Public Transport from 开 to 中山

[Ah Gin]

Hi folks,

Before I dig deeper, anyone can tell me what is the easiest way (Public Tranport) to get from 开平 to 中山市、港口鎮 or to 台山

Regards, Ah Gin

[tyuti1668]

Why not ask the 开平 locals when u're there ?
开平> 中山市 港口鎮
義祠站>石岐> taxi OR bus#29
目的地:珠海拱北
途经:新会 江门 古镇 石岐 ...
等级:高级
班次类型:普通
3小时30分
早7:00，晚17:40，每隔约50分钟一班
OR similar "private" bus on the same route

Which part of 台山?

[Henry]

Hi Ah Gin,

Given the limited amount of time in the area, I would think that hiring a taxi or car from the hotel at a fixed price might be the best mode of transportation for you and probably others traveling with you to get around and also split the taxi/car costs between you. Comparatively speaking, taxis and cars are quite reasonable in the Si Yi region.

Then you are not wasting a lot of time waiting in the bus stations, standing in crowded buses and you can stop when you like, for lunch or if you see something you want to stop for. You would probably have to take a taxi from the bus station to your final destinations anyway. Also, your driver can probably ask the locals for specific information to find your destination and he also has a cell phone with him.



Regards,


Henry

[Ah Gin]

tyuti1668 & Henry,

Many thanks for response and advice. I will indeed ask the locals first. Henry's suggestion of taking a shared taxi is a good one. I am trying to avoid having my brother-in-law come all the way from Zhungshan, pick me up in a car, and then back to Zhungshan -- which was what he did last time I was there. Such is the hospitality of relatives. As to Taishan, I am thinking to the city. Just to have a walk around.

Around the Kaiping and Taishan areas, I have two clear days on my own before my other ABCs join me from SF and LA, and then the Gin Clan Conference starts on Sunday Nov 2nd, visits to ancestral village, relatives etc. (First Conference, we had something like 750 plus people from all over the world. Expecting a large attendence this time as well, since it corresponds to the opening of the rebuild Clan Memorial Hall). So my thinking is, before the conference, I do something on my own -- sight seeing, but from a heritage perspective. After the conference I have some 5 days in Zhongshan; so there will be time to re explore the area.

Any advice, tips will be great.

Thanks again and kind regards, Ah Gin

[Henry]

Hi Ah Gin,

I do not recall, but, did you say in a previous posting that the reunion was going to be held at the EverJoint Peninsula Hotel in Kaiping? Even if you are not staying there, I think that the food in this 5 star hotel is pretty good. I also suggest visiting the Kaiping WatchTowers - there is a specific place where you can go inside and see what it is like inside these towers. I think that around 2 years ago, the Kaiping WatchTowers finally made it on to the UNESCO World Heritage List of Places

I believe that if you do have some time in Zhongshan that you visit the home of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, it really is quite a nice place to visit.

If you are walking around Taicheng (Taishan City), there is a large pedestrian street for shoppers and you'll also see a bust of Chin Yee Hee, who built the Taishan railroad around 1904: www.apex.net.au/~jgk/taishan/railroad.html

There is also an Overseas Chinese Museum worth seeing in Taicheng. According to Ray, a frequent contributor to this Forum, he visited a very nice Overseas Chinese Museum in Jiangmen last week.

I always recommend people try the dim sum restaurant on the 4th floor of the Mee Lai Wah Hotel - which is opposite the the Plaza Hotel in Taicheng.

I am sure that our other friends such as Kiwi, laohuaqiao, and others can also provide some tips about what to see and do, and eat in the Si Yi region.

I hope you have a wonderful time and great reunion ! Congratulations on the new Gin Temple in Kaiping !

Regards,


Henry

[tyuti1668]

Ah Gin,
Avoid Mandarin speaking taxi driver in ZS, they easily "LOSS" out of the town center . I had 2 unhappy experience from these "migrants". It's probably my fault: #1 I'm a CHEAP stake, boarded a cheaper old VW w/o asking first. When i figured out he' on the wrong road- leave & paid immediately . Saved myself by taking combination of van & local dialect speaker's motorcycle taxi (I don't want to teach these "hopeless" migrant guys by telling the "proper" road ) #2 Raining cats and dogs & w/o asking first -Driven to nearby village on the junction & shouted to him where's the proper village & would complain him if he don't waive the fare that he take the wrong road.
Cantonese speaking taxi drvier are much smarter, they equipped w/ wireless ;D ;D ;D (My cousin used to long haul cabbie in late 80's in ZS)

[Ah Gin]

Henry, tyuti1668,

Many thanks again for your advice and tips. I am pretty excited as my departure date for Kaiping etc gets closer. In time, I will share my travel experience, this round, with this forum. Travel tales are not for a favourite subject for many. That said, for the sake of sharing and updating this forum regarding the travel situation in the Autumn of 2008, it might be useful. Watch this space in mid November, when I return.

Henry: Our Gin Clan Conference (第二届甄氏懇親大會) will be held at the Garden Hotel (花园酒店). Your suggestions on dim sum eating, and other cool places to see -- I will put it on my "to do" list. Gee, already not enough time to do all I want to do. That's good I guess. Dr Sun's home is indeed a great place to visit. I love the display, the potted summary of the history of modern China. China has come a long way, and I am proud to be a Chinese.

tuyti1688: Thanks for tips about taxi's driven by non locals. I remember back in the 1980s, when I went to China with my son and his Aussie friend (both in their early teens). We were in Guangzhou, and the kids wanted to sample dogs, and other wild animals. I took them to a cool "wild" restaurant, walked from the hotel. After dinner, it was getting dark, and I thought we best took a taxi. The taxi driver knew we were non locals (the white skin kid was a dead give away), decided to take us for a ride. When we got back to the Friendship Hotel (or something like that), he demanded a nice sum. At which stage I politely told him that RMB 10 would be quite sufficient, and that if he wanted to settle the dispute, he was welcome to speak to the Internal Security, just a few yards away. And by the way, Comrade, I have been to GZ many a time. (Yes in those days, we addressed each other with that cute title). But the lesson for me was, in those days, with taxi, agree the price, before travel. Later, in Beijing, Hungzhou, Shuzhou we decided to hire bicycles. I am not sure I will use bicycles now, in the current traffic condition. But that's another story.

Regards, Ah Gin

[chansomvia]

I just returned from Toisan and Zhuhai, and would like to add my experience on public transport in Toisan and Jhuhai. Jhuhai taxis charge RMB 10 at flagfall whilst Toisan charges RMB 6. The distance traveled after flagfall is pretty good, this is very cheap compared to a Melbourne, New York, or Kuala Lumpur taxi.

Tipping is not expected in the two places, meters are invariably switched on but there are the exceptions, as Henry and Philip Tan will tell you if you get a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. I had mostly good experiences, a taxi driver at Toisan even charged me RMB 10 instead of RMB 12 ( 2xRMB 6 ) when I asked him to drop me at the bus station and take my friend back to his shop where we took the taxi originally. Even a 1 RMB tip will make the driver step out of his taxi and open the door politely for you instead of yanking the door opening lever.

I took a taxi from my hotel in Jhuhai, I made a mistake as I jumped into the first taxi which was hunting for tourists in front of the hotel. I went into the taxi and told him to take me to the Jhuhai Ferry, which I knew was RMB 16, and noticed that for the first time the meter was not turned on as we drove off. I asked him why this was so and how much the trip would cost. He put up two fingers which meant RMB 20. The difference was about US$ 0.60c so I did not quibble about this as arguing for this sum could spoil my holiday.

Upon arrival I paid him RMB 20 and asked him if this was correct, he nodded his head and pocketed the money. As he was taking my bags from the back of his taxi he noticed that I had a paper and a pen writing something. He put the bags down and rushed up to me to say that the cost was RMB 16 and pushed the change into my hands. He had in fact thought that I was taking down the number of his taxi to make a complaint, and he worked out that facing the authorities for a RMB 4 extra charge was not worth it.

This will only work in China, where I feel law and order is taken seriously. I hope this will help somebody, but in general taxi drivers around the world, except for Singapore, are a mercenary breed and costs should be agreed beforehand.

Buses are RMB 2 per entry, there is a very good bus service in Jhuhai. Bus drivers are not tax collectors and will rarely give change, I did not have exact change and he said just get in as I was holding up passengers. I traveled free but put in a RMB 5 the next time I traveled. I got lost taking the No 99 bus and it took me round the Island for 2 hours in a circle, it was a beautiful drive past the beaches and into the mountain temples, all for RMB 2.

I write separately on the hire of a taxi to my village from Toisan on a separate heading. One must heed Henry's advise and use his nephew or a proper guide when taking a taxi or van into the village.

Joe of Christchurch New Zealand

[tyuti1668]

Ah Gin,
Memories of the 80's Guangdong: GZ cabbie prefer FEC(外汇券)/ HK$ other than RMB. ALL taxi is Japanese vehicle (most were Toyota Crown. ;D ;D ;D1982 Toyota's slogan:“车到山前必有路，有路必有丰田车”). Zhongshan, Zhuhai taxi/car prefer HK$.
Most Cantonese speaking cabbie in ZS nowadays are not ZS native (Most came from W GD such as 阳江/茂名 or some clever 入乡随俗 湖南 guy. Native can just rent rooms to migrants as living. Who want to do such low pay job???
8/90's is the golden age for long haul cabbie in ZS. Poor pubic transport -NO express bus. When hurry to GZ airport/ other counties. CRAZY overspeed taxi ride is the only option (It's a risky business: easily earn 10k+ RMB/month but if caught by police pay HUGE ransom if u had 关系 OR license GONE ) .

[Henry]

Ah Gin,

You got some pretty good tips from tyuti1668 and from Joe. I might add that Joe is a fearless traveler who is willing to go "native". But, then again, my impression of you and others from this Forum - are all courageous guys & ladies with the "can do" attitude of our immigrant parents.

I remember when I stayed at 5 star hotels in Beijing years ago, when you took a taxi from the hotel, one bellman would open the door for you and another bellman would copy down the taxi license plate and hand you this slip of paper as you left. On arriving at the hotel, the procedure was the same - one bellman would open the door while another bellman took down the taxi license plate on a slip of paper and handed to you as you entered the hotel - this was especially helpful if you left a wallet, purse or small package in the backseat - besides being able to register a complaint if necessary. Lately, I have not stayed at any 5 star hotels in Beijing and other cities in China and this procedure is not followed at 4 star and lower hotels.

It is also very surprising to find that many of the taxi drivers in cities and towns in northern Guangdong province and around Guangzhou ( Canton ) are migrants from the north and speak Mandarin and Hakka dialects.

Many overseas Chinese may not realize there is a difference in the Cantonese dialect that is spoken in Hong Kong and Guangzhou with that of the SiYi dialect spoken in places such as Xinhui, Taishan, and Kaiping. While, many of the younger generation in the SiYi region can speak both dialects plus the Mandarin - many of the older generation in the villages can only speak the Si Yi dialect - this is the one that I learned from my parents.

I suggest chartering a local taxi or car from the local hotel at a fixed price, negotiable, is advisable as they know the dialect and the area.


Henry

[laohuaqiao]

Ah Gin,
Kaiping City is 21km from Taishan City. Knowing the rates should give you an idea how much the taxi rides ought to be. There is a bus from Kaiping Bus Terminal to Taishan Bus Terminal, about an hour ride with local stops, if you should decide to adventure out on your own.

If you feel a quoted car service price is too high, it is negotiable. I had one driver trying to pull a fast one. I was already not far from my destination, the driver turned and suggested if I pay an extra 20 yuans he would take the expressway and a 15 minute shortcut. I declined and a few minutes later he turned onto the highway anyway.

Not that the bus terminals are free from scams, on the most recent trip I was waiting on line in TS to purchase bus ticket to Shenzhen, a middle-aged woman came up pleading me to help her out, she bought a ticket earlier in the morning but had to cancel the trip and offered me her ticket for 105 yuans. I recalled 2 years ago the tickets were 80 yuans, so I politely declined, and sure enough the ticket was still 80 yuans.

Speaking of oddities of Cantonese, calling waitresses and store salesgirls, 靚女 or 靚仔 for the male counter part, is one of the strangest practices in the South. That used to be a rather derogatory term. I don't know how it got started, it has spread to Hong Kong and on occasions in New York Chinatown.

[laohuaqiao]

I've found having a mobile phone in China is useful, since many of the locals have it and especially if you are coordinating meetings with a group of people. If you already have a tri- or quad-band, unlocked phone, then all you need is to buy a SIM card in China (50-80 yuans) and a prepaid usage amount (typical local calls are around 0.5 yuan/minute and about 0.80 yuan/minute for calls from Taishan to Beijing) and another long distance/international phone card if you plan to make quite a few international calls.

If you don't have a phone, you can buy a cheap one for 300 yuans, plus a SIM card and prepaid plan, etc.

[Ah Gin]

laohuaqiao, Henry, tyuti1668, chansomvia,

Many thanks for your advice and travel tales. It's a wonderful thing to wake up to, visiting this Forum. I enjoy your stories. And this reminded me of a few:

laohuaqiao: Good advice re having a mobile phone. I have a tri band. Looks old (like me), not a "Yellow Tooth" or "Blueberry" or something. It works in the US, and of course it works back here in the Outback of Australia (Melbourne, that is). Else, as you say, get a cheap tin can. Re, addressing the VIPs at restuarants and shops, yes, everytime I get back to Mainland China and HK, I have to be careful and not use the wrong form of address. The other cute thing I learned about paying bills at the restaurant is the system of "AA". I have a very generous brother-in-law, and in fact all the relatives I come across. After a lovely meal, as usual we fight for the "check" -- typical generous Chinese. Even though I am a visitor, I don't want others to pay for my enjoyment. Eventually my BIL did mention the system of "AA" -- instead of saying "AAAAAA, let me pay", we decided to have equal share of the bill -- a much practised thing, especially with the retirees, who recognosed that it is not fair to lean on others.

Henry: Ah yes, the difference in dialacts, tonal or even common usage of terms. I got into trouble in Nanjing one time, when I asked the "Front Desk" for some salt (as we had developed a sore throat, and onset of a cold). I was trying to use my poor Mandarin. I soon realised I made a small mistake -- yes, there is a slight difference in pronounciation between "money" and "Salt". Front desk did give me salt, instead of money.

tyuti1688: You reminded me of FEC and RMB. How I miss the FEC days. So Toyota's slogan is like "build and they come?". Good one. As to picking up the difference of someone who can speak Cantones (native or now arrival), that will be interesting. My Cantonese is quite amusing. A mixture of KL, HK, Hoisanwa accent. Still, I know one dim sum from another.

chansomvia: ah yes, experience with taxi drivers. It's a while since I used the KL taxi drivers, but I remember an occasion when I was visiting my parents in Klang (outside KL). I was loaded with heavy things, gifts etc. At the Klang bus station, I joined the taxi line (queue), mentioned to the driver where I was going (which was not very far). He refused, as it was too short a distance. By which stage, I calm took out my pen and paper, and started to write done something. The poor taxi drive panicked, as he thought I was assocaited with "the authorities".

In general, I like to use public transport, as that's a good way to see the place, feel for the place. Public transport in Beijing was very good and esay to use (in the 80s anyway). We had experienced train jouneys, all classes and that was cool, especially I wanted my young son to experience the journey. Travelling from GZ to Beijing, and lining up at railway stations to buy tickets. That was fun. But that's another story.

Regards, and enjoy your day, as the Fiancial Markets have recovered, and will stay up for the next few minutes. But that story belongs in other Message Boards.

Ah Gin

[tyuti1668]

Idiot N migrant prefer called "靚女" instead the polite phrase "小姐" ;D ;D ;D ("hooker" from niteclub often called 小姐)
If you can read chinese, there's many story about "靚女"vs "小姐"

China uses 900 (1800 in urban area), so OZ/NZ guy only need a non-locked phone.
N American better w/ non-locked 4-band phone [phone] because some 3-band phone is 1800 ONLY.

The sim card laohuaqiao mentioned , : standard rate
Y10 monthly fee

Add 12593 prefix to ANY mainland#
in GD(0:00-11:00) Y0.19/ (11:00-24:00) 0.39
Roams outside GD: 0.39
Add 12593 prefix ANYwhere in mainland -Int'l (ID registry in the branch NEED)
HK/US/Canada/singapore/s korea /: 0.39
to call OZ is expensive better w/calling card

Receive Call:
in GD: free / outside GD: 0.39

SMS
Intra-Y0.15/inter-Y0.2 /Int'l Y1

[douglaslam]

Dear All,
I enjoy reading your traveller's tale. My first return trip to my native Zhonshan was in 1973. It was during the Cultural Revolution then. Overseas Chinese travels were handled exclusively by China Travel Service. We were seggregated from HK, Macau "compatriots". To cut it short, we were allowed to bring in much prized bicycle, sewing machine, wrist watch, transistor radio, garments, fabrics and even foodstuff. Just like Gum Shan Bak returing, a local boy made good, and my mother, was she proud!! We had a convoy of bicycles to meet our arrival at Shekki, and hired extra bicycle couriers to cart my bags and crates of gifts. It gave me great satisfaction and joy in giving. It was worth working and saving for. And you understand what our forebears must have felt returning triumph from the Gold Mt.
Back then there was rationing, coupons were required for most food items, but visitors were exempt. There were no expressways. some of the travelling was on the extensive waterways. We travelled on flat bottom barge, towed by a tugboat, usually at night. It was so quite (no engine noise) and every one rested on a two tiered flat bed stretching the length on both sides of the barge. Those days and the barges are gone. Land travel also entailed frequent crossing of rivers by pontoon. I remember landing at Jiangmen at about 3 am, it was pitch black.
I had very fond but hazy memories of those bygone days. I missed the slow boats, I missed really mixing it with our own kind in their midst and in amongst farm produce and squeaking chooks and ducks. It was a humbling experience as well.
The downside was you had to be careful what you say or do. The Cultural Revolution was still raging. And we burnt mosquito coils instead of incense in our secret ritual to thank our gods and ancestors. Worshipping and paraphenalia were banned. It is something we all cherish and identify with, we humble before our ancestors. Something that cannot be erased from our inner sanctum even after decades abroad.