11 things to do in Xian, China

I haven't done all of these, but if you're heading to Xian here's a list of some things you can do. In the future I would like to expand on each of these, but for now, it's just a list.

1. Go to the Terracotta Warriors

2. See the Big Goose Pagoda

3. Ride a bike on the old city wall

4. Hit a drum in the drum tower at the center of the city

5. Hit the bell in the bell tower found in the center of the city

6. Eat Pao Mo

7. Walk through the Great Mosque

8. Eat Xian roast duck

9. Shop in the Muslim quarter

10. See the Banpo village remains

11. Come visit me and my family

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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My first Guest Post about Xian

So I was recently asked if I would be willing to write a guest blog post about Xian, China for a travel website. “Of course!” was my answer. I love telling people about my lovely city! So anyways, you can find it on this site:

http://onetravel.wordpress.com

It should be up today or so. Let me know what you think about it. And if you want me to write a guest blog post for your blog, I write about… well, anything, and would love to.

Enjoy this day,
Matt

cheap flights

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How to get a visa for China

So you wanna go to China? Well to get into China you need to get a visa. And there are three types of visas you can choose from. Each has their own pro’s and con’s. So what you first need to do is figure out how long you want to be in China for and what you want to do. Once you know what you’re looking for you can decide which route is best for suiting your needs.

Travel visa - This is the most basic visa for getting into any country that requires you to have a visa. It’s nice because you have no time commitments with this visa (Student and Work visas both have time commitments). So you can do whatever you want, wanna travel to Beijing for a week? Done. Want to check out Shanghai for a few days? No problem. The downside to getting into China with a travel visa is that you’re only allowed to stay in the country for 3 months at a time. So if you want to learn the language, build relationships and study the culture, you’ll find that three months isn’t going to be long enough.

Student visa - Another option is to get a student visa. You do this by finding a Chinese college or language school that you would like to study at and you enroll with their school. When you do this you’ll also apply for a student visa. What’s nice about a student visa is that it’s good for as long as you’re studying at that school. So you can stay in the country for years without having to leave. So it’s nice if your plans are to study Chinese and be there for a while, because with this visa you will be able to stay a while. The downside to this visa is that you’re required to attend the school. This isn’t a huge time commitment (maybe 15 hours or so a week), but it isn’t like you can just travel the whole time and not attend school.

Work visa - This is another option for getting into China. It requires you to first find a job that offers a visa (in most cases this will be a college or school looking for native English speakers to teach) and through that job you can apply for a work visa. What’s nice about this visa is that you can stay in China for as long as your work contract allows you. So if you want to be in China for a while, this is a great option. You can also make a little money while you’re in China, which is nice. The downside is similar to the Student visa, you’re required to show up at your work and teach (usually demanding 12-40 hours a week). So you can’t just pick up and go to Beijing for a few weeks whenever you want.

If you need more information on; China, Xian, teaching English, or living in China, feel free to look over my site or write me your questions. I’ll do my best to answer them. Thanks for reading this.

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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Most Beautiful Places in the World

I've had the joy of traveling to many different places over the past 7 years, here are the most beautiful places. In no particular order they read:

Medellin, Colombia - Medellin, was once a place of terrible drug wars and the home of Pablo Escobar. Honestly, I heard when we were there that only 15 years ago you could have someone killed in a drive-by for like $5 or $10 bucks. I mean that’s crazy. I will never forget driving around the outskirts of this city which is cradled on all sides by mountains, as soon as the city came into view below us, in this naturally shaped bowl, I was shocked by its beauty. And that wasn’t even the most amazing sight. That came late one night when I stepped outside to run and get a Coke or some candy (I’m guessing, but I know myself well) and when I began my walk down the street I looked up to the surrounding mountains to find that they were lit up by the lights of homes that climbed the steep mountain side. It was an amazing site to see. These memories sold me on the beauty of Medellin.

Thailand (To be more specific, an island, but I forget the name of it) - The Thai people are amazing, that can’t be understated enough. There’s a saying I heard once, Thai people have 8 types of smiles, one for when they’re mad, one for when they’re disappointed, one for when they’re sad, ect. Point being, Thai people are friendly. We spent a month in Thailand and for two weeks we had the privilege of staying in little cabins on an island just off of the Thai coast. It was beautiful and the food was amazing. If I ever win the lottery (which everyone does at least once in life, right?) I would have this as one of the places to go.

Colorado - I called her home for 5 years. Living near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains was a real treat. Being able to just drive an hour (if that) and find yourself surrounded by mountains was incredible.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong is a breathe takingly beautiful place. I love getting the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong and experience all this city has to offer. At night, taking the tram to the top of Mount Victoria and seeing Hong Kong lit up by its night lights is amazing. Also, TONS of amazing parks within the city, that are awesome to spend an afternoon at.

Minnesota (only cause my mom will kill me if I don’t mention it) - Seriously if I write a blog post about the most beautiful places I’ve been and I don’t include Minnesota, I’m signing my death wish for the next time I see my mom. To Minnesotans, it’s that serious, that you would end your son’s life, because he didn’t acknowledge Minnesota’s beauty. It truly is a beautiful place though. After seeing more of America since leaving Minnesota I’ve become aware of how much we have that all comes together there. We have trees, lakes, rivers and even the flat farm land that some crazy people enjoy. As a kid my Dad and I would go up north do the Minnesota/Canada border to hike and you would always come away with a fresh reminder of the beauty Minnesota has. I’m glad to call her my home.

Montana (only cause my in-laws will kill me if I don’t mention it) - Again, if I don’t include this one I will have trouble next time I see relatives. I would always tease my wife about Montana being one of the worst places in the world, but then I actually saw Montana with my own eyes and was truly amazed. I think that there are a few different reasons a place would land on this list, but Montana is here because of its quietness and simple beauty. Sitting up on a hill looking in every direction with only the wind against your face as a companion, has a deep value to it, a value not experienced in many other places. I love Montana’s mountains and landscape; the people aren’t half bad either.

Canada - That’s a joke.

Well that’s it, hope you enjoyed reading this, feel free to add your favorite travel locations in the comment area.

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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Travel tips for Hong Kong

So I've been to Hong Kong a few times and wanted to pass on my tips for traveling to and in Hong Kong. I hope this helps you plan your trip. If it does or if you have any suggests, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom for me.

Use the trolleys - It’s a fun, convenient and cheap way to travel around Hong Kong. Let it be part of how you travel around.

Stay anywhere (this is specifically for Hong Kong Island) - Don’t worry about the prime places downtown which can be WAY more expensive than comparable locations that are a little ways away from the downtown area. With all the conveniences of public transportation (taxis, buses, subways, and trolleys) it makes no sense to have to be downtown and spending tons of money for it. Save the money for doing some fun things or eating out and instead stay somewhere a little ways away from downtown.

Visit the sites I wrote about - You can view them here.

Fly to Shenzhen instead of Hong Kong (if coming from mainland China) - This is only advice for those coming from Mainland China. It saves you a lot of money to fly to Shenzhen (or Guangzhou) and then take a bus to Hong Kong (which from Shenzhen is only one hour and only costs about $15 a person). When flying directly into Hong Kong you can expect to spend a lot more.

Use a baby backpack - Not a stroller if you can avoid it, because there are so many stairs and getting in and out of taxis can be a little exhausting.

Grab a hotel business card - You might wonder why you would do this, so I will tell you, you do this so that each time you climb into a taxi you can show them where you’re staying and the taxi driver will know exactly where to take you.

Use my bartering tips when shopping - You can read them here.

Money exchange - Find a place with a good exchange rate, because they’re not all the same. You can try; the airport, your hotel, and street vendors. Again, they’re not all the same rate, but you can save yourself a little money by trying a couple locations to see what the best rate is.

Power and outlet converters - OK so as I’m writing this my computer is about to die, because I can’t charge it in the unique outlets found in Hong Kong. So next time I will make sure to bring an outlet converter.

Outlet converters at the hotel front desk - So in relation to the tip above this one I tracked down an outlet converter at my Hotel’s front desk, so if you forget your converter (like I did) ask the hotel front desk… maybe you’ll find one!

Baby crib to use - So traveling with a toddler isn’t ever easy, but something I found out recently (and far too late in life) is that many hotels have cribs that you can use. How nice is that!? So instead of lugging your own around, you can instead simply call ahead and have the front desk reserve one for you.

Explore! - Some of the best things we found on our trip came simply because we put the map down and just walked the streets looking for interesting things. So get out there and make your own adventure!

Enjoy this day,
Matt

For a list of restaurants in Hong Kong click here.

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Hotels Hong Kong - Hotel Jen

I wanted to write a hotel review of the hotel my family and I just stayed at in Hong Kong, the Hotel Jen. I’ve been too Hong Kong twice recently and both times the Hotel Jen came up as the cheapest hotel to stay at. The first time I didn’t stay at it because it seemed to be too far away from the central area of Hong Kong Island.

Well this past trip my family and I stayed at the Hotel Jen and I’m happy to say that we loved it! And I wanted to pass it on to all of you who are planning a trip to Hong Kong. I discovered that my original fears of the hotel being too far away from most things in Hong Kong, to not be true. With public transportation making traveling around Hong Kong incredible easy, it was no problem to be a little bit away from the Central area.

What’s nice is that you can save a TON of money by staying at the Hotel Jen and never even really notice the difference between staying directly downtown.

The room my family and I stayed in was the standard room they offer. It’s small, but if you’ve traveled big cities in China you will know that most rooms are small. The room however was very nice. Great TV with some channels (although not many) as well as clean and new. The non-harbor view was not great to be honest. You looked down mostly on rundown buildings with only a sliver of the mountain being visible.

The Hotel Jen also has a nice lobby area, restaurant, bar, pool and gym. Unfortunately for us it was slightly cooler when we last went so we didn’t get to enjoy the outdoor pool which is located on the roof of the Hotel. Also, the hotel staff did a great job, very friendly, and they spoke great English.

I can’t think of much more. Overall, we loved the hotel and would recommend anyone to stay there. Seriously, save yourself a ton of money by not staying directly downtown and spend it elsewhere. It’s easy enough to get around that location isn’t that important (in my opinion).

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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Hong Kong Attractions

So you're heading to Hong Kong and you want to know what to do? Here's a list of the things my family and I have done and what our experience were from the past couple times we were in Hong Kong. I hope this helps, if you have questions feel free to leave a comment and I will get back to you.


Going up the tram to The Peak of Mount Victoria - To be honest this is my favorite thing to check out in all of Hong Kong. Getting to see the city from the peak of Mount Victoria is spectacular to say the least. It’s an incredible way to see Hong Kong in a different way and will leave you breathless. The only thing is this… once you get there maybe you take 15-30 minutes to snap some pics and take in the view and then you head back down, so it’s not an outing you need much time for. However there is shopping and restaurants at the top also.

Victoria park - My family and I had a really fun time walking through Victoria Park, exploring all it has to offer and stopping at many of the playgrounds and parks throughout it. If you’re traveling with kids this is a great place to spend time as a family. I would suggest it to my closet friend (and my farthest enemy???)

Ferry ride across harbor - My 4 year old daughter LOVES taking the ferry and when we’re in Hong Kong it’s a must do thing. I think that it’s fun because how often in our normal lives do we take a ferry? And along the same lines as the peak, the ferry ride presents a different way of seeing Hong Kong. If you’re not sold yet, it’s also super cheap.

View of the harbor - Along the peninsula (Kowloon) there are some areas setup to view and snap pictures of the famous Hong Kong skyline which is a fun place to stop and do such. It doesn’t take long to do this and you can do it as soon as you get off the Ferry making it super convenient. Then afterwards every time you see the Hong Kong skyline (which is the view of the harbor) you can turn to the person next to you and say “I’ve been there”, which is deeply satisfying.

Walk around the downtown area - My family and I seem to do this each time we’re in Hong Kong which is fun and helps us to get out and get some exercise. All you do is head to the Central area and just start walking and see where you end up. There are TONS of skyway ramps connecting a multitude of malls that are fun to walk through and explore as you shop for a souvenir to take home. There are also lots of coffee shops and restaurants to make this an even more enjoyable thing to do.

Eat good food - Weather eating new and unique ethnic food or just enjoying some good western food, Hong Kong offers it all. In addition to food from; Nepal, Thailand, China, Australia, Italy, India, Vietnam, Egypt, France, and many more places, you will also find; TGIF, Outback Steakhouse, Fat Angelo’s, Spaghetti House, Burger King, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Duke’s Deli and other western cafes and restaurants. Click here for my review of the restaurants of Hong Kong!

Day trip to Shenzhen - If Hong Kong doesn’t offer enough for you to do or you have some time to kill, take a day to head into mainland China by way of the city Shenzhen. Each time my wife and I go through Shenzhen we usually say something like “Why don’t we live here?” or some other variation. We say this because Shenzhen is; a really nice, beautiful, and unique city. I don’t know much about the city, but maybe you can go and find something you like as well as discover somewhere new. To get there by bus you will pay $15 or 100RMB.

Take one of the trolleys - Not only is this a cheap and convenient way to travel, it’s also a fun, nostalgic way to go around the city and see the different parts of Hong Kong. My family easily got on and off the trolley and it seemed like they came very often. It was nice also because they would take us directly downtown. It was especially fun to ride on the top level of the trolley to get an even better view of the passing buildings.

Visit Hong Kong Park (and Aviary) - Ummm, it’s safe to say that this park and how much we enjoyed it surprised me. First off, my family kinda stumbled into the park as we were looking for things to do, and I was so glad we did. It was actually an incredible contrast to be in a lush green park with streams of water (and even a waterfall) surrounded by tall trees, and to look just beyond the tree tops to see the modern sleek buildings of Hong Kong behind them. As we strolled through the park we also came to 5 or 6 levels of kids playground areas. It was a fun place for the kids to burn off energy. Lastly Hong Kong Park also has a Bird Aviary, which is a large enclosed bird area. We spent about half an hour going through the Aviary and loved looking at each of the birds. Our four year old loved it and it was FREE!

Day trip to Macao - Truth be told I didn’t actually do this while in Hong Kong, but did see Ferries offering to make the trip. If I had the time and it was only my wife and I, I would have loved to make the trip out and back. Again, this is just another thing on a long list of things to do in Hong Kong.

Disneyland - OK so my family and I didn’t go to Disneyland, but it seems like a cool thing to do. Of course you need ridiculous amounts of money to do this though.

Giant Buddha - We also didn’t get to visit the world’s largest sitting Buddha, but if you had enough time to do it, it would be cool to see.

Well I hope that helps you as you plan for your trip. If this was helpful, let me know by leaving a comment.

(Sorry to end this list with a few things that we didn’t do, but I thought that if you were going to Hong Kong you might want to visit some of these sites.)

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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Restaurants in Hong Kong

So in my traveling to Hong Kong I’ve decided to post about the restaurants I’ve eaten at. Granted the ones I’ve eaten at are all Western (mostly) chain restaurants, but I thought I would write about them anyways. If you’re wondering why I haven’t ventured out much while visiting Hong Kong it’s because my wife and I live in China and eating at these restaurants is a real treat. So hope this helps you plan your trip.

Here’s a list of some ethnic food you can find in Hong Kong; Nepali, Thai, Chinese, Australian, Italian, Indian, Vietnamese, Egyptian, French, and I’m sure many more.

But you will also find; TGIF (Fridays), Outback Steakhouse, Fat Angelo’s, Spaghetti House, Burger King, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Duke’s Deli, Subway and other western cafes and restaurants.

In addition to writing what places we know about here I also wanted to add my two cents about the locations we’ve eaten at. So here it goes:

Outback - My family and I loved eating at Outback Steakhouse. It was great food with all the favorites you can get in the States as well as a great location. The service was awesome and the prices were very good. Also, you get the free bread just as you would in the States.

Duke’s Deli - This was a fun little place for us to stumble upon. My wife had been craving a simple sandwich and she found it here. I got a piece of pizza and really enjoyed it also. It’s a deli and it’s in Hong Kong so it’s a little expensive but not too bad.

Fat Angelo’s - My wife and I would have to say that this is our favorite restaurant in all of Hong Kong. Great food, great service and they hook you up with a bunch of free bread that is pretty tasty. Its prices are typical for Hong Kong. If you’re craving some Italian food while here, this is the place for you.

TGIF - Ummm, this is the real reason I decided to write this article, because TGIF’s is not that great of a place to go… which is really disappointing. In Beijing my family and I love going to TGIF’s, but here it just doesn’t cut it. And it’s not like we just had one bad experience (that could be excused) it seems like the past couple times we went we were left spending A LOT of money and finding the food just average. Pass on TGIF’s and hit up Outback, you’ll be glad you did.

Pizza Hut - I know it may seem stupid to have a “review” of Pizza Hut on here, but the truth is that when you’re eating American fast food overseas you never know what you’re gonna get. Sometimes the restaurant is exactly like it would be in the States and other times it’s REALLY NOT. Well Pizza Hut I’m glad to report is the same good ole Pizza Hut you would eat in the States. If you don’t like to venture much, then Pizza Hut is a good place to eat.

KFC - This is an example of a restaurant in the States NOT being the same overseas. KFC is really not good at all. I haven’t eaten at one in Hong Kong so maybe it’s slightly different (I’ve eaten at KFC in China… unfortunately). I wouldn’t eat here if someone was paying me too.

McDonalds - MCD is the same as it is in the States with some added Asian dishes. One bonus here is that you can order breakfast food all day… Am I in Heaven? Iowa? Oh, it’s still Hong Kong.

Burger King - I love BK and will till the day I die. Hong Kong’s Burger King was no different than the States and was great to eat at.

Subway - Truth be told, I didn’t eat at Subway while in Hong Kong, but when I’ve eaten at them in China I’ve found them to be the same and good.

Well this may be short, but I hope it helps you to have a better experience to know what there is in Hong Kong as well as what to expect.

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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7 tips for shopping overseas

(First let me say that these rules; aren’t fair, not always nice, and hard to master. But they will help you when you’re shopping in another land. Here’s an example of an unfair rule, “go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. I mean no trial? Can’t I at least see my lawyer? But just like the “go directly to jail” rule, follow these)

This post was inspired by my recent trip to Beijing. My wife and oldest daughter were at the hotel sleeping and so my youngest daughter and I headed out to face whatever the hard streets of Beijing could throw our way. We actually stumbled into (what I think was) a section of the famous Silk Market. From the moment we entered we were hounded by people selling clothes of all sorts of natures. It can get a little stressful if you’re not prepared. So here are some tips.

IF YOU REALLY AREN’T SHOPPING

Don’t make eye contact with the seller- I told you these rules weren’t always nice. But in the end it’s best for you and the person trying to pawn stuff off on you, if you just don’t meet their gaze. When you do you become personally connected. And it’s harder to avoid a person who you’re looking at or have looked at. I prefer the oldest trick in the book of pretending to be completely engrossed in something in the exact opposite direction.

Don’t answer their questions- As innocent as the question may be. “Where are you from?” is a popular one, and for good reason, we love to talk about ourselves. But they don’t care where you’re from, you could make a place up and it wouldn’t make a difference. This method is often step two for a seller when you avoid eye contact. So pretend you don’t speak whatever language they’re using.

Walk, and walk fast- If the eye contact doesn’t happen, if the questions are ignored then sometimes people will stand in your way, block you from an exit, or grab your arm all in the name of a sale. And in the end I can’t blame them, they’re working for a family just like the rest of us, but you need to walk and walk fast if you aren’t shopping.

IF YOU REALLY ARE SHOPPING

Know your price- This can’t be stressed enough. Period. Period. (see how I added another period to emphasize my point) Because this is what typically happens; “You want to buy this shirt?” sure you’ll say and you’ll add “how much?” to which they will reply “How much will you pay?” or some variation of this depending on their level of English. If you haven’t thought this through, it can be an awkward moment as you try to do mental math of how much A dollars is equal to B dollars. Be confident.

ALWAYS go lower then what you’re willing to pay- Bartering is a dance, if you don’t know what you’re doing you’ll fall down and everyone will point and laugh at you. So when they ask “How much?” you already knowing what you’re willing to pay, so counter with an offer less then what you’re willing to pay. It is the absolute worst feeling in the world to have your initial offer accepted .2 seconds after you offer it. Because what do you do then? Tell them the price you said and that they agreed to is too high? No. It might seem like common sense, but go less then what you are willing to pay.

Get all your stuff or souvenirs from the same person- This helps so much with your bargaining power. If a person sees a $50 sale walking out the door they will be much more willing to come your way, as compared to say… a $2 purchase.

Walk away, even if you want it… seriously- All too often we just settle when bargaining. If you really want to get the price you’re asking for, walk away. As you are leaving the door the seller will be much more willing to bend on his price.

I remember once when this really didn’t work out for me though. I was buying a dresser (or something like that) from a stall in Xian that sells used furniture. The lady wasn’t budging on the price so I started to walk away in an attempt to get her to follow me and lower the price. After about 30 feet my wife was walking towards me and I quickly mumbled this question to her “Is anybody following me?” to which she replied “No”.

I learned that day that sometimes even these rules don’t work. What works for you? (Add a comment at the bottom of this page)

Enjoy this day,
Matt

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