The People’s Monument by Rolex
Through the hostel where I was staying I was able to purchase a ticket on 6:59pm train to Nanning. This gave me a free day with nothing to do but wander the city.
Some of Chongqing looks like the ghetto. But there are very nice parts to the city. Downtown Chongqing is quite ritzy. In fact the monument in the middle of the shopping area is made by Rolex.
Downtown Chongqing
The people I met were very friendly. It seemed that anyone in town who could speak English came out to talk to me that day.
One Chinese guy, who travels to Vietnam often, walked around with me a bit and gave me advice on the must-sees in Hanoi. Another Chinese man sat and talked with me about the year he lived in Philadelphia. I spent most of the afternoon with a German guy who lived in Shanghai and was in Chongqing for vacation. He tried to get me to go with him to a beer garden, but I didn’t have time and I hate beer.
Chongqing train station
Well, what do you know?
When I got to Nanning it was late at night. My plan was to get to Vietnam as soon as possible. I left the train station and took the first nice-ish hotel I could find. Soon after, I regretted not going to a hostel. Although their English was just a little less than okay, the ladies at the front desk did not know enough about Nanning to be able to answer any of my questions.
I asked, “Where can I buy bus tickets to Hanoi?” They said, “We don’t know.”
The bus company had an office about two blocks away from the hotel. I couldn’t buy tickets there, but they gave me directions to the bus station. They also wrote a note for me in Chinese that said, “Please sell me a ticket on the next available bus to Hanoi.”
I asked, “Where can I find an internet café?” They said, “We don’t know.”
The internet café was three blocks away. This is when I learned about the earthquake. I was probably on the train at the time it hit.
Then the easiest question I asked was, “Where can I buy a bottle of water?” Again they didn’t know.
There was a mini-mart one block away from the hotel. They must see the store as they pass it everyday on their way to work. Or are they blindfolded and pushed out of a car that slows down a bit as it passes the hotel?
That was the last time I would ever stay in a hotel in China!
China 
(中国)
(中国)
How to get there:
- You can enter by plane, train, boat, or bus
- Make sure to get a visa before going to China.
- Visas to China are expensive for people of some nationalities.
- Getting a Chinese visa is not a quick process. Apply as soon as you can.
- Boats To China
- Korea:
- Japan:
- Taiwan:
Phone:
Website:
There is a long list of websites that cannot be accessed while in China. Facebook, youtube, and parts of Wikipedia are just some of them. As with everything, there are ways around it. There are sites that will let you get to Facebook and other sites for free for about 15 minutes, then you will have to pay.
My advice is to find a few of them and use them for free. Then use them again on a different computer. If you are in China for a long time, then you might want to invest in paying for the service. Ask friends living in China for the best deals.
Videos:
- A Bite of China (Playlist)
- Anthony Bourdain – No Reservations – Harbin, China
- China: A Century of Revolution (Playlist)
- China Uncensored (Playlist)
- Crash Course:
- Engineering an Empire: China
Books:
- The Bonesetter’s Daughter
- Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
- Dreams of Joy (Part 2 of Shanghai Girls)
- Empress Dowager Cixi
- The Joy Luck Club
- The Kitchen God’s Wife
- Lost on Planet China
- Mao’s Last Dancer
- Mao: The Unknown Story*
- The Private Life of Chairman Mao*
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
- The Red Chamber
- Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China*
*These books are banned in China. But I highly recommend reading Mao: The Unknown Story before going to Beijing.
Notes:
- If you want an internet cafe look for this (网吧) on a sign.
- You can get there by train, bus, plane, or boat.
- 29°33’48.9″N 106°33’04.7″E
Videos:
- Movie: The Lady from Chungking – Stars Anna May Wong
- BBC: World Documentary:
- BBC: Simpson’s World
Notes:
Bus 503 —
- Use to go between the train station and Chaotianmen Gate (朝天门) near Chongqing Ying Bin Bus Station (重庆港迎宾汽车站).
- Cost= 2 Yuan
Bus 120 —
- Use to go between the train station and Chaotianmen Gate (朝天门) near Chongqing Ying Bin Bus Station (重庆港迎宾汽车站).
- The #503 is a better choice when going to the train station because the #120 doesn’t stop in front of the station.
- If you’ve gone through the tunnel, you’ve gone too far.
- Cost= 1.o5 Yuan
Bus 608 –
- Runs between the airport and Chongqing Ying Bin Bus Station (重庆港迎宾汽车站) near Chaotianmen Gate (朝天门).
- Cost= 1 Yuan
Nanning(南宁)
- Nanning Railway Station: 22°49’37.8″N 108°18’53.3″E
- From their website
Plane –
- Nanning Airport
- phone: 0771-2432468.
- Some airlines that go to Nanning
Train –
- 2008 schedule that may or may not have changed
- phone: 0771-2432468
There are also buses and boat into and out of Nanning.
Notes:
Map:
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