Using Verizon in China

One of the quandaries when traveling over to China is what to do about a Cell Phone while in country. At my last job we had an AT&T International rate plan and our Palm phones worked most places and we had data, etc... Now that I am independently owned and operated that kind of plush plan seems a little spendy.

Here in Wyoming we are fairly limited our choice of cell providers. Verizon is the big dog in the game, Union is the "local" option, and AT&T is sketchy at best. No other carrier is even present.

The end result of all this is that because we spend 48+ weeks of our year in the good ole USA we pick our provider based on Domestic capabilities, vs. International. This does create the potential for HUGE charges when traveling in China. Below are some key suggestions for avoiding some of the bigger pitfalls.

1. TURN OFF ALL DATA. I mean ALL. Background, browsing, hotspot, you name it. A data plan for 25MB is about $40, with a $1 per MB charge for all over. No plan at all? It is $20 per MB! Imagine, downloading 1 picture from a friend, $30. Call your Help Line to find out the best way to make sure all data is off.
2. Enable roaming. For most Verizon phones this means calling in to your phones Setup and activating. It adds about $4 a month, but your phone is a brick without it.
3. Minimize calls - Even with all the roaming set up correctly it is still $2 per minute to talk to US. That adds up quick.

OK, ways to stay in communication without racking up a huge phone bill.

1. SKYPE - assuming your hotel has internet (which most do) and you have a device that can access it (Laptop, tablet, etc...) using SKYPE to chat and call is the most cost effective way to talk. Chat/video chat? Free, PC to phone? $.02 per minute (compare to $2 from Verizon, which is 100X more expensive)
2. Get the people you are visiting to help you get a "Chinese" cell phone (or a SIM card for your phone, if it can take one). This is especially useful for in-country calls, given that many Chinese phones cannot call International, rendering your US phone number useless.
3. TXT Messages - at .50 outbound and .05 inbound these are great on the fly ways to communicate with people both in and out of China.

Talk to your provider about the best options for your destination country, the phones you have, and what your needs are. I have also used some of the International Rental Phones available in the US market and I say skip it. Using the above techniques and some common sense you'll be OK without it.

Tian Tan Buddah Part 2

While looking through my blog history I found that my most visited popular post was regarding my visit to the Tian Tan Buddah in Hong Kong. That being said I am posting a few more pictures that I took during my last visit there.

The first is a shot from the top of the Ngong Ping tram. From the tram it is about a 10 minute walk to the base of the steps, then another 5-10 minutes climb depending on your fitness level. The second shows one of the surrounding statues. Each is about 12 feet high and is offering Buddah something, in this case a lotus I believe. If you are ever in Hong Kong this trip is worth 4 hours of your day, I promise!

China by Train

Getting around China has become so much easier in the last 5 years. There has been a huge Government backed push to expand high-speed rail to every major city. The train pictured above is the "fastest" train in the world. Even though Europe has some trains that have set speed records, this train actually runs a schedule at the incredible speed of 349 KPH (or 217 MPH). this train runs from Guangzhou to Wuhan, with 6 schedule stops in between (including Changsha South, which is where we got off)

The price for a ticket is about 335 RMB ($50 US), so you don't see a lot of locals on the train, but compared to a 3-4 hour car ride, or a $250 plane ticket this is truly the way to travel.

There is a local Chinese saying that says "If you have the time you take the plane, if you have the money you take the train". This refers to the airline delays that China is famous for, and the expense/convenience of the extensive train network.

In 2 years they plan to have a Shanghai-Kunming train running, which will make it possible to traverse the majority of the Country in about 5 hours. Can't wait to take it next time we are there.

Guangzhou (广州), Part 1 - getting there

Getting to Guangzhou is fairly easy. As host to the Canton Fair, China's largest trade fair (and therefore one of the worlds largest) this city has some great transportation options and sees a lot of international business travel.

Note: US Citizens require a Visa for entry in to China. Single-entry, short-stay Visas may be applied for at the border, or in Hong Kong, but it is better to get your Visa before traveling. I recommend using ZVS and applying at least 45 days in advance

For ease of travel, I recommend going to Hong Kong first, enjoying some of the sites there, then heading inland.

Already in Hong Kong? Getting to Guangzhou couldn't be easier. Here are 3 options, listed in order of ease:

1. From Hung Hom MTR station buy a ticket on the Express ($190 HKG, Cash only!).

There are twelve trains daily between the two cities. Travel time is around two hours. There is 1 stop along the way (Dong Guan).

This will drop you at Guangzhou East (Guangzhoudong) station. From here you can take a taxi to your hotel, or walk if it is located in the area (Lilac, Westin, and many others are less than 5 minutes walk away)

2. Have some money left on your Octopus Card? Take the MTR to Lo Wu station, walk across the border (clearing customs) in to Shenzhen China, then take the express train from here to Guangzhou East. This will not save you much money, and cost a lot of time, but your call.

3. There is also a Ferry service running from Hong Kong to various Mainland China ports. I have used this service to get to Zhuhai, Zhongshan, and Panyu, but never with the intent of getting to downtown Guangzhou. Panyu is a southern suburb of Guangzhou and once there you can take a bus or taxi to your destination. I would only recommend this method if you needed to visit someone in Panyu first, and they could help you arrange to get in to downtown.

Don't want to go thru Hong Kong? Here is option 4

Fly there - The Baiyun International Airport (CAN) has flights directly from many major cities in the Pacific Rim, but I have found that getting there from the US is more difficult. You can take a connection in Narita (Japan) or Incheon (Korea) or even Hong Kong, but with the added time, connections, and my biased preference for Honk Kong I recommend flying in to Hong Kong, staying the night, and traveling in from there there. If you do fly in, be aware that the airport is a good 30-45 minutes away from any of the major downtown area.

Stay tuned for Part 2 - What to do while in Guangzhou

Hong Kong, a true International City

To me, there is no more international city than Hong Kong.

First, HKG is a destination for just about every major country in the world. While in the airport you will hear 20 different languages being spoken. The MTR (their Subway system) has everything in Cantonese as well as English, and I know they have a huge French, Spanish, African and Indian populations.

Getting around is simple. The MTR covers about 70% of the City, while cheap taxis and an extensive bus system cover the rest. Get an Octopus Card at any MTR station, load it with about $200 HK (@ $27 US) and you can travel all over without having to use cash. Note: Taxis do not accept the Octopus). Have a little money left over on it when you leave? McDonalds, Starbucks, 7-11, etc... also accept the card for payment.

Things to see? The Victoria Peak is a must, followed by the Ngong Ping 360 up to the Big Buddah. Walking Nathan Street aka The Golden Mile is also very high on the list. Below is my perfect day in Hong Kong:

(staying on the Kowloon side)
7 AM: Leave your hotel for walk along the Avenue of Stars, HKG equivalent of the Hollywood area with all the stars handprints
8 AM: Catch the Star Ferry crossing Victoria Harbour to Hong Kong island
8:30: Walk the 7 uphill blocks (or take a taxi for $10 HK) to the base of the Peak Tram
9:00 take the Peak Tram, one of the longest steel cable trolleys
Spend the rest of the morning enjoying the views of HKG from The Peak.
12:00 Eat lunch at one of the excellent restaurants at The Peak
1:00: Take Taxi from Peak down to Central MTR station. You could ride the Tram back down but it takes longer and is more expensive. Plus, taking a taxi down the winding mountain road really gives these drivers a chance to shine (not for the weak of stomach)
1:30 Take MTR to Tung Chung Station Exit B and walk 5 minutes to the Tung Chung Cable Car Terminal.
2:00 Buy tickets on Ngong Ping tram, ride to top, spend rest of afternoon walking around the Giant Buddah
5:00 Take MTR to Tsim Tsa Tsui Station (pronounced Chim Cha Choy).
6:00 Have Fish and Chips and a Guinness at Murphy's Irish Pub on Nathan Road
7:00 Walk Nathan Road looking for great deals on souvenirs. Note: you will be offered hundreds of Copy Watch and Hand Bags. I suggest you decline.
10:00 Head to Knutsford Terrace for drinks and dessert. It's just a short walk up Nathan Road (look for the Red street signs, these indicate visitor areas). Have a Vodka in the Ice Bar, listen to the Chinese Mariachi band in the Mexican Restaurant, or enjoy some Tapas and wine in the Spanish Restaurant. Keep an eye out for elevators with signs on them, there are bars and clubs all the way up to the 6th floor here.

2 AM get some sleep.

Did I miss a ton of HK stuff? You bet, Lan Kwai Fang, Stanley/Aberdeen, Lei Yu Moon. But these will have to wait until another day.

A new post

Stumbled upon my old Blog by accident, and I found the timing funny as I am getting ready for another trip to Asia. I will be visiting Honk Kong, Guangzhou, Hanan, Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Ninghai, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Weihai, and Beijing. I am impressed that I have had 26 visitors this month, and I haven't posted in 3 years. I will throw some more stuff on here shortly and see if the visitors come pouring in :)

See you in 3 weeks, when I get back from my trip around China.

No bailout, no way

I know this isn't supposed to be a political blog, but I just have to say "No Bailout, No Way".

I like to consider myself fairly self-made. My parents gave me a good start, but they didn't hand me a set life. When I decided to marry my beautiful bride I knew I had to support her, so I joined the Navy in order to provide for my family. In that time we made some mistakes and ran up some bills. Instead of filing for Bankruptcy we put in a payment program and we become debt free next month (5 long years later).

While we were paying off this debt we knew we would be stretching ourselves to buy a home. Instead we rented for 4 1/2 years until we were able to get a Fixed Rate mortgage and live within our means.

Now people are planning to take MY money and reward those people for gambling with their money. Where is the right in this? Let the market correct, let the gamblers lose, let the failures fail, and STAY OUT OF MY WALLET.

It is not the job of the government to step in and save everybody when they make bad decisions. Small government, personal accountability, let me keep what I earn.

Thus endeth the sermon

Yellowstone 2008

Each year I take a trip with my Father In Law. Normally we climb a major peak, or at least try to, but this year a friend recommended we take a Canoe trip in Yellowstone National Park. Now, we live about 3 hours from the South Entrance but in the 4 years we have been back in Wyoming this is only my 2nd trip there.

An amazing statistic is that 3,000,000 people (6 times the Wyoming Population) visit YNP each year, yet only 2% of them ever leave the pavement.

For our trip we paid Xanterra an ungodly fee to ferry us over to the SouthEast Arm of Yellowstone Lake. from there we took canoes 7 miles down to the very Southern end of the lake to camp. We were there for 4 nights, and I must say it was a trip that will be in my memories forever.

Even though we were in the middle of the busiest park in the US we went a full day without seeing anybody. The only sign we weren't totally alone was flickering campfires on the distant shores.

The picture above was taken from our 2nd campsite. The weather was unbelievable, the scenery beyond compare. I will post a few more pictures in the coming days.

My weekend

So today opened the Archey hunting season here in Wyoming. Since it happened to fall on Labor Day we thought it would be great to head yup to the lake, camp for the weekend with friends and family, then head out hutning bright and early.

The weekend started great. Saturdays weather was perfect and even though we got out of town late it still was nice. Sunday was OK, little bit of rain and wind, but nice. We took the kids out fishing for a bit (no luck, but still nice).

After dinner me and a friend decided to go up to a high meadow and cold-camp so we could hopefully be in place for the early morning elk.

We positioned ourselves in the middle of a swampy meadow, sheltered by trees and some camo blankets. There were fresh elk beds all over and it seemed to be perfect.

Everything went fine until about 2:00 AM when it strted to blow and rain. It rained on and off (more on than off) for the rest of the moring. We got up at 6:00 so we could glass the meadow for elk. It was wet, cold, and empty. We stuck it out until 7:30 but realised the only dumb animals out in the rain was us. We headed back to the campers, made coffee and called it a day.

Luckily this is the first day of 2 months of Elk Season, so we live to fight another day.

Wishing I was Hiking

I am not only about traveling to Asia. My main hobbies are fly-fishing, camping, hiking, hunting, and mountain climbing. Basically, anything outdoors.

3 years ago I decided to climb Gannet Peak, the tallest peak in Wyoming. We had studied the route, and my hiking partner had even been in to Fremont Peak (a close by neighbor) so we had a good idea of what the trip entailed. I called the Ranger station and they told us there might still be some snow up there. Since it was the 4th of July holiday we thought that it should be OK.

The first 14 miles were almost decent. We hit some deep patches of snow but were able to post-hole through. After Island Lake though, we were hosed. We post-holed for 3 more miles to Titcomb Basin, taking almost 6 hours to go that short distance.

Once we got to the Basin the winds kicked up to over 60 mph. It was literally blowing rocks. The next morning we got up early and headed for the peak, planning to bivy camp on the side of the mountain. Once we got to the top of Bonney Pass (12,000+ ft) we were confronted with more wind and a pending storm. We bailed, glissading (sliding on your butt, using an Ice Axe as a rudder/brake) back down Bonney, a 1200' run, to me this was the high point of the trip.

We did return the next year, and even though it was the exact same weekend we met no snow at all until the glaciers. That trip we were succesful in climbing this very tough peak.

Back in the saddle

Well, after reviewing my last post I realised it has been a long time since I bothered getting on and typing up a post. I will get back in to regular posting soon, but today I am still jet-lagged from an emergency trip I had to take last week to China.

I was there just long enough to get off my home time, but not long enough to adjust there. Needless to say, my bio-rhythm is a little off-beat.

Give me a day to purge the Baby Pigeon from my sytem and I'll catch you up on life at Hu-Flung-Poo

Business Class...

...RULES!!!

OK, I just had to post to say that I finally (after 6 previous trips) got the chance to sit in Business Class on an international flight.

For most Global travelers this might seem mundane, but for a lifelong Economy flyer this was living the dream.

Pre-Departure:
1: "Would you like some Champagne, juice or water?"
2: In your seat you find an "amenity" kit filled with eye covers, ear plugs, fresh socks, and hygiene items
3: A menu is handed out, offering your choice of entrees (3 options) desert choices, salad options, and wine pairings.

Take Off:
After launching in to the air I find that the seat reclined almost flat, with a "recliner" like leg rest as well. Individual screens allow you to watch the movie you choose, and extra large blankets help those of us that are a little wider/longer than others to cover our fat butts

In-Flight:
Water service in continuous, sip a little, get some more refilled ASAP. Bathrooms have soap, lotion, and some other bottle, all there to make you feel clean and pretty.
Lunch is served. All on china, with metal silverware (including knives), i receive my first choice, which was a Pork Short Rib designed by Charlie Trotter. Best airline food I have ever had.
Movie snacks are put out in case you get hungry, jump up and grab a sandwich, chips, a crunch bar, whatever.

Landing:
Nothing special, just more comfortable (and you do get to leave the plane earlier than most)

It is going to be hard to go back to Cattle Class, but I can't count on the free bump everytime and I am NOT paying the extra $3000 for that seat, even though it might be worth every penny...

Am I Too Cheap?

As far back as I can remember I have always been a little frugal. I compare the price per oz. when buying cereal, I drive across town to save $.03 on gas (unless I calculate that I will use more than that amount in gas to get to the station), and I always turn off a light when leaving a room (thanks Dad!)

In my job I have the opportunity to spend money that is not my own. And even though it isn't my own, I still am very careful about how I spend. I book cheaper flights, even if it costs me some time, I stay in cheaper hotels (as long as they are clean) and I eat the free breakfast instead of going out for something better.

BUT, on my last trip I realized I might be TOO cheap.

A typical travel day to Asia looks like this for me:

4:30 AM (MST) Depart house for Airport
Wyoming-Denver Flight
Layover
Denver- (SFO) San Francisco
Layover
SFO - HKG (Arrive 24 hours after leaving home)

Then somewhere on the trip I will make my way to Korea, then fly back from there, with the return trip looking roughly the same, but in reverse.

But, last trip I found out that if I booked a round-trip to Korea, then from Korea booked a roundtrip to Hong Kong it would save the company $300. So, here was what it looked like last time

4:30 AM (MST) Depart house for Airport
Wyoming-Denver Flight
Layover
Denver- (SFO) San Francisco
Layover
SFO - Seoul
Arrive Seoul, go through Customs, get luggage, check back in, go back through customs, 2 hour layover
Seoul - HKG (3 hour flight)
Arrive Hong Kong almost 30 hours after I left home.

Sitting in the Seoul airport I decided I was a fool. Nobody was mandating my trip cost X dollars, or that I would get any kind of bonus for saving the money. I wasted over 6 hours of my personal time, let alone my discomfort, for what? An extra stamp in my passport and saving the company some cash. (I even used my United Gold Card to get free meals in the Business class lounge)

I'll tell you, that's the last time I do that, unless the savings is $350, then i'll consider it...

Music to Travel By

There are a couple of things that a person who travels as much as I do cannot live without. A durable wheeled suitcase, a massive carry-on, clothes that don't wrinkle, Airborne, and of course an MP3 Player. My MP3 Player of choice is the 8 GB iPod Nano. I know there are bigger units out there, and I know that the Zune and the Zen offer other features, but the fact is the iPod is just so damn easy to use (and I got it for a gift)

Over the course of time I have found that my musical taste runs to the slightly eclectic. I really can't settle on a genre that nails down my tastes. I thought it would be fun to share my Top 25 Most Played List from my iPod as of 8:05 AM today:

1: Iesh De Lu (Chinese) by Xie Jin Yan
2: Byker Hill by The Cottars
3: Donald Where's Your Troosers by Enter the Haggis
4: Happy Little Boozer by Korpiklani
5: Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
6: The Next Episode by Snoop Dogg w/ Dr Dre
7: Snake With the Eyes of Garnet by Shane MacGowan and the Popes
8: Gin and Juice by Snoop Dogg
9: Rasputin by Boiled in Lead
10: Donegal Express by Shane MacGowan and the Popes
11: Low by Flo Rida Feat T-Pain
12: Wooden Pints by Korpiklani
13: On The Radio by Regina Spektor
14: The Dirty Glass by Dropkick Murphys
15: Big Bad John by Jimmy Dean
16: Cocaine and Whiskey by Johnny Cash
17: I Write Sins Not Tragedies by Panic! At The Disco
18: Yeah by Usher
19: Rapture by Laura Veirs
20: Wolftrap and Fireflies by Carbon Leaf
21: Guilty Conscience by Eminem
22: Folsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash
23: Cobrastyle by Teddybears
24: Corrido de Pancho Villa (Spanish) by Victor Jara
25: 10,000 Fists by Disturbed

Each song has it's own "time" when I listen to it, and they each have as many Skips as they do Plays. Feel free to share (here or on your own blog) what you are listening to.

Early Morning Walk

Flying to Asia for me is a 24-hour process from the time I leave my house in the morning until I get to the hotel in Hong Kong. As much as I try to "adjust" on the way over I still sleep poorly the first night in country.

One of my favorite things to do in Hong Kong is to get up early and walk along the harbour. Nothing in HK opens until 10 AM, so the city is still pretty quiet.

I took this picture one morning as we were heading over to the ferry terminal. I love the classic Old World style of the sampan in the foreground, very bright in color, with the hazy New World background of the Hong Kong Island side.

The large round building to the right of the boat is the Hong Kong Convention Center, where an amazing amount of the world's business gets conducted at trade fairs and conventions.

On the Road Again...

I am sitting in Incheon International Airport (Seoul, South Korea) getting ready for my connecting flight to Hong Kong. Tomorrow I will get on a high-speed catamaran-style ferry and enter in to Mainland China.

As some of you may have read in a previous post Banned in China, once I am behind the Rice Curtain I will not be able to post, read, or view blogs. Due to their nature, blogs are an area that the Communist goverment of China has no desire to allow their people access to.

I am hoping to do a few exciting things while on this trip, including golfing at a world class golf resort in Kunming, China. Hopefully when I return to the world of uncensored bloggism I will have new stories to tell and more pictures to show. Until then, swing by Mommy Matters and tell Christine how glad we are to have her back to blogging.

Tian Tan Buddha

As mentioned in my last post, I was able to take the Ngong Ping cable car to the top of Lantau Island in Hong Kong. Although there is a small village for buying souvenirs, the real attraction for this ride is the impressive Tian Tan Buddha. Noted as the "world's tallest outdoor seated bronze Buddha" it stands 24 feet tall.

I am not a religious person per-se, but standing at the foot of the 268 steps leading up to this beautiful statue leaves even the most jaded a little more humble. I watched a young lady from Singapore do a ritual she described as Three Steps, One Bow where devotees walk three steps, fall prostrate to the ground, rise, and repeat the sequence. This makes for a rather arduous route to the top.

In the following pictures I tried to capture both the size and the spirit of the place. If you have an afternoon in Hong Kong this is a must see.

Recent Trips

I feel like I have been on the road more than I have been home (Which is actually pretty true) and I leave again next week for my 3rd trip to Asia this year.

I was able to get a day off in Beautiful Hong Kong earlier this month and was able to experience something new.

The Lantau Island Cable Car (Ngong Ping 360) is one of the best things I have done in Asia. The views (on a clear day) are unbelievable, and the dizzying heights reached by the gondola is amazing. The end destination of the cable system is the Lantau Village, host to the Worlds-Largest-Sitting-Bronze Buddha (Future Post)

As you can see from the picture below we picked a great day to be there, and you probably wouldn't want to ride it during a typhoon, but if you are going to Hong Kong then I recommend you put this stop on your agenda.

On The Road Again

I am having difficulty posting as I am in Korea and on my way to China. I hope to have more data for discourse upon my return. Please come back around to see what's new in the world of Hu Flung Poo

A Day Like Any Other

A visit to the Port of Hong Kong is a surreal experience. An average of 11 container ships leave there each day, carrying roughly 7000-12000 containers each. Containers are stacked 6 tall and 20 deep as far as the eye can see.

When I first started buying from Asia I felt that the 30 containers I move per year were Big Time. Come to find out there are companies like Phillips/Magnavox that will move 80 containers of a single item PER DAY.

The sheer mass of stuff departing from this port alone (the 3rd busiest in the world) is mind blowing.

The process to load one of these ships is amazing. One guy sits at a computer in a building and selects which containers will go on his ship. The cranes are all automatic and will go out to the "yard" and pick the applicable container and ferry it to the ship. The average transfer time is 1 container per minute and they assign 6-8 cranes to a ship in order to get it loaded and out.

Maybe the most impressive thing to me was the casual execution of a seemingly overwhelming task. The workers are very competent, well trained, and very efficient. Maybe our ports could take a page out of their books.