So, we are done with China. Three weeks of long, hard travel and training for our next nine months. Here's Blaz's sentiments (most shared by Shiz)
Best City: Kaifeng. It has a lot going for it: good food, palace, walls, nice people, everything central
Worst City: Datong. That place is a hell-hole. Everything is set up to rip you off. Only go there in transit.
Best Sight: Yungang Grottoes. Inexplicably stunning.
Worst Sight: Pingyao Walls. All you do is climb up and walk around the city, so why is it 3x The Great Wall?
Best food: Kaifeng market. It's cheap and plentiful. Ma Bu Yu's House of Bucket Chicken a bonus.
Worst food: Some liver sandwhich crap we tried to eat in Xián
Best Hotel: Forbidden City Hostel, Beijing. Awesome place. Great staff and centrally located.
Worst Hotel: Place we stayed in Datong. I fucking hate Datong.
Nicest Person: Some random guy who got me hot water at the train station in Kaifeng.
Worst Person: Some ass that tried to rip me off for 5 yuan over a spring roll because she thought I knew nothing.
Should You Go to China?: Yes, but go in the autumn or spring and skip the big cities.
How We Would Travel China Were We Wealthier: Get a Winnibaego and drive everywhere.
What I Wish I had Tried: Scorpions on a stick. It was total tourist food (The Chinese eat scorpions as often as we eat pig feet.), but sometime in my life I would like to eat one.
China Gin Scores:
Shiz: 9885 Blaz: 9150
Best City: Kaifeng. It has a lot going for it: good food, palace, walls, nice people, everything central
Worst City: Datong. That place is a hell-hole. Everything is set up to rip you off. Only go there in transit.
Best Sight: Yungang Grottoes. Inexplicably stunning.
Worst Sight: Pingyao Walls. All you do is climb up and walk around the city, so why is it 3x The Great Wall?
Best food: Kaifeng market. It's cheap and plentiful. Ma Bu Yu's House of Bucket Chicken a bonus.
Worst food: Some liver sandwhich crap we tried to eat in Xián
Best Hotel: Forbidden City Hostel, Beijing. Awesome place. Great staff and centrally located.
Worst Hotel: Place we stayed in Datong. I fucking hate Datong.
Nicest Person: Some random guy who got me hot water at the train station in Kaifeng.
Worst Person: Some ass that tried to rip me off for 5 yuan over a spring roll because she thought I knew nothing.
Should You Go to China?: Yes, but go in the autumn or spring and skip the big cities.
How We Would Travel China Were We Wealthier: Get a Winnibaego and drive everywhere.
What I Wish I had Tried: Scorpions on a stick. It was total tourist food (The Chinese eat scorpions as often as we eat pig feet.), but sometime in my life I would like to eat one.
China Gin Scores:
Shiz: 9885 Blaz: 9150