+The_Geomonkeys Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Next summer my wife and I will be spending about 12 days in China (Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an). It's common knowledge that most of the geocoins are minted at the same factory in China. But does anyone know where this factory is located? If it's in one of the cities we will be visiting we thought it would be fun to get some photos to bring back and share with everyone here. If you don't know could someone touch bases with their contact at the mint and try to find out...? Link to comment
danoshimano Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 It's common knowledge that most of the geocoins are minted at the same factory in China. It is? Link to comment
+The_Geomonkeys Posted July 20, 2008 Author Share Posted July 20, 2008 It's common knowledge that most of the geocoins are minted at the same factory in China. It is? That is my understanding yes. While there are a few mints in the US and Canada, the vast majority of geocoins (especially the ones with color) are made in China and in talking to various vendors at GW6 the comment was made that it's all from the same mint as well. Link to comment
+Bhob Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 does anyone know where this factory is located? there was a geocoin made commerating this factory it has the coordinates of the factory on it they are - N 23° 04.170 and E 113° 43.735 Link to comment
+WRITE SHOP ROBERT Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 Before you take any pictures, make sure it's OK. I'm not sure it's allowed in all places in China, and we wouldn't want to read about your Spy Trial. Link to comment
+The_Geomonkeys Posted July 20, 2008 Author Share Posted July 20, 2008 Before you take any pictures, make sure it's OK. I'm not sure it's allowed in all places in China, and we wouldn't want to read about your Spy Trial. This is very true. Not to mention I have to find out if it is in an area that a tourist visa allows us to enter. Hence the reason I am trying to start the research process now. I tried to find out about some good maps of China for my Map60 CSx and found out that while maps are available, the location will be off by up to 500M! Turns out the Chinese Government has allowed maps to be created and sold in China for the Garmin units but there is an offset for security reasons. The only way to correct for the offset is with custom firmware in the unit that is only available if you purchase a new gps unit in china as well. Basic map it is...so much for the street map I was hoping for! Link to comment
+The_Geomonkeys Posted July 20, 2008 Author Share Posted July 20, 2008 does anyone know where this factory is located? there was a geocoin made commerating this factory it has the coordinates of the factory on it they are - N 23° 04.170 and E 113° 43.735 Doh, I even own one of those coins...forgot there were coords on the back. According to Google Earth those coords are near Canton near Hong Kong. So much for my visit to the factory. Guess I'll just have to settle for trying to find cool swag to bring back along with some great memories and photos (were allowed!) Link to comment
+LadeBear68 Posted July 20, 2008 Share Posted July 20, 2008 When we were in Beijing last year, we took a lot of pictures. Even when we were at the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square, it was common practice to take pictures. Our guide indicated that we would not be arrested for taking pictures on our tours. I hope you don't plan on trying to drive in China yourself, you are better off hiring a driver and guide. Link to comment
+Droo Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 It's common knowledge that most of the geocoins are minted at the same factory in China. It is? I was under the impression there were 5 mints in China but sharing similar ownership. <shrug> Link to comment
+mrjiffy Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 When we were in Beijing last year, we took a lot of pictures. Even when we were at the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square, it was common practice to take pictures. Our guide indicated that we would not be arrested for taking pictures on our tours. I hope you don't plan on trying to drive in China yourself, you are better off hiring a driver and guide. My wife and I were just in Beijing about two months ago, you definitely want to hire a driver during your time there. The traffic is insane and you run in to all sorts of serious issues if you are involved in an accident while driving during your visit. Drivers are also inexpensive to hire, so its by far the best way to go. Good luck in your visit and in finding a mint to go visit. Best Regards, MRJIFFY Link to comment
+Crowesfeat30 Posted July 21, 2008 Share Posted July 21, 2008 I have a cacher friend who while visiting China a couple years ago had her foot run over by a car. This is her story: > At lunch today several suggested that I write up what recently happened to > me in China. So here's the story...arrived Beijing from LA on May 18th at > 5:30 am after a 15 hour flight, went to breakfast, then on a tour of the > Hutong (the old area of Beijing) via rickshaw. At the end of the tour my > friend, Mary, and I alit from the rickshaw and were standing by the driver > when this car came out of nowhere and struck me (I was not standing in the > traffic lane). I was knocked to the ground and the left front tire of the > car ran over my right foot causing my shoe to come off (tread marks on the > shoe to prove it). I could not stand or bear weight on the foot and my > right arm was battered and bleeding. The car's driver picked me up and > placed me in his backseat and took me to the Beijing Friendship Hospital > which treats foreigners. We were accompanied by the driver's co-worker > and the local tour guide who acted as the translator. It took over an > hour to get there as he didn't > know where it was AND he had another accident on the way there...a fender > bender, but that's another story). This man was NOT a good driver, but > after 2 weeks in China I'm convinced that there are few. > > On arrival at the hospital, all three went in and obtained a gurney which > I got on then they rolled me into the emergency room. It was a LARGE room > with lots of Chinese people on gurneys surrounded by family members.no > nurses in sight. Off to the side of the room were several curtained > cubicles where patients were slowly being seen. In China all care has to > be prepaid, so the man who had caused my injuries registered me and paid > the fee. I was then taken to a small room where the doctor (who spoke no > English) cleaned my bleeding arm and applied some bright blue-green liquid > and a dressing, and ordered x-rays of my foot. By this time a friend of > the driver had come to the hospital and joined our group. The group > (driver, co-worker, friend, and tour guide) then took me to the radiology > department for x-rays (again the service had to be prepaid). The group > even accompanied me into the x-ray room for the pics and discussed with > the technician the positioning of my foot. > We then returned to the doctor with the x-rays and the group had this > animated conversation with the doctor in Chinese and all ignored me. The > doctor with the assistance of the group put a splint on my foot/lower leg > and told me to come back in the morning to see the specialist. He also > prescribed a muscle relaxant for the discomfort and a herbal medicine for > the swelling (again had to be prepaid). > > The next morning the driver came to the hotel accompanied by his sister > and the friend from the previous day, the local tour guide joined us and > we went back to the hospital where we had to wait in line to be seen (was > only about 45 minutes and again had to be prepaid). The doctor looked at > the x-ray, discussed it with my accompanying group, then went next door > and discussed it with the other doctor, then discussed it with the casting > technician.all in Chinese and not a word to me. Finally I got some > information out of the tour guide.multiple fractures (which I knew since I > had looked at the x-ray), no walking cast, no weight bearing for a month. > After the cast was applied I was taken back to the hotel, a wheelchair > with a pusher was arranged for the rest of the tour and a pair of crutches > obtained for areas where the wheelchair would not fit (hotel/restaurant > bathrooms, etc). I then joined the rest of our tour group. > > For the next 12 days we toured Beijing, Xian, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, > Suzhou and Shanghai. China has more than eighty caches and I had planned > on geocaching while there. Obviously the accident resulted in my not > being able to do many.in fact only three. A beautiful country with MANY > people (all friendly and helpful), good food (as long as you don't ask > what it is), bad water and air pollution, wonderful gardens/parks, and so > many pagodas and temples and historic sites! I took lots and lots of > pictures...from my wheelchair. > > On my return I went to the orthopedist, have a Lis Franc's crush injury > with fractures of the 2nd-5th metatarsals...if I had been in the US with > this type of injury they would have taken me to surgery to stabilize the > joint. But, alas, I was in China. Now no weight bearing on the affected > foot.so am hobbling around on my crutches till mid-July when I have > another appointment with the orthopod. > > Additional information.In China when someone harms you they are > responsible for you and so it was that the driver paid for all the medical > care I received while in Beijing. But, the costs for medical care are > much lower there than here. After he returned me to the hotel he went to > the police with his friend to file the report (or that is what I was > told). Later in the trip we saw another accident where the woman hit by > the vehicle appeared to be dead. Our tour guide explained that if the > woman was alive, the driver was responsible for all her hospital costs; if > she was dead then he was responsible for her funeral expenses, and if she > had young children he was responsible for them. > > Ladybug STL Link to comment
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