Be hospitable in China: Tips for American travelers and athletes

by Jamie Rhein on

One of the best things a person can do before traveling to a new country is to find out cultural norms in order to know how to be polite. It’s a great way to make friends, get the best prices when bargaining, and to not create a situation where someone is mad at you because you’ve made a faux pas without realizing it.

Jim Wells at behospitable traveler.com of the Hilton Hotels hooked us into travel tips to help Americans (or anyone else for that matter) know how to behave when heading to China for the Olympic games.

This is part of the Hilton Hotels’ campaign to help people be the stellar travelers we love to love. Hilton Hotels is one of the sponsors of the games and have been getting involved big time. (No, I’m not being paid to say that, it’s just an observation.)

Whether you’re one of the athletes or a couch potato, follow these tips and you’ll leave China happy and the Chinese will be happy to have had you as a visitor.

The tips are presented by athletes in videos and print form. These are a good read whether you are going to China or not since they offer a glimpse into the Chinese value system. From this link, click on the hospitableTraveler: A call to Act box. This will lead you the tips. Click on the learn more tabs to “Thoughtfulness,” “Character” and “Awareness.” If you have problems accessing that link, try this one. Under the heading “Dining,” you’ll even find rules for using chopstick rules.

There is also a link to helpful Mandarin phrases like “Where is the bathroom?” When I was in Beijing, I used the bathroom at McDonald’s several times. I bet that by the time the Olympics start, Beijing will be flush in Western style toilets.

Great American Road Trip: St. Cloud, Minnesota, yak meat and Hoopers’ Christmas Tree Farm

by Jamie Rhein on

When we pulled into the driveway of our friends’ house in St. Cloud, Minnesota, as part of our Great American Road trip to Montana, we didn’t have any plans except to visit. The last time we saw them was at our house in Columbus, and since then they had moved from State College, Pennsylvania to St. Cloud.

As with any visit, there’s always something new to find out. about the town where friends land. People who live there know the insider info that may not show up in a guidebook. Such was the case when I found out were were having yak meat for dinner.

I’ve been to Nepal where yaks seem as common as cows. While there, I never had yak meat. As it turns out Hoopers’ Christmas Tree Farm in Cold Spring, Minnesota has a herd of 60 or so yak making this the largest yak herd in the eastern part of the U.S. Who knew?

Our friends have toured the farm and loved it. John Hooper, the farm’s owner has worked with The Yak Company in China as a consultant. While there, he lived with Tibetans and, as a result, acquired an interest in Tibetan culture. My friend says that the ranch reflects this exchange.

Hooper sells his yak meat at various farmers’ markets in the area. We ate yak sausages, hot dogs and marinated meat. All quite delicious. Here’s a link to the page that tells all about yak farming.

Photo of Hooper and one of his yaks is by Lucille Guinta-Bates who was kind enough to email it to me.

Dispatches from China on National Geographic’s Intelligent Traveler

by Grant Martin on

Our friends over at National Geographic’s Intelligent Travel just told me about an interesting series of dispatches that Keith Bellows, the Traveler Editor in Chief is in the midst of. He and this year’s winner of The Next Great Travel Writer contest recently touched down in Beijing and will be making their way across China into Mongolia.

Along the way they’ll be sending dispatches about the experience including the Olympic games, central China and into the north, starting yesterday with their arrival into Beijing.

Bellows brings back vivid memories of my own time in China, navigating the busy streets and haggling with vendors, lost in a world of wonderful foreign people. I can still smell the streets of Shanghai and barely see through the smog of The Bund.

Apparently in light of the Olympic Games the Chinese have cleaned up Beijing quite a bit — Bellows speaks of clear blue skies, flower pots and merriment all over the city as citizens get geared up for the games. I wonder how long this will last after this summer.

Make sure you check out Intelligent Travel to follow along with Keith and his understudy as they traverse the far east — I’m already jealous after reading the first article.

Mao missing from China’s new 10 yuan banknotes

by Aaron Hotfelder on

Is this a meaningful sign of China’s impending reformation or merely cosmetic?

China’s new Olympic-inspired 10 yuan notes show no sign of former Communist leader and all-around bad guy Mao Zedong. Mao is replaced on the currency by, among other things, the new Beijing National Stadium (aka the “Bird’s Nest”), a scantily-clad (if at all clad) discus thrower, and the Beijing 2008 Olympics logo.

Lest you think this marks a definitive change in China’s attitude, note that “only” 6 million of these are being printed. In a country of over a billion people, these notes may be more like collectors’ items than widely-traded currency.

More here.

Gadling TAKE FIVE– June 28 – July 4

by Jamie Rhein on

In the traveler’s world it’s been a bit of drama this week. Plus, there have been lessons in traveling with a wider perspective and an open heart.

On the drama end:

  • Iva reported on passengers in China refusing to get off a plane because the flight was canceled.
  • In his Letter from Albania series, Jeff presented an intimate look at blood feuds through the experiences of people he has talked with in his travels there.
  • From Anna we heard about the drunken Swede who tried to row back home from Denmark
  • Grant told us about British Airways passengers who thought the smell of curry meant there were terrorists

On the wider perspective and open heart end:

  • Read Part 3 of Jerry’s “Talking Travel with Patricia Schultz,” the author of 1000 Places to See Before You Die. As she says at the end of the interview, “Life is short–get off the couch.”
  • And, after you’re off the couch, pick up a copy of Sacred Places of Goddess,108 Destinations by Karen Tate who specializes in openness.