Visiting Pandas with my Panda Hat near Chengdu, China
I'm back from my Asia adventure! It was a whirlwind trip with four overnight trains (a post in itself!), a month using squat toilets and urinating in troughs, a case of pneumonia in Bohol, Philippines, getting into a huge fight with a taxi driver in Hong Kong that ended with me being dropped off at a random hotel and jumping out of the taxi, a friend getting septic pneumonia in the middle of the Yangtze River and having to be medically evacuated to Hong Kong, getting on multiple domestic flights in the Philippines with a fake ID because the travel agency goofed up my name, and insect bites covering all my extremities.
Practicing my bathroom squatting skills in front of a sign in Manila that says, "No Peeing Allowed Here." My mom raised a classy lady.
Of course the highlights were The Great Wall, eating scorpions, taking a bike ride around the Yangshuo Countryside, visiting family in the Philippines, white sanded beaches in Boracay and Bohol, multiple cheap massages, visiting a Panda sanctuary, doing TaiChi with locals, a stay in a monastery, a hike in Emeishan Mountain, visiting the Terracotta Warriors, doing Yoga on a boat on the Yangtze River, learning Mahjong and surprising the locals with my skills, and surviving the very crowded Shanghai Metro.
Pretending to be a chicken in the Yangshuo countryside
What I missed? Clean Laundry and access to my washer and dryer (I do not miss handwashing in a tiny sink!), access to my favorite foods (I am going on a rice and noodle detox starting now), my perfect San Diego weather (it was snowing in China, and hot and humid in the Philippines), a proper western toilet, and as always my bed (I do not miss the hard as a rock beds in China).
I should be back to my regular posts next week after recovering from jet lag, catching up on my Google Reader, and just getting back to normalcy again....and in true CeCe fashion I am already planning my next trip!!
6 comments:
Glad to hear you had a great time! looking forward to hearing about your adventures :-)
Oh wow!! I can't wait to read your posts about all your trips, am already really excited just reading that post! Am guessing you had an amazing time full of so many adventures.
I actually loved the hard as rock beds in China, but others in my group kept complaining! I do not miss the squat toilets though!
Glad to have you back! Sounds like a wild trip!!! I'm trying to stifle my envy.
Strangely, just today I was reading about the Chengdu International Panda Festival :) I like the hat!
Btw, TaiChi with locals, staying in a monastery, visiting the Terracotta Warriors, practicing Yoga on a boat on the Yangtze River...that sounds amazing! I'm glad you were able to experience so much! I'm also glad you are now in the comfort of your own home, lol!
It sounds like you had a blast on your travels. I think back to Asia fondly, but I also missed access to good laundry. Although there was one hostel in Cambodia that did my laundry and got it super clean. I was really impressed.
Since I flew into Shanghai and went south to Hong Kong and Vietnam, I didn't get a chance to see the Terracotta warriors or the great wall so I'm a little jealous. I guess I'll have to make another trip there.
Yay! You've been missed. Can't wait to read all about your adventures. And seriously cannot wait to hear about your taxi driver incident in Hong Kong. I had an issue there where we got in a taxi cab and the dude seriously drove us all around the island I think to overcharge us. Seriously we left at the same time as another group and we arrive 20 minutes after and many HKD lighter! Welcome home!
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