Viking China (Part 2)

[GoInOnaCruz]

Gosh, most folks really don't need it. Grab your clothes between your legs with one hand, pull out, up and away from your body, just lean back a little with a little bend of the knees (no need for a full squat), have tp in your other hand... that's it. (Am I the only one who has hiked where there are no facilities whatsoever? :))

 

GoInOnACruz: thanks for the great review; happy you had such a wonderful time (but not at all surprised)!

 

Sorry I should have explained that although in top physical shape--I work out every day and x2 days a week with a personal trainer--I have bad knees--so though I can do a squat at the gym I didn't want to do this in an unstable environment--so only get the devices if you need them--Turtles is right, lots of women had no trouble at all. I shared mine with an elderly woman in our group and she was grateful for the share!

http://p-standingup.com/

[GoInOnaCruz]

BTW one thing I forgot to mention--thanks for all of the help from the people willing to share their experiences here on CC. We booked our cruise late--only a couple of months prior and had little time to do any research independently so I relied pretty heavily on the postings here. I was SO prepared for the tour that I was a little obnoxious :) So many people had never heard about Cruise Critic or if they had were large ocean cruisers and didn't even think about checking out the river cruises forums. I'm so glad I did and I know that it made our experience so much better because we knew a lot of what to expect. I "met" 4 of our fellow cruisers on the roll call that I created and we all met up in China--in fact shared dinner at Black Sesame Kitchen with one couple and spent a significant amount of time with a wonderful woman from Toronto, her mother, aunts, and a cousin. I was asking one man and his wife in the gift shop at the Great Wall where they got their diet coke and he said, "Are you Sue?" Turned out he was one of our roll call members and recognized me from my description on the board! Thanks to all for your generous sharing of your time and experiences! :D

[sissabagrama]

Sorry I should have explained that although in top physical shape--I work out every day and x2 days a week with a personal trainer--I have bad knees--so though I can do a squat at the gym I didn't want to do this in an unstable environment--so only get the devices if you need them--Turtles is right, lots of women had no trouble at all. I shared mine with an elderly woman in our group and she was grateful for the share!

http://p-standingup.com/

Thanks, I, too think of myself as in great shape, and not too elderly, I can drop lift my four year old and 18 month old grandchildren two ten hour days a week, but knees can act up! So, I'm looking for a 'little' insurance/security if available! Thanks again.

[sissabagrama]

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/s720x720/482050_4650701185288_795534460_n.jpg Me with "my" third graders at one of the 3 Viking River Schools. What an experience :)

Love your 'class'! I'm leaving my classes -I'm a Reading Specialist in an elementary school in Wisconsin, so do the Imperial Jewels Apr 4 trip. I know 'treats' are put together for later fair handout, but is there anything my first through 4th graders could send that would be good? Our students take Mandarin lessons 1/3 of the year, getting exposure to Spanish and German the other thirds. Thanks for any ideas or insights!

[pacmom]

sissabagrama, during our trip last Oct. nver used an eastern toilet. Always managed to find a western toilet---even on the bus ride from the boat to Shanghai--used tthe handicapped one. Really was going to get a portable urinal. but felt the cost wasn't worth it, plus it was not unobtrusive. My knees do not like bending, like they did even 10 yrs. ago. This was an incredible trip. Please say hello to Janos if you are on the Emerald. Enjoy!!!!! Pat

[sissabagrama]

sissabagrama, during our trip last Oct. nver used an eastern toilet. Always managed to find a western toilet---even on the bus ride from the boat to Shanghai--used tthe handicapped one. Really was going to get a portable urinal. but felt the cost wasn't worth it, plus it was not unobtrusive. My knees do not like bending, like they did even 10 yrs. ago. This was an incredible trip. Please say hello to Janos if you are on the Emerald. Enjoy!!!!! Pat

Thank you, pacmom, ! I did actually just purchase a few 'day packs' of disposable cones. It will relieve any anxiety I have! But will look forward to not needing them! The place I found had 9 for $4.95, so pretty reasonable, small to carry, and throw away. I'll save them for those moments at the lake if not used in China! We will say hello to Janos - we'll look for him, as we will be on the Emerald in just over a week! Scream in excitement! What fun it's been to look forward to, with all the fun of the input of all the great people who add to the forum.

[recyclelady]

I am in good shape but did not want to risk an accident that would have me leaving the toilet with wet clothes! I bought a GoGirl from Magellans. It fit into my purse/bag with no problem. I used it about 5 times on the trip and it was worth the $10 investment. I was also known as "Go Girl" among the other women in my group.

 

Take a look on the Magellan website for these plastic devices.

[GoInOnaCruz]

Love your 'class'! I'm leaving my classes -I'm a Reading Specialist in an elementary school in Wisconsin, so do the Imperial Jewels Apr 4 trip. I know 'treats' are put together for later fair handout, but is there anything my first through 4th graders could send that would be good? Our students take Mandarin lessons 1/3 of the year, getting exposure to Spanish and German the other thirds. Thanks for any ideas or insights!

The kids I sat with were fascinated with my Chinese lesson sheet from the Emerald--translated characters, pinyin, English, pictures on my cell phone of my blond haired, blue-eyed 4 year old grandson, and pictures of my 14 pound white cat! I would think pictures of your kids holding signs in Mandarin with the pinyin and English translations would be great and wouldn't break the fairness protocol. We had 3rd graders and one of my guys was a grubby little thing with a runny nose but could he speak pretty fluent English--I told him he would be premier of China one day--they just "elected" the next premier at the National Congress in Beijing while we were there--we were on Tienanmen Square the opening day of the Congress--lots of security. One of the people in another group had 4th grade boys and they couldn't speak a word of English (or maybe they were being shy--our guide showed us that the girls are much more outgoing than the boys). BTW the WHOLE village (there are 3 schools so it could be a different village you see and you could still be the first or almost first group of the year) turned out to watch our buses arrive. Many were grandparents holding up their little ones for us to see and for them to see us. Below is a link to a picture of a little one brought out to greet us. You are going to LOVE the school visit. Two of our new friends from the ship didn't particularly care for kids and came for the opportunity to see a more rural aspect of China and even they were charmed by the visit. The Chinese call us Waigouren--big noses because we have a bridge to our nose and our guide had the kids touch our noses and call us waigouren--very cute! Viking has donated a beautiful playground to the school, paved the yard so it's not muddy, and put in western-style restrooms for the Viking River Cruise visitors. Pictures below: our bus arrives, little boy and Grandma, Girl (an example that girls tend not to be shy), a very shy third grade boy, and again the shy guy--we thought he was going to cry!

[sissabagrama]

The kids I sat with were fascinated with my Chinese lesson sheet from the Emerald--translated characters, pinyin, English, pictures on my cell phone of my blond haired, blue-eyed 4 year old grandson, and pictures of my 14 pound white cat! I would think pictures of your kids holding signs in Mandarin with the pinyin and English translations would be great and wouldn't break the fairness protocol. We had 3rd graders and one of my guys was a grubby little thing with a runny nose but could he speak pretty fluent English--I told him he would be premier of China one day--they just "elected" the next premier at the National Congress in Beijing while we were there--we were on Tienanmen Square the opening day of the Congress--lots of security. One of the people in another group had 4th grade boys and they couldn't speak a word of English (or maybe they were being shy--our guide showed us that the girls are much more outgoing than the boys). BTW the WHOLE village (there are 3 schools so it could be a different village you see and you could still be the first or almost first group of the year) turned out to watch our buses arrive. Many were grandparents holding up their little ones for us to see and for them to see us. Below is a link to a picture of a little one brought out to greet us. You are going to LOVE the school visit. Two of our new friends from the ship didn't particularly care for kids and came for the opportunity to see a more rural aspect of China and even they were charmed by the visit. The Chinese call us Waigouren--big noses because we have a bridge to our nose and our guide had the kids touch our noses and call us waigouren--very cute! Viking has donated a beautiful playground to the school, paved the yard so it's not muddy, and put in western-style restrooms for the Viking River Cruise visitors. Pictures below: our bus arrives, little boy and Grandma, Girl (an example that girls tend not to be shy), a very shy third grade boy, and again the shy guy--we thought he was going to cry!

What great information - thanks for sharing so much! You bet I'll try to get our Chinese teacher, Hai Yu, to help me get a few photos to share. The phone is the perfect idea!

Change of subject, but did you have to iron anything? Were irons in rooms aboard?

 

Isn't it amazing how all this information helps prepare so you can make the most of every moment? Good thing you didn't 'catch' the particular little guy bug making his nose run! Having 40+ little people visit my resource room every week - full of coughs, sneezes, and runny everything makes me feel immune, but not necessarily to another country's bugs.

 

I'm SO glad you had such a good time!

[GoInOnaCruz]

I knew there was one issue I forgot to address and it finally came to me--illness. No one (to my knowledge) got the Chairman's revenge. There were a few people who came with norwalk virus and they spread it a bit--not too widespread. There was a person in our group who came with the bad respiratory virus that has been going around in the States and many people in our group got sick--including my husband our first day without the group and our guide e-mailed me and said he had gotten it too after our group left. DH's only general job was to bring sudafed (I can't take) and ibuprofen (he had the giant economy-sized jar in his medicine chest) and guess what--he forgot--taught me a lesson to check. Luckily for me I didn't get sick. I did notice that if I ate salad anywhere my stomach got queasy but I just popped a couple of the pepto tablets I brought with me and quickly felt better again--I just started avoiding the salad greens and no more worries. Watch where you walk! We had several falls amongst the entire 240 person compliment with breaks and sprains. The sidewalks are very uneven with many protrusions (meant to block vehicles from access to places--like FBI headquarters has in DC) but pretty good at causing a fall. That's it from me! Just go and enjoy everyone who is waiting their turn. :)

[GoInOnaCruz]

Change of subject, but did you have to iron anything? Were irons in rooms aboard?

Irons were few and far between--on the ship they have pressing service and the hotels are 5* so they expect you to have their laundry/dry-cleaning service do your work. The hotels were VERY expensive, the ship less so--we had a few things laundered on board--not too expensive and beautifully done. I got lucky and walked into our local department store when they had a ton of shirts on sale for 75% off--they were trendy and no-iron--I got three for $20! I had a few others and brought easy-care pants and so was good. You are right about the information allowing us to just enjoy--we were so prepared didn't have to think about a thing when we got there--and VRC takes really good care of its guests--I just sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed! (Lots of walking, early wake-ups, etc. but everything we put into it ourselves was worth it for the return on investment!).

[sissabagrama]

Irons were few and far between--on the ship they have pressing service and the hotels are 5* so they expect you to have their laundry/dry-cleaning service do your work. The hotels were VERY expensive, the ship less so--we had a few things laundered on board--not too expensive and beautifully done. I got lucky and walked into our local department store when they had a ton of shirts on sale for 75% off--they were trendy and no-iron--I got three for $20! I had a few others and brought easy-care pants and so was good. You are right about the information allowing us to just enjoy--we were so prepared didn't have to think about a thing when we got there--and VRC takes really good care of its guests--I just sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed! (Lots of walking, early wake-ups, etc. but everything we put into it ourselves was worth it for the return on investment!).

You give such great information! Thanks so much. It seems like just last week you were looking forward to going,and asking last minute questions, now you're back and we're going week from tomorrow.

Just left my international little travel iron up at our cottage, meant to bring it and forgot! Ah well.

[Kohola]

The Chinese call us Waigouren--big noses because we have a bridge to our nose and our guide had the kids touch our noses and call us waigouren--very cute!

 

I enjoyed your very positive review including the Opera! Just a slight clarification about the phrase the children spoke. The Chinese refer to foreigners as DaBizi...Big Noses, but the guide told the children to call you "foreigner." Wai-outside, Gou-Country, Ren-people...outside country people or foreigners;) A few in our groups took exception to being called "Big Noses.":eek:

 

Looking for something to share with the children. Here is a spreadsheet I created to use at the school with useful words/phrase for your travels:

Another item I created are photo cards with our grandchildren photos and names on them:

A generic one to present to the class...

For under $20 and some time on a computer you can give the class you visit something personal and unique. Include an e-mail address on the back if the children of China want to communicate with you or your youngsters. We gave them to the few children we interacted with and left the rest for the teacher to hand out to avoid chaos.Those kids in China will cherish them forever. I create a photo card with the English and Chinese name of each student for the classrooms I volunteer in when I talk to them about China. The students who were in 1st grade in 2009 still have those photo cards today.

The cards include Fengshui and YinYang...phoenix and dragon for eternal marriage,(as the children say "eeewww") YinYang of delicate and bold lettering, the Yin of a girl and the Yang of a boy. Mountains, river, rocks, and trees needed for good Fengshui where you live.

I sent over 200 information packages to travelers last season... E-mail me at mc4nu@aol.com if you would like the information I have gathered.

 

Off subject...the Chairman of China, XiJinLing's, wife, Peng Liyuan, used to be a singer. Her CDs are no longer available for sale in China because performers are considered to beneath the position of the Chairman's wife. China used to have 9 levels of social hierarchy with engineers/teachers at the top and singers/actors at number 9. They have a daughter that attends Harvard, the norm for Communist Party officials in China. Children are educated in the US and remain here.

is a link to her singing "My Motherland"...don't worry it is subtitled in Chinese if you can't understand the lyrics.

[Peregrina651]

Just left my international little travel iron up at our cottage, meant to bring it and forgot! Ah well.

 

Many ships do not allow passengers to bring their own irons as they are considered a safety hazard (electrical fires, mostly). Candles are also usually on the list of banned items. I tried to find a list of such items on the Viking website but couldn't, so maybe Viking will pipe in with a list for us.

[Homerun6320]

3. Food--VRC has tried to respond to past criticism about the duck dinners and according to those who went this year (we did not) it was not successful--kudos for trying--everyone really understood that this was an attempt to make things better. Our only not-so-up to standards meal was the Chinese casual dinner the same night as the duck. Given the number of people being fed and the attempts to respond to constructive criticism this was not such a bad thing. We LOVED the meal at the Jade factory which I had read was not so good in the past and the Mongolian barbecue at the Silk Carpet factory was also extremely good. Our only "criticism" of the food on the ship was the amount of food served--too much :)--and I'm not sure everyone would find that a criticism.

 

4. Optional excursions--They have split the duck dinner from the Beijing Opera. We LOVED the opera--very authentic experience and the excerpts chosen were very amusing--many people did not like the opera but I don't think they regretted going for the experience. The star of the first segment was very funny and while flipping through the channels one night in Shanghai we saw him performing on television. I was skeptical about the Tang Dynasty show in Xi'an but found it to be great and the food was some of the best, if not the best we had anywhere in China. Those people who did not attend the show had dinner at the same venue and said their dinner was equally good. The acrobats show in Shanghai was not optional but was fantastic as reported in the past. I couldn't look during some of the stunts!

 

GOAC,

Many thanks for the great info!! It's especially timely for us since we leave for Beijing on China Explorer Wed am (3/27). We assume we will be asked to make reservations for the optional Opera (Sat 3/30) and for the duck dinner on Sun soon after arrival. We will probably skip the opera and are undecided about the duck dinner. Neither of the duck dinner options sound particularly attractive.

 

Do you think Viking is likely to change the venue for either the duck dinner or its replacement by the time we get there? Or should we strike out on our own to, say, Da Dong or Made In China in the Hyatt?

 

Many thanks for your opinion. Homerun

[shebawalk]

...Shebawalk since you probably use y'all a lot...you can finish your Chinese sentences with nimen dou...nee men doe. Literally, you we all;-). But only in southern China because they'll never understand in Beijing:)....

Since a couple of people mentioned "digging to China." I took this photo of a couple of guys with shovels in 2009.

I captioned it: "Ho,ho,ho...off to work in go. Since I tried to dig to China as a child, these guys are probably on there way to the United States."

 

 

Well, I'll definitely be using the Chinese y'all. And, just like the US, I don't expect the northern Beijing-ers to understand southern-speak. Hmmm, is there a Chinese term for "honey"? Everyone in the South is "honey". ;)

 

Those guys probably had much better luck digging to the US than we had digging to China. Their shovels are bigger than the ones my siblings and I used.

 

Thank you so much for sharing your Chinese phrasery. I hope to have a little of it memorized before I land in Shanghai.

[Kohola]

Hmmm, is there a Chinese term for "honey"? Everyone in the South is "honey". ;)

Honey would be qin ai de...chin eye duh, equivalent of darling. Qin can mean close as in a relationship and ai is love.

[GoInOnaCruz]

I enjoyed your very positive review including the Opera! Just a slight clarification about the phrase the children spoke. The Chinese refer to foreigners as DaBizi...Big Noses, but the guide told the children to call you "foreigner." Wai-outside, Gou-Country, Ren-people...outside country people or foreigners;) A few in our groups took exception to being called "Big Noses.":eek:

 

Looking for something to share with the children. Here is a spreadsheet I created to use at the school with useful words/phrase for your travels:

Another item I created are photo cards with our grandchildren photos and names on them:

A generic one to present to the class...

For under $20 and some time on a computer you can give the class you visit something personal and unique. Include an e-mail address on the back if the children of China want to communicate with you or your youngsters. We gave them to the few children we interacted with and left the rest for the teacher to hand out to avoid chaos.Those kids in China will cherish them forever. I create a photo card with the English and Chinese name of each student for the classrooms I volunteer in when I talk to them about China. The students who were in 1st grade in 2009 still have those photo cards today.

The cards include Fengshui and YinYang...phoenix and dragon for eternal marriage,(as the children say "eeewww") YinYang of delicate and bold lettering, the Yin of a girl and the Yang of a boy. Mountains, river, rocks, and trees needed for good Fengshui where you live.

I sent over 200 information packages to travelers last season... E-mail me at mc4nu@aol.com if you would like the information I have gathered.

 

Off subject...the Chairman of China, XiJinLing's, wife, Peng Liyuan, used to be a singer. Her CDs are no longer available for sale in China because performers are considered to beneath the position of the Chairman's wife. China used to have 9 levels of social hierarchy with engineers/teachers at the top and singers/actors at number 9. They have a daughter that attends Harvard, the norm for Communist Party officials in China. Children are educated in the US and remain here.

is a link to her singing "My Motherland"...don't worry it is subtitled in Chinese if you can't understand the lyrics.

You are so right--that's exactly what I heard when the little darlings touched our noses--our guide was hysterical actually--he teaches middle school students English in his off months--talk about a dynamo! I LOVE your cards. I wish I had had more time to prepare something really special but as you predicted in some of your posts the school visit was the highlight for me and I think for many other people in our group--unfortunately only a limited number of people in our group came and there were SO MANY kids in that classroom. We all tried to give all the ones near us some attention not just the kids we sat with. I brought supplies, others donated money, and not many people participated in the raffle for the school so I was fortunate enough to win the grand prize--a strand of fresh water pearls! Viking River Cruises is so generous--I was just looking at some of our loot--won't say what we got but it was pretty cool--don't want to spoil the surprise for those still going. It is a great experience for sure in so many ways. While in shanghai we read the new premier's pronouncements following his election--he is going to clean up pollution, solve the issues in the food supply, and on and on. I thought it was pretty amazing that he was so upfront about the problems in China. The air pollution in Beijing was really beyond the realms of what seems possible. We were there on one of the very, very high particulate count days.

[GoInOnaCruz]

3. Food--VRC has tried to respond to past criticism about the duck dinners and according to those who went this year (we did not) it was not successful--kudos for trying--everyone really understood that this was an attempt to make things better. Our only not-so-up to standards meal was the Chinese casual dinner the same night as the duck. Given the number of people being fed and the attempts to respond to constructive criticism this was not such a bad thing. We LOVED the meal at the Jade factory which I had read was not so good in the past and the Mongolian barbecue at the Silk Carpet factory was also extremely good. Our only "criticism" of the food on the ship was the amount of food served--too much :)--and I'm not sure everyone would find that a criticism.

 

4. Optional excursions--They have split the duck dinner from the Beijing Opera. We LOVED the opera--very authentic experience and the excerpts chosen were very amusing--many people did not like the opera but I don't think they regretted going for the experience. The star of the first segment was very funny and while flipping through the channels one night in Shanghai we saw him performing on television. I was skeptical about the Tang Dynasty show in Xi'an but found it to be great and the food was some of the best, if not the best we had anywhere in China. Those people who did not attend the show had dinner at the same venue and said their dinner was equally good. The acrobats show in Shanghai was not optional but was fantastic as reported in the past. I couldn't look during some of the stunts!

 

GOAC,

Many thanks for the great info!! It's especially timely for us since we leave for Beijing on China Explorer Wed am (3/27). We assume we will be asked to make reservations for the optional Opera (Sat 3/30) and for the duck dinner on Sun soon after arrival. We will probably skip the opera and are undecided about the duck dinner. Neither of the duck dinner options sound particularly attractive.

 

Do you think Viking is likely to change the venue for either the duck dinner or its replacement by the time we get there? Or should we strike out on our own to, say, Da Dong or Made In China in the Hyatt?

 

Many thanks for your opinion. Homerun

I wouldn't be surprised if VRC wasn't working on that right now. In fact I got a call from VRC yesterday while I was out for a while and didn't see the blinking light until late in the day--I'm not sure if it's about this or not--I also had an issue with my bluray dvd which is guaranteed for 2 years so it might have been that--as soon as I call I will post if it is relevant. It looks to me like you might have a forced overnight given the date you are leaving and the start of the cruise--is it 3/29? which would mean you arrive on 3/28 and have day 1 3/29 which is basically a free day. A lot of people (including us) used that day to do a private tour (although VRC wasn't too happy with that as they felt that we should rest and looking back on it they were right :) ) and to go somewhere special for dinner. A fellow CC member SteadyAT and her family went to Da Dong with some family friends that night. We took advantage of the free night and went to Black Sesame Kitchen. You could then decide what to do from then re Viking's options. If you are staying in the Financial St. area there are not a lot of choices around there--there is a TGIF right behind the hotel--but is that what we want to do when we go to China? Maybe at the end of the trip yes :) BSK requires reservations in advance (although it might be possible to get in at the last minute if that interests you--@$50 per person for one of the best meals I have ever had--including way too much wine and beer for our jet lagged brains and bodies!). Steady said her duck dinner was pretty spectacular. HAVE A WONDERFUL TRIP! I know you are crawling out of your skin right now. Let us know how you did on the Cultural Explorer--sounds like a pretty spectacular agenda! Below pics from BSK--last picture is of their homemade Black Sesame ice cream--Michelle is an ex-pat New Zealander.

[Houston547]

Looking for something to share with the children. Here is a spreadsheet I created to use at the school with useful words/phrase for your travels:

 

Kohola, Your spreadsheet looks like a very useful thing to have. It is clear that you put a lot of work into it. Trouble is, it's too small for my old eyes. When I enlarge the image it makes it too fuzzy to read. Any chance you could share the file in its original format? I also found a cool free internet site that teaches basic and not so basic vocabulary with audio files that help the western ear with the necessary inflections. We are on the July 7 China Explorer and I hope to have conquered a few phrases by then. Almost time to go get our visas.:D

[Homerun6320]

I wouldn't be surprised if VRC wasn't working on that right now. In fact I got a call from VRC yesterday while I was out for a while and didn't see the blinking light until late in the day--I'm not sure if it's about this or not--I also had an issue with my bluray dvd which is guaranteed for 2 years so it might have been that--as soon as I call I will post if it is relevant. It looks to me like you might have a forced overnight given the date you are leaving and the start of the cruise--is it 3/29? which would mean you arrive on 3/28 and have day 1 3/29 which is basically a free day. A lot of people (including us) used that day to do a private tour (although VRC wasn't too happy with that as they felt that we should rest and looking back on it they were right :) ) and to go somewhere special for dinner. A fellow CC member SteadyAT and her family went to Da Dong with some family friends that night. We took advantage of the free night and went to Black Sesame Kitchen. You could then decide what to do from then re Viking's options. If you are staying in the Financial St. area there are not a lot of choices around there--there is a TGIF right behind the hotel--but is that what we want to do when we go to China? Maybe at the end of the trip yes :) BSK requires reservations in advance (although it might be possible to get in at the last minute if that interests you--@$50 per person for one of the best meals I have ever had--including way too much wine and beer for our jet lagged brains and bodies!). Steady said her duck dinner was pretty spectacular. HAVE A WONDERFUL TRIP! I know you are crawling out of your skin right now. Let us know how you did on the Cultural Explorer--sounds like a pretty spectacular agenda! Below pics from BSK--last picture is of their homemade Black Sesame ice cream--Michelle is an ex-pat New Zealander.

 

GIOAC,

Many thanks (again) for some more good info. We arrive Beijing on Thur afternoon (3/28), have a "forced night", and then a free day on Fri 3/29. We are staying in the Fairmont (CBD). Depending on how we feel (VRC's recommendation noted), we may check out the Temple of Heaven Fri am and catch a nap in the afternoon.

 

We have had reservations at BSK for over a month and Michelle has confirmed them. (It's a 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration so I'm trying to make sure everything is wired).

 

Unless we hear that VCR has changed the duck dinner resturant (and/or whatever they substitute for those not going), we will probably try for reservations at Da Dong on Sunday night and go on our own.

 

We will report on China Explorer for those who follow.

 

Thanks again. Homerun

[rahrah50]

Homerun

 

Have a wonderful adventure!!! I am anxiously awaiting fabric (great quality) shopping information!!!!!

[Homerun6320]

Kohola, Your spreadsheet looks like a very useful thing to have. It is clear that you put a lot of work into it. Trouble is, it's too small for my old eyes. When I enlarge the image it makes it too fuzzy to read. Any chance you could share the file in its original format? I also found a cool free internet site that teaches basic and not so basic vocabulary with audio files that help the western ear with the necessary inflections. We are on the July 7 China Explorer and I hope to have conquered a few phrases by then. Almost time to go get our visas.:D

 

Kohola,

 

Don't mean to pile on here but I have a request also. Since my wife does a lot of sewing we will be trying to shop for fabric when and where the schedule permits. I have researched several shops on the net, primarily in Beijing and Shanghai, and have a list with addresses.

 

My concern is that we will have trouble locating these places precisely in the time we have. Could you provide me with a phrase, something like "Where can I buy fabric?" Given the phrase, I can probably get our guide or hotel concierge to write the corresponding characters on a 3 x 5 card which we can use to inquire. By the way, we will be scouting for rahrah50.

 

Many thanks. Homerun

[caribill]

Kohola,

 

Don't mean to pile on here but I have a request also. Since my wife does a lot of sewing we will be trying to shop for fabric when and where the schedule permits. I have researched several shops on the net, primarily in Beijing and Shanghai, and have a list with addresses.

 

My concern is that we will have trouble locating these places precisely in the time we have. Could you provide me with a phrase, something like "Where can I buy fabric?" Given the phrase, I can probably get our guide or hotel concierge to write the corresponding characters on a 3 x 5 card which we can use to inquire. By the way, we will be scouting for rahrah50.

 

 

If this is what you will give the merchant, then you really need to have all your needs translated in advance. So if you are looking for a type of frabric (pure silk, 50% silk, etc.) or color or amount, I would prepare a sheet you can give the guide or hotel person with all the terms you need translated.

 

In some of the shops you may find a fair amount of English understanding. In some others there may be 0% English spoken.

[Viking Cruises]

Many ships do not allow passengers to bring their own irons as they are considered a safety hazard (electrical fires, mostly). Candles are also usually on the list of banned items. I tried to find a list of such items on the Viking website but couldn't, so maybe Viking will pipe in with a list for us.

 

Dear Peregrina651,

 

We're happy to help! In case you haven't seen it, here's a link to the "Packing Tips" page on our website where you'll find a list of items that you, or other guests, may want to bring onboard: http://www.vikingrivercruises.com/about-your-trip/packingtips.aspx. As for items that are prohibited, our rules are consistent with the rules TSA has established. Please visit the TSA website to see the list: http://1.usa.gov/14t6wDw.

 

If you have any other questions about items you can bring onboard (or if you need help locating information on our website), feel free to let us know at TellUs@vikingrivercruises.com so we can assist. Thank you!

 

Best,

 

Viking River Cruises

Edited March 26, 2013 by Viking River Cruises