Korean Job Discussion Forums

skimilk · Joined: 18 Mar 2005

Thinking about going on one of those package tours to BEIJING this month & would love to hear any experiences. I did a search & found a thread but couldn't find any actual names of travel agencies. Does anybody have recommendations? I usually HATE package tours but I don't speak any Chinese at all & I heard BEIJING isn't the easiest city to get around.

... oh, and can travel agencies handle visa for American citiznes as well?

Thank you in advance!

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

I did it a few years back and cannot remember the name of the agent.

Honestly, it was great to visit the sites of Beijing but the tour was not really that good.

For the most part I felt rushed (20 mins is not long enough for the great wall) and take my advice..... ditch the group when it comes to shopping!!!

They "must" bring you to he gov. approved shops and they are 10X the price on the street. Ask your hotel where the closest shopping district is and get a cab.

skimilk · Joined: 18 Mar 2005

That's exactly what I was worried about -- the forced shopping & eating of Korean food... not that I don't like Korean food... but damn it not in freakin' China!

I did read a couple of positive experiences on the other thread though so I'll crossing my fingers and wait.

Thanks for the reply!

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

actually, on my tour it was mostly chinese food. However, I had to batle with the Ajumma for it (they give you small plates and you have to grab it off of a rotating center plate "lazy-susan")

Moldy Rutabaga · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Location: Ansan, Korea

peppermint · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:42 pm Post subject:

I went on my own a few years ago, and did fine. Got the lonely planet guide to the city, and took a few of the day tours offered by my hotel. Not sure if they still do it, but when I was there, they had tourguides in training that spoke several different languages posted at a lot of the major tourist spots

Dysupes · Joined: 24 May 2005

My fiancee and I took a tour package to Beijing just last February and it was great. Did I feel we were rushed? No, not really but that's mainly because I took the liberty of wandering off wherever we were (still in sight of the group usually) and reading the signs myself. Yes, the tour was entirely in Korean and my fiancee translated for me but 9 times out of 10 the info the guide was spouting out was written on the plaques scattered in droves around the monuments. We spent over an hour at the Great Wall (though I would advise everyone to steer clear of the toilets at the bottom of the gondola that takes you up - raunchy as all hell!). We visited all the major sites and took our time for the most part. Yes, it being a tour we were ushered around and up early everyday but that's cool with me. My fiancee is more sleep sensitive but even she was fine with it as she simply slept on the bus between sites. All in all, a great tour and because we had such a nice time, we've booked with the same travel agency for a tour package for Kobe, Nara, Kyoto and Osaka for the end of this month! Very Happy

P.S. - We only went to one Korean restaurant and it was a North Korean restaurant (the Pyongyang Restaurant). Aside from that one meal, we only ate Chinese.

crazykiwi · Joined: 07 Jun 2003 Location: new zealand via daejeon

try XANADU travel. they do an english package tour for us, which is great. had an english guide, and i cant rave enough about the food! oh my god, i would go to china again just for that! the tour was around 4-5 days long depending on travel times, we had time to walk around abit by ourselves, but it was a tad scary out and about in the "down town" area at night!! we also left the gided tour at times to walk around by ourselves, no big deal, as long as you kept the guide in sight. sure you get taken to the "govt stores" but hey, no-one is forcing you to buy. anyway, got to see soooo much in such a short time, and it was only around 700,000 all up, including flights, great 3 1/2 star hotel, food, buses etc. anyway, good luck

crazy

simone · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Location: Now Mostly @ Home

Don't do it. Seriously.

I *did* take one of those "Foreigner" Korean Beijing Package tours. It was a forced march shopping trip.

We had this evil schedule we had to follow - no freedom to wander at all.

Raced through Tiananmen Square, 30 minutes max at the the forbidden city, then AN HOUR AND A HALF at the OVERPRICED gift shop at the other end of the forbidden city! I'd been in Shanghai about six months earlier visiting a friend, and tried to talk people out of buying an identical silk robe that I'd paid 90% less for - but they knew it was their only chance to buy silk items, since our schedule was so packed up the wazoo.

Bus drops us off the the base to climb up the Great Wall. They tell us: 1 hour. Meaning, if you can sprint up uneven stairs for 45 minutes straight, then you can make to the top and take your pictures. Only 1/4 of our group were able to get to it.

The tour guide was nice and all, but he clearly had his job, and that was to take us to the freshwater pearl factory, the jade factory, the ceramic factory, etc. It was as though we couldn't leave until we'd spent a specific amount of money. I really wanted to enjoy the trip, but man! It pissed me off something fierce. Perhaps if I hadn't seen the prices in Shanghai for all those identical items six months earlier I'd have been happier, but you'll be better off on your own, I think.

If they can't handle a well-equipped backpacker with a lonely planet now, imagine how they'll do during the olympics?

-- Skip the Ming Tombs. Three red boxes in the ground, long lines to see nothing.

-- Oh, buy a BOX of those little chairman Mao lighters that play "The East is Red." They're so cool. Can't really refill them, either, so buy plenty. Weirdly, one of them the box I got played "The Lambada." Exclamation

Simone
Now a Do-it-yourselfer

tzechuk · Joined: 20 Dec 2004

China is not that difficult to get around! A lot of people speak English - definitely those working in the hotel. Get a guide book and look for the must-see sights, go to the concierge at the hotel and ask them to write it down in Chinese for you. Ask them for transportation method - bus or taxi - and have them write it down.

The best shopping street for imitation goods and cheap Chinese products is called the *Silk Street* in English and *XiaoShuiJie* (I think that's how you spell it) in Mandarin. You gotta haggle though. If they say 100 yuan, you haggle back and say 40 yuan.. then work your way up. They will tell you no to begin with but you have to insist. If they won't budge, then go to the next store. There are about 10 or more stores that sell the same thing, so you don't have to buy from one place. The best haggling I've done (and to this date, I am still very proud of myself) is when I bought 10 sets of those Chinese silk night dress with matching dressing gown. The store keeper asked for 500 yuan each and I said no.. I'll buy 10 for 500 yuan. LOL.. after some haggling, she agreed! So I bought other things from her and it came to about 1000 yuan altogether and she was quite happy. Frankly speaking, I doubt that it cost even 10 yuan to make those nightgowns!!!! I know it sounds like I am exploiting them.. but they are exploiting us! Plus I am Chinese, I can do it without shame..

Razz

ilovebdt · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Location: Nr Seoul

I'd say go it alone aswell. I had a friend who went to Beijing on her on and got along just fine. Although, I believe Kangsan Travel in Pusan also offer Bejing package tours, am not sure how good they are.

Here is the link:http://kangsantravel.com/

Gopher · Joined: 04 Jun 2005

Go alone or with a small group of friends -- people who won't burden you with the "what do you wanna do? I dunno, what do you wanna do?" conversation every morning. Explore on foot. Get on a bus and see where it goes.

The worst that can happen is that you'll get lost, make some serendipitous discoveries, meet locals, and then find your way back to your hotel.

Seriously. Be adventurous. Only way to live.

Package tours, esp. the Korean ones (went to Thailand with one), are exceptionally lame, money-sucking events. I went all the way to Thailand to dine in Korean restaurants every night. (I did see some things I wouldn't have found on my own; but I also didn't see the things I would have discovered on my own, either.)

JacktheCat · Joined: 08 May 2004

ashke516 · Joined: 01 Mar 2005 Location: on the beach

From Time Machine World Tour:

ROUNDTRIP AIRFARE,3 NIGHTS HOTEL ACCOMODATION, ADMISSION FEE TO THEME PARK, DAILY BREAKFAST,LUNCH & DINNER,ENGLISH SPEAKING GUIDEROUNDTRIP TRANSFERS FROM AIRPORT TO HOTEL V.V. SIGHTSEEING TOUR. 669,000

1 DAY

Afternoon tour of Temple of Heaven

Sightseeing of Chinese Circus show

2 DAY

BEIJING

Full Day sightseeing Tour(Great Wall, Ming Tombs)

3 DAY

Full Day sightseeing Tour of fobidden City

Tian An Men Square,Summer Palace etc

Dinner at Beijing duck Restaurant

4 Day

Home

Thought this sounded pretty good. Wrote to them today to see if there if it's available the dates I have my vacay.

http://www.timemachine.co.kr/english/index.htm

astroboyfan · Joined: 19 Apr 2005

I would never recommend a Korean tour. As mentioned by many other posters they are very rushed, you eat primarily Korean food, and stop at areas that are run/owned by Koreans. It sucks.