26 days in China were great, but not nearly enough time though to see everything there is to see here. We managed to hit up a bunch of cities (Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, and Chengdu), but we left knowing that you could definately spend another 26 days in the country. Given the weather that the country was having (aka huge ice storm in Gulin) we could not safely visit the the more rural, traditional areas we were planning on, a bit disappointing but we did not fret over this, as we will definately be back again. Without further ado, here is our wrap up.
Best of: Beijing, The Bookworm in Chengdu, Pandas, public transit.
Worst of: Hawking (we really don't understand the major horking that occurs everwhere from planes to restos to malls), cab drivers that don't know there way around, not being able to control heat in your hotel.
Best meal: Jarret - Roast duck/some traditional sichuan dish with pork and peppers. Leigh - Perfectly toasted grilled cheese/stiry fried celery and lilly root.
Worst meal: Jarret - Chicken foot (not really a meal but easily the worst thing he tasted). Leigh - Some kind of traditional soup.
Yes please: Metro systems, roasted yams from the street.
No thanks: Spitting spitting spitting.
Cool random happenings: Every once in awhile when we visited a tourist site, Chinese people on vacation from smaller towns would ask to take pictures with us. They weren't overwhelming, and you could see how happy they were, so it was neat. Also, Jarret eating with the local resto owner and his friend was a cool experience.
Can you believe this: Things were so cheap in Beijing, that after doing the calculations, we figure it is worth the money to get a flight to Beijing in Sept or Oct, and stay for one week to do Xmas shopping, get new glasses, jackets, clothes for you and the fam and then go back home. Haggling can be tiring, but you really do save a load of money. Considering you get glasses for 30-50 bucks, buying two pair almost saves you enough to pay for a flight there!
Overall China was amazing. Lets be honest - Being unable to speak the language did get frustrating and Jarret did curse at cabbies and scammers (funny how the longer you travel the more willing you are to give it back to people), wich are more abundant here than any country we have been in. Some local...customs I guess you could call them, like the spitting, really wears on you more than we can convey through the blog. But at the end of the day, there were more friendly people than not, and there is so much to see and experience that it more than makes up for any frustration. China was great, we don't regret one thing we did there and totally see ourselves going back within 5 years. If you have the chance, or just need to get some intense retail therapy in, hop on a plane and let yourself be immersed in everything it has to offer. When you get home you will be glad you did.
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