I had the exact opposite problem with Taxis. Either guys would demand like a crazy amount like $40 for 2km or if they used the meter they would refuse to go to certain places since there was too much traffic or narrow streets etc.
Hai gais... just got back from China. What an awesome experience. My trip was sponsored by the Chinese gov't so they really spoil you with nice hotels and food. Beijing was awesome... we went to the usual places like Great Wall, Forbidden Palace, and even got ripped off at the silk market. I didn't get to visit the Tiananmen Square nor the Temple of Heaven though. The smog is crazy... and at certain points, you can barely see a few yards before things disappear into a cloud of white like in a scary movie. Cell phones are cheaper there I think. I was tempted to buy one, but I'm still satisfied with my current phone. Chengdu was great... we got to see Pandas sleep. The city is better than Beijing in terms of pace and overall mood. Got to visit some historical sites near by. The scenery in China in general is awe-inspiring... mountains everywhere. I learned tons of interesting Chinese culture and it's so rich in history. The people are generally nice and I haven't seen anyone take a dump in public. One thing I don't get though, is why EVERYONE loves to spit in the middle of the streets. And not just a normal spit, but the kind where they really take the time to violently gather all the loogie for the world to witness. Other than that and the crazy drivers, it's a nice country to visit. China was totally opposite to what I had in mind. Almost all the cars (namely Beijing) were very nice and at least 40% were luxury cars. I was expecting like a brown 1990s Honda everywhere and bicycles. I guess I must be very ignorant. I wish I could have experienced more and tell you guys better stories, but I was sick half the time. I'm not a good traveler. Thanks for all the advice!
Glad you had fun! I think you're aware you saw a filtered and posh view of the country. However, China is an amazing place to visit despite the negatives. I've been going there since the early 90s, and trust me when I say it's leagues better today. I am very hopeful for its future. You're not ignorant. You're just not up-to-date with the country's advancements like most Americans. A similar place that makes Americans go "Whoa! Unexpected" is Dubai/Abu Dhabi and Russia. The places you saw were like the Los Angeles and Chicago of China. Although that's a healthy sampler, you've yet to see the smaller towns of Louisiana, Idaho, and Maine in China. Then you'll have a very different outlook (admittedly I only know one other person who's done this).
Glad you had a good experience. I didn't catch this thread the first time otherwise would've given you some advice. It seems like a lot of people here had bad experiences in China but there is also a lot of good stuff. I've had both but in general have enjoyed my China experiences even though I've seen kids crapping in the street. In the rural areas that is pretty much the norm. Thankfully I've never gotten bed bugs but I have a bed bug protocol that I follow even when traveling in the first world. If you had mentioned that your trip was a government trip a lot of the info that others had posted wouldn't apply. I've been to China many times both as a regular tourists and also as a guest of the government. It is very different if you are there in some sort of official capacity and they will really roll out the red carpet. If you are on a government tour they will do their best to make sure you don't see stuff like people crapping in the streets. About the biggest issue you have to be prepared for is handling all of the banquets and be ready to drink a lot of Baijou, Chinese liquor.
I guess it was good you didn't listen to all the debbie downers in this thread? I'm itching to go back and visit family, maybe next Spring. When I'm well off and can afford to not work, I'll splurge on a round the world trip. There are so many places I want to visit like Korea, Singapore, Japan (again), Germany, Iceland, France, Italy, etc etc.
Well they did put us in 5 star hotels and I was there for some conferences and seminars. So aside from the sight-seeing trips they had scheduled for us, I didn't really get to see much of the other parts of town. Beijing is a huuuge town though, and getting from one end to another (depending on traffic) could take forever in a bus. I was also there with some foreign gov't officials so I'm sure they took extra care. But we had a fantastic host and he was pretty honest with my sensitive questions. Btw, what is the bed bugs protocol? What's funny was that I saw kids under 2 years with clothes that had a hold in between the legs (front and back). I guess he could just go without telling anyone and no one would care. I didn't see him defecate in the streets though... but I see them pee a lot. But they're kids, they don't know any better. Actually, I did. I was worried since I didn't know what to expect. In my mind I was going to like some hardcore commie country where you would really have to watch your step. But it was nothing like that, instead was quite pleasant. The people overall were nice and helpful, despite not being able to speak English. I did have an old lady at a local drug store yell at me cus the pill was 31.0 Yuan and I misread and gave her 310. But that's pretty much it.
I'd be surprised if any Chinese people, never mind American tourists, go to visit the Idaho, Maine equivalent of China, unless the family is from there.
Friends are going in July and I'm trying to find a flight not over $1500. Why's the best way to book a trip? They're doing multiple stops, Hong Kong, Beijing and then Tokyo.
I think there are direct flights from Dallas now on American. Eva has flights from Houston through Taiwan for about 1200.
I was in Shanghai last Feb and I flew from IAH to Chicago then direct to Shanghai. I flew United and that was the fastest trip I could find. It's a long ass flight.
