Just landed in Beijing. I have no idea what to do.

[EagleKeeper]

From the 2nd thread:



From a couple of months ago. So he's been planning to be by himself this whole time anyway, even if his parents had gone. WTF.

Attention whoring is not a good way to keep friends fuzzy.

He sounds like he was going to use his parents as a staging ground - to get the lay of the land/oriented.

Then strike out after they went home.

Instead, parents' plans changed, he was committed to a point and he has to survive on his own.

Attention whoring not found

 

[RearAdmiral]

It was supposed to be a family trip with the parents and following them around. It's their first time in 27 years going back to China. So I got all visa and plane ticket for 2 months purchased. Couple days ago parents told me they won't get their visa so I'm now on an unplanned trip with no direction and no idea how to get anywhere. I don't read or write Chinese, and I can't speak it well at all.

lol wow...have fun

 

[manimal]

go to that medical company that makes the sperm extractor from last weeks thread and start an import business called neckbeard sperm extractors.

Cums with a lifetime warranty!

 

[God Mode]

Your parents left you on purpose. Any day now the peoples army will take you in and force you to fight for them. Start practicing some push and pull ups lest you get the whip.

 

[dighn]

I think it's better being a good reactionary. Many 'planners' can't handle disruption. Something doesn't go per plan, and everything goes to hell. Being reactionary makes you flexible, and prepared for anything that can come up. I don't like plans because almost nothing goes per plan. If I were in China, I'd just hit the road and see stuff. There's no doubt in my mind I'd do pretty well, and have a good time.

not saying you should plan everything from a to z, because yeah you often do need to improvise. but some planning makes you better at improvising e.g. knowing the best modes of transportation, where you may find help in english, things to watch out for etc.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

Well, you could report yourself as a spy and see where that gets you.

 

[jupiter57]

This thread brought to you buy the same guy who wants to drive around the world by himself: http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2271228

I've suspected it for a while, but I'm convinced now that FBB is simply either an enormous idiot or a troll, or more likely, both.

ATOT: The only place in the world you can travel Internationally & never have to leave your parents house!

 

[evident]

wtf man...

 

[Ns1]

K i gotta admit, FBB's parents did screw him over (again)

 

[SunnyD]

Well, I tried. You're on your own.

 

[JulesMaximus]

See if you can find a PF Changs and go there for some authentic Chinese food.

 

[bigrash]

I'm not even azn, but I'd love to spend 2 months in China by myself. Sounds like a cool adventure.

 

[Dari]

I hope the OP brought his utensils. The pollution is bad enough in China. But the fact that you have to buy your spoons, forks, and knives from the restaurant is ridiculous.

 

[TecHNooB]

I'm not even azn, but I'd love to spend 2 months in China by myself. Sounds like a cool adventure.

getting ripped off left and right sounds like an adventure

 

[FM2n]

I hear Beijing is great for jeeping.

 

[Svnla]

Not quite true. It's safe for them to eat there. Not necessarily safe for you.

Don't go to the crowed "hole in the wall" or sidewall stall right on the side of the street. Go to a decent place (as in cleanliness) with plenty of locals, order only well cook hot meals and no fresh veggies, no ice, only unopen soda can/water bottle = good to go.

I have been to several places in Asia, from well developed such as Japan, S. Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc. to developing places such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, etc. and so far, so good, no stomach upset/digestive trouble.

 

[God Mode]

I'm not even azn, but I'd love to spend 2 months in China by myself. Sounds like a cool adventure.

Get kidnapped and your organs harvested. :whiste:

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

He sounds like he was going to use his parents as a staging ground - to get the lay of the land/oriented.

Then strike out after they went home.

Instead, parents' plans changed, he was committed to a point and he has to survive on his own.

Attention whoring not found

Yeah. I stopped planning when it just got too complicated. Too many hard or impossible to find train schedules, bus schedules, and other logistics to plan. I had about 8 destinations in mind but stopped after the second one because it just got retarded.

Many people don't realize this, but having your own car and personal, affordable mode of transportation is a GODSEND. Imagine having to negotiate an entire country the size of the US just on public transport and still retain some freedom to go where you want, when you want, and have fun. And to do it cheaply. The thought of traveling on rails and missing EVERYTHING the train passes through sucks big time. The thought of being left alone in a park when I want to stay to shoot the stars sucks. The thought of hiring a taxi for an entire day or going on a restricted tour bus to see things sucks.

Parents didn't just cancel their trip. Their Visa application got held up indefinitely (they're members of a religious group called Falun Gong which the government considers to be a state enemy - Falun Gong is basically a Buddhist sect).

 

[Ns1]

^^

how are you getting online?


LOL THEY'RE MEMBERS OF FALUN GONG. Yeah that could/should have been expected

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

^^

how are you getting online?


LOL THEY'RE MEMBERS OF FALUN GONG. Yeah that could/should have been expected

I'm at a hostel. I have to use a VPN just to access Google Apps for work.

China is not as cheap as I thought it would be.

They managed to get a Visa 2 years ago, but now with the Chinese government having their important meetings I think they're just applying at the wrong time.

And to give you an example of the typical way to get to a place, say, Shanghai to a popular tourist attraction, I have to:

1. Find a Chinese + English speaking person to book me a train reservation on my behalf. Showing up to the train station could mean not getting a ticket because they're sold out. Oh, and figure out which train to take.

2. Take the train. Get to the next station.

3. Take a taxi to the bus station. Figure out where the bus station with the bus you want is.

4. Figure out which bus to take to the final destination and hope the one you need happens to be running sometime that day. Bus schedules cannot be found online. You have to go to the bus station in person.

5. Catch the bus.

6. Bus drops you off at the destination. Now figure out how to actually *see* the sights in your destination. Hire a taxi for an entire day (expensive)? Somehow find a tour bus and join it? Most tour buses go on multi day excursions and provide lodging. What if you just want to go on a bus for a single day? Where do you go to find the companies? Are you ok with the restrictiveness of a tour bus?

7. Figure out lodging, and how to get there.

Repeat for each destination.

 

[WelshBloke]

... and then they bailed on the trip.

Say whaaaaaaaaa?!

What's the odds on them moving house before he gets home?

 

[xanis]

snip

Again, you want to travel the world solo by car, but making basic transportation/lodging accommodations and overcoming a single language is too stressful and too much work for you? Give me a freaking break. Seriously, are you just trolling us for fun or what?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Again, you want to travel the world solo by car, but making basic transportation/lodging accommodations and overcoming a single language is too stressful and too much work for you? Give me a freaking break. Seriously, are you just trolling us for fun or what?

What's basic about this? Having your own private mode of transportation, whether by motorcycle or car, cuts 90% of the headache out of the equation especially if you want to see things on your own terms. If I wanted to just have everything done for me but have no freedom to see what I want when I want I would just book a few bus tours across China in 15 minutes and be done with it. Then i just show up. Then i can go brag to all my online friends about how i negotiated China single handedly without breaking a sweat. But that's not how I want to travel. Riding through South America with zero handle on the language will be far easier than traveling through China without your own car. Are you just speaking from inexperience or what?

 

[SSSnail]

You sure do whine a lot for someone who wants to travel the world and see it on your own term. You lack the creativity and willingness to come up with easy solutions. In your case, since you have no lodging obligations and all the time in the world, why can't you buy a bike and hop on a bus to a destination of your choosing?

Just think for a second and stop whining.

 

[xanis]

What's basic about this? Having your own private mode of transportation, whether by motorcycle or car, cuts 90% of the headache out of the equation especially if you want to see things on your own terms. If I wanted to just have everything done for me but have no freedom to see what I want when I want I would just book a few bus tours across China in 15 minutes and be done with it. Then i just show up. Then i can go brag to all my online friends about how i negotiated China single handedly without breaking a sweat. But that's not how I want to travel. Riding through South America with zero handle on the language will be far easier than traveling through China without your own car. Are you just speaking from inexperience or what?

No argument on the car, it offers almost unrivaled freedom. Unfortunately, the reality of this is that you don't have that luxury. Instead of bitching and moaning about how stressful planning things is, why not try just going for it and seeing what happens? No matter how you look at it, you'll see and experience more from a train or bus than you will from sitting at your hostel complaining.