China Here I Come!

[BambinA]

I don't even use shaving cream when I travel.  Just lather up your face with soap and shave away

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No.... I mean yeah... but no.... well yeah, but -

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hahah

dont be silly .. read it well i said i googled it..and copy !!

lol

Bambi

[khall64au]

Well, I've spent almost two months back in Blighty, resting on my laurels in Aberdeen, Lancaster, the Isle Of Wight, and Aylesbury and my money has almost run out - so it's just as well that the entertainment company I worked for in Bangkok have pleaded for me to return, this time to Beijing.

I've never been to China, and I'm n ot sure what to expect and was wondering if you members could offer me some tips.

I have just three questions...

1: It it expensive compared to Thailand?

2: What are the plug sockets like?

3: Is the food tasty and can I get good quality western food such as Brie and watercress from the supermarkets?

Fly out KLM first class to Hong Kong via Amsterdam tomorrow morning where I will get my visa sorted out by some Chinese bloke who will meet me there, then off to meet my half brother and his fiancee and hand him his birthday card before going to the hotel and clearing out the mini bar.

Beijing the next morning and lots of stressful, hot, hard work in the blazing sunshine for 13hrs a day, but I'll be making shitloads of wonga so no members or senior prolific admins can accuse me of being a wastrel or a poor unemployed person.

The good news is that in October, when done, I may wish to return to Thailand and the portable amusement park may follow.

The bad news I'm sorry to say, is that due to how busy I will undoubtedly be, I will have very little time indeed to spend time online and could well be away from ThaiVisa for a while.

I urge members not to be too upset by this and I will return at some point and am confident that ThaiVisa is strong enough to survive my absence.

I look forward to swaggering down Sukhumvit Road with wads of cash come November and buying some of you a tasty beer, though before leaving China, I may wish to have a look at that big wall they have first.

Now, if I may be serious for a moment, I would be most grateful for any answers to my three questions or tips in general. 

P.S. I am aware they have no sense of humour. 

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Hi Scamp,

I must admit.... this is one of THE funniest posts I've ever read. Not because of your Q's but due to the A's.

Just goes to show how many people LOVE you out there.

[kayo]

Marandin?   

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Heheheheh.......

Good luck Scamp. Never been to China but have heard mixed things about it.

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:D

Either Iceland flicked the Scamp or Scamp flicked Iceland

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They found out that he wasn't any good at Chess...

totster

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&lt;deleted&gt;!!

[IvanLaw]

Either Iceland flicked the Scamp or Scamp flicked Iceland

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Work colleague was called in to see MD who asked him if he had heard of, “Wan Kin”

Colleague miss heard and expressed great delight and replied, “He loved it”.

Still in China after 5 years

PS

Good Luck G Scamp, I enjoy reading your Posts please continue when you have free time.

Regards

Ivan

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The Chinese couple got divorced. She went back to Beijing and he went back to Wanking

[Boon Mee]

Well, I've spent almost two months back in Blighty, resting on my laurels

I'm puzzled by this comment, Scamp.

What Laurels?

[amal2029]

(sorry , i cant edit ..so i hve  to post again)

google..

Electricity: The electrical current in China is 220 volts, 50 cycles (AC).  Wall outlets take American-style plugs, with two flat parallel prongs; however, they may not take the third, oversized prong, used for grounding, now in general use in the United States.

To use your U.S. Purchased electric-powered appliances, you'll need a converter (See Below), unless they are dual voltage, in which case you'll need only the adapter for the plug.  Most laptops operate equally well on 220 or 110 volts and only require an adapter and definitely a power surge protector.

I recently saw a converter in Radio Shack that handles your 110 volt appliance here in China.  It takes in 220 volts and brings it down to 110 volts. It's called "international adapter".

Don't use the 110 volt outlets in the hotels marked "for shavers only" with high-wattage appliances such as blow dryers

You may want to forget your electric shaver and bring along those Gillette/Schick Custom Disposable Shavers and save space in the suitcase.  I don't even use shaving cream when I travel.  Just lather up your face with soap and shave away with your disposable shaver. If you forget you can always get them while in Guangzhou at the Watsons or Friendship Stores where I usually buy them when not in Hong Kong

These are more common in homes(plug1 pic)

These are more common in Hotels(plug2 pic)

Remember:  Adapter plugs do not convert electricity.  Below illustrates the male end of the adapter that will plug into the wall socket, the male prongs of the converter will plug into the adapter with the male prongs of the hair dryer that will plug into the converter.  Keep in mind that no matter what type of plug an outlet might accept, voltage in China is 220v, 50 hz and not acceptable for your U.S. purchased appliances.

(plug3 pic)

Bambi

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I always thought ur a Thai lady Frankly, r u a male or female BambinA?

[Totster]

Answered already....

I don't even use shaving cream when I travel.  Just lather up your face with soap and shave away

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No.... I mean yeah... but no.... well yeah, but -

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

hahah

dont be silly .. read it well i said i googled it..and copy !!

lol

Bambi

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[BambinA]

(sorry , i cant edit ..so i hve to post again)

google[/color]..[/color]

Electricity: The electrical current in China is 220 volts, 50 cycles (AC).  Wall outlets take American-style plugs, with two flat parallel prongs; however, they wattage appliances such as blow dryers[/color]

............etc..etcYou may want to forget your electric shaver and bring along those Gillette/Schick Custom Disposable Shavers and save space in the suitcase.  I don't even use shaving cream when I travel.  Just lather up your face with soap and shave away with your disposable shaver. If you forget you can always get them while in Guangzhou at the Watsons or Friendship Stores where I usually buy them when not in Hong Kong

....blah balh till end

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Edited July 21, 2005 by BambinA

[Jockstar]

Good luck Scampy. China has gotta be better than Aberdeen? All the best mate and let us know how you get on.

[LadyinRed]

I've been to Shanghai and:

- Drinks (quite expensive; more than LOS like others mentioned)

- Food (best food I had was Nepali; I also suspect you get better Chinese food elsewhere in the world other than China; prices are OK; stay off side vendors; they eat snakes, dogs, cats, pelican feets, turtle fried rice, and god knows what!)

- Quality farang food: plenty in restaurants; should not be a problem to get Bree in upmarket modern supermarkets

Overall Shanghai rocks!! I'd definitely go there again. Good luck and enjoy your time there.

Red

[Blake7]

I lived for over 4 years in China and still return about once every month.

Food is great - of course depend son the region. In actual fact Beijing food is probably the worst but as the Scampy doesn't like foreign food Beijing cuisine which is quite bland may be up his street.

Beijing in Summer is miserable though. very dry heat and sand storms from the Gobi desert.

Nightlife in Beijing is good - imho better than Shanghai as it is more friendly. Watch out for mongolian chicks though.

[Jack Jones]

Good luck Scampy, sounds a bit dodgy though.....going to China to work in the entertainment industry. Good job you didn't say you were going to work in the entertainment industry in Thailand

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Aren't there any internet cafe's in China for ole Scampy to tap in from ?

[Kringle]

Let's hope not or he'll start whinging the day he gets there.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

[Boon Mee]

Let's hope not or he'll start whinging the day he gets there.

With a few 'Bleats' and some 'Yammering' thrown in too!

[britmaveric]

Aren't there any internet cafe's in China for ole Scampy to tap in from ?

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Most likely be censored....TV prob is blocked!!

[Jockstar]

Wonder how hes doing?

Edited July 22, 2005 by Jockstar

[penzman]

The Chinese couple got divorced. She went back to Beijing and he went back to Wanking

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Last time she called, he cried and cried. She did say "Get a hold of yourself"

[the scouser]

Have the Chinese realised that Scampy is a Fukien nuisance?

Scouse.

[khall64au]

Have the Chinese realised that Scampy is a Fukien nuisance?

Scouse.

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Scamp,

Are your ears burning yet???

[Boon Mee]

Have the Chinese realised that Scampy is a Fukien nuisance?

Scouse.

Well, let's 'Hokkien' not!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The Chinese couple got divorced. She went back to Beijing and he went back to Wanking

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Last time she called, he cried and cried. She did say "Get a hold of yourself"

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Get a grip ... get a grip

[The Gentleman Scamp]

Harro everybody!

So far Beijing is okay but strange, it is how I expected Russia to be but without the snedge and the furry hats.

Eight of us met at Heathrow Airport (That's London BTW) and got a flight to Amsterdam where we spent 2 hrs in an Irish pub where I drank lots of Murphy's stout and chatted up the assistant manageress who said she wanted to work in Thailand someday so I told her about ThaiVisa and wrote the web address on a beermat with 'The Gentleman Scamp' next to it so she knows how to contact me if she fancied me which she probably didn't because I don't look as good as I do on my avatar, I have a small beer belly these days and my hair has got so long I can curl it around my finger at the back.

Next flight was to Hong Kong and I arrived on July 21st which is my half brothers birthday, so while the other seven sauntered off to Wanchai to find the Old China Hand, I rang bro to wish him a happy thirty seventh and we met at Tin Wau subway station where he was pushing his new baby back and forth in a McLaren buggy.

For once he didn't go on about Christianity, I think he has finally accepted that he won't be able to convert me which was a relief because instead of that dominating our conversation we spoke about our mum, (god rest her pickled soul) work, the Chinese, his crap goatee beard and life in general.

He's nothing like me, we've got different dads and he takes after his 100%, and as a dad himself he seems to be coping well with being a parent, better than (our) mother who was arrested in 1976 for being drunk in charge of a pram (with me in it) and was subsequently reported to social services by a man in a pub who had recently been released from prison, sad but also amusing anecdotes I learned of during my stay in the Isle Of Wight where my mother was well loved and well known for driving cars into resevoirs for fun, dancing on tables and straying off topic in conversation.

Anyway, Hong Kong is brilliant, shame I was only there 1 night.

Okay look, I'm gonna send this now and finish it later because I have a hangover and I had a KFC for breakfast and I need to go to the toilet as I have a bad case of 'rusty water'.

To be continued...

Edited July 23, 2005 by The Gentleman Scamp

[HarryHacker]

I have a feeling this topic will give 'Rain' a run for its money!

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Without a doubt

[The Gentleman Scamp]

I have a feeling this topic will give 'Rain' a run for its money!

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The way things are going it will give my blog a run for it's money... And speaking of rain Harry; since I arrived it has been raining and the sky has been the same colour as a very old white towel, in fact when I was on the plane looking out the window, I thought for a moment we were inside a big hangar with a plain paper backdrop. If it hadn't been for the turby I could have almost believed that we were stationary.

So HK was fantastic and I can see why my half sibling has lived there for fifteen years, and the $2 coin, is the best coin I've ever seen and it looks like it's been cut out with one of those crinkly circular pastry cutters.

We looked at laptops and I explained that despite submitting 2 posts on this Thai expat website I was a member of, I still had no idea which laptop to buy.

Typically, he told me that HK and Singers were the cheapest countries in Asia in which to buy one and that China and Bangers are roughly the same price range as the U.K. so I may as well fly home and get one from Dixons in Waterlooville, or wherever I lay my hat during my next visit.

After dark, we went up to the peak where I saw what was arguably the best man made view I had ever seen, and a postcard photographers dream.

Got a boat across the river, went to a cafe and had french toast with honey and a fish curry to follow, both of which I actually enjoyed.

Sometime after midnight we parted, and I went back to the Park Hotel in Kowloon to find the room empty, and my worst fears were confirmed.

The other seven lads were still out on the piss and it would be me that would have to collect their passports and make sure they all got up the following morning.

So despite having only a couple of hundred HKD's, I decided to get a taxi to this Wanchai district over on Hong Kong island.

Will write more later if you're still interested... I've got to eat something but not another KFC, they're bad at the best of times but this one was awful, truly awful.

[HarryHacker]

Personally speaking, this could and should be one of your better contributions to TV and I look forward to hearing more about this saga.

I have always considered China as the only possible country for me to work and live if I ever decide to leave Thailand or Thailand tires of me.

Keep it up!

[Boo]

scamp, glad your getting settled, it's a shame we couldn't meet up in the smoke but what with people trying to blow us up and all..... Next time honey, next time

You really are a good writer, why not try to use some of your time in Chinaland & start a book?