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We spend 4 weeks in China before moving on to other countries this summer. Man, that heat kick our asses. Food was great, but by the time we worked our way to Xi'an, the old capital and the start of the silk road, the food was just too spicy. One or two meals were fine (wife and kids do not do spicy) but day after day kick my ass too, just like the local food at Guilin, spicy as hell.
We had local private English speaking guides meet us at train stations and airports to take us around. They were damn good. Our xi'an guide suggest we go to the Muslim quarter and eat there for the experience. We stuck out like sore thumbs because there were no tourist but locals. Wow, I have never seen a Chinese man dressed with traditional Muslim attire, beard and all cooking on the sidewalk in front of his little shop. My wife decided upon this shop because it looked to be the cleanest, to have dinner. I spoke with my hands and was able to communicate with the owner that we don't eat spicy. We settled on his recommendation and the fish dish was damn good. The four of us walked out of there with our bellies busting. It was $20 US.
Got on a river cruise down the Yangtze to see the three gorges and the big old dam. That lock was freaking huge. My wife screwed up when she booked the attractions and I really wanted to see Chang-Kai Shek's home in Chongqing. The guide made it happened and to top it off, he's a history major and a real war history buff. My poor wife and kids were bored as hell that day, but I was goooood. Also visited General Stillwell's museum, the only museum for an American in all or China.
Too much to list or talk about on this one.
Rick, traffic signs are just a suggestion and there's no getting in line for anything. When we got to Hong Kong, it was a relief because we can communicate with people again. The attitude of the general public was huge and they all stop at red lights. People were very polite unlike China. I discovered in China, people are super nice once you get talking with them. They just don't talk to strangers at all, no too much. I did have a couple young men come up to me asking where we were from and wanted to shake my hand and try their English.
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