Tips for Asian cruise part 2

1. You do not need a guide at Nha Trang. There is a man at the gate who speaks English and organizes cabs with the help of a picture menu. For $45 we had a cab for four hours and saw everything we wanted to see. True, nobody was blabbing at us about emperor this or that, but you can take along any information you wish to repeat there.

2. Beware of the vendors from hell at Nha Trang's Long Son Pagoda. You can travel the world and never find their equal. They will do anything short of beat you to death with their fans to sell them for a dollar. They stand next to you and repeat "buy fan" until they are sure you will cave. They will sit up against you, repeating it and fanning you ad nauseum. I even had one pinch my arm five times very hard because I said I did not want the fan. I had to knock her arm off me. Also, they run a little scam there in which soda sellers will jump up from their posts if you are heading for the bathroom, turn a water faucet on in there full bore, and hold their hands out, saying, "One dollar." Of course, you already know not to fall for the scam of the practicing English student or the see my art collection. Those are tried in Nha Trang as well as everywhere in Asia. My husband was accosted four times in the same spot in Beijing.

3. Take many 1's in USD for Vietnam. That's all you need pretty much on the streets and in the markets. The cabs, however, take only Dong. Our guide paid for the cabs in Dong and we reimbursed him.

4. Beware when walking in Asia. The pavement is uneven and uneven or missing. There is sometimes a little ditch cut down one side that you can twist a foot in. There are often crowds ahead of you who block your view ahead. The Forbidden City is like a minefield of foot twisters. One lady twisted her ankle on our Thailand tour and had to be sent back to the ship in a cab. Interesting that they have an ambulance on the premises at the Grand Palace in Thailand! Our tour used it twice!

5. If you use a wheelchair, consider staying home. The effort of seeing anything would be monumental due to the hundreds of steps, uneven pavement, lack of ramps, etc. That said, you could see the Terra Cotta warriors. They were the only thing I saw in 30 days that was set up for the disabled like it is here. And, in addition, there were several guys who offered the service of pushing people around in "rented" wheelchairs. I used a cane thoughout the trip and made it everywhere, but it wasn't easy.

6. Look at venues other than the Silk or Pearl Markets for your shopping in Beijing. (Actually, my guide called the latter the No-Pearl Market.) Those places are not pleasant to shop in. Instead, have your guide take you to Liulichang Street, beautiful, peaceful places to shop where prices are low, people are relaxed, and stores are charming. There are other streets like that, but people do not read before they go! Our guide said she has never been asked to go where we went, that all people ask to see is the Pearl Market. If you are a knitter, I bought a kilo of wonderful wool for $30 in a small store just off Wangfujing.

7. Be prepared for the physical demands of Asia. You will need to go up AND DOWN from 100-300 stairs a day. Some stairs are 18 inches high, like those leading up to Mutianyu. The ghost sills at the Forbidden City and the Lamasery are at least 18 inches high and are at each door. You will walk, often on uneven terrain, for 4-8 hours a day. Get ready for that at home.

8. Do try a Korean pancake on the shopping street the ship's excursion takes you to after Apec house. Talk about yummy! Similarly, if you go to Xi'ans Arab Market, try the persimmon cakes.

9. If you approach the Forbidden City from its side gate, notice there is a tram there that will save you a long walk. It costs just 1 yuan. It goes from Donhuamen Street.

10. If the coffee shop at the airport has four to six greeters outside it, walk on by. It will cost you minimally $10 for a small cup of coffee or a small cup of tea in those places.

11. If you get to China and need a cane, you can buy one at a pharmacy for $10.

12. All restaurants in China have picture menus. But if you don't want ketchup or such on your burger, have your hotel concierge write "no ketchup," "no mayo," "no sauce" in Chinese. We flashed that a number of times. I also had him write "where's the bathroom." Used that several times as well.

13. For a lovely and peaceful experience, visit the bird market in Hong Kong. Old men walking their birds and hanging them in the trees. Very charming. And across the street is the Mong Kok flower market that will take your breath away early in the morning.

14. Dried fruits and nuts and fish, for that matter, are ubiquitous in Asia. I bought quite a lot of fruits in the markets inexpensively. They are very good. Try to dried cherry tomatoes.

15. If you are flying domestically in Asia, realize you only get 20k per person. We paid an extra $100 for luggage from Beijing to Hong Kong and an extra $275 from HK to Singapore for exactly the same luggage.

16. Recommend if you spend the night in Xi'an, you do so in the area of the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. There's tons of shopping and restaurants there. if you want to stay in a lovely, quiet place, stay at the Crowne Plaza, which is brand new and gorgeous. But there you have no restaurants around the location and must eat off the room service menu (15-20 USD) or marvelous buffet that features cook-to-order ribeyes ($45.)

17. Do stay at the Salisbury YMCA in Hong Kong. Great views, cheapest price around with the best location. Nice rooms, especially the Harbour View rooms.

18. Quit taking pictures of kids' butts hanging out of their pants or doing their business on the street. It's tacky, and back home we'd call it child pornography.

19. Quit stiffing your guides. They work hard all day for very little money. Most of their money comes from your tips, which you know you are supposed to give. I see so many people just walk right by the guide. Tacky, tacky, tacky. One woman who monopolized the guide all day gave him the equivalent of a dollar for a $120 tour. Personally, I think it is shameful to be so chintzy.

Thankyou so much for sharing these tips with us. We are heading over that way next year.

You will be amazed at the things you see. It is quite a trip!

That was the best,most frankly spoken review I've read yet. Really great and helpful info for our trip next year. You said this was part II so now I need to go and find part I.

I really appreciate your tips part 1and 2 .... Invaluable information.

Thanks so much!

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I second the Salisbury Hotel, it's absolutely nothing like you'd imagine a YMCA would be. Perfect location for getting about on public transport, too.

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience at My Son, we had no issues at all so guess it's the luck of the draw.