Pretty new hear with two really small kids and wondering if its at all possible to buy a camper and head off to the mainland and cruise through asia? Anyone done it.. is it easy to do or am i completely insane and know nothing?
cheers
Pretty new hear with two really small kids and wondering if its at all possible to buy a camper and head off to the mainland and cruise through asia? Anyone done it.. is it easy to do or am i completely insane and know nothing?
cheers
Better get a guide for traveling in China. I am not trying to paint a bad picture, but I have heard alot that people/tourists get killed for very small amount of money/possessions..couple hundred dollars..old cellphones..
aehem, I am afraid yes you areOriginally Posted by Kirmo:
just kidding.
serious: China is not Oz or the States or Europe.
the thought alone is so far out I can't remember anyone even thinking about it. first of all you won't be able to rent a car. second traffic is nuts. third: forgot, first and second should be enough.
driving around with a car is great, but do it in Oz/Europe/US
china is great but NOT with a car.
if you like independent travel, buy the Lonely Planet book(s).
just my two cents.
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>>tourists get killed<<
I heard from a trucker recently that villagers in S. China steal dead bodies from local hospitals and often toss them in front of moving trucks on the highways. They then stop the drivers and extort money out of them. This driver insisted that the same body is sometimes used for a few days as his truck was once hit with the same body twice in one week.
China is a lot lot more dangerous than that, one of the most dangerous places on earth. A 5 star hotel is the only place is stay in. I've heard of people staying in a 3 star hotel get broken into their rooms and wallets stolen.Originally Posted by JaredHK:
If you're travelling with young children you have to be very careful. Back in the 90's they liked to kidnap small children, cut them arms and feet, scarred their faces, made them dumb and made them beggars. They're still doing this nowadays.
I'm not planning to take my child to China, not until she's eight or ten.
Are you Guys serious? No Way!! Maybe im a little naive but never thought that such things would happen. I swear when i read this i thought you were quoting some urban legends , Where about’s does this stuff take place, I’ve been to a few spots in china and haven’t seen or heard of this..
Mind you.. I guess anything’s possible in China right..
I lived in China last year for 12mths and travelled to remote areas of China with no worries regarding my safety at all. Would never think to drive round China though, being in taxis is bad enough. There were quite a few families with children travelling, even in far western China. Would be wise to do some research first though.
These are real stories that happened mainly in Shenzhen, many happened in Lo Wu Comm City and around the railway station. Other scary stories are people disappearing in the toilets, people fainting in the toilets and wake up finding some of their organs like kidney or liver is missing. My husband called these old stories. The main problems now are mainly robbers and thieves, and they often work as a gang.Originally Posted by Kiwi77:
Most of China is probably ok, but certainly, if you look touristy as a westerner in Shenzen, it's very risky business being on your own with 2 little kids. The Chinese mags are always carrying horror stories similar to the ones mentioned or some sort or another. You never know what might happen if you stray off the beaten path. Then again, you wouldn't want to make a wrong turning into a run down neighbourhood or estate in any major city, but I think the problems you might face in Shenzen are definitely that little bit more scary.Even if the problems are not life threatening, and are just about extracting money from you, it's still scary. One story I read recently involves groups of middle age women shining shoes. They throw something over your shoes and ask for HK$1 for one clean. You say yes just to get it over and done with. Then they clean your shoes and charge you $1 PER ONE STROKE of the brush, so a whole clean will cost like HK$100. If you don't pay, the whole gang of women suddenly swarm around you with threatehing looks and words, armed with sticks and what have you. Shenzen is full of this type of crap.
Because China is still a poor country, there are loads of professional criminal gangs that come from all over China to Shenzen because it is the gateway to rich HK, and because it is quite rich itself. When members of these gangs make a 'hit', they can just disappear back to where they came from and never be caught.
So absolutely no to taken your kids up to mainland on a tour in camper. Ok to join a tour group though of course, but not half as exciting.
This could also happen in many other countries even the most developed ones. The truth is there is huge income gap in mainland China that cause social problems. As local Shanghainese, when touring around the many places (e.g.Yang Shuo, Feng Huang, Xin Jiang, Xi An, hang zhou, wuhan, Sanya, Jiang Su, Qing Dao, Da Lian, Xia Men...), I often saw many western people. In Xin Jiang (the very North West China) I saw u.s. guys cycling up the Pamer Plateau. Langauage could be a problem, you may need to buy some books/ go to some hot places with bars&western restaurants such as Li Jiang, Yang Shuo, Shanghai, hangzhou...sure it would be easier to use agent/ with local people's guidance...Originally Posted by Valencia: