The place to ask China-related questions!
Beijing Shanghai Guangzhou Shenzhen Chengdu Xi'an Hangzhou Qingdao Dalian Suzhou Nanjing More Cities>>

Categories

Close
Welcome to eChinacities Answers! Please or register if you wish to join conversations or ask questions relating to life in China. For help, click here.
X

Verify email

Your verification code has been sent to:

Didn`t receive your code? Resend code

By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .

Sign up with Google Sign up with Facebook
Sign up with Email Already have an account? .
Posts: 2578

Emperor

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

Q: Do you enjoy international travel?

I am done/finished with international travel. In 2017 to today, I have been to just 4 international airports, Guangzhou, Bangkok, Shanghai and Vancouver. every one of them was very unpleasant. The security I am sure is a good thing, the line-ups are a disgrace to all. worry more about my lighter than anything else it seems

(China only - Thailand and Canada seem to have relaxed this goofy thing).

do not recall ever having anybody check my baggage pick-up ticket. had one luggage handle thing destroyed. stood in way more flipping security/customs/bomb inspection line-ups and 2-3-4 different levels of inspection.

 

As of TODAY, I am staying home forever.....  no more airports......EVER  ...  happy to be HOME, in China. .Many hours in many line-ups, never again.

6 years 11 weeks ago in  Transport & Travel - China

 
Highest Voted
Posts: 2578

Emperor

2
3
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

so much for my lying bullshit self...  hust booked a flight to shanhai, osaka, guangzhou.....zhanjiang  ....  horse races in Japan...yipeeeeeeeee

Curiousdude:

hv a nice trip .. n may all yr horses win!

6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse
6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse

icnif77:

Make sure you don't have any sharp objects (nail scissors!) or any of shaving (s)-cream in your carry-on. And don't you ever forget '2h before dept.' ....

6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
6 years 10 weeks ago
 
Answers (11)
Comments (13)
Posts: 19790

Emperor

0
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

I said the same: 'No more stinky Airports!' and I rather travel by bus or train, when that is possible.

I just hate 'all forbidden items and other BS' you get before you sit onto the plane seat.

 

My last Airport:

 

I had to go on visa run to Turkey and further to Bulgaria. Plane took off at 4 AM (one flight a day) and I came there at 1 AM and fell asleep. I woke-up at 6 AM (so, I was really exhausted ), and missed the whole shebang.

Return to the Airport lobby and get new flight for 3 times higher price of original one.

Finally, I am happily in Istanbul and travel by night bus to Sofia.

 

On visa run, you'll always get some 'rain at sunny', so my 'present rain' is 'only Bulgarian citizens can get Russian visa in Sofia ...'.

Visa didn't get denied, I just don't qualify 'cause  of terrorist treats!

They changed the whole matter because of that, my Russian contact told me today fresh of the FSB (Ruski Internal Police).

 

Now, I need new Invitation letter and that will take around 20-days ....

 

First thingy at the Airport was 'luggage allowance of 1 piece not heavier than 8 kg', so I don't have anything with me, but few most necessary things for short stay. I don't have small scissors to cut my nails .... MFs!

 

Tell me now about 'no-more-travel' .....surprise

Report Abuse
6 years 11 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4495

Emperor

0
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

Egggsactly.  We humans have ruined it for ourselves.  Now I am old enough to remember when it was a nice experience and a big deal to fly from JFK to Heathrow on Pan Am or TWA but ever since I guess 9/11 we have ruined it for ourselves.  There is some weird saying about how if criminals make you change your lifestyle too much, they have won.  US had the biggest, stupdest, pain-in-the-ass thing,,, take off your shoes!  FFS, we turned over our last bit of freedom because we were scared,,,, bullshit,,, some mthrfkr wants to kill,,, he's gonna kill,,, take away his bomb, he''ll get a gun,, take away his gun he'll get a blade, take away the blade he'll get a bat, take away the bat he'll run ya down with a lorry.   I say Fk security!  assholes in HKIA taking away my shave cream,,, yeah, can't u tell I'm a fkn terrorist!

You are right, we managed to make international travel just a big pain-in-the-ass, what with visas, invite letters, airport security, and just the cattle-car feel of air travel these days.  Took one of the best things humanity had and reduced it (willingly) to one of the worst.

icnif77:

I get 'abused' by requisition of shaving cream some 2 years ago. Several times. So, I just used regular soap instead.

Now, always when soap gets too little for use I stick into the half-soap-dish and use hair brush to soap my face. They confiscated my half-soap-dish filled with used soaps, MFs. It might smelled like dynamite ... or sumtin'.

Take shoes off? I always did it by myself, 'cause metal detector always ringed, despite my pockets were dead-empty.

Lucchese sold me boots with metal frames mounted inside the sole. Some 30-years ago. Excellent boots, buTT ... don't fly with Luccheses in this century! surprise

6 years 11 weeks ago
Report Abuse

BHGAL:

great stuff diver     and i AM THAT OLD TOO

6 years 11 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
6 years 11 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4495

Emperor

1
2
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

Yeah,,, Luccheses makes one solid boot. Still top-of-the-line down in South Texas ~

icnif77:

I was grinding my first Luccheses for some 30-years or even longer. I left them in Guizhou last year, 'cause luggage was too full ... and I am sorry I did that, despite am having Liam as the newest addition to my feet.

Metal frames in all leather soles tells you about longevity of the shoes.

6 years 11 weeks ago
Report Abuse

BHGAL:

bring me some boots

6 years 11 weeks ago
Report Abuse

icnif77:

I got last one online from China. I had to pay around 15% or so custom charge. ButT ..., if I would tell sender few things before he mailed shoes to me, I would pay less for Chinese custom. Tell me before you want to order it and I'll give you guidance about 'what to tell sender'.

'add-it': Sender must glue copy of the receipt on the shoe box and Chinese due custom is determined by payed price.

Once you pay for it, you'll need to wait some 6 weeks, because work with shoes doesn't start before you cover the bill. So, tell sender to glue receipt for the cheapest shoes in the store on the box and you'll save another 10% or so. Voila! he he

 

https://www.lucchese.com/shop/mens/boots/view-all/

 

I bought last one from here, because they gave 20% discount at first purchase: 

 

https://www.bootamerica.com/bootamerica-shop-mens-cowboy-boots-and-footwearr.html

 

Lucchese (first link) gives 10% discount at first purchase.

 

Nobody is buying IMO, 'cause it's very expensive. BuTT ... that's top handmade shoemaker in the world.

However, if you divide the price payed with years in use, you'll see that doesn't come that expensive.

 

6 years 11 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
6 years 11 weeks ago
 
Posts: 7178

Emperor

0
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

Welcome home BHGAL Smile

Report Abuse
6 years 11 weeks ago
 
Posts: 511

Governor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

I usally dont mind the airports...its the 13 hour flights that suck. I can't sleep on an airplane so it's just hell.

Report Abuse
6 years 11 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4495

Emperor

0
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

thx BH. yeah,, haha,,, how do u convince someone that there was time when international air travel was a big deal and was treated like it was a special event. There was just a different mentality regarding the whole affair..... oh well,,,,

 

....time passages in the fading light,,,, oh oh oh,,time passages...buy me ticket on the last train home tonight....

Report Abuse
6 years 11 weeks ago
 
Posts: 19790

Emperor

1
1
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

You're lucky in China with G-train. You sit-down on your seat 15' before the departure (with all necessary items in your luggage) and go ... 

 

Beside all manure you'll experience by taking the flight, G-train is faster than traveling by plane if you count all requirements ...(45' before dept. check-in doors are closed ...) you have when you take a flight.

 

1000 km in 4 hours by G-train .... Same distance by plane takes much longer, if you include when you must leave your home ... to get to the Airport 2 h ahead of the departure.

Report Abuse
6 years 11 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4495

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

agree 77. G-Train rox! Pay a bit extra for First-class and it can be as pleasurable an experience as traveling can ever be. If you play it right you can get one of the Singles at the end of the car. Those are nice! Bring yourself some noise-cancelling headphones, eye-shades, a couple of bottles of water and a snack and then it can really be as close to pleasant as is possible. And like you said, removing the hassle factor puts it in very serious competition with flying.  Personally for anywhere under about 6-hours I would just as soon take the G.

icnif77:

If world would be connected with G-train way of transport, air traveling with present conditions would be abandoned fast!

 

I've never traveled anywhere else but in 2nd class with G-train, 'cause that's quite comfortable and ... I am cheapo-er .

UE ear-plugs&iPod with roll of toilet paper is always in my bag before getting on the train in China, he he.

I like to practice lips reading .... in China.

6 years 11 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
6 years 11 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2578

Emperor

2
3
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
1

so much for my lying bullshit self...  hust booked a flight to shanhai, osaka, guangzhou.....zhanjiang  ....  horse races in Japan...yipeeeeeeeee

Curiousdude:

hv a nice trip .. n may all yr horses win!

6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse
6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse

icnif77:

Make sure you don't have any sharp objects (nail scissors!) or any of shaving (s)-cream in your carry-on. And don't you ever forget '2h before dept.' ....

6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
6 years 10 weeks ago
 
Posts: 5321

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

Audio books make traveling mostly enjoyable for me. Waiting in an airport for 5 hours used to drive me crazy until I started listening to them.

 

Put a few of those on your music player and catch up on your reading.

BHGAL:

illiterate

6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Stiggs:

Who, me or you?

 

 

6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Spiderboenz:

Audio book wouldn’t be reading, it would be listening. 

6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse

Stiggs:

Catch up on your 'listening' then. That doesn't make much more sense than saying reading.

6 years 10 weeks ago
Report Abuse
Report Abuse
6 years 10 weeks ago
 
Posts: 19790

Emperor

0
0
You must be a registered user to vote!
You must be a registered user to vote!
0

ZeroHedge-rs are reading Bghal's thread :

 

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-01-14/customs-and-border-protection-...

 

Customs And Border Protection Clarifies: You Have No Rights While Traveling

 

 

The government is like a poorly trained dog. If you let one bad behavior go, it just escalates until they bite.

The government has been searching electronics like cell phones and laptops at the border since early in the Bush administration. But because the 9/11 attacks were fresh, and because the practice was not widespread, it went largely unnoticed.

Fast forward to fiscal year 2015 and the Customs and Border Protection searched 8,503 airline passengers’ electronic devices. In FY 2016 they searched 19,033. And in FY 2017 CBP searched the devices of 30,200 travelers.

The CBP obtained no warrants for these searches. Many people searched were foreign travelers to the U.S. but last year over 6,000 were American citizens.

In response to growing complaints Customs and Border Protection revised their policy. Last week they issued a new directive. But in some ways, it is worse.

For starters, their guidance claims the authority to search a traveler’s electronic devices “with or without suspicion.”

The guidance now claims passengers are “obligated” to turn over their devices as well as passcodes for examination. If they fail to do so, agents can seize the device.

That is all considered a “basic search.” Agents must have suspicion in order to conduct an “advanced search.” This includes copying information from devices, or analyzing them with other equipment.

Finally, CBP agents can not “intentionally” search information stored on the cloud, versus on the device’s hard drive.

What this means:

It actually adds insult to injury that the new guidance starts: “CBP will protect the rights of individuals against unreasonable search and seizure and ensure privacy protection while accomplishing its enforcement mission.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. This is clearly a violation of the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure. This violates the privacy of everyone searched.

Then they demand you forgo your Fifth Amendment rights against self incrimination. If you refuse to give out your password, they further violate the Fourth Amendment by seizing your device.

CBP agents are human. There is no inherent reason that they can be trusted with information like passwords. There is no reason why passengers should have to trust that their copied information will actually be destroyed according to CBP policy.

There is no legal justification to threaten the contacts and sensitive information that journalists might be transporting. This further adds First Amendment concerns to this intrusive policy. It could easily be used to chill free speech and freedom of the press.

Luckily there is a lawsuit in the works challenging this policy, but a ruling cannot happen quick enough.

In the meantime, prepare carefully for international travel. You may even want to travel only with “burner” devices; meaning you don’t mind if they are confiscated for refusing an unconstitutional search.

No word on shaving cream ....

 

Report Abuse
6 years 10 weeks ago
 
Know the answer ?
Please or register to post answer.

Report Abuse

Security Code: * Enter the text diplayed in the box below
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <img> <br> <p> <u>
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Textual smileys will be replaced with graphical ones.

More information about formatting options

Forward Question

Answer of the DayMORE >>
A:  "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "S
A: "... through ..."?  Only "through" comes to mind is "Shenzhen agent can connect you with an employer, who's authorized to hire waigouren ... and can sponsor Z visa." It's not like every 10th person you meet in Shenzhen's hood can sponsor work visa ...  The only way to change from student to labourer visa is just a regular way by: 1. Finding an employer, who'll apply for an Invitation letter; 2. Exit China and apply for Z visa in your home country's Chinese embassy; 3. Enter China in 30-days after Z visa was stamped into your travelling instrument ...As I am aware, you won't be able to switch to Working permit by remaining in China....,so make ready for a return to your home .... -- icnif77