How much should I be prepared to spend for 71 days in China?

[Derbyshire]

Hello, I did post before, asking for advice on planning my journey to Dengfeng, thanks for your help. I have now bought return tickets to Zhengzhou which will allow me exactly 71 days in china. (If the trip is a disaster, I suppose I'll have to waste money on another flight back earlier than planned). Whilst there, I will have roughly £1300 or $2600 (of course there is the possibility of falling into debt). I was wondering, seeing as you have so much experience in China, is this enough to live on for 2 months let alone train in Kung fu.
I have recently read the price list for Dechengs school, it seems quite dire but affordable I suppose, so I'm hoping to check it out. I was wondering if I should make prior arrangements with Decheng (or whoever is in charge when he is away, if that is the case) or would it not be terribly rude to turn up unannounced.
One more question, can you give me an average figure for a one night stay in a hotel? Sorry if it sounds like I'm writing to a travel agent but any help would be much appreciated.

[doc]

I'm not up on the pound to dollar conversion, so forgive me if my financial predictions here are lacking. Decheng's prices are in his school thread's first post, they are recent prices. However, if you're going to stay for two months, expect to get a discount. I can try to work that for you, once he gets back from France (few weeks).

You can show up unannounced, or I can email the school and tell them that you're coming. I don't know his current "translator", so it would be useless to try to negotiate prices with him/her (besides, these people change quite regularly). It would be best if I dealt with Decheng directly.

Your fee covers basically everything, food, housing, training. YOu would only need money for snacks, and other basic stuff. There's not much in the way of entertainment in Dengfeng, so, you won't spend a lot of money.

The Feng Yuan hotel can cost you around 35 or 40 dollars a night. The Shaolin International, where the manager knows me, is almost double that, though he gives me very reduced rates. I can't do the same for others (used to, when he ran the Feng Yuan, but not now). There's a cheaper hotel near Decheng's school, but I'm not sure it's still open, and I don't know the current prices.

If Decheng's school picks you up in Zhengzhou, you save money on cab fare (usually about 200 Yuan or so one way). I can arrange that also, given enough time.

OH, and you should have not bought your return ticket at this time. You could have purchased it in Dengfeng, a few days before your expected departure. But, two months is a tolerable amount of time there.

[Derbyshire]

Thanks, that would be ideal.

I don't want to put you out or anything but if it were possible for you to arrange for someone to meet me in Zhengzhou that would be pretty much ideal. I arrive on 11th July at 15:05. I realise I shouldn't have bought the return but I just couldn't resist the damn cheaper deal besides I was worried that I'd run out of money and not be able to fly back.
Thanks for your help again.

[Derbyshire]

Just one more thing

A bit of a silly question, is there a bank in or near Dengfeng/Zhengzhou airport where I could change my money because you can only bring 600 yuan into the country.

[doc]

Bring whatever you want into the country, as long as it's not illegal drugs. There are ATM's at the Bank of China in Dengfeng that accept your commonly accepted ATM cards. Read more in, damn, can't remember what section I created for these tips and suggestions.

Email me your flight information. Once I get my laptop up and running again, I'll be able to converse by email and get things set up for you.

Of course, the laptop seems to die the day before I go to the Philippines on my medical mission. Every damn year...

[Derbyshire]

Thanks so much.

I appreciate your help, you must get tired of people asking you all these questions and stuff. Thanks again.

[doc]

The school has been notified, you should be picked up at the airport.

Make sure you browse through the Survival stuff, in the Journals section of the main web site. Also there are some travel tips and stuff in this forum, somewhere...

I'll make it easier to find this stuff with the new site. Soon.