Hi there folks,

I'm planning out a southeast asia trip and I have always wanted to see china. I'm a big fan of mountains, hiking, and new experiences. My plan is to start out in hanoi, cross the border overland after a week in vietnam, and work my way inland via kunming and finish off with tiger leaping gorge.

However, I do not speak any mandarin. And I will be alone. Is getting around yunnan essentially impossible without the help of a chinese speaker or speaking chinese myself? I am a flexible, determined person but I have been warned that traveling anywhere in china alone without language skills is not worth it.

So, in essence, my question for you all is: Is this worth it? Is it doable? And is 2.5 weeks in yunnan enough time to do what I want to do.

Thanks so much!

Send me a private message (PM) with your email and itinerary for Yunnan (Word file) and the places you want to visit and I will let you know if your plan is doable.

Yes, you can travel in Yunnan without any language ability since you are a determined person. However, you can expect to pay a LITTLE more since you will not be able to negotiate and you do not know the average/standard rates.

Taxis and drivers will take you for a ride but buses will ask you to pay the same standard fare as everyone else (chinese and foreigner pay the same rates).

Hotels will also make you pay higher rates since you can not speak chinese or negotiate.

However, like all travellers in SE Asia you will definitely meet people along the way (other foreigners who speak chinese and chinese who speak english) who can help you so you will probably not have any problems.

I can give you some quotes of what a fare price is but this varies on the time (peak season) you will be travelling in China.

A phrasebook and a huge smile goes a long way. But expect to be frustrated and delayed (and a little cheated) at times. Safe travels.

Lots of people do things like this - yeah, it will be a little inconvenient, but don't let that stop you.

Never seen the use in phrasebooks. You read something out of the phrasebook, they then give you an answer in the language that you don't understand.

If we learnt the language of each country we were planning to visit we would never get anywhere. Jump in, get on with it.

Yeah can get by in any country without knowing the language, you just won't have any deep and meaningful conversations with the locals lol

@ Napoleon. I found phrasebooks useful when I first started visiting China on business trips. I used to take long weekends to places like Xi'an and then a week long holiday to Lhasa on my own. By that stage I knew a few words but couldn't understand the answers. Pointing out the Chinese for "I don't eat meat" then "you recommend" got me some great vegetarian meals (& some strange looks!). But you are right that they are limited if you get the reply in Chinese! A better option might be a smartphone with oral translator.

Get a local SIM card when you arrive somewhere in China/Yunnan. Make sure it comes with internet access. You can buy SIM cards USUALLY at international locations, like the international airport, assuming you're coming in that way - not sure about border crossings.

You MUST have a passport or ID card and NOT all vendors will sell you a SIM card. If they're having problems registering your passport number on their computer, just pad the number with leading zeroes to create an 18 digit number - Chinese IDs are usually 18 digits.

If you're in an international location at any of the mobile phone counters, do the finger pointing thing and ask them to write down how much (carry a pen/pencil & paper), or use your phone's translator app.

Also, get HFCAMPO's mobile number...as long as your issue is non-criminal - he's a pretty friendly and helpful guy.

Then...

fanyi.baidu.com

It's an internet based translation site. There are others, this is baidu, so usually available everywhere in China.

Translations can be spotty sometimes, but you'll get the general point across.

For emergencies, make sure you have the phone numbers of major 5 star international hotels. If you get into some kind of non-criminal difficulty - get lost, etc - call the concierge - they can and will USUALLY (not always) help you out in an emergency.

Remember - google is blocked in China, so zero google services here.

With internet - you'll also have access to maps via android or IOS, depending on your mobile device.

Finally - BEWARE train and bus stations - high concentration of pickpockets and other petty thieves, especially in the wee hours.

Good luck with your adventure - should be an incredibly interesting experience!

Finally - if you need non-critical assistance, go for the students - they all study English (of dubious value). The older folk did not and won't understand a word your gesturing...

Google translate is available here.

Go to Deqin, better then Tiger and people don't speak Mandarin either. Zang zu are friendly.