Travel Clinic
Your questions answered by our panel of
travel experts, including a doctor and a lawyer
How Do We Begin To See China ?
My wife and I lived in Hong
Kong in the days when travel to mainland China
was impossible. After watching last week's handover ceremony on television we
have decided to go to China
but have no idea where to start. Can you give us some ideas on what there is to
see? Is independent travel possible?
Rupert Joseph
Aintree
Jeremy Atiyah replies: China is
far more diverse than most people imagine. It is certainly not all rice and
bicycles (though there are a fair few of these).
Basically the east and south of the
country are green, wet and extremely crowded. The classic Chinese water-colour
landscapes of paddy fields surrounding steep green hills can be seen in Guangxi Province ,
in the Guilin
and Yangshuo area. Other scenically watery parts of China
can be found in the Shanghai
area. Hangzhou is
one of the country's nicest cities; for something smaller try Shaoxing.
Heading north and west on the other
hand, you'll find sparsely populated pasturelands, deserts and mountain ranges.
To get a true flavour of China
you should try to see something of the Silk
Road that runs west from Xi'an as
far as remote Kashgar, and then right out of the country into Central
Asia . In the south-west China
runs up against Tibet
which is a whole world in itself.
Although generally speaking Chinese
cities can be horrible places, it would be a shame to miss out on either of the
two major cities, Shanghai and
Peking , both of which are
experiencing an explosion of nightlife, with clubs and karaoke bars galore.
As for how to visit - that depends on
your stamina. Travelling independently is feasible if you have plenty of time
and a good guide-book. This is the best way to meet local people and an epic
Chinese train journey can be one of life's great pleasures. On the other hand,
simple tasks such as ordering dinner or buying train tickets, surrounded by
thousands of staring, spitting peasants can be tiresome.
If your time is short you would do
better to resort to a group tour. These include quick "essential China "
tours of the sort offered by big tour operators (eg Kuoni 01306 740888 or
Asiaworld Travel 01932 211300). The specialist China Travel Service (CTS
0171 8369911) is also worth approaching. The cheapest kind of tour is one
week's flight-and-hotel deal to Peking
only: these start from pounds 500 per person. More rugged overland expeditions,
along the Silk Road
for example, are offered by Exodus 0181 675 5550 or Explore Worldwide 01252
319448.
Jeremy Atiyah is travel editor of the 'Independent
on Sunday' and co- author of the 'Rough Guide to China '.
We will be driving around Europe in
September, and our journey includes several countries outside the EC, including
Switzerland ,
the Czech Republic
and Poland .
Can we use Eurocheques in these countries?
Brian Adamson
The travel editor replies: Eurocheques
can be used in all the countries you are visiting (though not widely in Czech
Republic or Poland )
but are probably not the best way to pay for things in Europe
these days. Given the internationalisation of credit and debit (eg Switch)
cards, you might as well carry on using these as you would use them at home:
either to pay for things directly, or to withdraw cash from cash-dispensing
machines wherever you are (of course you need to have PIN numbers for these
cards). Exchange rate charges and commission are roughly the same between
Eurocheques and credit/debit cards.
I am considering driving into Eastern
Europe , spending about five nights in each of Berlin
and Warsaw . Have
you got any ideas for the most convenient way to do this?
Donald Chare
The travel editor replies: If taking a
car to Germany
with a small group, a convenient route is the Harwich-Hamburg ferry on
Scandinavian Seaways (Tel: 0990 - 333000). A special return price for a car and
four people to share a 4-berth cabin is pounds 430 altogether if travelling in
midweek. From Hamburg to
Berlin
can be as little as two hours to drive. Onwards, from Berlin to
Warsaw
can additionally be done in a single day.
As for documentation, you will need to
carry your normal Vehicle Registration papers. Your British driving license
will be valid for both Poland
and Germany ,
though if you are at all nervous it might also help in a crisis to be holding
an International Driving Permit, available from the AA. Third party motor
insurance is a minimum requirement; your insurer can give you a green card
which is an internationally recognised proof of insurance.
CAN A GADGET KEEP MOSQUITOES AWAY?
Given the scares about anti-malarial
tablets, can you advise on the best ways to keep mosquitoes at bay? I've seen
an advertisement for an electronic mosquito repeller which apparently works as
follows: "... it is only the pregant female mosquito which stings and they
fly away from male mosquitoes. The electronic mosquito repeller simulates the
sound of the male, driving away the females who are wanting to sting you
..." Does this (or any other gadget) work?
Mr Paolo
Dr Larry Goodyer replies: People who
travel to tropical areas where diseases such as malaria are endemic should
carry a good supply of insect repellent. The mosquitoes which transmit malaria
will usually bite at night, so precautions should also be taken on retiring,
when repellents applied to the skin will not provide enough protection.
Firstly, don't rely on any electronic
device which claims to emit a noise that confuses and discourages mosquitoes. I
have yet to see an independent test that shows they are effective and they
should certainly not be used if malaria is of concern. If the windows of a
hotel room are well screened or the room is air conditioned, then it should be
cleared of any mosquitoes using a knockdown spray. If the room has an electric
wall socket then the readily available plug-in devices can be used; these heat
up a small mat containing insecticide which will be released over several
hours. The coils which can be burnt to release insecticide vapour are really
only intended for outdoor use.
The best way of avoiding bites at
night, and the only practical thing on safari, is to sleep under a mosquito net
impregnated with permethrin. I would recommend that these are used by
travellers visiting high risk malaria endemic areas, such as some parts of Africa .
Dr Larry Goodyer is superintendent of
the Nomad Pharmacy (3-4 Turnpike Lane , London
N8, Tel: 0181-889 7014) which specialises in catering for travellers' medical
needs.
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