Viking China (Part 2)

[pacmom]

Just saw a show on Wealth TV about shopping in Shanghi. The tea shopping caught my eye, especially the flower blossom teas. Any advice on where to buy these items and will they pass customs. I would love to have 4-5 dozen for small gifts. Pat

[Peregrina651]

Just saw a show on Wealth TV about shopping in Shanghi. The tea shopping caught my eye, especially the flower blossom teas. Any advice on where to buy these items and will they pass customs. I would love to have 4-5 dozen for small gifts. Pat

 

On Cultural Delights, we had Silver Needle tea at the Yueyang Tower. When you brew the tea, with boiling water, you have to wait for the needles to rise and sink three times before the tea is ready. Teas should be easy to find. There was a food market very near to the Pudong ShangriLa Hotel in Shanghai. Tell your escort what you want to buy and he should be able to tell you where to find it.

 

As for whether you can bring teas into the US, check it out with Customs and Border Patrol:

Here is a link to US CBP's

"Know Before You Go"

The Know Before You Go link has tons of helpful information as to what you can and cannot bring in and what the duty free limits are. Everyone should read it. Even better this is one we should all have bookmarked for our future travels.

 

And here is a link to a comment in Prohibited Items on prepared foods which does specifically mention teas. I'm not going to copy the paragraph here or repeat what it says because regs can change.

 

Citizens of the UK, Canada, Australia, etc. will have to check with their own governments.

IMHO, CC is a very good source for certain advice but this is one of the times when you consult the regulating authority because when you pass through Customs and they tell you that you can't bring in that $50 package of Spanish chorizo or that bag of apples, they don't care that your friends on CC told you otherwise.

[Peregrina651]

 

 

I just realized that the first cruise of the year, a Cultural Delights sailing, is already underway.

 

Bon voyage, everyone. Have a great time!

[pacmom]

Peregrina, thanks for the advice about the tea. It won't break my spirit if I can't bring these beautiful teas home, but I will try very hard to do so. Hope there are some reports about the trips this year. We don't leave til the 20th of Oct.. Pat

[Peregrina651]

Peregrina, thanks for the advice about the tea. It won't break my spirit if I can't bring these beautiful teas home, but I will try very hard to do so. Hope there are some reports about the trips this year. We don't leave til the 20th of Oct.. Pat

 

Hang in there, past history shows that this thread should start hoping any day now--especially if we keep it on page one;).

[Lori Dobson]

Just saw a show on Wealth TV about shopping in Shanghi. The tea shopping caught my eye, especially the flower blossom teas. Any advice on where to buy these items and will they pass customs. I would love to have 4-5 dozen for small gifts. Pat

 

 

I saw that same show - I don't think I will be bringing home any vessel sinks like she did but the teas are a great idea! Our Viking trip dosen't leave until Aug. 30th 2012 but I will also be going to China on another trip on May 22nd 2012 - I will post here if I was able to bring back some of those flower teas.:)

[pilgrimtraveler]

Just returned from the Imperial Jewels of China trip - the first trip of the season! The flower blossom teas are available everywhere in Shanghai. I bought some and had no problem bringing them back through U.S. Customs.

 

The trip was amazing!! For those of you who will be going on the trip in the future - you will see and learn a lot. Viking Cruises takes very good care of it's customers.

[luvvacations]

For those who have gone on this trip, if you didn't book your flight with Viking and are doing their own transfers, how did you meet up with your guides for the tour the next day?

[Turtles06]

For those who have gone on this trip, if you didn't book your flight with Viking and are doing their own transfers, how did you meet up with your guides for the tour the next day?

 

We handled our own air and transfers and so I had the same question. Our Viking escort called us in our hotel room on the Viking arrival day, and told us when and where to be the next morning. To ease your mind, when you check in to your hotel, you could also mention to them that you need to connect with your Viking escort.

 

Have a great trip!

[luvvacations]

We handled our own air and transfers and so I had the same question. Our Viking escort called us in our hotel room on the Viking arrival day, and told us when and where to be the next morning. To ease your mind, when you check in to your hotel, you could also mention to them that you need to connect with your Viking escort.

 

Have a great trip!

 

Thanks for your info!

[pacmom]

Pilgrimtraveler,

 

Can you give me an idea about the cost of the flower blossom teas. Thanks in advance. Pat

[pilgrimtraveler]

Pat,

 

We paid about $2 a bulb. You may be able to get them cheaper - I'm not that good at bargaining. That was still 50% off the original asking price.

Each bulb will give you approximately 6-8 cups of tea. And, the flower lasts for about a week as decoration. I suggest making sure you have them packaged tightly as tea.

[cmbath]

We are doing the Roof of the World tour starting on May 11th. We are also taking the Hong Kong extenstion. I was wondering about how much of the local currency should we take with us? Are the ATM's easily accessed? I will say that we do not purchase as many things as other people might.

 

Thanks

Chuck Batherson

[Peregrina651]

We are doing the Roof of the World tour starting on May 11th. We are also taking the Hong Kong extenstion. I was wondering about how much of the local currency should we take with us? Are the ATM's easily accessed? I will say that we do not purchase as many things as other people might.

 

Thanks

Chuck Batherson

 

Chuck --

 

I can't speak to the Hong Kong extension or the Tibet portion but ATMs were fairly easy to find in the cities, especially since there was one in each of the hotels where we stayed. Plus, you can exchange currency at the hotel desk. However, ATMs are not quite as easy to find during the cruise portion of the tour. At most of the stops* there just isn't time to go off on your own looking for one.

 

We did not take any local currency with us; our local source is just too expensive, between the 10% mark-up on the exchange plus the $10 shipping fee.

 

Also, please note that there is no currency exchange on the ship.

 

*Cultural Delights cruisers take note that since you have an afternoon to wonder around Wuhan on your own, you can find ATMs there.

Edited March 21, 2012 by Peregrina651

[pacmom]

Pilgrimtraveler, thanks for the reply. Will definitely set aside money for that treat--am a real tea lover. That tea and the small terra cotta warriors from the Ming Tombs are my only druthers right now. Notice I said right now. Pat:)

[NivCruise]

We are doing the Roof of the World tour starting on May 11th. We are also taking the Hong Kong extenstion. I was wondering about how much of the local currency should we take with us? Are the ATM's easily accessed? I will say that we do not purchase as many things as other people might.

 

Thanks

Chuck Batherson

 

 

You will use a lot of small currency ( say 20Y denominations) to tip bus drivers and local guides. You can use credit card for tipping on the boat. Your Viking tour guide will be paid in Cash at the end of the trip. No doubt you will want to give a good tip to your Viking guide. Some are better than others. We thought our guide was worth every penny. Tony helped us out greatly when my wife forgot her purse at the restaurant in Tibet.

 

As for shopping all of the local shops in the streets sell mainly junk. You can use credit cards at the reputable places Viking will take you to. There is one stop in Beijing where you visit a house where a local craft person sells painted small jars/ She is paid in cash but her work is excellent and reasonably priced. There is a shop at the great wall that sells jade and perhaps you would get a better deal at the jade factory that you will visit.

 

They will take you to a shop in Tibet that has nice stuff at good prices. The only place to shop in Tibet. Some of the shops ( mainly Jade & Silk embroidery) are very high pressure.

 

My wife got a coat made for her on the boat which was reasonably priced and was custom made on standard designs. I am not sure how often she will wear it but it is pretty.I think it cost about $200 dollars. We didn't overspend but certainly there is group pressure because most of the Viking guests really like to shop.

 

My friends who went on the Hong Kong extension had suits and dresses made there. The finished product was shipped by mail. They were not cheap as the price reflects superior quality.

 

 

I think we brought about $1000 in Yuan and came back with about $ 800.

It seems to me that we bought some goods with that money as well. You can always take the excess cash back to the currency exchange when you get home.

 

I would would definitely bring Cipro and Diamox with you on your trip.

 

You will tire of the Chinese food but on the boat you can order from an alternate menu. All the hotels were five star except Tibet which I would say is decent maybe 3 to 4 star.

 

I know that you will enjoy your Viking trip. It is not cheap but good value for the money.

[H2Otstr]

.

 

 

My wife got a coat made for her on the boat which was reasonably priced and was custom made on standard designs. I am not sure how often she will wear it but it is pretty.I think it cost about $200 dollars.

 

I think we brought about $1000 in Yuan and came back with about $ 800.

 

 

There were a few people in our group who also used the tailor on the boat and were very pleased with the finished product. One couple got his and her pajamas made.

 

If there is something that you might want to have made by them I would suggest that you bring a picture from home (from a catalog) and show them. They do not speak English, so you have to point to what you want from their book of items that they make. I am sorry that I did NOT have a silk robe made by them. Their custom price would have been the same as I paid in the silk factory, and what I purchased is an inferior product.

 

I took $200 worth of Yuan and spent most of it. I did not need more. I did keep some back to buy something at the airport, but I didn't see anything that I wanted there, so I gave it to a Chinese lady in the airport (around $8 in Yuan).

[NivCruise]

I spent about $900 Cdn money converted to yuan. That included tipping for Viking staff and all other tipping and about $300 in purchases.

 

As far as Viking Tipping most folks followed the guidelines for the Viking staff except there were some days on the boat where the Viking tour guide did little as opposed to other days when they did a whole lot . On the days where they did a lot we certainly gave the per person suggestion on some other days on the boat perhaps a prorated amount.

 

There was some really good local guides and some who were not. Tipping varies. We always tipped the bus driver because driving in China must be a nightmare!

[Turtles06]

You will use a lot of small currency ( say 20Y denominations) to tip bus drivers and local guides. You can use credit card for tipping on the boat. Your Viking tour guide will be paid in Cash at the end of the trip. No doubt you will want to give a good tip to your Viking guide. Some are better than others. We thought our guide was worth every penny. Tony helped us out greatly when my wife forgot her purse at the restaurant in Tibet.

 

 

I totally agree with the prediction that you'll find your Viking escort was so great you'll want to give him or her a generous tip. Just a reminder: your escort will be happy to accept this tip in any currency (or mix of currencies) you have with you, including USD. (It's also a good oppty to get rid of any RMB you may have left; you might want to keep a small amount for the airport...).

 

But it's a really good idea to tip the local guides and bus drivers in RMB (and in fact our Viking escort asked us to do this) -- they are not getting the same "volume" of cash that the escorts are getting, and, particularly along the river, converting foreign currency to RMB may be difficult and/or expensive for them.

 

We took a few hundred USD worth of RMB with us (we were arriving several days early to see more of Beijing, and had hired a guide), but it was also easy to change money at our hotel desk. By law, they have to give you the same exchange rate as a bank. There was a limit (I think it was about $500 USD/day per room) but nothing that should cause a problem.

[caribill]

If there is something that you might want to have made by them I would suggest that you bring a picture from home (from a catalog) and show them. They do not speak English, so you have to point to what you want from their book of items that they make.

 

This is another time that yiour Viking Guide for the trip can be very helpful. He/she can translate your desires to the tailor.

[pacmom]

We now have our flights and hotels. We arrive at 11:30 pm on Oct. 21st--touring doesn't start til the 23rd. We may sleep very late on the 22nd, but at least we won't be sleep walking. Just about 7 more months. Pat

Edited March 22, 2012 by pacmom

[pacmom]

This is a very special birthday trip for me. Has anyone eaten Peiking duck at either LiQun or DaDong. Know some have eaten at Made in China. Our hotel is the Westin-Financial ST., so was looking for something closer. We will do this on our "free" nite before touring starts. Thanks in advance. Pat

[Turtles06]

This is a very special birthday trip for me. Has anyone eaten Peiking duck at either LiQun or DaDong. Know some have eaten at Made in China. Our hotel is the Westin-Financial ST., so was looking for something closer. We will do this on our "free" nite before touring starts. Thanks in advance. Pat

 

One couple on our trip ate at Da Dong and really liked it. We were at the Ritz Carlton financial street. IIRC, they might have had a bit of a hassle getting a cab back, so ask your concierge about that.

 

(we ate at Made in China, but we arrived three days early and stayed the Hyatt before heading over to the Ritz Carlton)

[Glassespro]

Hi all, Wife and I have been gone for a while. Our son was sent to London for three months, and the firm rented him a 2-bedroom, so we took our first trip to London and Paris! Totally last minute, but really great--and the 'hotel' price in London couldn't be beat (-0-)!

 

Just got caught up with everyone and everything. As usual, your info is sooo valuable. Thanks. Niv: a page or 2 back you mentioned getting tired of Chinese food. Quick story. When I lived in Taiwan, that's all we ate. After about one month, we went to the US Navy base and begged people to take us into the grill on base. That was the best hamburger and fries I've ever eaten in my life. As much as I love Chinese food, this trip to the base became a routine every 4-6 weeks.

 

Some of you talked about a roll call. I did start one for the Jewels trip on 10/10/12, (see link below) and will now go and try to get it back on track. Not much action as most of you have said.

[doctor4kydz]

We are thinking about the 7/24/12 itinerary on Viking "Imperial Jewels of China". We have heard that China in the summer can be unbearably hot.

 

Do you think that July is a decent time to visit China? Will the weather have a negative impact on our trip?

 

Aso, it seems like so many people traveling on this trip end up with traveler's diarrhea. Is this just part of traveling to China? If you are try careful about what you eat/drink, is there a good chance of not being effected?