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The a:Jie chain seems to be a good bet. I’ve been going there since I arrived in Chengdu. I believe there is a Toni & Guy recently opened, but there’s also a completely bogus ‘Toni & Guy’ that I made the fruitless journey to (I forget where exactly it was now, it showed up on a google search!), so research that.
I’m learning that stylists here appear to cut cautiously, relying on product for ‘styling’, so make sure you don’t get left with a mass of frizz atop your bonce!!
If you find somewhere decent, share it.
This app is pretty cumbersome. I checked it out for curiosities sake, and it irritated me inside of 60 seconds. If I’m paying $4.99 for a Chengdu specific app, i don’t want to have to go to google myself to try and find input information for what isn’t there already. This thing doesn’t even have subway stations!
My advice: google what you’re looking for and load it into maps on iPhone/iTouch/iPad and show that to the taxi driver. Once a page has loaded in maps to the resolution/zoom you want, it stays in cache anyway, so you can have the whole of Chengdu stored at any given time.
I want my $4.99 back!!
I had been using Astrill open VPN when I landed here 3 months ago, but decided to let my 3 month subscription expire after several dropped connections.
I’ve since been using goldenfrog’s VyprVPN, which although expensive at $20 monthly, it has given me rock solid connection since day one. Set up is via google’s ‘tunnelblick’ protocol, and configuration requires a workaround for anyone running Mac OS X 10.5 or lower, but it’s still 100%. Support promises live response within 15 minutes too, and for the most part this is a promise that’s been kept.
Any students here might want to investigate University VPN’s in the US/UK/Europe. I know for certain that a number of US Universities have their own VPN servers, which potentially offer superior connection speeds due to the small number of active users.
Yes, you must have the housing registration. I think technically you’re supposed to have that if you stay beyond 10 days, though don’t quote me on that. I didn’t get mine done for 6 weeks, so no one’s paying any attention anyway! It’s easy to get if you have all the docs. Just get yourself there and deal with it before you run out of time. It really would help you out if you had a Chinese speaking friend go with you. I did exactly that, and was in and out of the Police Station within 20 minutes. The funny thing in my case was that the officer filing my application decided to start speaking fluent English as I was finishing up!
Maybe he should head to the PSB with you. I don’t know how they would deal with that, though it must be a fairly frequent occurrence. I would guess that so long as you have all the necessary docs, you’ll be fine. Get there a couple of days before your current visa expires, to give yourself time to make a quick exit to HK if necessary.
Must check that out!
K Gallery is right next to what I’m guessing is the ‘new’ Little Bar. They’ve currently got a selection of contemporary modern art from established Chinese artists in there until the end of the month.
I chanced upon another gallery in Dufu Park last week too. Not so hot, but again showing the work of two contemporary artists presently.
I did this myself a little while back, and I can tell you apart from the contract for tenancy itself, they also required the ID card (photocopy) of the landlord. So… Passport, rental agreement, and copy of landlords ID is what you need, and a Chinese speaking friend will go a long way to easing any woes too.
I just extended my tourist visa at my local PSB with ease. You’re entitled to two 30 day extensions, which cost little over 100 kuai for each. To obtain the extension all you need is your passport, a passport sized photo, and your resident registration form from the local police station. As long as you get to the PSB and make the application whilst your current visa is valid, you’re fine. They will issue you a receipt, and processing takes 5 working days. Once you’ve had the two extensions you will have to exit the mainland to renew your visa. The good news is once you have a new visa, this too can be extended twice.
If you do the HK run you should let us know the route you took, how much it all cost, and whether or not they let you back in!!
Good Luck!
I’d be happy to help you out on this. I visited the K Gallery in Yulin a couple of days back, and it got me thinking that it would be great to have all such spots in Chengdu mapped out, even the obscurest little spots like the cafe a couple of doors along. Not only was there some decent art on the wall (there’s a great David Hockney print hanging in there!), but the coffee wasn’t bad either (illy).
This will be interesting to see develop. Collaboration is what’s needed to bring Chengdu’s music scene forward!
I’d definitely like to see Chengdu based producers showing off their wares too. Big ups!!
If you can find a copy of Dr. Robert Colgan’s ‘Optimum Sports Nutrition’, that book will set you up for life! It’s out of print now, but it’s one of the purest books on nutrition ever written.
I will arrange a decent supply within the next few weeks once I’m settled, so if you guys hang tight we’ll figure something out.
The only decent brand I’ve seen so far is Prolab, but again this was concentrates, priced at 750 kuai for a 5lb tub! So even if we’re generous and call it 80% protein, that starts to look wonky if you do the math on a nutritional stand-point.
And yes, the debate has been all over the shop on whey since it first appeared. Many factors to consider, not least the sheer wealth of biased ‘clinical’ study that’s transposed in high profile marketing campaigns. Muscle tech, BSN, Gaspari, and many more have turned supplementation into a multi billion dollar industry. The reality is, you and I can formulate or replicate just about everything they produce, for a fraction of the cost. Most supplements are nothing more than hype, and none of them out stand solid and consistent whole food nutrition.
As for the efficacy of Whey Concentrates… There is a potent chain of aminos to be derived from them, but two major flaws exist. The first is the high lactose content that no gimmick addition to the formula will cure. The Whey will clot your digestive system, and not only diminish it’s own return, but that of all other consumed nutrients. The second, which applies to all Whey, is that the aminos present are oxidized in approximately 60 minutes or less, so that expensive supplement you just chugged is already heading for the flush! Whey Isolates are themselves only valid as a supplement to your breakfast upon waking, as a post workout insulin mimicking protein hit (closely followed by a meal!), or as a means to keep your nitrogen levels elevated during dieting.
The solution that no one ever wants to hear, is to learn nutrition and feed your body accordingly. Be consistent, cut out what’s not working for you, and save the money you’d otherwise drop on a product you don’t really need. I’ve seen more guys than I care to remember do themselves more harm by consuming pill after potion after pill, while thinking they could skip out on the basics.
End of rant!
Watsons sell Whey Concentrates, but I’d always advise against these as a protein source. Unless it’s an isolate/hydrolysate, it’s not worth the money. Worse still, almost all Whey powders I’ve seen have Casein Caseinate added, which is essentially useless.
I’ve only been in Chengdu for a few weeks, so I’ve yet to settle fully. Once I do I will look into the supplement issue with some depth. I’m considering ordering sufficient quantity to formulate a food supplement myself, either here, or in LA (with a partner). This will contain Whey Isolates, Psyllium, Organic Greens, Fruit extracts, and the possible addition of other micro-nutrients.
I’ve been bodybuilding for several years now, so nutrition remains paramount. There’s always substitution available, but it’s been proving difficult to maintain optimum nutrition since I’ve been here, and that’s not something I want to continue suffering for too much longer!
I’ll keep you posted for sure. What’s your story? Maybe PM me.
