I,m going to Nanning at the end of the month, travel from Sydney Australia via Beijing. Are there isues with not being able to speak Chinese. I,ve never been outside Australia and am a little nervois and I don't know if I have spell check on this site.
How do I get mobile phone or internet and what else should I know.
What is theChinese beer like.I sent an e-mail before and think it got lost again
David

David, the only thing in Beijing Airport is to not let anyone help you, one of the scams is for someone in smart business attire (and even possibly a name badge) to offer to take you and your bags to your departure gate, then ask you for money! The are not official airline staff at all. Tell them NO (or Bu , pronounced BOO, Chinese for no) and hold onto your ticket and passport, if you need help go to the airline counter, they will have someone that can speak English. For mobile phone i use Crazy John's, tell them you want global roaming when you get it. You can just get the "Own your phone - use their plan" deal, without going into a contract. People in OZ dial your normal mobile number and you pay the roaming charges (not really expensive if you only want to be contactable) to dial OZ you dial the access code (your phone will receive a sms with those details as you get in Beijing) 61 and the number, drop the zero off any mobile number or area code. You can top- up on the net if you have to. I usually throw 100 - 200 AUD on it before i leave and that does me for the trip. I got their $10 per-paid option and it has worked and suited me fine. I am not a beer drinker, don't like the taste at all EXCEPT the beer in Nanning LIU i think it is called. Chinatyke would be the best to ask as he has more experience in that area than I. I take it you have your Chinese visa to enter, it pays to have a couple of photocopies of the main page and your Chinese visa page just in case. Don't put your wallet in your back pocket like at home. If you are a smoker then Yun Yan cigarettes are close to Winfield blue and they have started not allwing you to take lighters through security even for domestic flights, so don't carry an expensive one when you go through screening. Your OZ atm card will work ok at BANK of CHINA Atm's providing it has the cirrus logo or plus logo on the back. Grab the money as soon as it comes out because the machine is quick to retreive it if left too long. anything else you might want to know email me at dead_dog_records@hotmail.com Mate it really is a piece of p##s but i understand your nervousness but it's not all bad. Enjoy yourself.

Thanks Mcrobski, I,ll be careful. I will pick up plane ticket Monday and then go to embassy in Canberra to get visa. They tell me it takes 4 to 5 days to get visa. I checked my cards and they have the cirrus logo on the back, I would never hhad thought of that and was going to get travlers checks. I,ll be in contact if I think of more. Thanks again for all your infomation