CHINA TRAVEL TIPS

• Weather/Time	• Custom Forms	• What to Bring
• Health	• Bargaining	• Food and Water
• The Food	• Laundry	• Restroom Facilities
• Currency	• Baggage	• The Language
	• Clothing

WEATHER/TIME
Spring and Fall are considered by many China experts to be the most pleasant times of the year for travel. May is after the freezing (and we mean COLD) winter season and before the heat of summer and vice-versa in October. So, perfect weather is expected. Just in case, though, it's advisable to dress in layers. You will find more information about what to bring below. Make sure your passport is in order. Be sure to read all this information carefully to insure an enjoyable, comfortable and memorable trip! Check online for up-to-date weather reports (http://www.wunderground.com/global/CI.html). Time difference—China is 16 hours ahead of Pacific Time.

HEALTH
It is advisable to check with your physician before departing on any overseas excursion. For the areas in China we will be visiting, the only vaccines that are recommended at this time are for Hepatitis, but it is not mandatory (information subject to change). Check to see if your Tetanus immunization is up to date. The website for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is . Consult for the latest advice. Bring your familiar cold and anti-diarrhea remedies.

Most tours will not be overly strenuous, but some will consist of considerable amounts of walking and stair climbing as we journey various sites. This will be especially true at Mt. Qing Chen. You should be in reasonably good physical shape. If you are taking prescription medications, make sure you have enough to last well longer than the duration of the trip.

[note: grapefruit seed extract good for preventing diarrhea www.puregse.com]

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FOOD
You may choose either the vegetarian or standard meal plan. Vegetarian dishes may include some eggs along with usual vegetarian fare of tofu, wheat gluten, meat substitutes, fresh vegetables and noodles. All meals offer a choice of several dishes and courses.

CURRENCY
Called "ren men bi" (RMB), the exchange (at time of printing) is approximately 8.21 to $1.00 US. For current exchange rates go to: (http://www.x-rates.com/index.html) The numbers on most of the bills are in English. It is important to know that China is a cash society. Few transactions are done with credit cards, especially in the countryside. Traveler’s checks are highly recommended. These are easily cashed in larger hotels or at the Bank of China. ATM’s (or other similar cards) are not recommended, as cash machines can be difficult to find. Your passport is always required for money exchanges. It is preferable to have traveler’s checks in amounts of $100 US or less in denomination, as when you exchange these you will have quite a stack of bills to carry. Large hotels and department stores will usually accept MasterCard, VISA and sometimes, American Express cards.

CUSTOMS FORMS
On the flight you will be handed an entry card and customs declaration to be filled in. These will be shown along with your passport and visa to a customs agent upon arrival. These papers should be kept in your passport for departure. You will have to fill out a duplicate for departure. Keep receipts from all purchases! Bags that are easy to carry or have wheels are a big help in the airport!

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BARGAINING
Bargaining is expected in small shops and street stalls- but be polite- a smile and an attempt to speak their language works wonders!

LAUNDRY
Most of the hotels we will be staying in will have laundry services. It tends to be more expensive in the large cities, but is also more organized and the quality is better. The best advice is to bring clothes that are easy to hand wash and dry in your hotel room. Mt. Qing Chen has a cleaner's shop in town, walking distance, owners are wonderful and we have had great results. They also do mending

BAGGAGE
You may find traveling is more enjoyable if you travel light, for this reason it is recommended that you bring one bag to check-in and carry-on bag(s), two maximum.Note: Keep suitcases unlocked at airports to facilitate inspections, which can occur.

Basics
•Hats (a warm hat and a sunshade hat)	•Silk or skin sensor clothing
•Scarf/gloves	•Shoes (1 pair for walking & 1 for working out
•Sunglasses	•Outerwear (gortex jacket or the like)
•Earplugs	•Eyeshades
•Inflatable neck pillow	•Money belt
•Hooded pullover	•Water bottle
•Short sleeve cotton shirts	•Casual banquet attire
Toiletries
•Toilet paper	•Personal hygiene products
•Laundry detergent	•Hand wipes; Purell sanitizing liquid
•Sunscreen	•Feminine products
•First aid kit	•Hand lotion
Other items
•CD player/walkman	•Video camera*
•ipod	•Recording device
•Travel alarm clock	•Phone card ($30-40 is about 1 hour)
•Camera	•Qlink Pendant (may be good for jet lag)
•Ionizer, option 1; option 2	•Travel size sewing kit
•Ziplock bags	•Small locks for luggage
•Contact lens supplies	•Duffel bag (for dirty laundry on flight home, freeing your luggage for precious gifts)
•Bubble wrap & duct tape (for fragile gifts)	•Business cards
Food/Medicine Bring some of your favorite snack foods that are easy to pack.
•Trail mix	•Energy C packets
•Energy bars (Power bars, Cliff bars, etc.)	•Vitamins/Supplements
•Nuts/dried fruit	•Travel size medical kit
•Granola	•Teas
•Chocolate/sweet treats	•Melatonin
•Sport drinks**	•Herbal remedies
•Personal Medications	•Essential oils

* Power: 220v 50 HZ converters are necessary to run any equipment form the U.S.
**The back of the plane is not presurized, so pack liquid items in your carry-on.

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FOOD AND WATER
It is recommended that you not drink or brush your teeth with tap water. Every hotel will furnish you with treated water. Bottled water is also available in mini bars and shops everywhere. Just make sure that the caps are sealed tight when first opening. Tea and coffee are OK since the water is boiled at a high temperature. Salads and fruit that you have not peeled are best avoided. However, some have had no problems at the places we will be. If you have a sensitive digestive tract then you may wish to avoid such foods.

Note: Provisions for dietary requirements may not be available at all destinations.

RESTROOM FACILITIES
Hotel rest rooms are western style and very clean. However, public toilets are not the healthiest looking places! Usually toilets consist of a porcelain, flushable hole to squat over, and you must have your own paper. At least you won’t have to worry about touching it! There is usually a picture of a male or female head on the door to designate.

THE LANGUAGE
Though many people in China can handle basic communication in English, it is very helpful and fun to be able to talk to them in their native language. There are numerous dialects spoken in China for the same written Han language. In recent years the most widely used dialect is Putonghua (the common language of Mandarin), the local dialect of Beijing, which became the national language.

The tour will have at least one English-speaking guide throughout. Following are some useful phrases to have fun with and get you around in China. These simple phrases are spelled using no accepted system such as Pinyin, just simple phonetics. (Chinese scholars, please excuse!)