China Shots

[hgatsawgrs]

I don't think any are "required", but what are people doing this year for trips like the Statendam cruises in April that visit Beijing and Shanghai and Dalian and Japan. We are on the April 17th cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Even though we are not going to China, I would definitely get the shots if I were you.

 

We keep up with all our shots - Hep A and B, typhoyd, tetnus, booster shots for everything whenever the doctor says "it's time".

 

And if we know we are going to be walking areas near or in the jungles - we take malaria pills.

 

It's better to be safe than sorry.

[Seas the Day]

I was there in Nov. 2004 for a week (land trip, not cruise.) Call your local health department, and they will tell you what you should have.

 

I got a Hepatitis shot, tetanus booster, and a flu shot - that was it. Yellow Fever was recommended in some areas I think, but I was in the big cities: Beijing and Shanghai.

 

Here are some thoughts... spitting is rampant, and therefore influenza and other respiratory illnesses. You will see people outside wearing face masks. I asked my guide if this was to prevent illness, but she indicated it was for warmth. I'm not sure I believe her. Full disclosure is NOT something I found to be the norm in China. I say this after hearing stories of what happened during the Cultural Revolution (not that they'd use this term) from our tour guides, etc...

 

Public bathrooms often are set directly in the ground - you will have to squat above a hole, and the toilet paper is outside the stall (make sure you grab some BEFORE you go into your stall.) I found it amusing that the brand name on these holes in the ground was often "American Standard." Take packets of Kleenex for those occasions where there is no paper provided at all. The water provided to wash your hands afterwards is typically not potable, so I also carried a small bottle of hand sanitizer as well. I ate at restaurants, not at street stalls (which was no issue as I truly didn't want to eat much of what I saw hanging from hooks and swimming in guts.)

 

One more thing... buy, buy, buy. The art is phenomenal, the prices ridiculously low, and you can always buy another suitcase (or two as I did) to carry your purchases home. The suitcases are also a bargain. And, get a massage (or two, or more) and have two masseuses at the same time - it will cost you less than one masseuse at home. Reflexology is very common, and the pressure is HARD. FYI, you do not take your clothes off with Chinese massages.

 

Make sure you take a tour or two that shows you a bit more of the "majority" of China - the countryside. Standard of living is very different than in the big cities. And, look carefully at all the bikes... let me know if you saw as many old women pedaling bikes with their old (sick, lazy?) husbands being pulled in a rickshaw behind them.

 

I absolutely LOVED my trip to China, and there was so much to see, do, learn, etc... I particularly loved Beijing. Have a great time!!

[smeyer418]

One thng about the bathrooms, most have ones marked with a handicap sign-those have western style comodes. Shanghai recently had a conference on bathrooms and since the Olympics are coming up and they are adding them all over. I didn't see much spitting but then again I wasn't looking for it. There is terrible pollution in most of the major cities- like Pittsburg in the 50's when all the steel plants were working and before the clear air act. Shanghai has moved the plants outside the city so it is better than most.

[Seas the Day]

I thought Shanghai had the worst pollution, of the two major cities. Perhaps it was the time of year... The haze blanketed the city throughout the day, though it was most noticeable to me at dawn and dusk.

[smeyer418]

The worst for us was in Wuhan on the Yangtze river. We were going around town and they asked what we thought Wuhan's sister city in the US was, and I stuck my hand up and said "Pittsburg".. yep they asked how I knew and I said I recognized the air from the late '50's. Shanghai has moved all the plants including the coal electric plants out of the city. But it does depend on which way the wind was blowing. I have pictures that show these cities if any one wants to see them I'll post the link...

[Seas the Day]

I would like to see your photos... it will remind me of a wonderful trip. There are so many places to go, that I don't think I'll go back for a while. But, I'd like to!

[smeyer418]

you twisted my arm :) ...its about 1/5 of all the pictures I took

 

share.dell.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbsWrRu1ctGMZ

[Seas the Day]

I really enjoyed looking at your photos. I recognize many of the views from Shanghai and Beijing... though I was surprised to see neither the Forbidden City or Tiennamen Square or The Summer Palace. I particularly liked seeing what the country looks like from the Yangtze - and the photos of Xian make me resolved to visit again. I had heard that was a sight that shouldn't be missed (but had less than two weeks, and only a one-entry Visa, and not enough time) so didn't go. Xian appears to be the most amazing sight of all. BTW, I climbed the same section of the Great Wall that you did - assuming they don't have that white horse at every wall entry point. Didn't you think the tram ride up to the wall was tacky? Looked like a carnival ride, very out of place. As for the walk to the top... it was tiring, and cold (remember we went in November.) Did you find that there was the smell of urine in the enclosed areas where someone had used the corner as a toilet? I suppose I shouldn't keep bringing up sanitary issues... but the standards are quite different there. Speaking of, did you go to any of the markets and see the meat (primarily fowl) dead and unrefrigerated for the entire day, waiting to be sold? I'm told the price goes down the longer the meat is without refrigeration. I saw a fish sliced open so that it was in many pieces, but it's heart was still beating. Those bags full of colored tubes were fish guts... we were told this by our guide. So many fascinating sights.

[smeyer418]

Yes we went to a number of markets with live fowl and some of the ducks were tied by their feet. As for the smell, I am from NY City and the subway has been known to smell that way. Also I worked at a state hospital so I am somewhat immune from that smell as well. We have pictures of the forbidden City and Tienanmen. It rained that day and it didn't make my highlight photos. But in a recent test, NY was the only place where the food from fast food restaurants in the US was not contaminated(don't ask what you don't want to know)

[Marbella]

Just happened to log on this am and spent the last few minutes looking at your photos. Thank you very much. Very interesting!

 

Could you tell me what time of year was your trip? (Thinking of what to pack)

 

We are booked for the same cruise-- Hong Kong to Osaka in April.

 

By the way we were in your fair city a few years ago. Had to convince my DH to go--now he can't wait to return. It was a great trip and thoroughly enjoyed the sights AND the people.

[bepsf]

You will see people outside wearing face masks. I asked my guide if this was to prevent illness, but she indicated it was for warmth. I'm not sure I believe her.

 

When I was stationed outside Tokyo years ago, I also saw many older people wearing face masks.

 

They were worn for two main reasons:

1. Because they might have a cold that they don't want to spread (The Japanese are very responsible and respectful people)
   
2. Because the air is so polluted that they need to use the mask as an "air filter" to keep the crud from collecting in their sinuses/lungs
   

 

Imagine blowing your nose and having your kleenex filled w/ black crud.

:eek:

That was life in Japan...

 

....I understand that the air pollution in China is much worse.

[user8]

Thanks for sharing your pictures. They were great and brought back many fond memories.

 

We visited China in April, 2001 and I liked it so much that we are going again next March. DW didn't care about the sanitation facilities or the food so she isn't quite as enthusiastic about China as I am but she is still agreeable to go back with me.

 

Apparently, most visits to China cover the same places, as we visited all that you did. Did you also get down to Guilan and cruise the Li River. Like the Yangtze, I thought the scenery down the Li was spectacular.

 

As I am a retired engineer, I am very eager to see the progress they have made on the Three Gorges Dam and how the country side has changed since 2001.

[smeyer418]

Just happened to log on this am and spent the last few minutes looking at your photos. Thank you very much. Very interesting!

 

Could you tell me what time of year was your trip? (Thinking of what to pack)

 

We are booked for the same cruise-- Hong Kong to Osaka in April.

 

By the way we were in your fair city a few years ago. Had to convince my DH to go--now he can't wait to return. It was a great trip and thoroughly enjoyed the sights AND the people.

 

It was June. We were very lucky as it wasn't hot at all...Temp. was about like NY in late April in beijing and Shanghai and XIan. It was hotter along the Yangstze. Shorts worked well.

[smeyer418]

Thanks for sharing your pictures. They were great and brought back many fond memories.

 

We visited China in April, 2001 and I liked it so much that we are going again next March. DW didn't care about the sanitation facilities or the food so she isn't quite as enthusiastic about China as I am but she is still agreeable to go back with me.

 

Apparently, most visits to China cover the same places, as we visited all that you did. Did you also get down to Guilan and cruise the Li River. Like the Yangtze, I thought the scenery down the Li was spectacular.

 

As I am a retired engineer, I am very eager to see the progress they have made on the Three Gorges Dam and how the country side has changed since 2001.

 

We were there June of 2003. The Dam was about 80% accross the river. It was closed the following year and the water has risen. I am told that it has not affected the scenery that much. The locks are very much like the Welland canal or Eisenhower locks on the St Lawrence seaway except much larger. I was trained by the Corp of Engineers(long story) and the locks are very similar(they sent me to look at the St Lawrence ones and the wiers and Dams by Niagra Falls). The big difference is the one water elevator that allows a ship to be lifted the full amount of the dam and not in steps. The electric dams along the St Lawrence are again very similar although smaller(The Sir Adam Beck one on the St lawrence is where the first blackout in the North East started) We loved the food.