Follow me to a trip to China

[GregnLety]

Prices need to be compared relative to wages to make much sense. I think 110 dollars would be expensive for locals.

Exactly. On a recent trip to Villahermosa, Mexico I paid 90(US) a night for a room. In the states that room would cost almost 300.

 

[lightm]

I'm like you, way too crowded for me. Glad you're having fun though! Maybe I missed it somewhere but how long will you be gone?

I'm in China until August 3rd.

 

[Marie2020]

Updates are the worst. My firefox browser keeps telling me to install an update. I hate updates. I must be an oldie...

I have the same problem. Non stop updating security. It's an intrusive pain

 

[Marie2020]

@lightm Will you be getting out of the cities to some rural locations?
Love the trains. It takes 1hr 45 mins to travel 120 miles from Bristol to London by train and we invented rail travel.

You wouldn't think so the time it takes to get anywhere.

It's all slow and waiting. You can lose an entire day getting to small distances

 

[lightm]

June 15th. Beijing, the high was 39c (100f). The dry heat is bearable.

Leaving Beijing.

Another gigantic intersection where at least they built this 4 way pedestrian bridge

Taking the subway to the train station

Beijing south railroad station

I have a particular attachment to KFC. KFC opened their first store in my hometown in my 3rd grade. It was POPULAR and expensive for Chinese at the time (early 90s). It tasted sooo good. It was like the most expensive restaurant in town.
My cousin, a lot older than me, told me that KFC is trash food in America. I did not believe him. Not at all.
China certainly has changed drastically for my generation. KFC is now also considered trash food here.

Scan my citizenship card and my face to enter the station.

You have to use your citizen card to do everything, all transportation and hotels. For example, it is theoretically impossible for you to book 2 different hotels for the same night. It is a scannable card. The government literally knows everybody's whereabouts at all times. This is not the kind of "safe" world that I want to be in.

Mostly farmland along the train ride.

 

[notabitail]

June 15th. Beijing, the high was 39c (100f). The dry heat is bearable.

Leaving Beijing.

Another gigantic intersection where at least they built this 4 way pedestrian bridge
View attachment 3543501
View attachment 3543500

Taking the subway to the train station
View attachment 3543499

Beijing south railroad station
View attachment 3543496View attachment 3543495View attachment 3543497

I have a particular attachment to KFC. KFC opened their first store in my hometown in my 3rd grade. It was POPULAR and expensive for Chinese at the time (early 90s). It tasted sooo good. It was like the most expensive restaurant in town.
My cousin, a lot older than me, told me that KFC is trash food in America. I did not believe him. Not at all.
China certainly has changed drastically for my generation. KFC is now also considered trash food here.

Scan my citizenship card and my face to enter the station.
View attachment 3543498

You have to use your citizen card to do everything, all transportation and hotels. For example, it is theoretically impossible for you to book 2 different hotels for the same night. It is a scannable card. The government literally knows everybody's whereabouts at all times. This is not the kind of "safe" world that I want to be in.

Mostly farmland along the train ride.
View attachment 3543493
View attachment 3543494

That looks like a very fancy train station.
Josephine was looking at the face scanner and nodding in approval. She says she would like to know everyone's whereabouts all the time. I disagree. That is not safe at all.

Are you a Chinese citizen?

 

[ManueB]

June 15th. Beijing, the high was 39c (100f). The dry heat is bearable.

Leaving Beijing.

Another gigantic intersection where at least they built this 4 way pedestrian bridge
View attachment 3543501
View attachment 3543500

Taking the subway to the train station
View attachment 3543499

Beijing south railroad station
View attachment 3543496View attachment 3543495View attachment 3543497

I have a particular attachment to KFC. KFC opened their first store in my hometown in my 3rd grade. It was POPULAR and expensive for Chinese at the time (early 90s). It tasted sooo good. It was like the most expensive restaurant in town.
My cousin, a lot older than me, told me that KFC is trash food in America. I did not believe him. Not at all.
China certainly has changed drastically for my generation. KFC is now also considered trash food here.

Scan my citizenship card and my face to enter the station.
View attachment 3543498

You have to use your citizen card to do everything, all transportation and hotels. For example, it is theoretically impossible for you to book 2 different hotels for the same night. It is a scannable card. The government literally knows everybody's whereabouts at all times. This is not the kind of "safe" world that I want to be in.

Mostly farmland along the train ride.
View attachment 3543493
View attachment 3543494

A sad thing of our contemporary world is that it's often the trash aspects of western civilization that have appeared to be the summum of progress to other parts of the world. I think there was a time when it was education that held this appeal, from a long time ago up to the 1960s ?

It's funny about KFC. I used to be a couch traveller host 15 years ago and had quite a few chinese students at home, and they all raved about KFC . I get it now !

Your photos are very impressive. Almost science fiction like .
@notabitail I think Chinese nationality is required to have a citizen card.

 

[notabitail]

A sad thing of our contemporary world is that it's often the trash aspects of western civilization that have appeared to be the summum of progress to other parts of the world. I think there was a time when it was education that held this appeal, from a long time ago up to the 1960s ?

It's funny about KFC. I used to be a couch traveller host 15 years ago and had quite a few chinese students at home, and they all raved about KFC . I get it now !

Your photos are very impressive. Almost science fiction like .
@notabitail I think Chinese nationality is required to have a citizen card.

From what it sounds like, lightm grew up in China and is now a US citizen. So maybe that is why lightm has the citizen card then.
Mmm, drumsticks! Josey is asleep in the coop. She will not notice that I am typing this.

 

[lightm]

That looks like a very fancy train station.
Josephine was looking at the face scanner and nodding in approval. She says she would like to know everyone's whereabouts all the time. I disagree. That is not safe at all.

Are you a Chinese citizen?

yes I am a Chinese citizen. China does not do dual citizenship. I am a permanent US resident.

 

[lightm]

A sad thing of our contemporary world is that it's often the trash aspects of western civilization that have appeared to be the summum of progress to other parts of the world. I think there was a time when it was education that held this appeal, from a long time ago up to the 1960s ?

It's funny about KFC. I used to be a couch traveller host 15 years ago and had quite a few chinese students at home, and they all raved about KFC . I get it now !

Your photos are very impressive. Almost science fiction like .
@notabitail I think Chinese nationality is required to have a citizen card.

Whoever is in charge of KFC in China, did a good job. The menu is very different and the food is better than us.