So Where Was I Again?

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Oh, right. China (thank the Great Firewall for lack of updates on my last blog).

Well, if you want to hear about all of the riveting details of the past three months of my life, let’s make a coffee date for June sometime. From experience, I know that most peoples’ eyes will start to glaze over after about 8 minutes of my relating every detail of my trip to them, normally around the part where I get off the airplane. And then I go on to relate every detail of finding a place to stay and haggling with street vendors. And then I’ll talk about something that doesn’t sound nearly as glamorous as I thought it would, maybe a twelve-hour train ride with no other foreigners.

GASP. You don’t say?

In order to cut the rambling off before it gets out of control, I decided to compile a list of lessons learned so far. I hope they’re helpful. And I have to warn you, most of them have to do with toilets.

Maggie’s Top Ten Advice for Traveling in Southwest China:

1. If you come across a railroad, follow it.
2. Bring baby wipes with you. Useful for grimy hands, clothing stains, smudgy computer screens, and traveler’s diarrhea.
3. Remove your phone from your back pocket before squatting over the hole.
4. Write down the taxi number when you get in the cab in order to prevent taking the scenic route.
5. Carry TP. This is a must.
6. Wear skirts, unless you like the feeling of a damp pant leg.
7. Use baby powder on grease stains, unwashed hair, smelly feet, or after shaving.
8. Speaking of shaving, hair conditioner works wonders as cream.
9. You will have a hard time finding d.o., tampons with applicators, or bath towels.
10. If you have to travel during the National Holiday or Spring Festival, leave 5 hours to get to the train station across town. I’m not kidding.

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