A China Saga:   Our Trip to the People's Republic of China

Preparations

Our tour provider was Ritz Tours. The cost was $1199, plus $60 for roundtrip connections from San Diego to Los Angeles. The supplement for a single room would have been $200. The tour price included almost everything else: economy class airfare, tour connections and guides, five-star hotels, three meals a day, and a medical/air evacuation insurance policy. It did not include:

• Meals on free days
• More than one beverage at meals
• Tips to the guides and bus drivers ($4 to $5 per day per person), baggage handlers, and maids
• Airport departure taxes (50 RMB/$6.50 US domestic and 90 RMB/$11.50 U.S. international).

The lead-time of several months was useful for gathering essentials:

• Current passport—This must extend six months past the tour date.
• Vaccinations—I called the Kaiser travel office, which suggested shots for polio (booster), hepatitis A, and diphtheria/typhus.
• Visa—The instructions are very specific about submitting the application form, $35 fee (via money order, not personal check), two 2x2" photos, postage-paid return envelope (with postage, not metered stamps), ticket or itinerary, and passport to the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles. Persons living in the L.A. area must submit their applications in person.

My most useful purchases included the following:

• Suitcase with built-in rollers—Since everyone seemed to have an identical bag, a distinctive marking or tie-on is a good idea. Suitcases must include a lock and baggage tag.

• Extra-large fanny pack

• Snap-on water bottle—Two bottle carriers would have been even better.

• Miniature, collapsible umbrella

• Money belt—These hidden money containers actually come in more forms than belts. The Travel Store in Pacific Beach had a wide selection. I selected a flat pouch that hangs from a thin strap across the shoulders.

• Voltage converter

• Medications—Kaiser gave me a list of suggested over-the-counter drugs and a prescription for a short-term antibiotic. Thankfully, I did not need any of these supplies except for Afrin, which instantly cleared up my nose, allowing me to sleep.

• Antiseptic hand cleaner—This came in useful at some of the more primitive toilets.

• Lots and lots of $1 dollar bills—The best deals on postcards and cheap souvenirs were from the street vendors. Since any change from the hotels and stores was given only in Chinese money, this stash of small American bills was important. Ten yuan is equivalent to $1.20.

• Camera(s) and lots of film.

Good walking shoes were a must. We were constantly walking and climbing stairs.

Later in the trip, I wished that we had brought along a guidebook. We missed taking a rickshaw tour of the Beijing houtongs (alleyways) because we had not come armed with the correct information.

I opted for a small, automatic camera that would fit inside my fanny pack. Pat brought along both an older still camera and a small video camera. They took up most of her luggage, weighted her down, and kept her very busy the entire trip. My mother bought the camera-and-film-in-one. My mother’s results did not compare in quality to either Pat’s or mine. My little camera did very well on close-ups using the flash, but could not adjust for poor lighting in interiors. It was also much harder to focus than Pat’s larger equipment, and I liked her distance shots better. Pat lost two rolls of film because of problems with the ratchets. This was never a problem with my automatic. The video camera was the clear winner in being able to capture interiors, night shots, and poor lighting situations. It washed out color, but that seemed a small liability compared to actually capturing the ambiance. Pat could have used a backup battery. We recharged her battery each night, but she ran low by the end of the day, just when the city lights were at their most spectacular.

Baggage was (supposedly) limited to one checked bag (up to 44 lb) and one carry-on bag (not to exceed 45 inches around). I say supposedly, because at least one couple on the tour decided to pay extra airline fees in order to bring back extra suitcases of souvenirs. The extra baggage fees seemed to be the best method for them:

• Shipping by air would have cost them more than $200.
• Shipping by boat would have cost them $35, but could take two months.