Any thoughts from you? I'm going to China

Hi guys.. would like to hear from you. I packed my gears in my flipside 400aw (Canon Xsi gripped with Tokina 50-135 f2.8 lens attached, Tokina UWA 11-16 f2.8, Tamron 17-50 f2.8, Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro, Canon 50mm f1.8 and speedlite 430ex, dust blower, lenspen and CPL/ND Flters, charger, cords, extra batteries and memory cards, and a 10.1" laptop). Attached to the backpack is a standard tripod. Do I miss something important? A bit heavy though but feels comfortable. This will be my first travel in China and hope I wouldn't regret not bringing one. Thanks guys

Hi Raptor:


I would suggest that you bring a 220 to 110 volt converter. I do not know of all of China, but the few places I have been were 220 V. If you are in a place that is 220 V then you will find that a converter is an important item.


I can not speak for the majority of areas or countries in eastern Asia, but the vast majority of where I have been is 220. In my wife's home country it is virtually all 220 V, least wise I have not found any place in the Philippines that is not. Needles to say I used a converter a lot. You might also try to find out what type of connection that is in the areas you will be in. No they are not all the same as here in the USA, in fact most aren't and in addition, sometimes in the same country the type of connector are different.





Godspeed


Wayne


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Hi Raptor. I was in China and Vietnam in 1991 and the followingis what I remember---I am pretty sure these rulles willprobably still be in effect.


1. Be Cautious and very respectful when photographing anything "government"i.e Military, police, government buildings, memorials,and especially anything that represents Mao Tse-tung. Being irreverant or comical when shooting in any of these areas can get you thrown in jail. The rule here is to "Ask First" and, if given permission, Be very respectful.


2. The people there are generally very open and usually willing to work with you or show you the right way to do things---But occasionally you will find those that are skeptical or even affraid to be around westerners. If you note this, be respectfull and dont't push it.


3. I didn't notice a monopod on your list--This could be very handy if you are on foot for long periods of time, it also doubles as a walking stick.


4. Always have a plastic bag stuffed in your pocket or somewhere else that is quick and easy to get to just in case it starts to rain when your camera is out of the bag.


5. As in anywhere, be mindful of "little thieves" Keep a tight hold of your equipment when walking through crowded areas. Also keep in mind that nothing is more important than your wallet and passport.


6. Make sure your gear is insured before leaving on your trip.


7. If available, make sure you upload your photos toa backupsite often. You never know when your gear and your cards might get damaged or stolen.


7.Finally, Don't point with your index finger. To Them, this is the same as pointing with your middle finger and is easily misunderstood as something vulger and disrespectful.


Hope these little tidbits of info help you with your trip and don't forget to share your photos when you return.


Bob

Hi Wayne and Bob. Thank you so much for the inputs. You're right, majority are using 220V electricity. I should watch out and be careful taking photographs there.., I am thankful that my bag is equipped with weather protection whenever weather will not permit.. Also I am a bit comfortable and secure with my bag since my gears will only be accessed through my back, its a rear entry/access bag. And also I would prefer tripod because it's gonna be essential shooting at night. Thank you so much guys for sharing your thoughts.. Any more tips will be much appreciated ;)

Raptor:
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Bob made some excellent , and important
suggestions about cultural behavior and how ours is different from theirs.
Respect will get you a very far along. Age is one of the most important things
to be respected. In the <st1:country-region><st1:place>USA</st1:place></st1:country-region>
we do not respect our elders very much no matter what anyone wants to say
about it! We talk back and disrespect our elders all the time and think that is ok
to do that. In eastern <st1:place>Asia</st1:place> anyway if anyone appears
older than you go out of your way to learn how to respect them and apply it. An
example would be if you are told something by an elder and you strongly
disagree here you might be and could be very verbose in you response. Not
there. NEVER yell, it is bad manners when disagreeing especially with an elder
do not make direct contradictions, and especially not forcefully. Go out
of your way to be respectful to others and elders. In some places a sign of
respect and somewhat submission to elders is a gesture to take the hand of the
elder and while slightly bending down toward them place it on your forehead.
This gesture is not universal so different places most likely will have different
customs so recognize this. Age and Elders are some of the highest traditions
and people to respect. Even if you get it wrong but make an honest effort it usually
will be recognized by others and will bring you along long way. Learn from your mistakes because aftr awhile they will expect you to learn their proper way of doing anything. Be
disrespectful as I am sure you have no plans to be and things and you can go
down hill in a hurry.<o:p></o:p>





In addition do not be surprised to see armed security in place's such as an airport or in a important cultural areas. I don't mean like our officers here ,I mean carrying rifles, hand guns and concussion grenades. Basically these boys don't play around,,, at all!! As for my wallet I use a truckers wallet that has a chain attached to my belt and snaps and zips closed, and is always kept in a well Velcro'd pocket.





Good Luck and have the best of time's. I hope you can share some of you photos when you return.





Godspeed


Wayne


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Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bob williams

Finally, Don't point with your index finger. To Them, this is the same as pointing with your middle finger and is easily misunderstood as something vulger and disrespectful.

---

hm, Bob, I'm from China, but I'm not sure about this. what I know is that Chinese people(at least me) had no problem with any fingers pointing to them. after those movies from Hollywood came in to China, people started to realize that the middle finger has one more function. and I 'm pretty sure it's ok if you have to point you index finger to somebody in China.





Raptor, China has been changing a lot, I don't want to say too much about it, trust you own feelings, like Bob said, if you are not sure, always ask first. have a good trip and good luck!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JJphoto

hm, Bob, I'm from China, but I'm not sure about this. what I know is that Chinese people(at least me) had no problem with any fingers pointing to them. after those movies from Hollywood came in to China

---

HMMM, Perhaps I am wrong. I do recall this being a very big no--no when I was there in 1991, but I don't recall anyone actually doing it and offending anyone in China. We were just told not to do it. Later on in the same trip, we went to Vietnam and Ido recall two americans taking a picture of one of the Mau Se-Tung busts and one had his arm around the bust poiting his finger at Mau Se-Tung--Like two friends taking a picturetogether. This created quite an uproar and those two individuals had to leave the country early. But again, that was in Vietnam, not China---

Hey Bob. Things have likely changed a lot since 1991. I travelled Vietnam and Cambodia last year and the only advice I can give is be wary of taking photos of military personnel, police or anything around the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum.


However, the OP's heading to China so it may be different. All the same, I know that military personnel aren't always happy about being photographed. My advice would be to just ask before taking shots of anything you're unsure about.


At the end of the day, the whole world's caught the travel bug in the last 5-10 years so I'm certain China's people have become used to being on the pointy end of a lens.


Enjoy the trip, China's definately on my to visit list.


Ben.

Learn "bu yao" ("I don't want"; it's the closest equivalent to "No, thank you") and be prepared to say it a lot. Pretty much non-stop in any major city and even landmarks outside of cities.


If you're lucky, you'll be visiting places right after rain. It's the only time the smog lifts.


Almost all the outlets are 220V, even the ones with plugs from nations that have 110V. On the bright side, most camera chargers and related paraphernalia are multi voltage. I'd recommend bringing a small laptop (possibly a netbook) for purposes of checking email and uploading your photos -- the Internet cafes are numerous, but you don't know what's on those computers that might store your email/flickr/whatever password. (And I'm not talking about the government; just mischievous other users. You likely won't encounter any issues with the much-publicised-in-the-west Internet filtering unless you actively seek out controversial content.)


Be prepared for very personal questions from strangers wanting to exercise their English; but shy away from any opinions on Taiwan, Tibet, or any Tiananmen Square incidents (and don't seek theirs, either).


The generation born since the Cultural Revolution (1968 onward) is a lot less nationalistic than their parents, and certainly more open minded about potential change -- but it's still a relatively conservative place where you don't want to push any buttons. That said, it seems like more people there are always on the lookout for a good laugh -- it's easy to turn a mistake into a gag that crosses language barriers.


Re: photographing the military. There may be hesitance to be in photographs, but there's also not as much strict military doctrine grilled into the soldiers, the police, or the paramilitary police. If you hold up your camera and shrug, most of them will nod back whether it's ok or not -- they're not the stoic palace guards of the UK.


Above all: Have fun. It will be an awesome adventure.