So we arrived in Thailand. After taking an overpriced taxi from the airport to the hotel we checked in. For those wondering we are in the Hotel De Moc, located down near the palace, the emerald Buddha and the huge reclining Buddha. All of those will be on our to-do list over the next 2 days. The hotel has turned out to be rather nice, a huge upgrade over the hostel we had previously chosen and while 3 times more expensive it is still cheap by western standards.
Now that we are out of China I have a few closing remarks. While Beijing terrified us at first I think it proved to be one of the better cities on the trip. It wasn't the cleanest, the most modern or the least crowded but it was decidedly Chinese. With lots of sites to see there was plenty to do and after getting over the initial shock the hostel proved to be quite comfortable and relaxing. Xi'an seemed a little fake. With it's new store fronts covering up old decrepit buildings it just didn't offer the same appeal as Beijing. Maybe it was the Hyatt we were staying in that made us not want to venture to far out into the city, but we'll never know. I won't be going back and for anyone interested I'd say 1 full day there is plenty. Do a day trip out to the warriors and the other major sites in the city.
Shanghai I probably don't need to say to much more about. It feels like a hold over from colonial times, trying to be embrace the left over buildings and attitude from that time. While part of it is ultra modern, parts of it are not and this contrast makes it feel uncomfortable. Definitely more developed and modern than Xi'an without the facade feel but it just didn't feel fun or exciting. With the lack of major sites to see or things to do (at least things that don't cost an arm and a leg) it is better left to business men. As Aaron put it to me, "it's just a city", which is probably the most accurate description.
Guilin is awesome. I highly recommend it for anyone that enjoys outdoor scenery. The landscape down the river is amazing, the town is pretty small by China standards so it feels much more manageable. Being so famous it does attract quite a few tourist (I think it was the #1 tourist spot in China last year) so at times it does feel over commercialized. But I think on a good day you can hike to the top of the limestone peaks and forget the crowds below. There is a good amount to see there and it is a place I would consider going back to although I may not take the 3 story boat trip down the river, opting for the multi day trip on a smaller boat.
Hong Kong was basically little Tokyo. With everything in English, mass transit easy and useful, and the overall cleanliness of the city I felt like I was in Japan. The only real difference is the size and the number of white people around. We didn't make it out to Macau but Disneyland was fun and just being in a place that was rather easy to get around in was a nice change of pace. If I ever did go back I would come prepared to spend large amounts of money as the place is seriously geared towards shopping and dining. I think I saw more Prada stores than I have ever seen in my life. They do seem to be doing a huge push for tourism as representatives from the tourism agency interviewed us twice about various things relating to tourism in the city.
China was fun. From the planes, trains, cars, buses and boats it made for a lot of new experiences for me. The really funny part is that even being there for 15 days or so we only scratched the surface. There are still tons of other places to see on the eastern side and the entire western side of the country we left untouched. I think a trip out to Chengdu and maybe Tibet will have to be in the future.
So 2 countries down and quite a few more to go. 1 month into the trip at this point and 1 month left in Asia. We hit Africa August 4th and I think not having to manage logistics will be a welcome relief.
