China Travel Forum

[rty]

Hi
I would like some advise on backpacking in China for 2 to 3 weeks.
I have a leg missing, but use prosteases, and am young, fit and can handle any hardhsip, so the leg is not so much an issue maybe here?
I have looked at hostels from 5 GBP a night which seems good, because I do not want to waste money just for somewhere to sleep, travel, food etc is more important than sleep. Now, I was wondering where to begin travel from, where to go, and where to finish up. The question is if arrive via Moscow to Beijing, and travel eslewhere in China, its a long hike back to Beijing just to get plane back, unless airline will not cost too much to travel from other city. Now, the question is, how long would it take to travel from legs say Beijing to Shangai? if use train, and is it easy to get ticket, and whats is cost?
Please remeber I am trying to get as much information as possible to make sure things go ok, as don't want to end up walking streets with heavy backpack with leg missing, I can manage it for a time, but its not avisable to kill yourself in process and have no energy left, hence my questions, so will be greatful of any help people can give.
Many thanks!!

[kamal]

I worked with a double amputee friend in Hanoi a couple years ago.
If you can bring a folding stool, that could come in handy. My friend Dan needed to sit down every now and again and was in no condition to squat like many Asians are accustomed. [read: There didn't always seem to be a bench to sit when you wanted one...] China won't be much different in this respect. Ah Dan! A Vietnamese woman showed him her one prosthetic leg to beg for money. Dan responded by showing her both of his prosthetic legs. What a chuckle! She offered money to Dan...

[yagmur]

Unless it is a holiday, getting a train from Beijing to Shanhai is not hard. Tickets are rounghly 400 RMB (I forget the exact price), and the trip is 14 hours overnight. You can get a flight for about the same price, although it requires additional travel between the airports and the cities.
Airline tickets in China are available pretty cheap, as long as you buy them in China, and buying one-way tickets is not a problem.
Where you should go depends on the time of year you will visit and your interests. You will probably want to spend 4-5 days in Beijing. You could spend several more days in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Shanghai to see the city, the gardens, West Lake. Or you could go west from Beijing and visit Louyang, it's Buddhist caves and the martial arts center, Shaolin Temple, catch the old walled town of Pingyao, then on to Xi'an, the Muslim quarter and the Terracotta Warriors. Lots of choices.
There are lots of possibilities!

[Rty]

Thank you for the replies you have given me. I plan to travel to Bejing from Moscow on 13 Augost and stay in China till 3 Sept. I know there is so much to see and do, just not sure where to really go after Beijing, would like to see traditional China and learn about people and spend time with them. Even though a tourist, I don't really like being with tourists, too many people etc. Normally I just walk or get a push bike. The remark someone told me about taking a fold up stool to sit on when I am tired is good idea, but just wondering if it gets so hot I need to re-atach leg due to the heat and sweat in prosthetic socket, will it be easy to do, i.e privacy to attand the leg etc!

[yagmur]

Given the time you are travelling, go West from Beijing, not South. It will be hot, but not as humid, and there are some good traditional Chinese places to see.
To avoid crowds, be sure to visit some lesser known temples and parks in whatever cities you visit.
I think getting privacy to deal with your leg will be a little hard. You can usually find corners where there aren't many people around, but benches are not common, so the stool is a good idea.