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Post by CrackityJones on Mar 13, 2018 10:05:42 GMT
Has anyone sorted out a VPN for China.....any advice on which one to use? Also after a reliable VPN app please. |
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Post by cantonwelsh79 on Mar 13, 2018 10:14:08 GMT
Has anyone sorted out a VPN for China.....any advice on which one to use? Also after a reliable VPN app please. Express VPN is what I'm using and it works - can get Whatsapp google etc. I messed up and paid for a month (about a fiver) but if you sign for longer you can get a 30 day free trial. |
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Post by mx47 on Mar 13, 2018 13:51:38 GMT
Also after a reliable VPN app please. Express VPN is what I'm using and it works - can get Whatsapp google etc. I messed up and paid for a month (about a fiver) but if you sign for longer you can get a 30 day free trial. Cheers....I’ll give it a go!!! |
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Post by gwernybwch on Mar 13, 2018 21:01:39 GMT
Where's the best place to stay?? We are booked in the wanxing hotel near chayong square but this looks about 4 mile away from bar street which is where I guess most people will be meeting up at night...anyone got any advise about the best place to stop? Thanks Also booked a hotel in the Chaoyang Square area. From what I've read this is the 'main' area for Western style hotels. 4 miles is nothing in most Asian cities. There is a good metro system in place and taxi's are cheap as chips (just make sure that you have the name and address of your hotel in Chinese to show to the driver). |
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Post by manulike on Mar 14, 2018 14:30:23 GMT
Good advice there.
4 mile (official) taxi should be about £3, although they will try and get up to £5 off ye. Half that if you download the DiDi app, which is the Chinese equivalent of uber.
The DiDi app actually has a built-in translation for text messaging
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Post by ontheroadagain on Mar 14, 2018 18:18:29 GMT
Also in the middle tier.
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Post by helipad138 on Mar 15, 2018 0:59:44 GMT
If anyone is booked in at Nest Business Hotel in Nanning, they may want to double check the booking is OK.
They cancelled my booking out of the blue today and booking.com aren't taking reservations for them on any dates at the moment.
Have found a nicer looking hotel nearer the main square.
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Post by manulike on Mar 15, 2018 15:02:46 GMT
If anyone is booked in at Nest Business Hotel in Nanning, they may want to double check the booking is OK. They cancelled my booking out of the blue today and booking.com aren't taking reservations for them on any dates at the moment. Have found a nicer looking hotel nearer the main square. Thanks for that, I kept them in reserve, just in case the 7-day Inn would have pulled something similar... I cancelled them only yesterday, but didn't notice if it was OK or not... Their lack of any reviews, even on eLong and Ctrip, was a little alarming already |
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Post by manulike on Mar 16, 2018 6:10:44 GMT
PRACTICAL THINGS TO BRING
1/. TOILET PAPER - unless you are staying at a 5star hotel - don't expect there to be any at public toilets / restaurants etc. Hole in the floor job, and you wipe with your left hand + water!
2/. DISINFECTANT GEL - mainly due to number 1, above...
3/. FORK AND KNIFE - very rare to get these unless it's fast food (and then it's plastic).
4/. MUG / CUP - all hotels / trains and even restaurants offer FREE boiling water. You might consider your favorite coffee / tea as well...
5/. As part as 4, above. UHT small milk containers. Chine is not a milk drinking country! That said, the yoghurt you see everywhere on the streets, is totally gorgeous :+)
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Post by ontheroadagain on Mar 16, 2018 15:26:03 GMT
Is anyone else from this board on today's 17:40 Air China flight out of Heathrow?
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Post by manulike on Mar 17, 2018 10:59:59 GMT
Is anyone else from this board on today's 17:40 Air China flight out of Heathrow? Well done. You are beating me to it. I'm still in HK and should be on the mid-day train Monday from Shenzhen arrive Nanning 4pm. Weather in nanning is forecast for glorious 25c. Here, in HK it's super misty, but pleasant. EXCHANGE RATE In HK it's $10.85 to the £ in Chungking Mansion or 10.6 at the airport. Exchange to the RMB gives 0.812 ending up with a rate of Y8.7 to the pound. Bon Voyage! |
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Post by cantonwelsh79 on Mar 18, 2018 3:19:05 GMT
PRACTICAL THINGS TO BRING 1/. TOILET PAPER - unless you are staying at a 5star hotel - don't expect there to be any at public toilets / restaurants etc. Hole in the floor job, and you wipe with your left hand + water! 2/. DISINFECTANT GEL - mainly due to number 1, above... 3/. FORK AND KNIFE - very rare to get these unless it's fast food (and then it's plastic). 4/. MUG / CUP - all hotels / trains and even restaurants offer FREE boiling water. You might consider your favorite coffee / tea as well... 5/. As part as 4, above. UHT small milk containers. Chine is not a milk drinking country! That said, the yoghurt you see everywhere on the streets, is totally gorgeous :+) C'mon now - you can't seriously be suggesting that people bring tea to china!! Bogs haven't been all that bad to be honest. All my hotels have had bog roll. That said I'd carry some tissues around for when you're out and about. Bring a mandarin phrasebook or good offline translation app. English is scarce and I can only see it being rarer in Nanning. Free Wifi is not easy to get- the big US chains like Mcds, KFC require you to have a chinese mobile number. Funny enough its the Chinese fast food chains that it's easiest to get online. (Mr Lee's Noodles- its fantasic. Beer is 50p a bottle in there too) As Manulike said - knives and forks are a rare commodity- if you're useless with chopsticks like myself then said aside 3hrs for meals. Luckily a lot of meaks come with soup so at least you have a spoon!! For those going to Beijing I highly recommend getting an IC card for the metro- I got mine in the airport it was 100rmb 20 of which is a deposit. Mine got me on the airport express, all around the city in four days and I used it to get to the Wall. The system there is fantastic and simple to use. |
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Post by manulike on Mar 19, 2018 12:55:33 GMT
If anyone has not yet downloaded the DiDi app, you really should!
DiDi taxi from airport to Chaoyang Square area is Y100. It's Y46 from here to the stadium (look for "Guangxi Sports Centre Main Stadium" LIANG CHING QU, is the area!
Other excellent apps are Pleco and Waygo translators
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Post by iot on Mar 19, 2018 16:32:10 GMT
I have the didi app but can't get it to work. It asks for my phone number but won't accept what I put in. I've tried a couple variations i.e. with and without the first 0 to account for the international code, but still won't work
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Post by manulike on Mar 20, 2018 8:42:25 GMT
I have the didi app but can't get it to work. It asks for my phone number but won't accept what I put in. I've tried a couple variations i.e. with and without the first 0 to account for the international code, but still won't work When I tried to insert my phone number back in the UK and even when in Hong Kong, it also didn't accept it. When I got to China, I tried again (+44 number) and it works perfectly now |
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Post by manulike on Mar 20, 2018 8:45:16 GMT
SIM CARDS :
you may be better off getting it at the airport where some one will speak some English.
Y198 for all-u-can-eat data. As far as I understand it, that particular SIM must be returned to the shop you buy it from!
Y98 option is still an enigma for me...
Y49 gives you 1Gb data + 200 minutes talk time. Both can be used all over China. The Y49 option can be returned and SIM cancelled ANYWHERE in China in a China Unicom shop... you may add an extra 1Gb data to the Y49 package for Y29...
Remember to return the sim before you leave, as the contract is a rolling monthly contract, which may only be cancelled in the mainland...
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d1991
steve evans
Posts: 8 
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Post by d1991 on Mar 21, 2018 0:56:50 GMT
Have been in china for a few days now, would strongly suggest that you get the address of your hotel in the local language as most of the taxi drivers don't know the roads in English and they don't always show up on maps.
You can find the name of your hotel in the local language on trip advisor. Just enter the name of your hotel and click on the address in local language.
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Post by manulike on Mar 21, 2018 10:06:21 GMT
... and they also don't get the concept of half an half at the restaurants. Strange folk these Chinese :+)
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Post by iot on Mar 21, 2018 10:49:54 GMT
Just landed in nanning, anyone with plans here tonight?
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Post by CrackityJones on Mar 21, 2018 11:59:43 GMT
I’m arriving from Beijing tomorrow morning, any good food recommendations near Choayang Sq? Gonna be hungry.
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Post by iot on Mar 21, 2018 12:22:10 GMT
We're heading for food at the Marriott hotel, which is just a couple of metro stops away from the square. Will let you know how it is
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Post by welrus on Mar 23, 2018 4:59:24 GMT
Thanks to manulike for his Hong Kong guide. Central Plaza views fantastic and no queues, no charge, just walk in a go up the lift.
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Post by gwernybwch on Mar 28, 2018 8:13:10 GMT
Many thanks to manulike and other contributors for the information on this thread; it made one heck of a trip even better. |
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Post by cantonwelsh79 on Mar 28, 2018 8:27:00 GMT
Many thanks to manulike and other contributors for the information on this thread; it made one heck of a trip even better. Well said, would like to echo that. Congratulations to all the Welsh fans out there- I think we made a good impression with the locals and with them being so warm and welcoming it all made for a great trip. Completely different from any trip I've done so far. Safe journey home to all the fans still there/ adventuring further. |
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Post by sewan on Mar 29, 2018 8:31:15 GMT
I heard that in China were forbidden many social media. I am going to China next month. On anta.net review I read about different vpn apps which work in China. I want to use purevpn during my trip to this country. But my coworker suggest me to use nordvpn, he thinks nordvpn is the best vpn for china |
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Post by manulike on Mar 29, 2018 11:19:51 GMT
Welcome to the forum.
I can't say that Nordvpn is the best one for China. However, I have used them for the last two years and their customer service is superb.
Also, I have used them in Mainland China with success.
I think it you Google "special offers nordvp" you will be able to get one month free trail as well as a rate of circa US$ 4 / MONTH
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Post by straightjacket on Apr 15, 2018 19:27:38 GMT
God I just seen this thread, where have I been? I went to china, found it extremely difficult with my vegetarian diet.
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Post by manulike on Aug 4, 2020 19:50:45 GMT
First twenty minutes of this is nice footage of our China trip - great memories ;-)
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