[7]

Thanks, but I’m not worried about the other costs. Just the dialysis. It’s a medical procedure for people with kidney problems. I don’t know the Chinese name for it. She lives in The Philippines where it’s relatively cheap which is one of the reasons (along with visa) that she has never been able to visit us in the US. I’m hoping the cost in Chengdu will be closer to The Philippine cost and not the US cost.

[7]

I’m not a big drinker, but what about alcohol? When I asked one of my co-workers who is already there her first (and very emphatic) answer was wine.

I don’t drink beer at all. Rarely drink wine as I only like very sweet ones. On the rare occasions that I do drink I tend to go with Grey Goose vodka.

What sort of stuff is available there and how do the prices compare to the US?

[7]

It was recommended to me to have an air purifier for each room (possibly multiple for large rooms.) I don’t think they are ionizers, just HEPA filters to get the dust you mentioned.

[7]

I have a Giganews usenet account which includes VyperVPN (PPTP & L2TP/IPSec) for free (upgradeable to OpenVPN for $5/mo). If I didn’t already have that I’d probably go with StrongVPN. Of course, I’m not there yet, so I can’t vouch for how well it will work yet.

[7]

Thanks guys. My wife might get pissed at me for bringing condoms. LOL

Never thought of pepto as I never use it here, but I guess it’s a good idea since my diet will likely be changing quite a bit.

[7]

This thread makes me think @ 35 I’m going to be the oldest expat in Chengdu. LOL

[7]

Unfortunately I have zero Chinese ability. LOL I guess I should be trying to get some as I’m headed there in less than 90 days. I’ll definitely try looking online & who knows, maybe when I get there I’ll meet up with some of the guys from here.

[7]

I’ve never been into any sort of exercise & really need to start doing something to get into shape & really have no idea what to do. Are personal trainers or something like that affordable in Chengdu?

[7]

That Google Map is awesome. I just found out where my apt. is going to be so I’m able to use that map & see what is nearby. Is it possible for me to make a private copy of it so that I can add my own places to it?

[7]

Thanks for posting this as my family is moving to Chengdu this fall & we are looking for similar things for our 4yo daughter.

[7]

They don’t necessarily achieve the same.

A proxy is primarily used to hide your IP or location from the site you are connecting to in order to make them think you are somewhere else or to get around some filter that blocks that site. It doesn’t necessarily increase your security again 3rd parties eavesdropping on you though.

A VPN encrypts all your traffic through a tunnel so it can’t be spied upon and also has the same effect as the proxy since any sites you access see the IP/location of the network you are connected to via VPN instead of the network you are physically on.

Personally, I already use a VPN here in the US when I’m on open/public/untrusted networks so I’ll probably just continue to use it when I’m overseas so that I can access things like Netflix that are limited to US & Canada.

7

[7]

I don’t know exactly where I’ll be living, but apparently it is within walking distance of work, shopping, etc… so I think I’ll be fine without a car as far as day to day living goes.

But, if I should want to take weekend trips outside of the city to explore other nearby places are there drivers with cars I can hire to take me or rental cars or anything like that?

7

[7]

Thanks for the input. I think we’ll try to just do without one & see how it goes.

7

[Author]

Posts