Viking China

[happytotravel]

-----------------

Happytotravel...

before you spend a penny.... BE SURE TO CHECK the AC adapter that came with your computer and battery charger.

More likely (than not) that they can be used internationally, with 220V or 110V.

If I am correct, than all you need is a plug adapter.

Look at my previous posts to see what they look like and suggestions regarding what to bring.

Please let me know what you find.

Jerry

 

Hi Jerry,

I've finally got it now! Yes, my computer as well as battery charger for my camera can use both currents. I will need to just get adapters for them to fit into the outlets. I didn't realize today's electronics could switch automatically.

 

We'll still get a converter for my husband's electric shaver but I now know that I needn't worry about my electronics.

 

I've looked at your other information and found it helpful as well.

 

Thanks for taking the time to answer me.

happytotravel

Jean

[coasters]

Happytotravel...

Jean, you should NOT need a converter for your husband's electric shaver.

Every hotel and ship had a 110V outlet marked "for shavers" in the bathroom area.

No adapter or converter needed unless he wants to shave in the bedroom area.

Only happy to help, as I had the same questions before leaving for China on our trip.

Jerry

[coasters]

Jean, feel free to email me directly at gslvmail@verizon.net if I can help you in any way with info...

Jerry

[happytotravel]

Jean, feel free to email me directly at gslvmail@verizon.net if I can help you in any way with info...

Jerry

 

Thanks Jerry, :)

 

After I wrote my reply to you last night I remembered something about the

110 volt outlet in the bathroom in one of your messages and began to wonder about really needing the converter.

 

I appreciate you taking the time to underline that I DO NOT need to get the converter only the adapter.

 

This is a fantastic website with lots of nice people on it.

 

Take care,

happytotravel,:)

Jean

[ProfMB]

Hello,

Planning for the Cultural Delights tour in 2008 and would like to know if there are bathrooms on the tour buses. Also, what about bathroom facilities at places visited on the excursions? Availability? Western style vs Asian style bathrooms?

 

Thanks!

Marilyn

[coasters]

Hello,

Planning for the Cultural Delights tour in 2008 and would like to know if there are bathrooms on the tour buses. Also, what about bathroom facilities at places visited on the excursions? Availability? Western style vs Asian style bathrooms?

 

Thanks!

Marilyn

 

Marilyn,

Although comfortable and modern, NONE of the busses on our tours had toilet facilities. Rest stops were conveniently planned on all tours. The escorts know where the best ones are (or not) and made good choices for us. While on tours, most toilets were Asian style, however, you sometimes will find Western style in the "handicapped" stalls.

 

While we did pack a roll of TP, it wasn't necessary. There's good TP in the hotels and cabins, so you can tear off a bit for the day just in case needed.

Single pack antibacterial hand wipes did come in handy. We purchased a box at our local Costco and took a few with us each day...

Take cough drops!!

 

You WILL have a wonderful time.

Jerry

[Cheesi]

Anyone signed up for the Viking "Roof of the World" trip leaving 9/21/07?

 

 

Koda, I saw your post you signed up for next year.

 

If you send me your e-mail address, I'll let you know how ours went this year.

 

arizonatraveler8@yahoo.com

 

I've put out all sorts of posts and can't find anyone taking this trip. On the bright side is I'm hoping that means we'll have an ultra small group! :)

[twototravel]

Anyone signed up for the Viking "Roof of the World" trip leaving 9/21/07?

 

 

Koda, I saw your post you signed up for next year.

 

If you send me your e-mail address, I'll let you know how ours went this year.

 

arizonatraveler8@yahoo.com

 

I've put out all sorts of posts and can't find anyone taking this trip. On the bright side is I'm hoping that means we'll have an ultra small group! :)

 

Don't bet on the small group. I found only one other person on our trip that had even heard about this website. We actually had a small group of Europeans along as well.

 

Cathy

[coasters]

Cathy,

you're so right. Even if you know how to find Cruise Critic, it's hard to navigate to this specific posting board. Too bad, as there's so much good info here!

Jerry

[Grumpy7]

I went on the Cultural Delights Tour, Beijing-Shanghai with Guilin-Hong Kong extension (Fabulous--loved Guilin!), August 25-Sept. 13, 2006. The advice I got from these boards was invaluable, and I'm delighted to see that more recent travelers have been so good about posting their tips.

 

I compiled the tips I found relevant, as I read them, and then divided them into categories, I have those Word documents and would be happy to share with anyone who is interested.

 

I posted my post-trip report to the boards last fall. I've been reading the boards regularly and have been jotting down some that may be helpful.

 

Weather--HOT! But not as bad as we'd expected. Beijing wasn't too bad, as it rained the night we arrived and cleared things up a bit. The worst was the first part of the Yangtse.

 

Clothes--My husband (and most men) wore shorts along the river. Others wore them in the city too--we didn't. I found casual skirts cooler and also easier for Chinese toilets ;) which I mastered eventually. Saved a lot of time in lines. No one dressed up all that much in the evenings. A polo or sport shirt and slacks is all men need.

 

Free time--not much, though I am an avid reader and on this tour, unlike the shorter ones, you do have time while on the Yangtze to relax and read. (Some people felt we had too much down-time, LOL, but we enjoyed it!)

 

Cabins—we were on an upper deck in a “superior A” cabin—on the end with a few extra feet in width and liked it, but quite frankly I couldn’t see the value for the extra money. My husband did, however. As others have said, the cabins are all pretty much alike. We saw some of the jr. suites and didn’t like them as well as the standard layout.

 

Illness--I was on a trip where many, many people got quite sick. I am guessing that the Century Sun was contaminated at that point, because SDRonni's tour two weeks later also had many sick people.

 

My dr. wouldn’t give me antibiotics ahead of time. However, neither Don nor I had any major problems. He had a few hours of Mao's revenge and missed the school visit, but Immodium took care of it quickly. I took Pepto-Bismol tablets at the first sign of any stomach distress and was fine. We did not take any extra precautions; used hand sanitizer and were generally careful, but weren't concerned about railings and such. One of the first to get seriously ill was a trip friend with whom we spent lots of time, and we still didn't get sick. So who knows?

 

Photos and Cameras--If you don’t take your own laptop, take some CDs and a card reader—you are likely to find someone with a laptop who will transfer photos for you.

 

Agree about smaller cards, or more of them. I had a 512 MB card fail but not until halfway thru the trip...after I'd taken 350+ photos, sigh (Kingston--but I have found Kingston reputable in the past). Fortunately we had taken 2 cameras, so the pics my husband took with the older one saved the day. Plus trip friends shared with me to fill in the gaps. The older one's cards are 128MB max, so we had a friend with a laptop make a CD for us just in case, but we were fine. So I'm a big fan of finding a way to save shots along the way. And if you do have 2 cameras, take both!

 

One of the nice things about taking a computer is the ability to edit as you go, rather than be faced with 2000+ photos when you get home. The cameras with large LCDs let you see enough to do this as well. Mine are both older so the screens are small; the glaring outtakes are obvious but others are not.

 

I took rechargeable batteries to start but not the charger…a friend charged them when it ws convenient. Then I switched to lithium batteries, which were great.

 

And I still haven’t finished editing/making online albums, and we’ve been home since mid-September 2006! So don’t put it off like I did…I want to make a book of the trip highlights, but how we will choose the best shots is daunting so I keep procrastinating. This project is on my current to-do list, though.

 

I'm waiting to get a reasonably compact model with 10-12x zoom. Apparently Panasonic now has one. I like having a viewfinder, but these are disappearing in the point and shoot models so I'll have to learn to use the screen. Image stabilization is a great improvement, too.

 

SDRonni's photos are fabulous. I went on the trip just before she and her friend did, so we got togther after I returned, and again after she returned. The longer zoom made al the difference between good and great.

 

Electrical—you need a special adapter plug for China, though I never needed mine ($2 or so at a travel store). If your appliances/battery chargers etc aren’t dual voltage, you’ll need a converter for 220 v, 50 cycles. (Most recent ones are dual voltage—the large plugs have that information on them somewhere, though it may be hard to read.) Hotel rooms and cabins have hairdryers; I didn’t take one and was fine.

 

Snow Jade Cave--I did this because i hadn't seen caves like this; my husband had and enjoyed it less. There are bearers to take you up the steps/long path if you need them. Because we went in late August and it was very hot, we enjoyed the coolness! Not sure what the Feng Du city tour was like, as most of our group did the caves.

 

Trekking Poles: No one in our group used trekking poles, although a few had canes or needed wheelchairs in some places.

 

Guides: All groups loved their guides and felt theyhad the best one. Ours was David Zhao, one of the senior guides (early 40s). You get a different perspective on the cultural revolution and life in China depending on your guide's age. David was a pro at avoiding extra baggage costs when we went from Guilin to Hong Kong; the other group had to pay extra.

 

Baggage Weight: Don't stress over this! While you are in China, the bags are weighed as a group, and we never had to worry. We took 3 checked bags for the 2 of us (26", 24", and 21") and had no problems (though we were told in advance if there was a problem we might have to pay more-- it never happened). Other people had much larger bags. Even if you have to pay extra it isn't much, it's per kilo over the allowance. Really not worth agonizing over!

 

Mailing items home: Friends shipped a rug from the rug factory and it arrived with no problems. We bought a ring in HK (at a shop in the Peninsula Hotel) and they had to get the matching earrings for me. They arrived as promised, on time.

 

Jade: I found the prices in the shop where the tour took us really high. At thegift shop at the Terra Cotta Warriors, I bought bangles I liked a lot for about $40 each, vs. $100-200+.

 

Shopping in general: Prices quoted in recent posts for souvenir and more standard stuff were similar to what I paid (see my Sept. 06 post). it helps when bargaining to know what others have paid. I've enjoyed my purchases and the gifts were also a hit. In fact, I have a friend going in Sept. and will put in an order for a few more things!

 

Amusingly, I saw similar items for not much more in an oriental gift shop here in San Diego. The pillows come with inserts and are only $1-2 more--I paid more than that for the pillow inserts I bought here from my Chinese covers (though of course who has room for more than covers when traveling!

:D )

 

 

That's it for now. I'll skim posts again and add anything that seems relevant and useful.

We just booked same trip for 08 and did not know about going to Hong Kong.It's a time issue. We have taken Viking last summer on the Danube and feel they are terrific. I appreciated your list which we are saving.

My question is was Hong Kong worth it? Did many people from the cruise go there either before(alternate itinerarry) or after? Being that it's a time issue, we would still like to do it because we may not get back to that part of the world .

 

Thanks again for your analysis. It will help us next year.

[WIT]

We just booked same trip for 08 and did not know about going to Hong Kong.It's a time issue. We have taken Viking last summer on the Danube and feel they are terrific. I appreciated your list which we are saving.

My question is was Hong Kong worth it? Did many people from the cruise go there either before(alternate itinerarry) or after? Being that it's a time issue, we would still like to do it because we may not get back to that part of the world .

 

Thanks again for your analysis. It will help us next year.

 

Penob - About half of our 4/07 CD tour went on to Hong Kong. It was a nice way to re-Westernize after touring China. It would be the only chance you will have to experience the Chinese ocean - some HKs never set foot on land. For more info about Hong Kong, here is the monthly briefing from the Economist:

 

http://www.economist.com/cities/citiesmain.cfm?city_id=HK

 

You can see my Guilin - Hong Kong photos at:

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/billwitowski

 

We also were not sure when we would return to the area and did not regret the extra time spent.

WIT

[couchking]

It's getting close. We are leaving on the Imperial Jewels of China on Oct. 6th for check-in on Oct. 7th . We will be taking Air Canada from Newark to Toronto and from Toronto to Shanghai, return from Beijing also through Toronto.

We just received our hotel list from our travel agent. Shanghai-St. Regis

Xian-Sangri-La and Beijing-Westin.

Are these hotels the ones that are usually used?

Haven't heard from anyone yet that is going on the same trip.

Have gotten some great info. from the board. Thanks to everyone.

Any more info will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Larry

[Daisy R]

Hi,

 

My family and I recently returned from a Viking China tour. Since I received so much helpful information from Cruise Critic, I wanted to see if I could do the same for those of you planning future trips.

 

It was incredibly hot with high humidity. I took a small battery operated fan which could be worn around the neck. It really did help at times! Between 2 of us, in a 14 day period, we went through $200 in singles. We used it for tipping local guides, bus drivers, and for making small purchases. We hardly used traveller's checks, finding it easier to use a charge card. We used the laundry service on the riverboat. It was hard to wash clothes out by hand, as the humidity made it hard to get them to dry. Hotels were beautiful--great breakfast choices! No toilets on the buses. I'd be sure and pack toilet paper and have it on hand, as it was not always available. The "Hello people" were very persistent, even when we were not interested.

 

I took Purell individual wash and dry, which were convenient, since they could be taken through security. Any questions, let me know, and thanks again for all of your suggestions!

[travelsfun]

You will love those hotels..they are the same ones we stayed in last month. Here's a little tip (if you enjoy a cocktail now and then): There is a room at the top of the St.Regis that serves FREE drinks and snacks! You take the regular hotel elevator as far as it goes, then get on another one for 2 more floors. We learned this great piece of information on this board and shared it with some others in our group. The view is spectacular from up there, too!

Dorothy

[couchking]

Thanks for the info. on the top floor of the hotel. My wife is stressing about the weight of the suitcases. Most people seem to say that they aren't weighed individually. Would 50 lbs each be OK, since that is what the international flight weight is?

Thanks for all the info.

Larry

[coasters]

Larry,

Yes, 50lbs is fine.

Jerry

[Osnab]

This image should help to understand the configuration of the 220V electrical outlets on the Viking Century Sun and what plug adapter/s you might want to bring if your devices can use 220V.

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/shipoutlet220.JPG

Jerry

 

Jerry:

On the picture, is the one on top supposed to be 100v? (Not the one that looks like this \ / but the other one.)

Becuase it doesn't look like 110 to me.

I called Verizon and found out it's $1.49 per minute (incoming and outgoing) if I rent a phone, but I can convert my phone to global use and be charged only $1.29/min. No set up fee, no other fees. But I don't think my cell phone charger will fit in the outlet on the picture you took, even though the guy from Verizon said my charger would fit in 220v. You never know with those guys from Verizon. Sometimes they say something and the next person you talk to says that's not correct. :)

Felicia

[Osnab]

I did some shopping today and ended up purchasing more than I'd originally intended, but that's the fun of shopping, right?

 

In any case, I got to wondering if what I have selected is suitable and could use the advice of women who have been. I will be going in mid-Sept. and suspect it will still be hot.

 

For day wear:

I bought black, mid-length capris, green shorts (but they come to the top of my knees), blue shorts that come right below the knees and a brown skirt.

 

I also bought 3 t-shirts, (brown, beige & yellow). Not t-shirts like at a gym, but casual tops.

 

For night wear:

I bought some nicer blouses for dinnertime, although still casual. Will wear them with cotton beige capris, black pants and brown skirt.

 

 

Questions:

Does this sound acceptable for touring? Too casual?

Obviously a lot of mixing and matching will take place. Would the t-shirts I mentioned above be appropriate for dinner, or shoudl I wear nicer tops/blouses?

Any other clothing suggestions?

 

I am not going to have a lot of room and don't mind wearing the same thing after washing, of course more than once.

Felicia

[coasters]

Felica,

My wife said to tell you that your selection sounds fine. Black slacks and a nice top were all that you might need for the dressier evenings.

The laundry aboard the ship was good, prices much more reasonable than the hotels, although still pricey.

 

Also, about the electricity... the top outlet in the picture...look closely ...it has both round holes and vertical slots that allow for both US and European plugs. Remember however, they are 220V. Your charger should work ( I believe you checked that it is universal) and you should not need any plug adapter with this kind of receptacle.

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/shipoutlet220.JPG

Jerry

[coasters]

Hope that the below images might help to visualize the different plug adapters, see where the 220V/110V charger compatibilities are listed, vew a US wide blade (polarized) plug and appreciate why a short extension makes sense if you want to charge several devices at the same time.

Jerry

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/shipoutlet220.JPG

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/plugcomposite.JPG

[Osnab]

Felica,

My wife said to tell you that your selection sounds fine. Black slacks and a nice top were all that you might need for the dressier evenings.

The laundry aboard the ship was good, prices much more reasonable than the hotels, although still pricey.

 

Also, about the electricity... the top outlet in the picture...look closely ...it has both round holes and vertical slots that allow for both US and European plugs. Remember however, they are 220V. Your charger should work ( I believe you checked that it is universal) and you should not need any plug adapter with this kind of receptacle.

http://glevitz.com/ebayimages/shipoutlet220.JPG

Jerry

 

Jerry, first of all, please tell your wife thank you and also thanks to you for asking her. Second, about the outlet, since I will not have any other electrical items with me, it sounds like I'll be ok.

Felicia

[Grumpy7]

Thank you. My wife is pushing for Hong Kong. We haven't recovered from the Greek Isles yet, but Viking's July 31 deadline for discount looms.

Thanks again for your quick response.

[Osnab]

Just back from that trip (not on Air Canada, however). Will be happy to answer any questions you might have. It was a great trip and very busy!

Dorothy

 

Dorothy:

I may have missed it, but did you post a report? If it's not too much trouble, I'd love to see one. If you posted it, please direct me where.

Felicia

[spencer_davis]

Has anyone heard what alterations in the trip Viking is going to make because of the mice plague at Dongting Lake? I doubt millions of dead mice will be cleaned up within the next 12 weeks or so!

 

Here's the info from the LA Times web site:

 

China floods trigger invasion of mice

Two billion voracious rodents have descended on farms in Hunan province. Villagers retaliate with clubs, traps and poison.

By Don Lee, Times Staff Writer

July 16, 2007

 

 

 

Terminated

click to enlargeBEIZHOUZI, CHINA — The worst summer flooding in years has claimed more than 400 lives and wreaked billions of dollars in damage in central China. Here in the villages around Dongting Lake, rising waters have brought a plague of biblical proportions: an invasion of 2 billion mice.

 

The rodents have been on the march in Hunan province since late June, when waters submerged mouse holes surrounding China's second-largest lake.

 

People have tried to keep the pests away from farmland by clubbing them, setting traps, digging ditches and laying down poison. Dozens of tons of dead mice have been found, the government reported, but not before rice, corn, cotton and other crops in this poor region had been chewed up. Officials have sounded a health alert.

 

"They are like troops advancing," farmer Zhang Luo said Sunday, recounting how he whacked hundreds with a shovel. Zhang, 40, and his forebears have battled mice for 100 years in this area, but he said it had never been this bad. A stench rose from the dead rodents in his fields.

 

The swelling of Dongting Lake came after a prolonged drought. The Three Gorges Dam also had reduced flows from the Yangtze River, but when the dam gate opened to relieve pressure from the heavy rains, waters gushed into Dongting.

 

The lake's water level has begun to recede, and on Sunday, a Hunan agricultural official declared that the rodent problem was largely under control. But many people were bracing for more rain as China enters the main flood season.

 

As of Thursday, 403 Chinese had died, 105 were missing and 3.2 million people had been relocated because of the floods, the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said.

 

Predators killed off

 

Dongting's disaster was as much man-made as natural, experts say. People have overexploited the rich lands around the lake, reducing natural habitat. Further upsetting the ecosystem, poachers have greatly reduced the population of one of the rodent's natural enemies, the snake.

 

"Snakes became a popular dish in Hunan, and many were preyed upon," said Deng Xuejian, a biology professor at Hunan Normal University in Changsha, the provincial capital.

 

Deng said there were no reports of disease from the infestation. But he remained concerned about the dead rodents littering the land.

 

"If left in the wild, they will pollute the environment again," he said. "They should be treated collectively."

 

Hunan provincial officials said they had taken appropriate measures.

 

"We put all those poisoned mice into woven bags, bury them on the spot and sterilize them by spraying some lime" around the area, said Cao Zhiping, director of Yiyang Plant Protection Station of Hunan Province.

 

Cao said a lot of the mice, which are larger than the typical mouse in the United States, had begun to return to their holes.

 

"In Hunan, it rained a little today and quite a lot yesterday," he said Sunday. "If the Three Gorges Dam needs to open its gate to release floodwaters again, it's possible that they might come back. That's why we have people patrol … day and night these days."

 

At most risk, perhaps, are villages around the northern part of Dongting, where mice were scampering in daylight, chomping on the bark of poplar trees.

 

Dead mice were strewn in ditches and along dikes and banks of the lake.

 

A dark wave

 

Xu Kai, 14, recalled standing on the second-floor balcony of his house in the town of Beizhouzi and watching in horror as the green and brown slopes 150 yards away turned black. As the mice moved toward his family's farmland, Xu ran out with others and grabbed a thick piece of bamboo. He said he struck the mice until his shoulders hurt, killing three or four with each blow.

 

On Sunday, he and his grandmother looked out from the balcony and tallied the devastation.

 

Half the corn crops were destroyed. All the watermelons were lost. The mice had eaten much of the eggplant and other vegetables.

 

His grandmother, Chen Lianxi, 62, pointed to the thick cotton fields. She said they were a virtual cemetery for the mice the family had killed.

 

Chen said her family of five lived on their crops, earning about $1,200 last year. About a quarter of that went toward school tuition and expenses for Xu. Some was used to pay off a loan to neighbors for the two-story tile house that the family built 10 years ago for $6,000.

 

Money is one thing, she said. Chen fears for her grandson's health.

 

"That's what I don't know," she said. "There are dead mice everywhere."

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

don.lee@latimes.com

 

--

 

Cao Jun in The Times' Shanghai Bureau contributed to this report.

[travelsfun]

Felicia..I did post a brief trip report here on June 28 (it is on page 54) There have been so many detailed reports lately that I didn't post another one. If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer them. The previous post here about the mice is really scary! Glad I am home now!

Dorothy