This festival is a cool way to show to the rest of the world how beautiful China is. Even the opening ceremony is cool and afterwards comes a series of special activities including an evening party, an reception banquet and much more.

Harbin Ice Festival was established in 1985, is held annually from January 5 and lasts for over one month. Namely this festival made the Chinese province of Harbin very popular.

The event allows everybody concerned to enjoy numerous sculptures made out of ice. What is more, the festival also includes skiing, winter swimming and an exhibition of ice lanterns as events.

I am ready to bet you will love the idea!

But while you are away, one of the serious concerns is about connecting to your home country or other friends around the world. Well, the situation is no more difficult as it seemed decades ago. Just by one click you can say ‘Hello’ or send pictures and feel closer to your loved ones.

Following are a few ways to stay in touch while traveling in China

Phone Calls
There are many phone call services around us, but very few offer suitable and cheap international calling method that could be useful to you while traveling.

It is very important to carry a phone as your family members would be making calls to China to know every bit about you. Remember, you are miles away from them thus you need to give them the assurance that you are safe and sound. Making several cheap calls to your loved ones can also help you combat loneliness during the first few days of your trip.

Get Online
Internet cafes are plentiful and inexpensive in China. So if you have internet right at your finger tips, it gets easier to bridge the gap. You can talk all day long on yahoo/gtalk Messenger, Video chat, etc, if you don’t care about money spent on it. You can also make Skype calls for business conferences or just to share your day’s experience with a loved one. If your pals are not online, leave them offline messages or write emails requesting them to come online at a particular time.

Social Media
These days, social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter live with us 24/7. You can do so much to get connected using this media. You may just write on a wall, upload pictures or keep tweeting to tell the world what’s happening around you. Blogging is another great way to share your stories by writing and posting pictures. You may even share your daily pictures on Flickr and everyone back home can know how much you are enjoying.

Sending Gifts
This could the most touching way to make your family feel that you are close to them. While you are in China, you can pick up gifts such as antiques, craft items, etc and just send them to your family before you reach back home. They would be highly obliged to realize that you made them feel so special though from a distance.

According to the history the 60sqkm of terraced rice were first built in the times of Yuan dynasty and they were completed by Zhuang people. the most amazing thing about them is the way terraces are built. They create huge layers on a slope and look mind-blowing. The highest point of an elevation is 885m and the lowest 380m.

The coiling spirals of terraces make the mountain look like a huge snail. What is a more, a number of small villages is scattered among terraces. The best time to visit terraces is spring, when they are filled with water. You will  easily find the right hotel and dining facilities here.

Blue NileRiver, Khartoum

No, no. It’s not the second Nile, it is just the 1,600 km long chief headstream of the Nile. The river goes through Ethiopia and Sudan and at Khartoum the Blue Nile merges with the White Nile and they create the famous Nile proper. The flow of the Blue Nile reaches it maximum level in the rainy season. The Blue Nile is strong and beautiful and it offers numerous places for amazing shots.

Indus River, Northern Pakistan

The Indus River is the longest river in Pakistan. What is more, it is the life-line of the country. The average length of the river is 3,180 kilometres. The river is extremely important since it is crucial for the ecosystem of temperate forests and arid countryside. The Indus river belongs to a couple of rivers around the world that exhibit a tidal bore. Main source of water is glaciers.

Yangtze River, China

The Yangtze River is 6,300 kilometres long and it stretches nine provinces. This river is the third large after the Amazon and Nile. Very often in China it is called the River of Golden Sand. For many years the river has been a main transportation highway. Every year the Yangtze deposits a lot of silt that makes possible rice growing. These plains are very fertile that is why to grow something here is a real pleasure. Apart from its important transit, economic and agricultural functions, the river offers spectacular views.

1. North Yungas Road, aka “Road of Death”, Bolivia: This road cuts through the Bolivian Andes, running almost 70 km from La Paz to Coroico. It travels nearly 3,600 meters down and is comprised almost entirely of narrow hairpin curves. Unfortunately, their is no safety net below off the side of the road, and as you can see from the picture, the drop is quite severe. While you’re smart enough to read about this road before attempting to travel it, between 100-200 people a year over estimate their driving abilities, leading to their unfortunate death. Constructed in the 1930′s by Paraguayan prisoners, it would be easy to assume that they built it to be this treacherous on purpose. North Yungas Road is most frequently traveled by trucks and busses, which makes it’s span of merely three meters wide almost as terrifying as looking out the window when on it. If you still don’t fear the “Road of Death” be warned, these conditions are only what you would experience in the dry season. Let’s hope you don’t get stuck there in the rain.

2. Siberian Road to Yakutsk, Russia. If your looking to travel to Yakutsk, this is road is the only option you have. As you can see, you’ll be traveling on more mud than actual road so let’s hope you’re friends with a local tow truck driver! Expect traffic to come to a stop as many will wait for this 30 km long road to dry enough to considering driving on. But being a mud road isn’t the only thing that makes it dangerous. Many expects suspect underground gas leaks, supported by the reports from a majority of motorists who have survived car accidents on this road claiming that they can’t remember what happened. Perhaps Yakutsk isn’t worth visiting after all.

3. Guoliang Tunnel in the Taihang Mountains, China  Before May 1st 1977 the only hope of making it to the small village on the other side of the mountain was to follow the along the rock foot path. In 1972 workers began a five year process of creating this 1,200 meter long tunnel, spanning 4 meters wide and 5 meters high. Wear and tear over the years has caused this tunnel to become uneven, but don’t worry, the view from the thirty plus windows will make your journey on this road even scarier.

4. Taroko Gorge Road, Taiwan. While this road doesn’t offer the twists and turns you’ll find from those above, you’re still riding on a wide open mountain side. Although an absolutely beautiful sight to see, don’t take your eyes off the road unless you happen to have a car parachute. Your best bet to enjoy this beautiful scenery would be to take a tour bus across it, unless of course your looking for a more scenic grave.

Hi, China is an incredible and mysterious country, isn’t it? So, in such a case let’s go on with out travel tips. Yesterday, we covered only a small part of them and found out general info about China, its people, climate, tradition and holidays. And now, I propose you to deepen your knowledge and clarify the following:

You have already chosen a tour, time and duration of your trip, now it is exactly the time to specify:

Entry/Exit regulations:

Travelling by air: you need a valid passport and visa. The rest of papers you will get on board the plane or from your own trip advisor.

Travelling by car: must enter China through special pre-approved ports and, of course, valid passports, visas and some other documents are a must.

When entered a country you are expected to fill in a Health Declaration Form (don’t forget to mention serious diseases, if you have one). Moreover, remember that you can’t take from China: weapon of all kinds, forged currency and securities, any information carrier, which contains info, harmful to Chinese authorities, economy and politics, poisons, drugs, relics, endangered plants and animals. The following bans are in force unless the authorities gave you a proper certificate or allowance.

What to wear

It is one of the most challenging questions, you wanna show yourself in all the beauty and take all your clothes with you, but… remember, that China’s climate is very changeable and varies from place to place. So, find out an average temperature at the place you are going at and than carefully plan what to wear there. As a rule, winters are really cold and summers are rather warm. So take everything you want, but remember, it must be comfortable for you to travel and having rest.

What to pack

China is a nice country, just like most of others you are planning to visit, so in order to enjoy your travelling don’t take a lot of things. First of all, don’t forget about documents and be as careful as possible. And always take an address of you hotel with you – most of population can’t speak English. Then, clothes – we have already talked about them. Medicine – take medicine of general use and, of course, some special medicine, that you can need. And, it goes without saying, take things of your personal hygiene.

The next stage of your travelling: you are in China…

Photography

I think, nobody will call this point an unimportant one, because photos gives us memories, they return us back into the best moments of our lives. So, be sure, you have taken enough films or memory cards with you. It is a bad dream, to look for a memory card instead of admire the landscapes. Some places demands fees for photos and some just can’t be photographed (I mean: museums, relics, temples, palaces etc.) Ask permission before making a photo of this cute old man in the middle of the street.

Water to drink

Even if you are very thirsty, don’t even try to drink water from a tap – it can cause a lot of health problems. Even the best hotels can’t supply you with drinkable water from a tap. Most of the apartments are equipped with water dispensers or hot pots. Use them for their designed purposes.

What to eat

China is a real paradise for gourmets. Chinese cuisine is popular worldwide and is full of: rice and wheat, corn and millet, noodles and dough sticks, cakes and snakes. Each dish has a perfect combination of species and sauces. If you don’t have enough money, please, remember, you can use a small snack-bar and be impressed with their dishes.

What to buy

China is full of various presents, goods and unusual things. You can spend hours looking for a particular thing and find a lot of other marvelous ones. China is famous for: silk, tea, antique, various paintings, calligraphy, pearls, handicrafts. And, no doubts, you will buy things cheaper, while going into the big cities, such as: Lhasa, Beijung, Xian and others.

Tipping

Tipping is very popular in China. But, remember, it is a personal matter. You can cheer up a really good worker and give nothing to a worker that you didn’t like at all. 1 to 5 US dollars will be enough for a small gratitude.

And, as a conclusion, I would like to say – enjoy your trip, think about it, plan it, but be ready to some unplanned events and some minor disappointments. We are all people and to err is humane. So, don’t spoil your own rest! And visit the Great Wall of China!

So, let’s go on with out travel tips. Today, I decided to tell more about China.

To start with – list of fast facts:

• Capital of China is Beijing;
• Official language: Cantonese and Mandarin (but, country if full of various dialects);
• Religion: a variety of religions (Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism etc.);
• Currency: Yuan Renminbi (Y);
• Climate: marked continental monsoonal (most parts of the country has clear division between seasons);
• Time zone: China covers five time zones (from the geographical point of view), but, in general, UTC+8;
• There are 13 legal holidays in China;
• China is a multiracial country (56 ethnic groups). People are hardworking, industrious, hospitable and conservative;
• There are 20 mln of bloggers in China

Another important point of viewing is etiquette: Chinese people strictly follow the rules themselves and demand others to follow them.

These rules can’t be ignored:

Mianzi (Face)

In any situation a Chinese person can’t loose a face. It is forbidden to insult, shame, yell at a person. So, any situation that can provoke a Chinese to lose a face is banned. Also, don’t even try to shout at a person in public. If you want tell a person that he or she is not right – make it secretly and privately.

Keqi

Keqi is not only about good manners, politeness and modesty. Remember, Chinese people will never show their emotions in public. They never shake hands and kiss each other (while other people are looking at them).

Guanxi

It is a some kind of “glue”, that keeps society together and makes relationships between people very friendly, polite and warm.

Of course, try to remember about these rules, but also, calm down, Chinese are very tolerant and will never offend you.

Hello, dear Tibet-lovers, now let’s go on with our travel tips! Are you ready to get acquainted with 4 more tips? So, they are the following…

1. Entertainment Tips

   First of all – people, they are so kind, hospitable and friendly. They are always ready to open the doors of their houses to you. Just imagine, more than several hundred of palaces. Various clubs, popular sport complexes. So, there is a great number of bars and cafes in Tibet, among the most popular in Lhasa can be named:

   • Niwei Recreation City Opposite Youth Mansion;
   • Kelsang Metok Minzhu Recreation Center;
   • Salon Nightclub Near Lhasa Military Branch Region;

   Also, Tibet can be proud of a wide chain of stores, boutiques and just shops, the most interesting and worth visiting is (in Lhasa): Barkhor Street Bazar Inside Barkhor Street. So, anyway, you won’t feel disappointed!

   

2. Currency Exchange

   To tell the truth, only 2 currencies are popular in Tibet (and sometimes exceptionally they can be accepted): US dollar and Chinese Yuan. But, be careful, dollars are not used in each shop and credit cards you can use only at some hotels, moreover, the exchanging rate is fantastically low.

   Remember, official and profitable operation you can make only in the Bank of China, it has sub-branches in Lhasa. Sometimes, you can think, that it is no use to go to the official representative office, but you are not right, because making exchanges on the black market, you can be cheated. And this mistake can spoil the rest of your holiday and leave awful impression about this country.

   

3. Tips for Photographers

   I don’t know a single person, who hates making photos, while travelling to new countries. So, I believe, you are not an exception, but before taking your paper or digital memories with you, find out how to make it and not to provoke an international scandal. So, the following travel tips are useful for photo-lovers:

   • general preparations, such as taking batteries, taking more films, spare balconies, equip the camera lens with UV lens;
   • it is forbidden to make photos inside the chapels, as a rule, you can use a camera in monasteries (unless, lama didn’t tell you not to do so);
   • do not offer money to a person you asked to photograph you, better give him or her a small present;

   

4. Various cultural taboos

   There are a lot of them, but let’s just specify the most popular and sometimes harmful, because very often your behaviour can lead to misunderstandings:

   • Taboos on social courtesies

     So, it is better to forget of naughty words usage, add “la” before a name of a person. Show your respect in everything: take the gift only with 2 hands, while giving wine, tea or other drink, don’t even dare to touch the bottom of bowl. Before drinking a cup of tea or a glass of wine – dip your ring finger in it and flick the wine three time, thus, you will show, that you really respect the heaven, the ancestors and the earth.

   • Taboos on behaviors

     Do not: step on the threshold while entering the house, use paper with Tibet characters for your personal needs, cross any musical instrument, that is used in the Buddhist mass, enter the house if you see the sign (hanged in front of the house: a fire, for example), touch other people head, come in before the elder people, clap your hands before Tibet people and etc.;

   • Taboos on diets

     As a rule, people of Tibet, do not eat fish, shrimps, eggs and chicken. As to meat, they do not use monkey, dog and horse.

   • Taboos on Belief

     While arriving to mountains, do not make rackets (they considered to be provocateurs of rain and storm), do not touch the statue of Buddha, be quiet in a monastery and don’t even dare to kill an animal near a monastery.

Good luck!

Tibet! I think everybody wants to visit this country and to feel its spirit, but before this, you have to find out more about it, to get acquainted with main travel tips in order to be prepared…

1. So, the first of 8 travel tips can be named – Best Time For Visiting

   Climate in Tibet is the typical downy special climate. And don’t feel upset, but, it can vary throughout the day and different places in Tibet. Pay attention, you can visit Tibet at any time, but the best time is from April to October. From May to September (especially July and August), as a rule, comes a rainy season, so don’t forget your umbrellas.

   

   You need only 4 documents to visit and travel freely in Tibet: the Chinese Visa, the second one is Tibet Permit, the third one is the Travel Permit when you are planning to travel to the closed areas in Tibet which you can obtain it after you arrive in Tibet (So, the 1st question what travel permit is? This paper is also called Aliens’ Travel Permit (A.T.P) and it is required to visit closed areas), and the fourth document is the Military Permit (not always, only if are going to visit some special areas: Ngari, Nyingchi, and Nagqu). Also, you need a visa and a passport (valid for at least six months).

   

2. Mountain Sickness

   Yeah, I am not mistaken, there is not only an air-sickness, it is another kind of disease, that is very popular among Tibet tourists and it presents a great risk to their health! When at high altitudes, people are lack of oxygen, so symptoms vary, but the most widespread are: dizziness, fatigue, headache, nausea, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and insomnia. As a rule, in the course of acclimatization your health condition will become better and better. Before going to Tibet, visit a doctor and be sure that your heart, lungs and other organs are healthy! But the following precautions will help you to avoid Mountain Sickness: drink as mush as possible, before visiting Tibet and in the country: don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, eat more chocolate and fruits. If you already feel sick, don’t even think to go higher.

   

3. Packing Things

   Remember! Tibet is just another place to visit, it is no use to take the whole wardrobe with you. Moreover, it is a remote place, so choose as comfortable things as possible. Nevertheless, you can always ask your travel advisor. But, don’t forget:

   • documents (ID card and Travel Permit);
   • a folder or a small bag (in order to put very important papers);
   • bag (in order to put things, you are going to take with you, while visiting some place of interest);
   • lotions, creams, sunglasses and other things in order not to get sun burns;
   • cold-weather clothes. Sounds strange? Because, it is so unbelievable to put lotion with SPF and a warm sweater in one bag, while going to catching sun. But, facts are stubborn thing. As you already know, weather in Tibet can changes in a very quick way, so be ready! Walking shoes, rain coat, woolen socks, hiking boots, long-sleeve shirts… all these things are a must!
   • torches: be ready to power cuts. Very often the electricity can be cut after 10 PM. It is so romantic!
   • oxygen bag: it will help to facilitate the symptoms of mountain sickness and in Tibet it is a useful thing, because it  (Tibet) is situated very high;
   • travel bag: who knows, may be you will decide to spend a very romantic night (in the case, if the electricity will work);
   • and, of course, medicine: tablets for water purification, chrysanthemum tea, pain-killers, medicines for diarrhea, nausea, colds and fever.

To be continued…

Second part >>>