a few things i didn't expect about traveling in china

Emma

just came back from my first trip to china. here are a few things that surprised me.

the toilets. bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer. a lot of public restrooms don't have either. also squat toilets are everywhere. not a problem once you get used to it.

the pollution in beijing was noticeable but not as bad as i thought. i checked the air quality app before going and brought a mask just in case. used it one day.

the crowds. even in november, tourist sites were packed. forbidden city was shoulder to shoulder. go early in the morning if you want fewer people.

the wifi. hotel wifi was slow. i got a sim card at the airport. 20 usd for 20gb with china unicom. worked fine and i could use google maps.

the language barrier. outside of hotels and tourist sites, very little english. google translate saved me multiple times. download offline translation before you go.

the subway. so clean and efficient. and cheap. in beijing a ride was like 50 cents.

overall i enjoyed the trip. just wish i knew about the toilet situation before i left.

anyone else have unexpected things from their first trip?