Going to Meet the Buddha

Wow. It's only been here a few short days since I arrived, but feel like I've already learned alot about China - some good, some bad. I've received a crash course in China 101 by some of my fellow travellers, some of which did a previous trip from Hong Kong to Xian prior to joining mine.

1. There is a suttle euphemism known as "the gag factor," which relates directly to the amount of times one gags by entering a Chinese toilet (again, some good, some bad). They pretty much said, get ready, because you're being very spoiled right now by the hotel.

2. Bartering is mandatory for pretty much everything here. If there's a calculator visible, price is definitely negotiable...from getting bottled water on the street to memory cards in fancy department stores. And if you don't barter, you may be laughed at as you leave, as the clerk thinks that they just pulled one over on you. (No, it wasn't me, but someone else on the trip...).

3. The Chinese cannot drive to save their lives. Seriously. I have witnessed some poor driving in the US, but it is completely ridiculous here. Not only do they not care about pedestrians, they have no problem hitting them if they are "in the way." And my taxi driver from the airport to the hotel I swear was on a death wish. He decided that he would make his own side of the road when it suited him, as others were either driving too slow or were just in the way. I felt like I was in Atari's Pole Position.

4. Good luck seeing a clear view of the mountains, or of the sun. The pollution here is horrible. It's like the worst haze on a Seattle day x 100. So bad that when we were walking down one of the major streets in Xian, that at a point, you couldn't see the end, it just faded to gray. Ummm... yeah, my eyes, throat, and pretty much entire body is burning.

5. Our hotel is "supposedly" a five star hotel... not a snowball's chance in hell. But it's decent, has a toilet that you can sit on (and not stand over), and offers a plethora of personal services for its guests. I'm thrilled that I can order a massage, colon hydrotherapy services, and a hooker from the hotel front desk. I shit you not.

6. Our mode of transportation will be a source of conversation, if not a spectacle, among the Chinese people. Especially in rural areas. Our truck is straight out of a Mad Max movie, and really is a hummer bus on steroids. Needless to say, it gets quite a few stares, and I think may have even inadvertently caused an accident or two by gawkers. Especially when they see a bunch of Westerners inside...

7. I will be a source of conversation, if not a spectacle, among the Chinese people. Especially in rural areas. One of my tripmates who was on the Hong Kong leg of the trip has had her picture taken, on an almost daily basis, by locals who have never seen a Westerner before. Granted, that's not the case in more of the major cities, but definitely the case in the backcountry. Their group even made the local news (TV) and the newspaper (twice). WOW. I can't wait to sign autographs!

So... that's pretty much it for the first installment. We're heading out of Xian tomorrow AM and towards Lanzhou. It's apparently one of the most polluted cities in China, if not the world. Oh joy.