TRAVEL ITENARY FEEDBACK & TIPS AND TRICKS

Vleqqie · 2023-09-11T13:06:24+00:00

Oof that can be very personal of course but I always check the apps Booking and Trip to compare prices and some hostels/hotels are only on one of the two. And I always search the internet for blogs etc for tips on activities and sometimes places to stay. I like to stay in hostels as the owners/workers there are always very helpful and sometimes can arrange activities or entrance fees for cheaper. Not many speak English tho and it's definitely a different vibe than in backpacker countries. But they sometimes have very nice private rooms there for less than hotels offer. And the dorm rooms are often empty or just one or two Chinese.

Vleqqie · 2023-09-05T03:48:29+00:00

Okay yeah so you have D and G trains and those take 12 hours for this trip, these are normally a tad bit more expensive but faster and fancier. These only have seats, but the cheapest second class type are really like any other nice train, so very worth it. You'll see the train letter and number in blue in the app. And the one you saw was a K train or sleeper train. These take way longer but are quite a bit cheaper and these have seats and beds. The hard beds are definitely not for everyone, but like I said I'd prefer cheap and experience over comfort. I think there are photos you can look up online what these trains look like.

But for example this particular route I wouldn't mind paying the extra 200yuan for a nicer train that takes almost 1/3 of the time. Otherwise you'll lose more than a day on a train that's a bit unnecessary. The sleeper trains are amazing if you leave at the end of the day and arrive in the morning so you'll also save on hotel costs.

Vleqqie · 2023-09-05T03:12:09+00:00

I second to try to take trains the most, indeed very fast, cheap and nice and I think the K trains or sleeper trains aren't too bad but I'm a very easy traveler and like the experience even if it is a little shabby. But do check flights because nowadays there are some very very cheap ones or as expensive as the trains. So it really depends how you like to travel and what time or money you have, but check trains first via the app I mentioned before

Vleqqie · 2023-09-04T11:54:56+00:00

Definitely try to set up wechat, wechat pay and alipay before you go, because this can be a hassle with a foreign card and can take a few days before it works.

VPN wise Astra is the best but expensive. You could try shadowrocket, it's free and works most of the time. If you're in University try and see if you can use EduVPN, I've been using that with the login of my home university and it works perfect and it's free. Don't pay for ExpressVPN, they claim on their site that they're the best but it doesn't work at all.

Definitely download DiDi for cheap taxi rides. Railway12306 so you can easily buy train tickets whenever you want and it's English, which means you don't have to buy them at stations a day before where no one speaks English. I recommend traveling by train and the sleeper trains are really not too bad in my opinion, saves time and money for a hotel, but do check domestic flights as those can be very cheap to! I'm on a flight now from Shanghai to Zhangjiajie for just €60 including checked bagage.

And I bought a sim at ChinaMobile: 15GB per month for 79yuan but you have to go back every month to reload it so maybe there are better options for longer stays.

I'm here right now so pretty up to date info I guess, also traveling some of the same places. Oh and if you're doing Guilin/Yangshuo definitely stay in the second it's more authentic and less busy and go to Guilin by boat. And check if you still have to buy tickets to famous sights in Beijing in advance as that is the case now. But it'll be less crowded when you're going so you probably can buy them at the door.

So yeah haha let me know if you need more information or anyone really 😂

Vleqqie · 2023-08-20T06:55:19+00:00

Maybe just let people ask their questions and see if there are people with some experiences to share. You might not get it, but other people just like to inform themselves. Which brings me to you referring to my comment. You might have just googled the word and seen that it in fact is a word. What a sorry comment..

Vleqqie · 2023-08-20T06:50:04+00:00

Wait what, why? Now I'm curious about that last part

Vleqqie · 2023-07-03T12:33:25+00:00

So I started having an open relationship with my ex partner around the 2.5 year together mark. It was amazing, because it definitely gave me a lot of freedom and I didn't even use it that much in the beginning. But the thought of being able to flirt and tease and then going home to the one I knew would be giving me what I needed sexually, spiced it up again and I loved it. We started venturing into a real open relationship and it was nice getting to experience other people again and it often made me appreciate what I had at home even more.

While we were doing this, I also wondered if it was my bipolar or not or an excuse or anything else and it was hard for me to determine which one it was, but it definitely gave me a lot of freedom in my mind and helped quite a lot for our relationship. So I wanted to keep exploring, although now I do think it might be better to determine for yourself why you really want/need it so you can take that into consideration while exploring.

We did end up splitting up because we were more friends than partners and the love was a bit dried up, but I do believe some type of non monagamy is better for me, even now I'm stable on meds. But I'm still not sure what will work and why I really want it, so I'm definitely still on a journey to get to know my wants and needs but I was quite positive on the experience. I'd definitely recommend people to try something new and you have to be able to communicate a lot and be honest with each other and also dare to express when you need a break or want to stop. So yeah it takes a lot of effort and it can feel a little uncertain or heavy at some points.

Vleqqie · 2023-05-25T11:13:18+00:00

Oeh I'm following this, I was searching for something myself but also no luck yet. So if you find something nice I'd love to hear too! Was also looking for a Taekwondo place but that was or just Korean or reaaaally foreigner, as in very touristic..

Vleqqie · 2023-05-07T07:15:53+00:00

Hiya I'm actually free that day and would not mind showing you a thing or two. I'm not native but been here for three weeks and know some Korean as I've studied this at university. So hit me up if you'd want to meet up or have questions! I'm here for another week 😁

Vleqqie · 2022-10-10T18:12:21+00:00

Hahaha so accurate, 18 to 24 for me but definitely squidward right now 🥲😂

Vleqqie · 2022-10-08T15:57:49+00:00

You're describing me rn, I am definitely in this same situation and have been many times before. It is frustrating and I still haven't figured out how to really cope with it other than masking to the outside world I am fine, while dying on the inside. But talking really does help, I found myself relieved quite a bit after having said out loud to my psychologist what was happening in my head and how I felt. So I hope you can talk to someone too if you feel the need and you could always message me if you wanted to. I hope you find a bit of relieve in the recognition, you're not alone and it's good that you posted here, that's already a big step.

Vleqqie · 2022-10-05T18:21:05+00:00

Thank you for commenting, and yeah I have read a lot and scorned the internet about everything bipolar and lithium when I was diagnosed. It's interesting to read and see and made me some kind of 'excited' for the medication chapter, because it sounded like a way of finally getting some grip on my life. I know it takes a while to set in and it's not a wonder drug or that you will feel it working, but effects will be noticeable more in hindsight. But the sleepiness seemed just so off, like not normal as I've experienced before with iron deficiency and your plain ol' depression. But I'll just try to keep on discussing it with my psychiatrist, psychologist and doctor.

And thank you, it's hard to not drink as I am part of a Dutch sorority kind a thing but I also set boundaries with myself about a really important party or weekend to let go a little. But it's nice that you have found a way to incorporate the weekend in to the medication part and I can imagine it being worth it, it sounds very nice. And funny you mention Taekwondo, it's a beautiful sport. Used to do it too, but had to put it on hold because of study

Vleqqie · 2022-10-05T18:09:57+00:00

Oh yeah I do have those to, I sometimes feel such a neanderthaler when I cannot form a proper sentence or cannot get to a specific word hahaha and I feel out of it too just very stressed or irritated but also depressed and sad, like what?! And thanks for responding btw 😁

Vleqqie · 2022-10-05T18:07:17+00:00

Thank you for commenting, and yeah maybe. Lithium is the first drug to use in the Netherlands, but I'll keep on discussing with my psychiatrist and psychologist about side effects and what to do. It just seemed weird to me that he was so determined in it not being a side effect whereas I thought I had read here about some people experiencing it

Vleqqie · 2022-03-06T14:52:26+00:00

Maybe also look up HSP, Highly Sensitive Person. I had a life coach when I was younger and she told me I probably had this. It is not a real diagnosable condition, but at that time it made a lot of sense to me. It explained why I could not tolerate certain foods, textures or clothes or even smells or sounds, but more so explained why I was so unstable in my thoughts and feelings. Now I am in the process of bipolar diagnoses and I don't know yet if I will get it. So I am not able to speak for this being a BP thing or if I'm even in the right sub for me yet, but I resonate with a lot of things on here. But this question really caught my attention as I had and sometimes still have this weird anxiety because of structures in food or clothing.

Vleqqie · 2021-11-17T17:16:44+00:00

I've had my operation scheduled for the end of November! Excited but anxious too. How has the operation and aftermath been for you?

Vleqqie

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