China 2007

I am back home from my latest trip to China but suffering from jet lag. Yesterday I slept most of the day while today I awakened at 3 am. As with that one it happened while flying home. Anyway, tired or not I make little sense most of the time. Tell me what cities will you travel to in China this May? You mentioned Wuzhen (a small historical place outside of Hangzhou) and Xian. By the way, it was 86 degrees F one day in Hangzhou. I am told it will be in the 90's there when you make it to that part of China.
I have a report on my tip to China, now that the enormous case of jet lag I had on returning home has begun to abate. Jet Lag is odd to predict. This is only the second time I have had such a phenomenon, both on return from a very long series of flights. I suppose the many flight delays have something to do with becoming "lagged". The good thing is that I was never booked on "Lucky Air", a plane I saw at the Wuhan airport. I don't know about you, but I don't want to ride on any plane that has to be lucky to make it to it's destination. Better that call they airline "Reliable Air" or something that inspires more certitude of proper performance.
Here are some random observations I have about my trip. I am a lucky man, in that all my Chinese friends were absolute angels with me, spending time and effort to show me their cities and no laughing too loudly as I mangled chopsticks while eating or made stupid observations (more of which I will make here today).
* Cultural- I like the slit in the seat of the pants for the toddlers who are yet potty trained. They squat and do their business until learning to sit on the pot. I am sure many of we adult men would like a pair of those if society would let us use them. In addition to that sight I observed far more western behaviors in Shanghai, Wuhan and Hangzhou than in my past China trip. It seems that old China is succumbing to a new variety in the big cites of the East Coast with more and more western products and services now the norm in that part of China.
* Women- I already suspected there were more beautiful women in China than any place on the planet. But again seeing them confirms it. I think both Chinese women and men in the big Eastern cities are quite stylish in dress and manner. And they are so much taller now. Maybe that fatty western diet that includes calcium for proper bone development, makes for the larger height. If I am reincarnated I surely want to be born a Chinese man to be surrounded by all the beautiful ladies in China.
* Food- I found the food in Hangzhou to be the best, but overall my second impression of Chinese food is that it is tasty. The street food is wonderful and my stomach seems to be mostly immune form upset when eating it. I ate some things whose origins I am unsure of, but most of the dishes were enjoyable.
* Shanghai- Shanghai looks and feels to me even more western than when last being there in 2002. I sometimes lose the feel of China when there and assume I am in a western city here in the U.S. So I wonder how far the city will be transformed from Chinese to Western in character, and if it is really a good thing fro Shanghai to abandon so much of he Chinese culture in favor of western ways. I like Shanghai but think a foreigner gets more feel for China when in another city in China. Dairy Queen and Papa John Pizza are not exactly foods of the emperors. Favorite sites in Shanghai- The French Concession area for a relaxing stop for western style coffee, tea and sweets; The Bund; Yu Yuan Garden.
* Hangzhou- I like Hangzhou, a city that puts most of it's reputation on the beautiful West Lake region of the city. Most of the rest of Hangzhou is quite ordinary by Chinese standards, a carbon copy of most other Chinese cities. What jumps out most about Hangzhou was the sweet tasting food there. My food tastes lean to mild food and the sweet taste, two things that Hangzhou specializes in. I had some very interesting and nice meals there. Favorite sites in Hangzhou-Lingshan cave, strolling along West Lake and the 'Crispy Rice and shrimp" dish I ate at the alleged most famous restaurant in Hangzhou. At some point I will try to create my own version of that dish.
* Wuhan- Called the "furnace of China" Wuhan was delightfully cool and interesting to me . I like the look of the city the feel of it and the attitude of the people, who seem to be a friendly bunch. Maybe it is a "dirty city", but the dirt has character and some of the best street food in China can be found there in terms of both variety and taste. Luckily for me, I am usually ok when eating street foods. My hotel was on the Yantze River and close to the bridge that spans it. We crossed it on foot and spent much of the time on that side of the city. Favorite sight there- Yellow Crane Tower and a very busy street lunch food market. Also, nearby the small old city Wuhzen and the delicious lamb I ate while there
* My Friends- How wonderful my friends were in each city to guide me and tolerate my "I hate cell phone speeches". I must say meeting all of the and spending time with each was the best part of my trip. I must be blessed to find so many good friends on line and to have the chance to be with them "live". Each was a saint to me and have given me terrific memories to hold on to forever. I hope I will at some point be with them again and that they were as happy being with me as I was with they.
* Oddities seen-
1) being shoved and pushed by the most unsuspecting of people (usually little old ladies) when in line or boarding a bus. I think the less educated crowd might use some etiquette classes, for they surely live by the toddler motto "Me First", that every parent tries so hard to prevent his or her child from adopting.
2) Those cardboard boxes of noodles...It w must be the fast food of China, but I wonder how appetizing dried noodles and dehydrated veggies can be when re constituted with hot water. On my train ride from Shanghai to Hangzhou, at least half of the passengers ate that cardboard looking food after filling their boxes with hot water dispensed by a water fountain at the rear of each train car
3) Taxi drivers- No doubt theses are the leeches of China. There are tow types of taxi cab drivers. The first are licensed and metered taxis. These tend to be reasonable and reliable, but always will cheat a foreigner who speaks no chinese. One driver in Wuhan who drove me to the airport seems to be unaware that when a fare is 61 Yuan, change from a 100 Yuan is due. At first he pretended to "forget" my change, then only gave me 20 Yuan after I insisted. I never got beyond that, so he fleeced me for 19 Yuan. The second type of taxi driver is the private unlicensed one, who scam tourists by waiting at airports and train stations to charge 3 times or more what the fare should be. When no metered taxi is valuable the tourists get cheated or walks, an unlikely scenario at best.
4) I forgot all my travelers checks at home. Fortunately, a hotel gave me some money on my credit card and I was able to get whatever else was needed after 3 hours at the bank of China.
* Niceties seen-
1) helpful people to a tourists who are perplexed by not speaking Chinese
2) The school kids of China- They are friendly and will always try to speak their 3 or 4 phrases of English to any westerner seen. The half hour conversation we had in Wuhzen with three 11 year old school kids was terrific. I''ll not soon forget those kids and glad I had my picture taken with them
3) Great hotel and service staff everywhere. China is serious about tourism and makes the tourists feel comfortable by being accommodating.
Ok.....that's a little about my trip, one I enjoyed and which reinforces my long held tenet that people everywhere are far more alike than different. And it's important for all of us to get out there once and a while to see for ourselves.