danb Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) Hello, I have several questions. I wasn't sure whether to post them in many different places or to just start a new one. The first question is about a 24 month L type visa. From the pinned topic above it sounds like it can be done. But if you read the various Chinese Consulate sites and some travel sites they say that we can't. It is confusing. I do believe the posts that I read here so I will give Oasis a shot. I will call them first but I will give them a shot. Last year I went to the consulate in NYC. They said that my passport wasn't any good. They said that I had to have two full empty pages. I had 4 empty sides but they were spread over 3 consective pages. They said that I had to get pages added to my pasport if I wanted a visa from them. On some sites I read that you only need one empty page. Also they would have only issue a 1 year multi entry visa to me. It was to be a last minute trip so I decided to canceled my trip. (The prices of tickets at the time was very high also.) I just bought tickets to go Beijing. Roundtrip tickets from NYC to Bejing via Air Canada for May was $1080 thru FlyChina.com. As others have posted it seems like the prices are just going up and up. I am planning to go onto Nanning from Beijing to visit my Lao po. I was trying to save some money and thought that I could do that by buying domestic China tickets seperately. I also had another reason for doing that because my Lao Po and I want to visit Beijing together on my way back home. From Beijing I will go home and she will return to Nanning. So far on FlyChina.com I got a price of 700 dollars for 1 round trip ticket between Beijing and Nanning. I am not going to save much money with those prices. I will try Ctrip that was mentioned in another thread. and see if their prices are any better. I hope so. Does anyone know if there are any reasonable hotel at or near the airport in Beijing that I can stay overnight? Also any ideas on what place that are "must see" in Beijing? Any idea or thoughts? This site is a good site and have gotten very good info over the years. Thanks Danb Edited March 28, 2012 by dnoblett (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsap seui Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 Also any ideas on what place that are "must see" in Beijing? Any idea or thoughts? This site is a good site and have gotten very good info over the years. Thanks Danb Can't help you with hotels close to the airport. I was only in Beijing 4 days before we left to go to my girlfriend's home city for another 3 weeks, 6 years ago. We stayed in a hotel that overlooked the entire Forbidden City....when you could see it through the smog. Anyhow, in Beijing you have T-men Square which is at the entrance to the Forbidden City, The Ming Tombs, and some big wall called "The Great Wall". Lots of other sights to see but that first trip along with the subsequent trips was to get to know the woman I met in the Beijing airport....I wasn't terribly interested in anything else...LOL...especially if I was going to make an application to bring this woman to America. We laugh and call those trips "Business trips". Good luck. tsap seui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy W Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 The 2 year visa is available to those with family members in China. You may need to write it in on the application, and you will need to include a copy of your marriage license and her Chinese passport. The subway will easily get you from the airport to any number of hotels around Beijing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_dawei Posted March 25, 2012 Report Share Posted March 25, 2012 (edited) Re: 2 year visa. Just make sure you mention it when you talk to whatever visa service does your visa. Some don't even put it on the application but they will tell you to 'write it in'. Provide docs as Randy points out. Re: Beijing Hotel. That is really up to your comfort level with what star hotel you expect, how kind of service and bed you expect. I read rather bad reviews at places I have stayed but it mostly sounds like guys who want the hotel to be fluent in english, girls who rush up to their every need and a desire to just get back to the US as fast as possible. The Golden Phoenix is very close and they have a shuttle but don't expect too much english. I would recommend you look online and find a place which seems what you want and talk to them. Re: Beijing Places: T-men square, Wang Fu Jing Shopping area, and Xidan Shopping area. I personally don't recommend the Great Wall from Beijing since you'll need to walk a few hours just to get to the wall itself. I prefer to spend the day walking around the sites there. I would probably let her decide where to go. Re: Passport. I assume you had pages added now? I had pages added. I think there are some pages which are not supposed to be used for stamps or are reserved for something else and so even if you think they are empty to use, they don't want to use them. Before I had pages added, I was flying back from China and they had to use one of those 'extra' pages and they told me it was time to get new pages. Re: Domestic Flights: Usually it is cheaper to get them separately. I would try www.elong.com, there is an english option. I usually buy through them. Edited March 25, 2012 by david_dawei (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsap seui Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Walk to the Great Wall from downtown Beijing? I can't in my wildest dream imagine anyone attempting that feat. It took more than an hour to get there with our driver, none other than "number 44" Beijing Wang hisowndamnself, at the wheel of his speeding NASCAR taxi cab. Cost us 500 yuan for him for the whole day. He took us to the Ming Tombs, the fancy early French ceramic place for a tour, some old palace, a few jade shops, out to eat lunch, and to the Great Wall. If'n we'd have tried walking to all those places we'd have had to stay in a hotel in Beijing for a month. Not very romantic when you're having to carry your girlfriend back to the hotel on your back....or even worse, her carryin' you on HER back. I'd advise takin' a cab to the Wall, make the best use of your time....that Badladang (or whatever it's name is) section of the Great Wall is majestic and goes on forever...up and down mountian ridges. Great photo ops, and you get to see lil' old Chinese women in high heels racing past you up the steep steps. I wasn't in China for a sight seeing adventure but that trip was well worth it. tsap seui Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy W Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Yes, both Badaling and Mutianyu have cable cars and/or toboggans going from the parking area up to the wall, so that hike isn't necessary at all. Ain't never heard of a cab goin' all the way up there, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve and Qingqing Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 We took a bus to the Great wall from B eijing. It doesnt require any additional walking , except what you will do once your on the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsap seui Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 (edited) Yes, both Badaling and Mutianyu have cable cars and/or toboggans going from the parking area up to the wall, so that hike isn't necessary at all. Ain't never heard of a cab goin' all the way up there, though. Long distance from the parking lot to the Great Wall, and even a cable car from the parking lot to the Great Wall?????? Huh???? Bubba, yore internet search has either pulled the wool over your eyes, or you need to slow down on that airplane fuel you brew in the big jug.. And a toboggan from the parking lot??? Never thought I'd have to validate a trip to the Great Wall, but for those who haven't actually been there (other than by internet travel) the walk, or hike as someone with a walker or in a wheel chair might call it is every bit of 30 seconds....maybe 35 seconds....from the parking lot to the Wall. Apparantely there are different sections of the Badaling Wall. No clue as to which one Beijing Wang took us to but it was really easy to walk from the parking lot and get onto the Wall itself. I tried to get Wang to go with us but he stayed behind and polished his VW race car. Ol' Beijing Wang took us from our hotel called the Wangfujing Grand Hotel at No.57 Wangfujing Avenue, Beijing 100006, China which if you go up over the 8th floor or so you can get a room that overlooks the whole Forbidden City....pretty cool when the smog blows away and you can actually see the FC. I hadn't been "in theatre" so to speak 16 hours when race car Wang took us to a Summer Palace, then to the Ming Tombs, and over to the old Cloisonné factory or whatever it is. You can walk through and look at workers doing their art which has been going on for centuries, and you can blow large sums of Yuan for Ming spitoons....er ah...vases, if'n that sort of thang happens to be your thing. Myself, I didn't lose any denerio there as I can find much cheaper things to spit snuff into than something with a dragoon on it's side. Personally, I git off on blowin' great wads of juice, either from my nose or mouth, onto the sidewalk in hideous lookin' shoe traps of sorts. I wuz rite at home in merry ol' Chinertucky. Then we went to eat in some little backwater restaurant that was amazingly good. I even took Beijing Wang by the hand and forcibly dragged him in to eat with us. It was a HOOT I tells ya. Wang and Rabbit couldn't tawk to me and I couldn't tawk to them but we knew how to laugh like crazy and we had fun. They gave us a private room and it seemed all of the cooks, waiteress, waiters, plate cleaners, and anyone they could pull in off the street came in for a lookseeand a giggle at the laowei guy Then we stuffed ourselves back into the #44 NASCAR and in a cloud of smoke, lightning and thunder we speed off to the Great Wall. I really liked gettin' out of the city and into the foothills. Turns out the Badaling section is 42 to 50 miles from whatever point in Beijing you start out at. Like David, I ain't walkin' that furr to see NOTHIN'. Well, we roll into the parkin' lot with tires squeellin' n'ah squallin' and come to an abrupt stop at the very tips of the high heel hikin' shoes of one very mean lookin' Chinertuckian woman. I bailed out the door in a dead run and hollared over my shoulder..."WANG, you is own yore own buddy. DON'T leave without us'n!!!" Once me n' lil' rabbit was safely in the clear I looked between one of the Wall's parapets and saw that big momma had only shaken her finger and thrown a dead fish head at the poor boy....no damage done. The Great Wall itself, was incredible. I love the mountains anyhow and it was cool to see the wall meanderin' from hilltop to valley. There were crowds of Chinese visitors and I got my introduction to the Chinese way of doing things in a crowd... assholes with elbows...."git outta my way pale face". It was fun, glad I got to see the Great Wall in all of it's glory....No, I won't be going back anytime soon. Been n'air done that, GOT the freakin' T-shirt, too much else to see in this here wide wide world of sports. As far as cable cars to the stars and toboggens to the embattlements....I can only reply, huh? Maybe I had my eyes on the scenery and lil' rabbit too much to see any of that jazz. ...or at least to take note of it. We just saw the Great Wall, it was more than easy, and we had fun. End of story. I think there are two sections of that area of the Great Wall, m. Maybe Beijing Wang didn't take us to the one with the parkin' lot a huge hike and a trolly car ride from the Wall. If that is the case, please look up Beijing Wang when yore in Beijing, Chinertucky....he drove a silver VW something or other, had number 44 hand painted on his door in huge letters, has a friendly smile, and looks like he knows jes where to takes ya. Lil' rabbit brow beat him into 500 yuan for more than 8 hours of fun...his and ours. Oh yeah, he did stop at a couple of jade factories and their big showcases. I bought the lil' rabbit a bracelet with some red in the green jade then tol' Hot Rod we didn't need anymore stops, jes gits me n'ah lil' rabbit back to our bedroom....I mean... hotel. All that thar sight seein' stuff is okay, but this was my first trip and it was a "business trip" DAMMIT....the business of gittin' to know the woman who met me in the airport. Sight seein' could come later. tsap seui Edited March 26, 2012 by tsap seui (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseum Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 If you have a chance go to the Summer Palace or the Old Summer Palace. They are at two diferent locations but close enough that they can both be done on the same day. Very nice and when my wife and I visited them they were not as crowded as some of the other tourist spots. They can be reached by regular bus as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokiessky Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I proposed on the Great Wall Of China We rode a cable car up and rode a small sled down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan1984 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 There is so much to do in Beijing. Of course all the famous sights speak for themselves, and it is something you can do if you are interested: Tiananmen, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Fragrant Hills, etc. Beyond that though, I'd suggest starting a day by visiting the Lama Temple (haha, a 5 minute walk from my home). From there you could spend the day walking through the hutongs, stop in a "not famous" temple (I'd suggest GuoZiJian, not far from the Lama Temple), eat a bunch of food along the way, and then end the afternoon in HouHai. It is one of the bar areas in Beijing - right on a small lake. I detest the area at night, but, during the afternoon, it is not that crowded, more families than "partiers," and the drinks are usually buy 1 get 1 free If going to the Great Wall, I would HIGHLY and VEHEMENTLY suggest staying away from BaDaLing. It is where most people will go, but it is also the most crowded, most refurbished, and on many days it may be like walking around the subway station packed in body to body. Last year when I had a couple friends visit, we went to MuTianYu, and that was a pretty good time. If you want to stay the night, there are a number of hotel options, including one really nice place run by an enterprising expat. Last year I also went to the Juyongguan pass, which I would also recommend (it is technically the closest to Beijing). Right near Juyongguan is also the Ming Tombs, and you could make a day out of it by first hitting the Wall and then the Ming Tombs. If you have any other questions, please let me know. I've been living in Beijing for about 3 years now. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy W Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 (edited) On 3/27/2012 at 11:29 AM, dan1984 said: If going to the Great Wall, I would HIGHLY and VEHEMENTLY suggest staying away from BaDaLing. It is where most people will go, but it is also the most crowded, most refurbished, and on many days it may be like walking around the subway station packed in body to body. Last year when I had a couple friends visit, we went to MuTianYu, and that was a pretty good time. I thought MuTianYu looked even more refurbished, like it had recently been re-done by Home Depot. But it wasn't much of a hike to get to the undeveloped areas from there Cable cars and toboggans BadaLing vs MutianYu . . . and lots of hiking, if you're interested One interesting place that a lot of people overlook is the Military Museum Edited May 13, 2021 by Randy W (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danb Posted March 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Thank you for all the replies and the comments. I applied for a new (expediated) passport instead of getting pages added. The paperwork is being processed now. I tend to procrastinate sometimes. I am not sure if I am going to get my old passport number or a different on. I am questioning whether we buy tickets online if they are going to require a valid/current passport number. I did look at the prices on Ctrip. Those prices were much better than FlyChina.com for Chinese domestic flights. They were a little higher for Internationally flights originating from NYC. My Lao Po's daughter sent me an email this morning. She says that she likes to use Qunar.com but it is done in Chinese and there doesn't seem to be an English version. I will check out Elong.com when I am finished here. I have stayed a couple of times in Beijing Twice because of flight delays. The airlines paid for those stays. I have no ideas of the hotels names. I should have clarified that I was looking for an hotel nearby the airport. It is just for one night. I would be fly out to Nanning the next day, alone and armed with only about 150 words of Chinese that I sort of know. When I return to Beijing my Lao Po and her daughter will take care of the hotel reservation. My Lao Po will be with me in Beijing for that part of my trip. I have a couple of question about 2 years visa but I am going to post them somewhere else. Thank you for all the replies. Danb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan1984 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 If going to the Great Wall, I would HIGHLY and VEHEMENTLY suggest staying away from BaDaLing. It is where most people will go, but it is also the most crowded, most refurbished, and on many days it may be like walking around the subway station packed in body to body. Last year when I had a couple friends visit, we went to MuTianYu, and that was a pretty good time. I thought MuTianYu looked even more refurbished, like it had recently been re-done by Home Depot. But it wasn't much of a hike to get to the undeveloped areas from there Cable cars and toboggans http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff367/walserrjw/Great%20Wall/DSC02990a.jpg http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff367/walserrjw/Great%20Wall/DSC01180a.jpg BadaLing vs MutianYu http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff367/walserrjw/Great%20Wall/DSC01197a.jpg http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff367/walserrjw/Great%20Wall/DSC03040a.jpg . . . and lots of hiking, if you're interested http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff367/walserrjw/Great%20Wall/DSC03053a.jpg One interesting place that a lot of people overlook is the Military Museum Hmmmm, I think you're correct about MuTianYu possibly be more refurbished..........but in terms of the amount of people visiting each pass, that is the main reason I would stay away from BaDaLing. Also, at MuTianYu, if you hike past I believe the 23rd tower/station, you get to the "wild Great Wall," which hasn't be refurbished at all, and I really enjoyed hiking along there for a bit......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsap seui Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 (edited) There is so much to do in Beijing. Of course all the famous sights speak for themselves, and it is something you can do if you are interested: Tiananmen, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Fragrant Hills, etc. Beyond that though, I'd suggest starting a day by visiting the Lama Temple (haha, a 5 minute walk from my home). From there you could spend the day walking through the hutongs, stop in a "not famous" temple (I'd suggest GuoZiJian, not far from the Lama Temple), eat a bunch of food along the way, and then end the afternoon in HouHai. It is one of the bar areas in Beijing - right on a small lake. I detest the area at night, but, during the afternoon, it is not that crowded, more families than "partiers," and the drinks are usually buy 1 get 1 free If going to the Great Wall, I would HIGHLY and VEHEMENTLY suggest staying away from BaDaLing. It is where most people will go, but it is also the most crowded, most refurbished, and on many days it may be like walking around the subway station packed in body to body. Last year when I had a couple friends visit, we went to MuTianYu, and that was a pretty good time. If you want to stay the night, there are a number of hotel options, including one really nice place run by an enterprising expat. Last year I also went to the Juyongguan pass, which I would also recommend (it is technically the closest to Beijing). Right near Juyongguan is also the Ming Tombs, and you could make a day out of it by first hitting the Wall and then the Ming Tombs. If you have any other questions, please let me know. I've been living in Beijing for about 3 years now. Dan Hutongs. Thanks Dan. I couldn't think of that word to save myself. I really enjoyed walking through those during our short stay in Beijing. The big name sites were nice to see but I really enjoyed seeing those. Funny story, we had visited the Forbidden City and were on our way back to the hotel....found some fella who offered to take us back on his two seat, with him up front tri-cycle. Okay, we hop on and off he starts pedaling. Turns out he was hell bent on us touring some hutongs, of which I had no clue. He has had a few under his belt and is taking us through back streets, huffing and puffing up the hills (I offered to get out and push him a couple of times)...LOL Anyway, he stops in at some nice areas and we take some photos, while people are looking out their windows at us like who hte hell are you and he makes sure I try and read the Chinese writing on the walls which I guess give a little history of the particular area. We ramble in and out for an hour or so and I enjoyed the whole adventure, as well as our tipsy "tour guide". It was a real hoot UNTIL he pulled back on into the gal'dang Beijing traffic with us in that thing!!!!!! Lord Gawd HELP me BOB....we were utterly defenseless what with all those speeding busses and cars. I thought fast pedalin' Wong knew the back streets to our hotel....BUT NO!!!! It only took a few blocks and stop lights before he engages in a "pushing match" with a dang bus. Well sir, believe it or don't, I'm here to testify....THE BUS WON. Well, our fearless if not two sheets in the wind leader puts a scratch down the side of the huge white bus...we're sitting in gridlock at a stop light with a VERY angery bus driver and it's startin' to look like fistcuffs for these two local yokels....pointin' and ah jabbin' went those fingers, hollarin' one hundred miles an hour at each other....I'm sittin' in my seat trying my best not to roll out onto the street laughin' at the whole situation and then walks up Mr. Poll-eece Man. . He takes me by the hand and says...."You must go". Then he makes Fast Pedalin' Wong put his tri-cycle on steroids up on the sidewalk and with a serious look on his face out comes his book with doughnut crumbs flyin' everywhere.....Do they say "Bookum Danno" in Chinertucky??? Me n' lil' rabbit makes a quick exit, stage left and man, we're outta there laughin' and gigglin' like two teenage boys, one of which who just loudly farted in a crowded elevator just before they stepped off at their floor. Hutongs...Don't miss em when yore in cheerie ol' Beijing. tsap seui Life ain't nuttin' if'n it ain't funny Edited March 27, 2012 by tsap seui (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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