on JieFang road but i do not know this for sure so the information could be incorrect. I am looking for the expat location and in possible contact information. Im not sure if i will make it back this way to check this site again so please contact me at Alexmager@gmail.com, thank you for your time and any help you may be able to give.

Hi,

I am trying to gather a group of 3-4 people for a trekking trip in Tibet this September. A total of 10 days, the trip will include 3-4 days in Lhasa followed by a 4-5 day trek.

any mix of nationalities can get together. sharing the trip would make sense with the cost and safety aspect both, i guess.

If anyone is interested please do reply.

cheers,
mansi

Hi Travelers,
I'm Catherine from Malaysia. I have plan back packing to Tibet with 3 others friend. Unfortunely,one member broke his leg in an accident, the other one pull out due to business schedule too tight. Now left 2 members in the travel team.Due to the above incident, i'm looking for travel companion who are interested to join and have lower cost of traveling. All itineraqry has been plan. We can meet at Chengdu or Lhasa to Travel together. We will depart on 1st Sept 2013 to China, Chengdu. For more details, please connect to by FB or via email to enquire more info.Thanks.
Email add : whitesky_1119@yahoo.com.my

Best Regards,
Catherine

just a quick question. is the hard rock café still trading?
cheers for your help :-)

Looking for traveling partners to Mt. Kailash via Chengdu or Lhasa during July 2013.
Any useful information regarding permits and costs will also be appreciated.
Cheers,
Robin

Anyone ever use Inter Trips for China travel? They seem to be pretty cheap and I guess, that's what scares me.....
Thanks,
Ken

How to reach May's Resort Hotel wich is on 277 Tianzhu Road, Xihu from Hangzhou Railway station by bus? Thanks

We are arriving Pudong airport early in the morning (flying our of Sydney) in a few weeks time and have 7.5 hours wait in Shanghai before our next flight to London. Our last stop over at Pudong airport 5 years was an extremely frustrating experience and I am hoping things have improved...

Questions:

1. Do they now have international transfer (so that you do not have to go through immigration, pick up your luggage and check in again which is what we had to do the last time - it took us 3 hours and we almost missed our flight!). If so, what it the procedure now?

2. Are there ATMs inside the international transfer area? (If not, we will need to change money before we leave Sydney)

3. What are the facilities inside the international transfer area - specifically food/restaurants, places to relax etc.

We are landing and flying out of Terminal 1.

Thanks

Hey guys,

I'm planning to visit a friend who lives in Longgang District, somewhere about 10 -15 walking minutes away from the MRT station (Longchang Square). I will take a GT train from Beijing to Shenzhen, but I'm a little confused how to get to my friend's place in a fast and cheap way.

Thanks in advance.

hey all,
I am a Chinese girl work at a mandarin school in shanghai and i want to ask a passport and what is needed?
If you know please tell me and i really need this~
Many thx!

How long does it takes to get to suzhou from xinjiang?

Hi all,
I am a wihte collar work for a mandarin school in shanghai,I am planning to make a 7 days trip pairs in August.
I will go there by plan and car,if you have been there and share experience with me,thanks a lot~

we are travelling to Zhangjiajie in July. I have read in the internet, that students under 19 years have free access to some tourist sites. Does this also include the Tianmen Mountains and the Yellow Dragon cave?

I am planning a 5 day trip to Tibet in August... this will include two days in Lhasa, and then for the third full day an excursion out of Lhasa.. I was just wondering if anyone can recommend what is best between these three: Ganden Monastery, Samye Monastery and Lake Nam-Tso. Those are the three excursions on offer. Anyone done any of these and recommend one over the other for any reason?
Thanks!

Am arriving in Kunming tomorrow and I need to urgently get my laptop fixed as it is infected with a virus. Can anyone recommend where I can go where the staff speak good english.

I'm gonna be traveling to Yangshuo in mid-July and want to know if I should book a hotel in advance. Can anyone who's been there tell me if this is necessary? Will I have a problem finding a place upon arrival if I don't book in advance?

Thanks!

Hi. I m Canadian from TOronto
I want to go to tibet this summer and i need to find people to travel with to obtain the permit. Anytime this summer is fine by me for anywhere between 5 to 7 days.
If interested, send me e-mail: alexander.kazakov@sympatico.ca

I was wondering, does anyone know of a good tour agency that does Tibet tours in Beijing? I will be in Beijing this summer, and am looking to fly to Tibet this summer from Beijing. As you need to original permit to fly into Lhasa, would be easier if I found an agency withing Beijing itself to pick up the permit from there.
Thanks in advance!
Glenn

hi there!
i'm going to Tibet by train in July. any input tips and suggestions you may have, or or any interest in travelling in July, please send me message for further discussion.
many thanks!

Ni hao,

i'm currently in Beijing and looking to buy souvenirs for my friends back home and i need suggestions. I need a lot of it, so not too expensive, and not too heavy because my luggage is already too heavy. So, what would be typical souvenirs from Beijing? Maybe jasmine tea? Or the shiny candy they sell in souvenir stores??? Please help! Thank you :)

How can i go from taiyuan to pingyao at night?. the train tickets are sold... taxi? how much does it cost?
Thank you very much!!

Hi,

i am looking for travel companions to join in a trek to Tibet , pref between 5-15 august 2013, though the exact dates are flexible.

it is too expensive to do this alone, and so i need 2-3 ppl to share in the cost.

i am in touch with a few travel agents from tibet and apparently the same nationality thing is is no loner a restriction. all the agents seemed quite confident about getting our permits even if the group members all belong to different nationalities. the only things is that the booking must be made through local agents coz only they can get the travel permits.

anyway - i have these 2 trips proposed by 2 diff agents; the costs are included under the itineraries.

TRIP 1
Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa (3650m)
Settle in to your hotel to relax and adjust to high altitude.
Day 2: Lhasa
In the morning, we’ll visit the Potala Palace, the greatest wonder of Tibetan architecture, was built in the mid-7th century by the famous Tibet King, Songtsen Gampo It is 130m and 13 stories high, and commands a view of all Lhasa. The Potala has been residence to the Dalai Lama Lineage for hundreds of years. After lunch, we’ll also visit the Jokhang Temple, also known in Tibet as the Tsuglhakhang; it is the most important temple in Tibet. Every year thousands of pilgrims come to Lhasa from every corner of the Tibetan plateau to visit Jokhang Temple. This temple was built in the 7th century by King Songtsen Gampo, and is more than 1300years old. From the roof of the Temple, there is a wonderful view of Potala Palace and the bustling Barkhor.
Day 3: Lhasa
After breakfast, you’ll meet your guide in the hotel and he or she’ll lead you to visit one of the three most famous monasteries in Tibet. Drepung monastery, literally translated as “rice heap”, and was founded in 1416 by a disciple of Tsongkhapa called Jamyang Choje, Once it was home to as many as 10.000 monks. Ganden Palace was established by the second Dalai Lama, this Palace was home to the Dalai Lamas until the fifth Dalai Lama built the Potala. Next we’ll visit Sera Monastery, where you can watch monks debate Tibetan Buddhist philosophy in the debating courtyard.
Day 4: Lhasa—Ganden Monastery 65km, 1:5 hours
In the morning, we’ll drive to Ganden Monastery through small villages. This is the first Gelugpa monastery in all of Tibet and was founded in 1409 by the master Tsongkhapa. After visiting the temples and prayer wheels in the monastery then you can take the Kora; Ganden Kora offers great views of the Kyichu River crossing through a vast valley. Along the kora you can also visit the sky burial site and Tsongkhapa’s hermitage. We’ll spend the night in Ganden Monastery Guesthouse.
Day 5: Ganden—Yama Do 17km, 6-7 hours hiking
You resume your trekking adventure as you trek southward from Ganden along the Angor Ri. After ascending for two hours, you will see several cairns near a saddle. There the trail leads westwards descending to Hepu village. where several houses become visible. 5-6 hours of trekking brings you close to Shug La pass . Ani Panong lies 1 hour away from Hepu. An hour of continuous ascent leads to lush meadows and Yama Do soon appears.
Day 6: Yama Do---Tsotup-chu Valley 12km, 5-6 hours hiking
Leaving behind Yama Do, you climb eastwards, negotiating boulders along the final climb atop 5250 meters of the Shug La, the highest point on this trail. The pass is distinctively marked with its large cairn wrapped in prayer flags and yak horns. After a brief stop at the pass to savor the grand vistas you make a sharp descent walking past a boulder field. The trail eventually opens into the valley. And in the distance crosses the Tsotup Chu, a large stream with rich pastures of yaks, goats and sheep. You encounter several herders on the way. After trekking for 5-6 hours, you’ll reach the Tsotup-chu Valley.
Day 7: Chitu Valley—Herders’ Camps 14km, 6 hours hiking
As you turn away from Tsotup Chu Valley, you come across the main water course following from the south-east and a tributary from the south-west. You must take the route along this tributary followed by a steep ascent for 30 minutes to a large basin, when the tributary disappears. The trail further opens into the valley going south to the Chitu La at 5100 meters capped with several cairns. It further brushes past a sheer rock wall on its south flank. Thereafter, you’ll descend into a basin containing three turquoise lakes. Further on, the trail moves on to the west side of the stream and, after 30 minutes arrive at the campsite. Many herders’ camps can be seen at nearby locations. Following the rock-strewn valley floor, you will head to a flat seasonal herder's camp in the east side of the valley. Soon after returning to the west side of the valley, you will near another seasonal herders' camp.
Day 8: Herder’s Camps –Samye Monastery 23km, 7-8 hours hiking
The trail is dotted with fragrant junipers growing on southern slopes and rhododendron on the shadier slopes, where the majority of the local villagers are engaged in animal husbandry. Yarlung Tsangpo valley can be viewed on the south. The old trade route from Lhasa to Samye via the Gokar La follows this valley. Pisha offers picturesque view of the lower Samye Valley. At its lower end an undulating hill called Hepo Ri appears. This is regarded as a very sacred and historically important monastery. we’ll spend the night in the monastery guethouse.
Day 9: Rest day
In the morning, you can take a walk in the local villages and take some pictures of the monastery and enjoy some local tea. Afterward, we’ll head up to the most important meditation cave of Buddhism followers, Guru Rinpoche’s original meditation retreat. You will need to hire a local tractor in Samye to get there, once you are there, you can follow the pilgrims to explore the meditation cave in the Chim-puk and enjoy great views of the Yarlung River. In the afternoon you’ll come back to Samye for the night.
Day 10: Samye—Yumbulakhang Palace—Lhasa(3650m) 150km, 2-3 hours
In the morning we’ll drive to Tsethang to visit Yumbulakang, the first palace in Tibet, which was constructed by the first king of Tibet. Afterward, we’ll pay a visit to Tandruk Monastery, which is one of the earliest Buddhist monasteries in Tibet. This monastery was built by King Songtsen Gampo at the same time as the Jokhang Temple and Ramoche temple in Lhasa, dating back to the 7th century Gampo. We’ll stop for a lunch in Tsethang, and in the afternoon we’ll drive back to Lhasa via Mindroling, one of the six major monasteries of the Nyingmapa sect in Tibet.
Day 11: Depart from Lhasa
Leave for your next destination by air or train

1 person: 10600Y
2 people: 5950Y/ per person
3 people: 4400Y/ per person
4 people: 3675Y/ per person

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TRIP 2:
Day 1: Arrive in Lhasa and transfer to the hotel.Our guide and driver they will wait you at the train station or Airport with your name on the paper
Day 02 Visit Jokhang temple and Barkor square and Sera Monastery.
Day 03 Visit Potala and Summer palace
.Day 04 we will drive about 70km to Tsurphu Monastery. Tsurphu Monastery is the Karma Kagyu school in Tibet. After visiting Tsurphu Monastery, we will prepare for our trekking next day. This Tsurphu-Yampachen trekking covers 55 kms
Day 05 : Next day trek to Leten, Leten is also called the 'highest village in the world', several families live here permanently, braving the severe climate with their livestock.
Day 06 Today we will reach the highest pass of this trekking-Lasar la, 5300ms, so getting refresh is very important. It will cost 3 hrs from Leten to Lasar-la. Then another 3 hours walk to Barnak, it is a good place to camp.
Day 07: Trek Barnag to Dorjelinge Nunnery and camp there one night.
Day 08: in the morning visit Dorjelinge Nunnery driver to Lhasa .
Day 09 Leave Tibet,end of your trip. Say good bye to Tibet.
the following is the cost he has proposed:
2 pax: 8880 yuan per person
3 pax: 6588 yuan pp
4 pax: 5570 yuan pp

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any interest - pls drop me a line at mansichaturvedisharma@gmail.com