Viking China

[jandacruise]

In regards to Debbie’s comment….“Don't worry about dress up at dinner-no one cares, very, very few do it. Cool, lightweight, comfort is the key. A good pair of walking shoes and sandals will suffice.”

 

Does that mean that my husband will be ok going to dinner in his sneakers? He was wondering if he needs to bring along a pair of black shoes (which are quite bulky). If he can get away with not bringing them I think he would be very happy! :D

Thanks for your advice! Andrea

[dpump]

Personally, I didn't look at one person's shoe while they were walking into the dining room. What did I notice the most? They guy with the logo t shirt on or the men w/the suits, wondering a) how did they get them packed w/our weight limits and the women's dresses (the few that wore them). Honestly,

you walk maybe 30 to 40 feet from one end of the dining room to the end of it. No one really cares................

[no fuss travel]

Thank you Dale. I now know that we will be able to manage the humidity. We are taking our Tilley hats with us that are good for shade and also are waterproof. I have small travel umbrellas to take with us as well.

[travelsfun]

I took a little battery powered fan which hung around my neck and it was a big help last June in China. You might look for one.

Dorothy

[dpump]

your husband will be fine in his tennies. my bro in law starts out in his dockers and shirts and by mid cruise is in his jeans. like I said, the ones that looked the worst was the guy with the logo t shirts everynight.

[jandacruise]

Thanks for the advice Debbie! My husband is very happy about that this cruise appears to be a lot more relaxed than the past ones we have gone on. :D

[Lady Meer]

We were booked in this room but asked to move after 2 nights. The bar was directly above the room with heavy walking above us until past midnight and then starting again at 5.30 am. When we asked to be moved the staff at the desk said they knew there was a problem with a loose floor plate directly above that room......:mad:. Why hadn't the floor been fixed and if this wasn't possible then why didn't they give us another room anyway as the boat wasn't full???? We changed to room 403 and had no further problems.

 

The rooms either side of us didn't have any problems.

[Lady Meer]

I got insect bites on the visit to the ceramic factory. I had bites to my face, legs and neck (think elephant man :eek: ) which incidentally I still have.

 

Also very strangely several people sustained bites in the silk embroidery factory and made swift exits back to the bus!

 

Debbie - the beans on toast tasted really good:) .

[EJRIVER]

:confused: Brenda,

There is no way to private message on this forum. I am going to send via snail mail the list of the other cruisers at the "Viking Century Sun Round Table" (our dining table w/Anne). Please send your email address when you can. Want to keep in touch!:rolleyes:

Nita

[no fuss travel]

I hate to ask, but what kind of insect bites?

 

Fleas? Mosquitoes?

 

Did antihistamines work on the swelling from the bites?

[Lady Meer]

I hate to ask, but what kind of insect bites?

 

Fleas? Mosquitoes?

 

Did antihistamines work on the swelling from the bites?

 

The ones from the ceramic centre were definitely mosquitoes as one was seen on my face :eek: but we are not sure about the embroidery factory as we couldn't see anything, just felt them biting! The bites weren't as bad as the mossie ones so they could well have been fleas! Antihistamines and topical cream both worked. I had a spray on the boat but didn't think there would be any risk.........

[no fuss travel]

Thanks Lady Meer. I was bringing bug spray for Cambodia, but I will make sure I have it available for the ship now. I have found a bug spray that I don't have an allergic reaction too thank goodness.

[no fuss travel]

What did most people wear during the day for tours? Runners (sneakers, tennis shoes)?? or waterproof walking sandals???

 

I am determined to pack only 2 pairs of shoes each. One which we will wear on the plane and the other in the suitcase.:confused:

[dpump]

I brought 3 pr of shoes and that was one pair too many. Due to all the stairs you will be climbing and the uneven sidewalks and what one can only wonder they are walking through on the sidewalks, wear tennies. I have a pr of tevas that have black straps and not the 'printed' straps most have and they were perfect for hanging around the boat and putting on for dinner (tevas cork ventura). Cotton, cotton, cotton, it is so hot and humid over there. I wore shorts every single day (no women wore jean shorts) and had one pr of black slacks I wore with a top or two for dinner. DO NOT bring an iron DO NOT bring your own blow dryer, they have a blow dryer in your cabin. I actually blew out our room's electrical system the first morning onboard by trying to use my own :) . DO bring some detergent to wash out your tops and hang to dry. I could of brought half of what I did bring. Everyone was rewearing their same clothes...... wrinkles? We were all wrinkled and no one noticed. Undies? A few of us went to WallyWorld and bought the 9pr for $6 and threw out as we went.

[Lady Meer]

What did most people wear during the day for tours? Runners (sneakers, tennis shoes)?? or waterproof walking sandals???

 

I am determined to pack only 2 pairs of shoes each. One which we will wear on the plane and the other in the suitcase.:confused:

 

Hi

 

I wore 2 pairs of shoes - one pair of waterproof walking sandals for during the day and a pair of black slip ons for the evening.

 

During the day I wore skirts - denim, etc (I am not comfortable sitting for long periods in shorts) and for evening I took two pairs of trousers. I wore a pair of shorts on the boat. I wore a thin jacket at dinner as I found the dining room too efficient - you'd think I would be used to the cold living in England ;) .

 

I agree with Debbie, cotton every time. It is so humid I would have melted in anything synthetic. I mainly wore a cotton vest top with a short-sleeved loose cotton blouse. I must have taken too many clothes as I didn't need to wash anything but threw underwear and old T shirts away each day.

 

Also wanted to mention that water was available every day on the bus at no charge. Also 1 (small) bottle per person was put in the cabin on the boat and in all the hotels.

 

Brenda

[dpump]

I wore my sandals on the plane and glad I did. The majority were complaining about the severe swelling of feet while in that long, misreable flight and in the beginning of the trip due to the humidity. You do not have to take your shoes off through security in Japan or China, but go through lots of security checks. Cannot bring ANY liquids, but can buy in terminal, and then when you get ready to board the plane, there is a final security check and you cannot bring your liquids then. You can get more water while on the boat, just ask. I only drink water and that was a major concern for me, but never found it to be a problem. Most of us brought some kind a satchel along on our bus rides, safe to keep on the bus (no valuables, though). One day looked like rain, brought our 'stuff' and glad we did. Do bring an umbrella.

The shorts I had, had snaps on the pockets so I didn't have to worry about a purse, I have a very small wallet type thing that I'd throw my money in and carry that way. Don't forget something for the toilets! Never appreciated a 'happy house' as much as I did when I got home! If you enjoy tea, bring your own, don't know what they were serving, but geez, it was nasty.

[no fuss travel]

Thank you for the information about the shoes. I will be going out this weekend to find a pair of waterproof sandals. I was advised to get closed toes so I didn't stub my toes on roots, rocks, etc while touring the temples in Siem Reap.

 

I don't own shorts due to the fact that I sunburn very easily. I thought I could wear capris and manage okay. I wore light weight slacks the whole time I was in Florida in August and was comfortable. The only time I have worn shorts was at a Girl Guide camp when the temperature was 45C each day and we were lucky if it cooled down to 38C at night.

 

We are on the countdown now. We leave 2 weeks tonight. We had to leave our house at midnight to catch our very early morning flight. We are hoping to sleep on the plane so that we are raring to go when we arrive in Beijing. We have a 2 1/2 hour layover in Hong Kong where I plan on perusing the duty free shops so that when we fly home from Bangkok I know exactly where to go to do my shopping between flights.

[jandacruise]

Is it necessary to put on sun block every day? It seems like it will be very smoggy and cloudy.....did anyone get burnt from the sun? Or does it seldomly come out? Just wanted to get a feel for how much sun block I should pack. Thanks!!

[dpump]

saw the sun one day, don't think we ever saw the moon or stars. i did get 'burned', probably chemical burns from all the pollution :>

[Cruisin'GMC]

Speaking of bus rides. How were the busses and how much time did you spend on them? Do they have bathrooms aboard or do they make frequent stops for restrooms? My husband and I want to try one night on the town in Beijing. I have heard mixed reviews on the final night dinner and the Peking Opera. Would that be the best night to miss if you had to miss a night? Finally, I know it is going to be hot and humid, but was there a breeze on the ship while in motion that would allow you to comfortably sit out on the balcony or observation deck. Thanks

 

gmc

[no fuss travel]

If you sunburn easily, you can get a real nasty burn on a smoggy or cloudy day. I speak from experience. Did I ever get one skiing once. I would put on sunscreen just for the protection if you burn easily.

[EJRIVER]

Speaking of bus rides. How were the busses and how much time did you spend on them? Do they have bathrooms aboard or do they make frequent stops for restrooms? My husband and I want to try one night on the town in Beijing. I have heard mixed reviews on the final night dinner and the Peking Opera. Would that be the best night to miss if you had to miss a night? Finally' date=' I know it is going to be hot and humid, but was there a breeze on the ship while in motion that would allow you to comfortably sit out on the balcony or observation deck. Thanks

 

gmc[/quote']

 

:rolleyes: The buses were older and fairly comfy and clean seats. No bathrooms on board, but your guide is very good with keeping you informed of the time before another good Western "Happy House" will be visited. The longest ride was about 2 hours.

:eek: In Beijing, the hotel will probably be in the finanical area, not much night life on the streets. We went out to eat and walked around in the park. It was safe. Also, took a taxi to the Beijing Food Market Street. That was very interesting and many other Westerners visit this area. Ask your guide for information for the taxi and addresses.

;) We thought we wouldn't like the Peking Opera, but really enjoyed it for the historical factor. Glad we decided to go and try the duck dinner.

:) No problem sitting on your balcony or the sun deck. The observation deck is glassed in and the deck chairs are comfortable. Nice place for the afternoon reading or viewing the countryside. Just be aware that it is smoggy. Coffee on your balcony in the morning was very relaxing. Sunscreen lotion would be a good idea on face and any exposed skin.

:D We didn't skip any of the itinerary for the simple fact that just seeing the REAL China, the people and the countryside from the bus was worth every minute.

[Dale]

saw the sun one day, don't think we ever saw the moon or stars. i did get 'burned', probably chemical burns from all the pollution :>

Debbie, there is a moon in China. One evening while out on the balcony I actually saw it. But only for a minute or so.

 

Here’s a little story about the 10 year old Chinese boy seeing the sun.

 

One afternoon the boy was playing outside, he looked up in the sky and saw a golden glow, something he had never seen before. Being excited about seeing something new in the sky he ran to ask his father what the golden glow was. His father looked up, scratched his head in wonder and said he didn’t know, let’s go ask Grandpa.

[dpump]

Dale-

Isn't that the truth (about the moon). All those pics we all took......haze, haze, haze.......and to think we were breathing in that stuff! I asked our guide, David, the life expectency in China and he said 73! Man, those folks must have lungs of steel!

[coasters]

Dale-

Isn't that the truth (about the moon). All those pics we all took......haze, haze, haze.......and to think we were breathing in that stuff! I asked our guide, David, the life expectency in China and he said 73! Man, those folks must have lungs of steel!

Yes..

I found that using Picasa 2 (free from Google) to edit haze from my China photos ... by pressing the "I'm feeling lucky" button, performed miracles!

Thank goodness for that software!

Jerry