Viking China (Part 2)

[katz]

Hi Peg,

 

We went on this cruise last May. We did not have any issues with pollution. I think it is a hit or miss kind of thing, depending on what is going on with the weather patterns.

 

I brought those medical masks, but we did not have a need for them.

 

Enjoy your trip!

[Peregrina651]

Perigrina,

Could you please add Cultual Delights, March 17, 2015, to the Viiking list please.

Thanks so much!

 

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I don't see the roll call in the River Cruising Roll Calls section. Please give a link to the roll call so I can add it to the list. Also, the correct check-in date for that cruise is March 18, 2015.

[Going Coastal]

Will do. Thanks, I must have misunderstood.

 

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[magnumtravel]

My husband and I are booked for October with Uniworld and will be going to Tibet as well. This will also be our first river cruise. Please give an overview of how you handled the altitude when you get back. I am a little concerned and want to take all precautions before we get there. I have been reading these posts for months now and agree that there is so much great information. Have a wonderful trip - so excited:)

[Peregrina651]

My husband and I are booked for October with Uniworld and will be going to Tibet as well. This will also be our first river cruise. Please give an overview of how you handled the altitude when you get back. I am a little concerned and want to take all precautions before we get there. I have been reading these posts for months now and agree that there is so much great information. Have a wonderful trip - so excited:)

 

Once CC fixes whatever is wrong with the search function, you can search this thread and Viking China Part 1 (I think I still have a link to it in my signature) for some of the older posts about Tibet and altitude sickness. Unfortunately:(, there just aren't a lot of posts about the Tibet trip.

[Happy Tourista]

I also would love to hear from prior travelers who went to Tibet regarding altitude sickness, especially if they did not/could not take Diamox. Because of a sulfa allergy, I shouldn't take Diamox unless I do a trial run in an allergist's office beforehand to see how I respond. (According to many postings on web, those allergic to sulfa definitely shouldn't take Diamox, but according to my internist, it doesn't mean it's an automatic allergic reaction.) I have read theories/studies that increased (reasonable) hydration, as well as a course of ibruprofin (600 mg 3 times a day), have helped, but I would love to hear if anyone has non-Diamox pointers that they can share. I know this is a medical query which I have raised with my internist and the travel RN (and not gotten any helpful response) , but it's always helpful to hear fellow travelers' experiences.

 

I mentioned this in my roll call post but will repeat it here -- if anyone is on the May 24th Viking Roof of the World trip and would like to join DH and me at Black Sesame Kitchen on Sunday, May 25, please make a reservation and let me know. There's strength in numbers, especially in making our way there without getting hopelessly lost!

[Turtles06]

Once CC fixes whatever is wrong with the search function, you can search this thread and Viking China Part 1 (I think I still have a link to it in my signature) for some of the older posts about Tibet and altitude sickness. Unfortunately:(, there just aren't a lot of posts about the Tibet trip.

 

Until the CC search function is fixed, one can still use Google to search CC [or any web site] specifically for a particular subject:

 

boards.cruisecritic.comSEARCHTERM [then hit enter]

 

It's not perfect, but it's better than having nothing.

[id4elizabeth]

Smog can be bad even in rural areas. We used our masks on several occasions. We got ours from the Dentist office. They fit much better than the standard medical ones you get in the drugstore. But in order to really deal with the smog completely, you need special ones that screen out the really small particles and gases. The dentist's ones do help with the scratching in your throat. Also bring eye drops and throat lozenges.

 

But it's worth it. While it may be annoying, supposedly, it doesn't do any permanent harm.

[Peregrina651]

if anyone is on the May 24th Viking Roof of the World trip and would like to join DH and me at Black Sesame Kitchen on Sunday, May 25, please make a reservation and let me know. There's strength in numbers, especially in making our way there without getting hopelessly lost!

 

 

To prevent any confusion, I checked on the Viking website and the correct check-in date for this trip is May 25. Some people with a 'forced overnight' will arrive in Beijing on May 24 but the official start date is May 25.

[Peregrina651]

Until the CC search function is fixed, one can still use Google to search CC [or any web site] specifically for a particular subject:

 

boards.cruisecritic.comSEARCHTERM [then hit enter]

 

It's not perfect, but it's better than having nothing.

 

Turtles, to your knowledge, will Google search the roll calls as well?

[Turtles06]

Turtles, to your knowledge, will Google search the roll calls as well?

 

It should. I just did a search for Tibet using that formulation and one of the returns was a post on this Roll Call.

[Peregrina651]

This isn't technically a roll call because it is in the River Cruising forum and not the Roll Call forum. The Roll Call forum has some restrictions on access to those posts that the other forums don't have--or at least they used to. I'm just curious to know if roll calls are made accessible to Google for search purpose since it is possible to restrict Google's access to pages.

[tuft]

Hi Peg,

 

 

 

We went on this cruise last May. We did not have any issues with pollution. I think it is a hit or miss kind of thing, depending on what is going on with the weather patterns.

 

 

 

I brought those medical masks, but we did not have a need for them.

 

 

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

 

Thanks for your comment, Katz. It is much appreciated!

Peg

 

 

 

 

 

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[Chloe's mom]

In case this information is helpful to other travelers, I went to the Chinese embassy in DC on Monday, Feb. 24, to submit the application for my visa, and the visa was ready on Thursday, Feb. 27. The line for non-Chinese nationals applying for visas was quite long, we arrived at the embassy at about 10:15, and were finally seen by an agent at about 12:10. I will say that the line started moving more quickly later in the morning, when they opened more windows. Be advised that the staff takes an hour lunch break at 12:30, so it pays to get there on the earlier side. The "interview" with the agent took about 2 minutes, she quickly looked through our papers, asked one question, and that was it. I will say, though, that I had been very careful in making sure I had all the required papers, including a photocopy of the picture page of my passport (as well as the actual passport), copies of the airline's emails with my flight information, and copies of my hotel reservations for before and after the Viking cruise. (I made my plane arrangements independently, and I am also arriving in China before the Viking tour begins, and staying on in China after the tour ends.) One thing to be careful about: the visa application states that it must be typed, so don't merely print the form and then fill in the information in block letters. Several people in the line with me found this out the hard way. And others forgot some of the necessary papers, and had to come back. I can't imagine having to do the standing-in-line routine twice.

 

I should mention that, although I had requested a two-year visa with multiple entries, they gave me only a one-year multiple-entry visa. Also, there was no requirement to enter China within a certain number of days. Given how quick the office is in processing the visa, I would suggest that there is no need to submit your application earlier than one month before travel, which is the time the Chinese embassy suggests.

 

Again, this is my experience with the embassy in DC, I don't know what the situation is with the consulates throughout the U.S.

[Going Coastal]

Thank you for letting us know. I would hate to send it in and then find out some of these details.

Have a wonderful trip and please let us know how it goes.

 

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[Turtles06]

This isn't technically a roll call because it is in the River Cruising forum and not the Roll Call forum. The Roll Call forum has some restrictions on access to those posts that the other forums don't have--or at least they used to. I'm just curious to know if roll calls are made accessible to Google for search purpose since it is possible to restrict Google's access to pages.

 

You're right, my bad. :) I should have said thread. Given the restrictions on access to Roll Calls, it's quite possible they don't show up on Google searches.

[Chloe's mom]

My information in my earlier post is for those who obtain the visa on their own by going directly to the Chinese embassy. If you're using a visa service, check with them about timing, etc.

[Peregrina651]

Let the cruising begin!! The first cruise of the season, Imperial Jewels from Shanghai to Beijing, checks in on March 7 followed by two sailings of Cultural Delights (always done in pairs, Chongqing to Nanjing and then back).

 

Bon voyage to all.

Please come back and tell us all about it--or even better, check in along the way. We would love to hear of your progress.

[Peregrina651]

FYI

 

Read Tech Support's latest update on the SEARCH issues.

[Going Coastal]

We just downloaded the visa form today and it is so much simpler than the one for India, which wanted to know every country we had been in for the last seven(?) years!

 

 

 

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[Live4cruises]

Peregrina,

 

Here is the link for March 18, 2015 Cultural Delights roll call.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2000751

 

Thank you for adding it to your list.

[Going Coastal]

Thanks, I have been look Iooking for that.

 

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[Peregrina651]

Here is the current list of Roll Calls for Viking's China itineraries.

 

If you start a new roll call, please share the link along with the check in date and the itinerary name in this thread.

 

2014

 

April 16 Jewels

April 18

April 26 Jewels

April 28 Jewels

May 25 Roof/Tibet -- OP especially wants to discuss high altitude issues

June 17 Jewels

July 7 Jewels

July 15 Jewels

July 17 Jewels

August 14

August 24 Jewels

October 15 Jewels

 

 

2015

 

March 18 Delights

May 17 Jewels

[Kohola]

Hi Everybody,

My husband and I booked The Imperial Jewels of China tour for mid-Sept. 2014. After watching news reports, we are becoming quite concerned about the smog/pollution issues plaguing parts of China. Does anyone have any first hand experience as to what we might be dealing with and how bad it could be? Any thoughts and opinions are greatly appreciated!! Thanks.

Peg

 

China has experienced a very bad winter in terms of smog, but warmer than usual in terms of temperature. One of my friends that lives about 100km south of Beijing has not received any snow this year, but always mentions the pollution issue when we chat. Another friend that lives near Shanghai has a sore throat every winter until the weather begins to warm again in April. A third friend that lives to the northeast of Beijing comments about the snowfall clearing the air, but the next day the pollution has returned.

 

The Air Quality Index(AQI) where I live in the Pacific NW was about 6 last week...AQI between 0-50 is satisfactory with pollution posing little or no health risks. During the same time period the AQI for Beijing was over 500 which poses extreme health concerns. Three days with an AQI over 500 is supposed to result in school closures in China.

 

Last Monday 2/24/14 only about 11,000 visitors entered the Forbidden City, about a quarter of the average during this time of year. Flights have been grounded, roads closed and factories have curtailed production in response to the pollution so it could affect tours beginning this week if the smog lingers.

 

The smog combined with the heightened security stemming from the terrorist massacre of at least 29 people at the train station in Kunming over the weekend could lead to some delays. The suspected terrorists from XinJiang Province are of the Islamic faith and their genetic ancestors are more European than Chinese...many look Caucasian.

 

My friends talk of seeing armed officers around their transportation hubs as a response to the killings similar to the US after 9-11.

 

Here are some photos taken around China in the past few days.

ChongQing, China

Downtown Beijing...the tallest skyscraper in the city is obscured by the smog...just to the left of the building in the center

Tiananmen Square

Coal Hill as you exit the Forbidden City

People of XinJiang province...Chinese citizens, but hardly ethnically Chinese

They have been trying to become independent of China and now are suspected of using terrorist acts to bring attention to their plight.

[caribill]

China has experienced a very bad winter in terms of smog, but warmer than usual in terms of temperature.

 

From a weekly news column in the USA about environmental issues:

 

China's frequent outbreaks of toxic air pollution have become so bad that a report by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences says Beijing is "barely suitable for life." Other scientists warn that the smog's effects resemble those of a "nuclear winter."