Do’s and Don’ts of China

Now that I’m back in the US I can speak more freely about China and my experiences there. ?My trip was 99% awesome. ?The remaining 1% of not awesome was due to 1) having to travel in a large group of (mostly) teenage girls for 15 days and a few unexpected scenarios.

The awesome included things like traveling with 4 super fun ladies (no girl drama in our group of 5), getting to see some amazing stuff and eating some amazing food (even if it did cause intestinal distress).

Here is my list of do’s and don’ts when visiting China*.

1) Do not expect your air conditioner to always work and when it does stop working don’t expect the hotel maintenance guy to be able to fix it.

2) Do expect your shower to leak. ?We had 3 out of 4 showers leak and the one hotel bathroom with a shower that did not leak had a toilet that did leak.

3) Do keep toilet paper with you at all times and bring some with you. ?Odds are you will have to buy additional toilet paper or resort to stealing it off of the housekeeping cart (like we may or may not have done).

4) Do practice your squatty potty technique prior to leaving. ?This means build up your quads or you’ll be peeing down your leg.

5) When crossing the street in China do follow the Chinese people. ?Don’t run, but rather go with the ebb and flow of the traffic.

6) Do bring enough Fiber One bars and Pepto Bismol to last your entire trip. ?I did not do this and am seriously regretting that decision. ?This goes with Do # 3.

7) If you do not have a tendency for car sickness (like I do) do not sit in the front seat of your tour bus. ?It is better that you don’t know how and when you are going to die.

8) Take the time to build up your tolerance to greasy food. ?If you do not please, for the love of all that is holy heed Do #4 and Do #3.

9) Do take the time to learn as much as possible about the Chinese culture while you are there. ?Your life will be greatly enriched by it.

10) Do take extra deodorant with you. ?You will need it.

I am still working on photos. ?I’ve edited my collection down from 1953 to 1504.

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*Please note that I travelled at the hottest part of the year.