I Did Not Expect THIS Trying to Fly to China...

suaku tambay...

Well done. Maybe have a couple trips, then you will get use to it.

The first time I ever had Tomato juice was when I accompanied my Grandparents on their trip to Hong Kong. I was 8 years old at the time and my Grandfather suggested to me to try the Tomato juice served on the flight. The taste wasn't to my liking. Fast forward to the present, Both my Grandparents have passed. Now whenever I'm on a flight I always ask if they have Tomato juice.. Cheers!

that drinks menu is fairly cringeworthy.. the names are 96% references to patriotic slogans

Ah, wechat is a mainline for all your data to the CCP. But ignoring that it is pretty convenient having all social media and e-commerce rolled into a single app, plus it offers digital payment options

That is the same way I, a Singaporean Chinese, use chopsticks 😂

I just came back from China.
I was surprised by the health declaration. Of course, no one informed me about this beforehand but fortunately I had Alipay installed and fully configured BEFORE my departure (no invitation needed).
I could then find and fill out the Health declaration tab in the app and get the QR code to pass through the gates. You need to enter a Chinese phone number in one field, which I got from a random guy on site but I think any number could work as it's just only a stupid Chinese bureaucracy. Make a quick screenshots of your QR code just in case and you're good to go.
Since July, you can also connect your non chinesse Visa/Mastercard and pay directly for everything like any Chinese by scanning the QR codes which are literally everywhere, in every shop, market, etc - no issues here. Be aware that in many situations this is a must!
The Chinese practically don't use cash anymore so they can make big eyes if you don't have the app. That's how it is, so be prepared:)

I don’t think you are allowed to take videos while passing the custom

I can't believe you get away with an immigration footage

Haha wechat poochat haha good one! 😂😂😂😂

I subscribed because I like your channel. I had a serious laugh about your apprehension about China !!
For a serious world traveler, sorry but you still lack exploring, sir 🙂

A few things you need to know about China airlines and we chat as others have already told you

> We chat is a real standard in China, going from your finance, chat program, social and information, bargain hotel and restaurants, taxi booking, and so much more...

The crew asked you asked you to download we chat not for such all things, which you wont care once you take your next flight, but for the We chat mini program of Customs declaration.

> closing the blind at take-off and landing is a serious China thing: The sky belongs to the People liberation Army in China, and commercial flights are only "tolerated", which means you can easily see mixed use airports in China. Close the blind is a good way to not look at what's going on...
Unfortunately, it also means that in case of military prep or exercise, you will be stranded at the airport...

> the visa free is 144 hours.

> ahah.. Not the red booth for taxi !!! official scammers

I've considered getting a device just for WeChat whilst in China because of how invasive a program it can be. In 2017 I uploaded it onto my phone and it crashed the entire system when I crossed borders from HK to DongGuan. I had to do a hard wipe and reset of my phone to use it. That was the end of my relationship with WeChat. It's annoying that WeChat has become this thing you have to do with anyone you meet there but I get it. It feeds into a cultural behavior in China that's existed for much, much longer.

I've been there 9 or 10 times between 2002 and 2018 and I'm holding my breath for you going into Shanghai completely unprepared. I have an infant's understanding of Mandarin but enough to pick up on words that help me figure out what's being said. It's a relatively safe place but you do need to know that looking as you do, every step of the way (especially in Shanghai) you're being marked. So if anyone approaches me for a taxi, I say "no thank you" because they're likely going to charge 4X the going rate. The tea scams are another thing you have to watch out for. When you're in a high tourist zone like The Bund, a really friendly woman will approach you wanting to make friends and she'll invite you to come have tea with her. You'll go to some back-alley place where you sit, socialize and the next thing you know the bill comes and it's something outrageous. You'll likely be confused and refuse to pay and that's when the innocent looking people leave and some bouncer guy walks in. A simple but firm "Sorry, no I don't have time" will be enough for them to seek an easier mark.China is a beautiful place and there are a lot of genuine friendly people there but there are grifters just like anywhere else and they concentrate themselves in the high tourist zones. Even regular taxis are not immune from scams so what you do is you go to any hotel, walk in and ask the concierge to flag down a taxi and then explain to the concierge where you want to go. They'll speak to the cab driver. If the cab driver asks you to pay cash now, exit the cab, tell the concierge the taxi was trying to ask for more money and you want one that will charge what the meter says.

If you learn one thing about China it's the principal of "guānxi" (pronounced "gwon chee"). In English, this refers to one's connections or relationships that can be mutually beneficial. In China it is important to know someone there because not only does it make your emersion into the culture easier and less mysterious, it improves your social standing and how you're treated by those around you. It tends to be the bug spray that keeps the grifters away. For me China is a place I keep wanting to go back to because it's such a different way of being. As a westerner it's a very frustrating place but it can seep into your system and you miss it when you've been away for too long.

I flew both Shanghai Airlines and China Eastern as a kid in the 90s & even then I recall they stood out as better than the competition.

My dog uses WeeChat to check his PeeMail

would you rather have sex with morgan freeman or take over the world?

And you are very right for "being nervous" by going to china,Noel.
Its not a very welcoming country for foreigners at all, specialy from certain nations citizens.

Interesting with being one of the largest populations in the world. But yet it seemed like there was no one even close by to you.

Your arrival in China made me nervous too! Didn't Josh Cahill go through a lot more hassle than you did? Glad it worked out for you okay. Thanks.✈🏯

First time to china I missed my plane from China to Philippines. I was sent to wrong gate so the airline put me up in a hotel and fed some what. Next flight was in two days. Hardly no English in airport all just pointed. I decided I would never go through only Hong Kong I would.

Another great video

Wechat is the worlds best and most useful app

shanghai airline is a 100% owned son company of china eastern airline. the only difference is the logo. even the products are the same

Another awesome video Noel Cheers

as a chinese i also don't like the black qr code for passing the customs

shanghai airlines is under the china eastern airlines so you can say it's almost the same

HAHA the app that Elon's X wanna be...

Hi Noel, former cabin crew here; the thing with tomato juice is that tomato packs a lot of umami taste which resists the best in airliner cabin conditions, unlike the other types of tastes that get altered becoming bland on airplanes due to the high altitude. That's one reason why people tend to enjoy their tomato juice when flying, although most of the time unknowingly. Also, it's quite filling without being sweet, and thus quite refreshing and a quick, tasty and healthy way to appease hunger with something savory, too.

Delete that WeChat app as soon as you can

Surprised the loo didn't come with the infamous 787 window view. I've always been treated exremely well in China, whether transiting or for a stay. They know westerners are like lost sheep there and they are always willing to help.

Is Wechat not the app from the Chinese government that infects your phone and your contacts and allow them to spy on you 24/7?

So they can track you

At the beginning of the video I was thinking you didn't watch Cahill's video drama trying to enter China and to call him. And had to laugh when you said you called him.

WeChat or any Chinese app is just CCP spyware, its good that you avoided using those.

Do you need to apply for the 24h free visa if your not going out of the transit area/airport?

very efficient cabin crew! 👍👍 China looked nice!

Of course the seat you sat on was nice, it's a first/business class, the seats towards the back of the plane is what we mere mortals called cattle class.

What a rigmarole, i got stuck in Shenzhen airport for four hours, eventually they gave me a 24 hour visa all of this because of a diversion (thunderstorm). I could not wait for my flight the next day, a very bad experience. I will never book with any chinese carrier again.

IT professional never heard of WeChat , an app that is used by tens of millions of people inside China and throughout the Chinese diaspora

WeChat is in fact better than WhatsApp

Looks like they gave you business class

I can feel you about the concerns for the 24h-Visa. I got re-rerouted once from FRA to ICN over PVG. On the way to PVG I could feel my body temperature going up, as I never thought about the Chinese Visa. But must say, it was easy to get the 24-hours transit visa, they were really helpful. By the way: the connection with China Eastern in Business class with an A330: absolutely great and fantastic flight product 👍

That We Chat girl at KUL is gorgeous…

I transited in Wuhan on 31st December 2019.... The airport transit area was being renovated so they had me actually enter China and check in again for my onward flight. I expected the 1 day transit visa but the entry stamp was for 3 months. I had 7 hours in-between flights so took a taxi ride around the city to kill the time.
Airports in China are always extremely good in my experience...
I would have edited out the bits where you sound scared lol
Good video as always!!

Tomato juice = high lycopene (antioxidant). Raising our altitude to the height of an airplane trip = increase in exposure to solar and space radiation. So the tendancy to drink tomato juice on a flight is actually a very useful intuition.

Puer tea on an airliner yes please. This would be who i would fly with

Without wechat you run in china in triubles sometimes cause its chat, payment sometimes like a bank, even plus registration, authorization and much more even imbiss on side of the street usually accept we chat only payment often.

I buy tomato juice all the time instead of orange juice as I am diabetic, and it gives me vitamin C like orange does!