After 2 weeks in China it is readily apparent that this is the most difficult country I've ever traveled in. The language barrier is simply impossible which makes everything a struggle. If I can eat 3 decent meals, find a not too shabby hotel with hot water, cross 8 lanes of traffic without a near death encounter, use a clean toilet, and procure a bus or train ticket then the day is an unqualified success. Absolutely nothing comes easy. Eating is always a challenge because I'm still spastic with chopsticks and most restaurants have menus only in Chinese. Ordering there is a roll of the dice. Some restaurants have English menus but are clearly overpriced since mostly foreigners patronize them. I've resorted to frequently hitting street markets which are generally clean and always cheap. Even if
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