This is for past, present, and future Jiangxi Province adoptive families. I recently traveled to Nanchang as a pre-adoption tourist (our agency gets lots of NSN Jiangxi referrals lately.) Thought I would check it out. Meeting adoptive families there made it all worthwhile!
My
Nanchang photos are now up on Flickr (click link to see them.)
Airport
It was clean, but bathrooms were dirty. Be assertive to get into a stall.
Taxis Overall, cheap and drivers nice.
My ride from the airport to Galactic Peace (GP) Hotel, however, was long and terrifying. In the front seat, I only had a metal headrest behind my head. My driver was fast, reckless, and the ride was long. Traffic can be chaotic: lanes are a "loose guideline"; pedestrians, bikes, motorbikes, cars everywhere. Have your destination written down in Chinese, or show the driver a photo/map of the place. Fare is about $1 between GP hotel and Wal-Mart Supercenter. Some taxis have seatbelts, some don't. The hotel bellman always gives you a little card with your taxi # written on it, in case you leave anything in it or need to report the driver. The card also has a list of "Take me to...." (places written in Chinese to show the driver.)
HotelI chose the Galactic Peace International Hotel (I'll abbreviate it "GP.") I know lots of adoptive families are staying there now. Indeed, I met a group from my agency the first morning at the breakfast buffet! They were so welcoming to me, despite being in shock from receiving their children in the lobby the previous day,
before checking in. There were some other agencies' groups there, too. It was a nice hotel. A bit smoky in places. Staff were very young and polite. But be prepared with your phrase book and a few Mandarin words. Don't expect fluent English from them (I don't think they get much practice, but they try!) Bed slightly hard, but I got used to it. No Wi-fi in room, but a place to hookup to internet by cable. 2 small bottles of drinking water free everyday, and a little fruit basket each afternoon. TV had some American movie channels, Discovery, National Geographic channels. A hot water kettle was provided - I boiled tapwater in it for coffee and tea. I also brushed my teeth with the tapwater, and was fine. Laundry service cheap and good. Nice pool, gym, and business center. The "kiosk" (hotel gift shop) didn't have a lot, and no English reading material. China Daily (in English) delivered to room each day - nice. My room was non-smoking, but I could still smell cigarette smoke. Guess I got used to it after the first night. Adoptive families got cribs + bedding, baby bathtubs & potties. They said the hotel was very baby-friendly.
Hotel buffetThe Western Restaurant was open 24 hours. Breakfast buffet was 50 RMB (about $7.) Dinner 98 RMB (about $14.) Delicious, healthy, good mix of western and Chinese food. Cute high chairs, wait staff good with babies. Good idea to bring your own bottled water, as drinking water refills are scarce. There's a little shop across the street with bottled water, drinks, beer, and dried noodles. It's right by the sex toy shop.
Wal-Mart SupercenterHad plenty of wipes & diapers in familiar brands (also Chinese brands.) I went twice, and couldn't find Cheerios, Gerber Puffs, or simliar baby snacks (so pack them!) Plenty of other baby supplies: bottles, nipples, clothes, toys, even front carriers. Cheap prices. Plenty of formula in grocery area (I saw Enfamil.) Get other good snacks & drinks there for your room - I couldn't find much near the hotel. "Pumpkin seed crunch" and yogurt drinks were my favorite snacks there. Pay for medicines and makeup in their respective departments on 3rd floor; otherwise take everything else to the main checkout on floor 2 (grocery floor.) Have produce weighed & labeled in produce section before taking it to checkout. Be assertive in line, or someone may cut in front of you. Now I see why RQ parents say bring what you need for first 48 hours w/ baby. You can get lots at Wal-Mart, but it might be a rushed, overwhelming trip there. It can be hot & crowded inside. The families I met were still in shock from having babies the day before. Later, some families went to "RT Mart", which they said was good.
ATMsI had success with ATMs in China. There was one below Wal-Mart (outside on street level) that worked fine - I forgot the name. ICBC always worked for me. Maybe some of the more local bank ATMs rejected my card, but it was easy to find another ATM. If one doesn't work, try again. If "default account" is an option, select that over "chequing." 1000 RMB = ~$150, 2000RMB = ~$300. All my ATM transactions turned out fine.
Tengwang PavilionNice, relaxing trip. The cab ride there was a little scary with traffic. You can take stairs or an elevator to the different levels for views of the city and river. Top level has a show throughout the day. Ground level has tranquil ponds and bonsai gardens.
People's ParkAnother nice trip, not far from the GP hotel and Wal-Mart. Enjoy gardens, playgrounds, pedal boats, and a small amusement park. Try the running bubbles on the lake. Watch people playing Mah Jongg and drinking tea. I think there are a few food stands if you're hungry, but I didn't see drink machines. I didn't see any squirrels. Be prepared for "Hello!" from friendly people wanting to try their English.
Shengli Shopping Street(Near Tengwang Pavilion & Gloria Hotel.) I don't think adoption groups generally go here, but I enjoyed it. It's a big pedestrian area with clothing stores, and fast food restaurants. Good place to get away from the scary traffic. I especially liked the Sanfu store, with its teeny-bopper goods (at this point, I needed acne medicine and a good facial!)
Carry your own tissue for the toilets. Otherwise, sometimes there's a TP dispenser outside the stalls, but rarely inside. Put used TP in the trash can, not the toilet - it will clog the pipes, except in the nice hotels. Travel packs of tissues and wet wipes are easy to find in drugstores like Watson's and Mannings, as well as convenient stores.
I didn't think they seemed too concerned about H1N1. Only a few people wore masks. A few locals I met weren't personally concerned and didn't care about getting the vaccine. A friend in China recommended bringing our own facemasks on the adoption trip (in case flu is a problem.) She said last spring when they adopted, facemasks were sold out.
My ride from the airport to Galactic Peace (GP) Hotel, however, was long and terrifying. In the front seat, I only had a metal headrest behind my head. My driver was fast, reckless, and the ride was long. Traffic can be chaotic: lanes are a "loose guideline"; pedestrians, bikes, motorbikes, cars everywhere. Have your destination written down in Chinese, or show the driver a photo/map of the place. Fare is about $1 between GP hotel and Wal-Mart Supercenter. Some taxis have seatbelts, some don't. The hotel bellman always gives you a little card with your taxi # written on it, in case you leave anything in it or need to report the driver. The card also has a list of "Take me to...." (places written in Chinese to show the driver.)
Me at TengWeng Pavilion. I climbed to the top for a view of a somewhat ugly river & skyline (sorry, Nanchang.) There was a jovial group of businessmen who wanted pictures with the foreigner. The gardens and fish-turtle ponds were nice. It had an elaborate bonsai (miniature tree) garden. As I arrived, the America World group was leaving, so I got to see the families & babies briefly before they headed "home" for their naps. Afterwards, I explored the Gloria Hotel, and Shengli shopping street for teeny-bopper fashions and a shrimp sandwich at KFC.
This is Hangzhou's West Lake at sunset.
My roomies in Hangzhou: Nancy, Winnie, Nadia, Echo, and me. We were all solo travelers bunking in the same room. Had lots of fun talking and laughing and doing some touring together.
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