An old friend sent me this inquiry: We (3of us) are going to Yunnan for the last week of August. We have things pretty well organised and plan to spend 3 days in Lijiang and 2 in ShangriLa. If you have any suggestions about wild and  exciting things to do, that would be great !

Here are my answers:

1. First of all, where are you staying?  That’s important because Lijiang has turned into a crazy tourist town that stays alive 24/7. The old town of Lijiang is most charming with those two-story woodden houses lining cobble stoned streets, but it’s really hard to find a quiet hotel room because the bars and cafes stay open till midnight. In this context,  I’d recommend either the Banyan Tree, which is charming, but expensive. Or some Chinese 4 star hotels like Guanfang, which is not that memorable, but at least you can sleep. In Zhongdian, you want to stay at the Songsam Hotel near the Songzanlin Monastery. It’s owned by a Tibetan entrepreneur. It’s better than the Ringa Banyan Tree.

2. Activities in Lijiang:  Lijiang old town used to be so lovely, but now, it is overrun by tourists during the day. Exploring the old town, I suggest you get up early and walk around in the maze, allowing yourself to get gloriously lost. Pick up some pancakes freshly made on a food stall, etc. That’s still quite lovely. The Black Dragon Pool, despite its popularity as a tourist site, it’s still lovely. Spend a good 2 hours in there, check out the dongba museum – not fancy, but gives you a little sense of what dongba culture is like. Xueke’s Naxi music used to be great, and I loved it many years ago. But, now the venue has doubled or tripled in size, it’s lost its intimacy. At WildChina, we used to just hire a small local band and do a dinner/concert in one of the village houses. After that, you probably want to get out of the old town as quickly as you can.

  a. Leave Tiger Leaping Gorge for a  stopover visit on your way to Zhongdian.

  b. For glacier, Maoniuping is slightly better. It’s probably quite fun to ride horse up, as compared to taking the tram. I would not recommend riding horse downhill. The horses don’t come with western saddles with all the padding and handle for you to grab. If you’ve never done horseback riding, don’t try it out there.

  c. If you like day hikes, try to go to Wenhai or Lashihai. Not tourist sites, but interesting villages.

  d. If you don’t mind 2-3 hour driving, go to Xuehua village, a tiny little village with 80 people, you can still meet the Yi Shaman there. (Yi is another ethnic group, different from Naxi in Lijiang.)

  e. Further afield, on the border with Dali, there are some wonderful places to visit: Jianchuan Grottoes – most stunning grottoes documenting the history of Dali Kingdom. Not touristy at all, but the hike and the grotto are just absolutely mind boggling. You can hike from the Grottoes to a nearby village called Shaxi – an intact old village, that used to be a key stop of the Southern Silk Road. Lovely old temple, old houses. Again, either without a tour guide, getting lost in it is a wonderful experience. (It’s not that big).  To go there, you need to drive 3 hours each way from Lijiang.

3. Activities in Zhongdian: Songzanlin Monastery, Pudacuo National park will probably take up all your time. I’d recommend you try to visit a local Tibetan home in a village nearby. Anyone will do, just to see what their life is like. Remember to start slow, give yourself time to get used to the altitude when you just get there. Altitude sickness usually hits you after a nap or something like that, with in my case, a bursting headache. Drink lots of water to recover or go with Diamox from your doctor.

Have fun. for more information, check out www. wildchina.com

As someone who makes a few international flights a year, I’m often confronted by the frequent flier miles vs. cash dilemma when it comes time to pay. Thus, I really enjoyed this post from Fodor’s Doug Stallings on when to use miles and when to pay out of pocket.

Of course, this whole dilemma comes back to having miles in the first place, but with many credit cards offering matching miles for dollars spent, even infrequent fliers can rack up plenty of miles to use on travel.

The piece from Fodor’s outlines 5 times when you should uses miles, and 4 instances when you should pay out of pocket. Here’s a quick sample of their tips.

When to Use Miles:

1. For Upgrades on Long Flights
2. For Very Expensive Flights
3. For Last-Minute Flights

When to Use Cash:

1. When the Flight is Inexpensive
2. When There’s a Sale
3. When You Need to Buy Miles to Make the Purchase

For the full post with more tips and advice, visit their site.

Hear of any great China flight deals? We’d love to hear about them in the comments so we can post them.

Happy travels!

Out of all the questions I’m asked about living in China, the most common is definitely “So, how’s the food?”

In a word, delicious. From dumplings and noodles to spicy Sichuan and Hunan fare, there’s no shortage of tastes and flavors in China. Yet the language barrier and not knowing what to order can make visiting a local restaurant stressful for some. Here’s a handy guide to finding a restaurant in China.

English-language sites:

• CityWeekend has sites with great listings for Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou
• Chowhound China is a foodies dream site, with a robust group of active contributors

Dianping.com is another excellent food site, however it’s currently only in Chinese. Non-Mandarin speakers can still use it, however, with the help of Google Translate.

Just open Google Translate, enter the link in to the translate box, and select Chinese – English (or whatever  language you prefer). Hit translate, and search away! The translations aren’t perfect, but you’ll get an idea of  spots to try.

If you’d prefer not to plan your meals but rather discover places on your own, some common sense will go a long way. Look for busy places (a great sign they’re delicious), point to dishes on neighbors’ tables that look tasty, and don’t be afraid to experiment!

Here’s a list of commonly served Chinese food dishes with their English translations. It might not be a bad idea to print it out and bring it with you to your corner Chinese restaurant. Friendly waitresses will happily point out which ones the have on offer.

I’ll put up another post soon with links to great sites for Chinese food recipes. Even if you’re not in China, you can easily make Chinese food at home that’s much more authentic than your local Panda Express.

Keeping kosher can always be a bit tricky, especially while traveling. But like in every developing country, awareness towards other religions and cultures is increasing (slowly, but surely). We hope you find these Kosher tid-bits useful during your Chinese travels.

1. Kosher products are available at small western stores throughout Beijing, such as Jenny Lou’s.

2. Kosher chickens can be bought at the German Butchery. (8610) 6591 9370 First Floor, Binduyuan Building No 15 Zaoying Beili Maizidian, Chao Yang District, Beijing.

3. Chicken, beef, and lamb can be bought at Chabad Hashgacha. Catering and delivery of kosher meals can be arranged through Chabad for individuals (24 hours notice is required) or tour groups (two weeks notice is required. http://www.chabadbeijing.com

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One of the perks (and perils) of traveling through Beijing and Shanghai is the excellent shopping that can be found, and often for great prices. With the holidays fast approaching, your resident WildChina shoppers thought we’d share a few of our favorite city haunts. Some are very well-known, and some are tiny gems that we were reluctant to part with. Happy holiday hunting!

Beijing:

• For serious bargain hunters,  the stalls at Hongqiao Market will whip up strands of pearls, coral, beads, and semi-precious stones to your heart’s content, while you watch. Buyer beware: quality (and price) varies greatly, so be sure to inspect your wares before you hand over your hard-earned RMB.
• Looking for something new for the home?  Lost and Found is the place for eclectic home-wares.
• If you have a fan of contemporary art on your shopping list, than the 798 District is a must even if the gallery paintings fall just a little out of your budget. For those less willing to fork over the big bucks for avant garde art, this is also a great place to source art, photography and design books.
• Grifted is home to an off-beat collection of unique, one of a kind gifts with a quirky sense of humor.
• Find almost anything at Panjiayuan, a massive open air market, perfect for souvenirs and “antiques”. Be sure to go early though, as that’s when you’ll find the best bargains. Only open on the weekends.

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One of my colleagues and I recently gave a presentation at Nokia’s Beijing office on ways to travel responsibly. While all of the case studies and real-life examples were taken from WildChina’s current practices, I did some web research to find quick tips that travelers can use on their own. There’s definitely a TON of information out there, so I thought I’d share my top tips from my favorite sites.

Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Travel, National Geographic Traveler

This was by far one of the most insightful and well-written pieces I found on the internet. It highlights 50 things travelers should do to minimize the negative impacts of travel, and benefit the communities they visit.  From their post:

“43. Respect Local Cultures

“Treating others the way you wish to be treated is the basic premise of responsible travel,” says Sherry Schwarz, editor and publisher, Transitions Abroad magazine and, director of the Abroad View Foundation. “It sounds simple, because it is simple: When we travel, we are visiting the homes of our global neighbors, getting to know them, and experiencing how they live.”

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Working for a travel company, people often ask me where they should visit in China. While it always depends on the season and the situation, right now I’ve got a clear favorite: Tibet.

Normally, May – September is peak tourist season in Tibet, yet this year travel to this region has  diminished considerably, due to factors like visa restrictions and the March riots (People’s Daily).

However, our local partner on the ground in Lhasa has told us that most sites in Tibet are open and ready for visitors, with the Drepung Monastery just re-opened today in time for the annual Shoton Festival.

There have always been guidelines for traveling to Tibet – foreigners must have a guide at all times, can only stay at star-rated hotels, and need proper permits – but these are easily met, and the breathtaking landscape and incredible people make this trip unforgettable.

If you’re interested in traveling to Tibet, check out a sample WildChina itinerary here.

With the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics less than 3 days away, Beijing is gearing up for an incredible couple of weeks of games, celebrations, and international goodwill. Here at WildChina, we’re incredibly excited about the Games, and the spotlight they’ll bring to the city we call home.

At the same time, the torch relay and athletic events occurring here in China’s capital add an extra dimension of planning for anyone touring Beijing in August. Here’s a quick overview of a few of the changes we’re aware of:

1.         The torch relay from August 5^th(today!) to 8^th will involve the China Millennium Monument(中华世纪坛), Temple of Heaven, the Badaling Great Wall, and Jinshan Park. During this time, sites will be closed partially or entirely, and trips there may be difficult.

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