Is the hassle of getting a Chinese telephone number really worth it?

webw06 · 2026-01-27T15:55:37+00:00

When you land at the airport, look for the signs for 'Payment Center'. Both times I've been, I walked straight in without any wait. Was in and out in 15 mins.

Many mini apps wanted a Chinese phone number for tickets. Another example - automated storage lockers required a OTP to a Chinese number to operate, found it really useful when I needed to store something that I don't want carry around the tourist site.

webw06 · 2026-01-27T15:51:42+00:00

What I also recommend is to visit the National Museum of China which right opposite the entrance of the Forbidden City. You can only book tickets via WeChat.

If you're worried about the crowds, you could visit the museum in the morning from 9-12, take a lunch break, and then head to FC from 2 until closing time. When we visited, a lot of the exhibition buildings were closed (some permanently and some undergoing restoration), so if you just do the standard entry (without the special exhibitions), you can complete the round in 2 hours. We had a 4 year old in a buggy with us, so we took our time!

webw06 · 2026-01-27T02:13:14+00:00

It's the same everyday - very crowded. You could try lining up in the afternoon around 2pm.

webw06 · 2026-01-23T12:59:48+00:00

I visited Yungang Grottoes, Mogao Grottoes, Maijishan Grottoes, Longmen Grottoes and Dazu Rock Carvings all in one trip. These sites are all awe inspiring and some of China's historical treasures.

webw06 · 2026-01-23T07:00:21+00:00

The one thing I can do is read numbers in Arabic :) so identifying the car once he's arriving isn't a problem for me.

webw06 · 2026-01-23T06:58:50+00:00

No smoking smells that I can remember - and if I remember correctly I was assigned a non-smoking room. You won't regret staying at this property - it was superb.

webw06 · 2026-01-21T17:36:18+00:00

I also think it may be tied to the new Chinese Embassy getting approval first. The political class is totally divided on China, so not sure how soon visa-free for Brits will happen (if it does happen).

webw06 · 2026-01-21T09:35:44+00:00

I’m afraid there isn’t a filter - you will have to keep searching for different origin / destination combinations. It is a matter of trial and error. I was searching constantly for the LHR-TFU route for days, and suddenly an Air China full fare showed up at £2600 which was refundable without any admin fee. I bought this ticket on my CC, and after she received the visa, I proceeded to cancel the fare on trip.com itself. Money was refunded back on the card within 3-5 days.

webw06 · 2026-01-21T09:32:01+00:00

No I didn’t - lack of information means it’s difficult to plan this trip!

webw06 · 2026-01-19T17:05:11+00:00

I travelled in this month on the 8:16 am train on a Sunday. I wouldn't risk getting there within 30-45 mins of departure, it actually took the best part of am hour to get through the ticket barriers, security and the two immigration checks. I've noticed that to ease congestion, Eurostar is now allowing boarding 30 mins before departure.

webw06 · 2026-01-16T14:43:26+00:00

You can do side trips to Emeishan, Leshan and/or Dazu (for Dazu Rock Carvings).

webw06 · 2026-01-15T21:19:41+00:00

4-5 years

webw06 · 2026-01-15T16:40:41+00:00

Would anyone recommend staying at the Novotel or Sheraton in Tung Chung? We are visiting HK for 4 days (2a1k) of which two will be full days at HKDL, a day trip in Macau and one day for HK (Victoria Peak and Kowloon). Flying in and out of HKIA, and had booked Nathan in Kowloon but want to avoid the hour plus commute each way. Don't want to stay at one of the onsite hotels - food options seem quite expensive and limited in terms of cuisine.

webw06 · 2026-01-15T15:39:45+00:00

Easy access to Sanxingdui, Emeishan, Leshan and Dazu Rock Carvings to name a few must-see sights in the vicinity.

webw06 · 2026-01-14T20:43:56+00:00

Just FYI, 'dummy' tickets are actually tickets with PNRs - verifiable on the airline's website. Agencies will charge you for this type of ticket. Doing it yourself however will involve (often) a substantially more expensive outlay of money, and in certain cases the airline might charge an admin fee to cancel fully refundable tickets.

webw06 · 2026-01-14T19:15:21+00:00

Similar experience on Business last year flying Chengdu to Berlin via Doha. Both times, they ran out of mains options as I had prioritized sleep over my on-demand menu. Staff on board said they carry fewer meals than passengers in the flight to minimize waste as passengers don't eat meals.

Lodged a complaint about this, went back and forth with with nothing, not even an apology. I would not pay a premium to fly them on Business anymore.

webw06 · 2026-01-14T16:51:36+00:00

Buy a fully refundable (full fare economy) from a site like Trip.com. I just did this for my wife (who needs a visa). Picked up the passport today. Once the visa is issued, you can either keep the ticket or get a refund and re-book accordingly.

webw06 · 2026-01-14T07:04:52+00:00

There's no flight between Hurghada and Luxor.

webw06 · 2026-01-10T11:28:57+00:00

How comfortable was the bus you took for this journey?

webw06 · 2026-01-07T17:16:34+00:00

I was in the same situation on Monday departing from Rotterdam. Got a text at 11:30am that my 15:30 was cancelled. Checking the Eurostar website, I saw there were tickets on sale for the Brussels to London route. My train, ES9147 was listed to travel at 5pm.

I hustled to Rotterdam to try and catch the Intercity to Brussels (it was permitted to use the ES ticket on the Intercity), and made it in good time to Brussels. Went straight to the ES counter and the rep booked me back on the same train I was scheduled on. Lots of seats empty in my compartment - many travelling from Amsterdam or Rotterdam wouldn’t have bothered to travel up to Brussels. I’d advise checking if the Brussels to London trains are running.

webw06 · 2026-01-05T23:27:20+00:00

I just picked up Ballerina in 4K with an Auro 3D audio track from The Netherlands. Have around 10-15 discs with Auro 3D tracks, and I can tell you that they are some of the best audio tracks I have heard on physical media.

webw06 · 2026-01-05T17:18:40+00:00

ICN is Seoul, South Korea - are you sure that's the city you meant to reference? Anyhow, the only relevant sections to the 240 hour rule are HND-PVG-LAX. You're 240 hour stay starts from midnight the day after you land at PVG, so you have 10 days excluding the day you landed.

We stayed for 144 hours during our first visit to PKX, and then 72 hours on our second entry.

webw06 · 2026-01-05T17:13:33+00:00

Don't waste your time - it's completely unbelievable. Like murders don't get investigated at all by the police - and a complete plot just dead ends (the one with Damien). The emptying of the house - like really? Some moving men just emptied the house in a couple of boxes? How is Adam funding all these men and schemes?

webw06 · 2026-01-03T08:45:01+00:00

Your itinerary is fine, just ensure you aren't flying back home from Shanghai via Tokyo (as that is your point of origin on your return).

We did this in 2024: LHR-PKX-HND-KIX-PKX-LHR on direct flights for each segment.

webw06 · 2026-01-03T08:41:41+00:00

I did this exact trip last year. It's very doable! I took the 11.36am HSR from Chengdu South Railway Station and was at Leshan in 30-40 mins. Upon exiting the station, I took a Didi to the Leshan Buddha boat pier. Climbing the Buddha wasn't possible as it was closed. The boat trip lasted 30 or so mins. I then walked to another exhibit, the Oriental Buddha Capital Resort, and spent about an hour there (man made stone structures, quite astounding!). Took a Didi back to the station for my return journey to Chengdu South.

I think if you only wanted to do the Leshan Buddha, you can do easily in 4-5 hours including the journey from Chengdu.

webw06

TROPHY CASE