travel in China - passport photos & GSM cell phones

Here are a few more tips for easing the travel experience.

• Need passport photos? Go to a local passport photo place and get 2 photos or whatever is the minimum. Then use the magic of your own printer and print out a whole slew of copies on glossy paper and put them away. Next time you travel, there they are. I travel to China often and have an area where I keep everything relating to travel. Left over currency, business cards, reciepts, etc. Take some extra photos with you in case you are at a remote border and need some passport photos for a new visa to cross into Burma or Laos, or whatever. Print them 4-up and use them for a bookmark.

• Another big tip is to have a GSM cell phone. First part of the tip is to go to someplace like Ebay or craigslist and procure a 'throwaway' GSM <<<unlocked>>> multiband cell phone. [ 3 or 4 band, although you only need a 3 band for China]. Figure around $30-40. If you screwup and get a locked phone, then go back to craigslist and see if you can find a local person to unlock your phone. It should cost about $15. There are also services on Ebay and on the net. BTW I prefer a 'clamshell' type to prevent accidental button pushing. If you are into photos, then by all means get a phone that will take pics. It is not important to me, but maybe it is to you. The next thing is to get a Chinese SIM card. You can get one on Ebay or you can simply wait till you get to the PRC. China-Mobile stores are almost as common as McDonalds and Starbucks. They are very EZ to find. OK...Now that you have your unlocked GSM multiband cell phone you are ready for your reward. Load into your phone some Mandarin speaking PRC friends. If you don't have any Mandarin speaking friends then load in some Hotel front desk phone numbers or even Bi-lingual travel agents in the PRC. Or simply get a phone number off of a hotel biz card where you have stayed at previously. Now, when and if, you find yourself at a remote train station or bus station you have a translator in your pocket. In most cases you will not see any Roman lettering or English speaking people at all. You cell phone will bail you out. Another valuable aspect is for both you and a travel companion to be able to connect in case you get separated. Whew...a big sigh of relief when you are lost. Also very nice to be able to say hi to fellow travellers that you meet along the road [if they also have a GSM phone]. And lastly.... a nice way to call home. You can go almost anywhere and get your SIM card recharged with more miniutes. Newspaper stands, or another China Mobile store, and you are on your way.