Travel, West Options

[mr_dude]

A friend of mine is teaching English in China and wants me to come visit. Anyone been there?

She's in Sichuan.

[shin]

A friend of mine is teaching English in China and wants me to come visit.  Anyone been there?

She's in Sichuan.
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sichuan is in china. nvr been there but you'll expect lotsa chinese food. strange food too.

[darksecret]

Damn, I thought they served pizza and cheeseburgers in China, j/k.

[mr_dude]

Wow, you guys are awesome!

So let me get this straight...
Sichuan is in China.
They have Chinese food in China.

I'm ready!

She talks about "Western restaurants" I wonder if they serve good burgers or total imitation American food. Then again, how do you mess up deep frying?

If I go I'll be sure to take some shots of the Great Wall and Forbidden City to photoshop the Celica into. Tiannamen Square Celica meet anyone?

[celicaboston1983]

if you gonna go make sure you go to the safe parts. Lots of crazy stuff/people up in china.

[shin]

yea... lotsa robbery even in broad daylight..so make sure you keep your belongings well. the western food there..... i dunno.. i personally think chinese made western food in china are nasty. i know lol. i'm chinese.

[mr_dude]

if you gonna go make sure you go to the safe parts. Lots of crazy stuff/people up in china.

Errr, care to elaborate? Where are the crazies? How are they crazy?

To use a bunch of gross and offensive generalizations, I'm personally more fearful of deliverance-style flannel-clad Bible belters with shotties than pinkos that can hide in my shadow at 2pm.

I just hope it's not like Mexico, where you have to bribe every cop you come across.

[mr_dude]

yea... lotsa robbery even in broad daylight..so make sure you keep your belongings well. the western food there..... i dunno.. i personally think chinese made western food in china are nasty. i know lol. i'm chinese.

Ah. So not pickpocketing, but knifepoint or gunpoint? I'ma be in Hong Kong a few days, but after that I'll be going inland. Doesn't most of the population live within a hundred miles of the coast? Or is that Switzerland I'm thinking about?

Yup, definitely going to pack a fat stash of granola bars...

[celicaboston1983]

yea... lotsa robbery even in broad daylight..so make sure you keep your belongings well. the western food there..... i dunno.. i personally think chinese made western food in china are nasty. i know lol. i'm chinese.
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sh#t thought u was korean

[celicaboston1983]

mostly what shin said robbery in broad day light. And be careful of some little kids too. And keep your passport safe.

[soulshadow]

My uncles been to China before and he's got videos. Its a Very poor country. Once you pass the city gates, there is no more paved roads. Its all mud, dirt and trash. The people who live outside the city are all very poor, have less than 2 kids and farm as a means of living. Expect yourself to be bitten by Fleas the size of a half-dollar. (God DAM they are huge!!) The houses are really cramped and some of them don't even have roofs. The livestocks are all malnourished and since there isn't a place for them to stay in, such as a stable, or shed. The people have there livestocks live with them in there own home. Which probbally contributes to the Supersize Fleas. China is very poor, and the citizens are constantly bossed by the army, police, and government. If you are visiting there. DO NOT GO BEYOND THE CITY GATES, A DARK ALLEY, OR OUT AT NIGHT!!

[shin]

lol. that is soooo exaggarated soulshadow. but yea. ya really need to keep your passport and money well. don't show all your money to anyone.. take what's enough out. don't wear blings or anything that would get the attention of robbers. guns or knifes, there are alot of possibilities. be sure to stick with your friend at all times. would be better in groups. there are main cities and town side/ country side. depends on where you're going. people in the country side aren't that poor.. just that their standards of living are lower. if you have your friend with you wherever you go you'll be fine. alot of chicks might hang on to you too cause you're a US citizen and they want your citizenship lol. and celicaboston1983, do i look like a korean? lol. probably cause i work in a korean community lol.

[mr_dude]

Well I went. And I'm back.

I saw such sites as the Fat Ho Retirement Home and the Golden Shower Tree.

No dirt roads, no huge fleas. Some mosquitos (though not as bad as Alaska, for example) and a lot of houses and public areas are poorly maintained from a North America/Europe standpoint.

I was mostly worried about the police being like Tijuana cops (in constant need of bribes). It was not the case, there were a lot of police in China, but they don't really have anything to do. Perhaps for fear of a Chinese prison. Likewise I saw no crime and never felt intimidated by darkness or alleyways.

Being a 'lao wei' I got a lot of attention, but nothing problematic. Had a great time, want to go back sometime to see the northern provinces and Lhasa.

[95gtschick]

panda bears!! cute nice pics... did ya have fun?