Three questions for China (or the Chinese):

• What do you do with all the photos you take of us, is there a “photo a gringo” contest we are unaware of?

• What is wrong with your respiratory system that requires you to hock, spit, and nearly vomit every 20 seconds?

• What is up with the “coke nail” (one fingernail that is minimum 1 inch long) that nearly every man sports?

China was…. interesting. Or should I say the Chinese are interesting. The country itself is stunningly beautiful with an extremely diverse landscape. China also boasts some of the world’s most renowned historic sights and they are (for the most part) worth every penny. We swam in the Li river, climbed the Great Wall, scaled untold stairs on a Buddhist pilgrimage, roamed the Forbidden City, watched Giant Pandas eat their breakfast, and wandered through some of the most fantastic markets in the world.

While China (the country) is amazing, the Chinese….eh. We met some great people in China without a doubt but the average walk down the street does little to show this fact. The constant hocking/spitting/vomiting, uncountable girls (ages 3-11, definitely old enough to know better) waving and saying hello with their dress thrown over there heads taking a shit on the sidewalk baring all to the world, mass chaos and near stampeding any time you board public transportation (even if the train doesn’t leave for half an hour), and without a doubt some of the nastiest looking food I have ever laid my eyes on (deep fried squid arms and BBQ chicken feet come to mind).

We actually enjoyed China (and yes, even some of the Chinese) and are glad we were able to see quite a bit of the country. Will we be back? Maybe….but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

(Click here to check out the China Photo Gallery)

Favorite moments:

• The country’s natural beauty
• Picture menus
• Climbing all over the Great Wall
• The tobogan ride down from the Great Wall
• Fantastic city parks
• Climbing stairs for 11 hours up Emeishan
• Seeing pandas!

Not so great:

• Waking up to the endless sounds of hocking and spitting
• Always being hungry because Chinese food is full of MSG
• Expensive travel within China
• Chinese tours
• Bad charades
• Shrink-wrapped meat that smells like roadkill but is a favorite snack here
• People yelling all the time (damn those 4th tones)

Total Money Spent Per Person: $1249.92

Average Per Day Costs Per Person:

• Lodging: $ 5.15
• Food: $6.67
• Transportation: $13.08
• Misc: (Entrance fees, supplies, laundry, souvenirs etc.) $4.86

Total Average Per Day, Per Person: 29.76

Number of Days: 42