Quote Originally Posted by michi
I got back from a trip to China a month ago, and I totally understand what you mean. I got ripped off by Beijing taxi drivers every day. They'd twist and turn through the entire city or pretend they didn't know where places were. Even though I am Chinese by heritage, they label me as a "foreigner" because I don't speak the Beijing dialect.
Yeh I only had to take a taxi alone ONCE! But I got a feeling they ripped me off...luckily he did take the CORRECT way back to the appartment.

The big problem i have with squat toilets is the feeling that your bottom is centimeters from the floor. Everytime I hope I don't fall over...or fall in if it's a
trench.
Don't mention it ! I felt uncomfortable every second, in fear of shitting my pants ! T_T

Funny you mention the bus spitting problem. It's become such a problem in the past that on the Kunming (capital of Yunnan) public buses they even have audio-recorded messages that prohibit people from spitting. I didn't see much spitting, so it seems to have worked. Traffic in Kunming is a whole lot worse than Beijing or Shanghai. It was crazy, and to add on there was alot of flooding going on.
Yeh I know about the flooding, when I went to Shenzhen and Zhuhai from Guangzhou we had that problem, the streets were BLANK ! Poor people who had to wait for the bus

I think it's essential to have connections with people who live in China, when you plan on going there. They can be a big help because they know how not to fall for scams and tricks.
If I didn't have friends there I probably wouldn't even been to China It's so handy for making bargains, getting things cheaper and not being ripped off !

"You just have to get used to oldfashion ways and the Chinese way of living."

Yep.
Truthfully, I don't want to get used to it. By that I mean I don't want to live in China. People are much too calculating. Or rather, people need to be calculating. Everyone needs to be street-smart to survive. Having grown up in North America, I feel very naive. But I'd rather be naive and fair than conniving. There's a Chinese term called "sa da fang". Basically describes me.
Yeh, street-smart is needed if you want to live in China.Or at least a lot of friends who can help you out

If it seems possible (with all the complaining I just did) I still think China is an amazing place. In moderation.
True true It's a nice place, but like I said before, you need to adjust and get used to it !