Job Discussion Forums

[MyTurnNow]

The last thread on all this got waaaaaay too weird.

I've been hoping to take the Three Gorges cruise on my long break...

The school staffer helping me put it together came up today and said no go. They can't find an agent willing or able to book a boat for me. I can go try to get my own ticket from Shanghai to Chongqing, head for the docks and hope that maybe a boat is going and can take me and WILL take me, and then try to get myself a ticket home from Wuhan. I speak a rapidly-growing basic level of Mandarin but this is likely beyond me and could leave me stuck alone in Chongqing...very possibly a fate worse than SARS.

Apparently the entire Chinese travel industry has completely shut down. If you are wanting to try and arrange travel here you are likely to be completely on your own, and I wouldn't count on much moving or happening anywhere.

I am hearing UNSUBSTANTIATED RUMORS that travel to and from Beijing is being restricted or stopped. Any solid confirmations out there?

MT

[Roger]

Dear MyTurnNow,
your fears are not justified! There is absolutely no problem in get5ting boat tickets from Shanghai to Chongqing on your own! If the old ferry pier on the Bund has not been relocated then you simply walk up to there and buy a ticket. The same is true for Hankou (Wuhan), Nanjing, or Chongqing! You can most likely buy a ticket for the same day!
If all fails you can still take a train (admittedly from Wuhan that's a circuitous route but it is feasible). Or fly by plane!

[MyTurnNow]

Thanks, Roger.
Our Foreign Liaison is about 20. She's incredibly babe-o-licious even by 20-year-old-Chinese-girl standards, but she has to get help when we ask her how we pay our phone bills here. So I'm never sure where the truth lies. She indicated that buying such a ticket would be an iffy ordeal- but I also caught a whiff of obligation to convey the preference of the local authorities that people not go to distant places...and then come back.

I don't want to sail the entire river....just the Three Gorges part between Chongqing and Wuhan. I think east of Wuhan the Yangzi quickly becomes pretty, uh, prosaic. :)

Anyway, I'll think it over. I really want this trip.

MT

[earth_dog]

With regard to the travel ban in Beijing I can say for certain that travel is being restricted. I work for a college in Canada and we were expecting our Beijing representative to come to our school and deliver the midterm exams. He called my boss in Canada today to tell him that he would be unable to do this as travel from Beijing to this particular location is not allowed. I'm sorry for the circumspection with regard to the location. If you want to know where I am you can PM me.

[Steven C]

Hey MyTurnNow,

I can confirm that areas outside of the major cities are afraid to have foreigners visiting in case they will get infected by SARS.

Our training centre was going to have a promotion in Yang Jiang in a local high school but it has now been cancelled by the district Government since they are afraid if we go down there and by chance be infected by SARS they’ll have too much to answer to.

In regards to your trip to the Three Gorges, it depend if you want to go from Chongqing to Wuhan or vice-versa. It’ll be much easy for you to make arrangement in Wuhan than it is in Chongqin. You should have no problems getting the tickets. The only problem with going from Wuhan to Chongqing is that you might miss out in visiting The Little Three Gorges which I think is much more scenic. You’ll also have to make prearrangement to get from Chongqing to Shanghai (best option is to fly which cost roughly the same as a train ticket).

[inwanzhou]

I know my room mate and I were really disappointed about not taking a trip up the Yangze. We were going to head to Wuhan but now we dare not step on a boat right now. I figure if it's going to spread any further than the boat trips up or down the river might be a sure fire way to catch it! So we'll just wait a little bit longer and see if anything gets cleared up. Hopefully real soon before the Dam comes together. Hate to miss out on The Gorges!

[MyTurnNow]

Thanks to many for good information!

OK, I'll bite...where are the Three Little Gorges?
(And is there a Big Bad Dam? )

MT

[arioch36]

I'm still going to try to go to SHanghai. My friend told me when I get off the plane they will stick a thermometer up you know where. If you get upset at this, and resist, they will arrest you. If you smile calmly and say thank you may i have another please, they will asume you are sick, and take you to the hospital. Which is worse?
She just said i will have to fill out forms when i arrive. My school will quarantine me when I get back. I guess I will be able to catch up on correcting my writing assignments

[MyTurnNow]

The Yangzi River trip is off for now. The University that hosts my school has just requested that we all not take distant travels over our break.

Well, they _did_ say "please".

MT

[hubei_canuk]

Interesting...
a new teacher here said he was shown some kind of list with an attached government pronouncement.
The list was listings of passneger who had arrived on the direct train from Beijing .. and maybe some other places. They were trying to track them all. I don't know what were the dates on the list. I don't think they could have success unless thepeople volunteer because i don't think they had nomes... just seat and bed numbers!!!
Near the bus station someone said they don't want peole from Guangzhou coming here.
did anbody else hear anything like this?
..
The new teacher said he was also shown a provincial declaration in chinese sbanning travel to other provinces during MAYDAY!!!! I think they were bS'ing him. I think they just want to keep him in the barn. They also said that the prov. governmetn would force a 7 day quarantine on him if he went outside province. I think taht may be the school's idea, i don't believe it becaue i never heard it in all my contacts.
But... maybe.
Let's see.... the guy goes to a neighbouring province .. 7 days quarantine.. returns home... add another 7 days quarantine.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anybody else can confirm these are PROVINCIAL declarations or just the wishes of the school?
...
Myself, i don't care. I'm not going anywhere. This city is just fine with me and i really don't know what is going on elsewhere. I'm not going to lose much by staying home and enjoying myself here. It's not like i'm a short-termer.
I had a good time at the Karaoke last night, they are not closed here, but those poor Beijingers can't sing anymore!!!
...
Besides one must assuage the concerns of the locals and the school in the interests of social harmony. God forbid, should anyone get sick and a finger is pointed to me, the foreigner!
..........
Now the phrase "seige mentality" comes to me.

[chinasyndrome]

[quote="arioch36"]