China

Why go?    China has a ton to offer - an ancient culture, some incredible tourist attractions, and pandas (which was what my wife was excited about).  It would also be the most foreign place that we had visited to date - and we felt it would be good to get completely out of our comfort zone.  

Learn the language.  While we were in Hong Kong, most everything was in English - a leftover from their time as a British colony.  They also speak Cantonese, which is a variety of the Chinese Language.  In mainland China however, they speak Mandarin.  Our guide in Xi'an taught us that instead of "hello", they traditionally say "chifanle meiyou", which means "Have you had your noodles?" or "Have you eaten?"

Get there.  We flew direct from Tokyo to Hong Kong, which took about five hours.  The airport train system is incredibly efficient, and drops you right at Hong Kong Station.  From Hong Kong, we flew direct to Beijing, which took about four hours.  

Read before you go.   I listened to all of the Hong Kong episodes of "The China History" podcast, which was a great source of information.  The episodes themselves are a little dry, but give solid historical context, if you are interested in the complexities of Hong Kong's tumultuous past.  Before we left for mainland China, I bought an audiobook edition of another one of the Great Courses called "The Fall and Rise of China."  This lecture series by Richard Baum is an incredibly detailed account (over 24 daunting hours) of the various historical periods, including a deep focus on Chairman Mao and The Cultural Revolution.  

Weather advice.  July and August in Hong Kong is the hot, rainy season.  We were unlucky in the beginning of our stay, because we caught the effects of the tail end of a monsoon in Hong Kong, meaning a lot of pouring rain.  However, the last few days were pleasant and cool.  Summer in Mainland China also means lots of heat and rain.  We were prepared with umbrellas, but the majority of our time was full of clear skies.  The heat could be really tough on some days - the best way to deal with it is to only plan one or two things per day, and make sure to carry plenty of water.  

Expenses.  Our expenses in Hong Kong were about 2% of our budget and 2% of our time, and we did not have any significant expenditures while on the island.  Mainland China ended up being about 6.5% of our budget, while occupying about 5% of our time.  The most expensive item on this part of the trip was our splurge on the panda excursion in Chengdu (see below).  

Teachable moment.  We had grown confident in the train and bus systems in Hong Kong, and similarly had great success with the metro system in Beijing.  So, when the time came to take a bullet train to Xi'an, we only left ourselves a 40 minute window to pick up our tickets at the ticket window, and board the train.  This (predictably) turned into a debacle.  We waited forever in a security line just to get to the ticket counter section of the station.  Then, we waited again at the "English Only" line for picking up tickets (foreigners cannot print e-tickets), only to see our train departure time come and go.  We spent some frustrated moments figuring out what to do next, and after accepting our fate, we got in line to purchase new bullet train tickets.  Luckily, we ended up getting the last remaining seats on a train that was set to leave three hours later.  It put our arrival into Xi'an late into the evening, but we made it safely.  It was a good lesson to learn - never grow overconfident in your ability to navigate new and uncharted territory.  

Three “Must Do’s”

• Must eat(s).  There are great raw, vegan and gluten free options in Hong Kong, and we ate almost all of them.  In addition, we found some really great tea houses and coffee shops.  Our best food experience was at Grassroots Pantry, which serves really great organic food, and has a really nice (and well-priced) wine list.  In mainland China, it does not get any better than a Szechuan hot pot.  I had one at Lao Ma Tou Hotpot in Chengdu, and it blew me away.  Pro-tip:  Order extra napkins.  You will sweat.  
• Most impactful experience(s).  Getting to hug a baby panda was a pretty incredible experience, but hiking the Great Wall had been on my bucket list for a long time.  The forecast continually said that it would rain all day for our hike, and we even asked the travel company if they planned on canceling, but they said they were prepared.  It rained for the entire two and a half hour drive up to our departure point, but finally stopped as we got ready to start hiking.  The rain cooled it down enough to where the temperature was perfect for our trek - and it scared a lot of folks away.  We only saw three other people on our hike.  Being on the "wild" section of the Great Wall was amazing, and I would totally recommend doing the Gubeikou portion.  
• Must see(s).  In Hong Kong, seeing Victoria Harbor is a truly breathtaking experience.  You have to see it to believe the scale - pictures do not do it justice.  In mainland China, we enjoyed seeing the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, and also the Panda Breeding Center in Chengdu. 

The Wrap.  While at a sushi restaurant in Kyoto, our chef asked us where we were going next, and we replied "China."  He looked at us with a smile.  We asked him what he was smiling at, and he said "China is... different than Japan."  He was right.  Upon arriving in Hong Kong, you could see the contrasts right away - the people, cleanliness, and the general sprawl (China is the fourth largest country by area in the world, with a population of over 1.4 billion people).  

China has a lot to love - getting out of the cities and seeing the natural beauty is something that I wish we had done more often.  Our excursions typically showed off a great deal of green space (and some beautiful mountains).  In addition, most of the people we met were very friendly, and genuinely curious about Americans (so much so that I took pictures with locals about twice a day).   Finally, the food is something that you truly have to experience in-person.  Especially, in Chengdu, which is the capital of Szechuan (and apparently quite the foodie scene).  

That said, China also has its challenges.  Pollution was a huge concern, especially in Beijing, and kept our visit short (per our traveling doctor's guidance).  The Air Quality Index (AQI) was on the bad side every day that we were in China, and the PM2.5 index was especially concerning (these are the particles that are small enough to enter the bloodstream, not being filtered by the lungs). 

The Great Firewall was also a very surreal experience - with certain sites that Westerners use to get news being completely blocked.  I have to say that this was a new experience for me, and something that raised my appreciation levels for the freedom and transparency in other countries.  Lastly, while we were in Chengdu, there was a huge military display broadcast every local TV channel.  This was a time where there was a war of words between China and the US - and it left me hoping that the relationship between the two countries would continue to improve.  

All of this to say that China was the most impactful (both jarring and inspiring) experience on our trip to date.  I was glad I went - and recommend that more Americans visit the country.  The only way to understand China is to be on the ground, talk to the people, and experience it for yourself.  

My wife and her new best friend.