advice: hotels

let's just say they're very generous with their stars here. hotels are cheap enough to splurge on a 4-star and be comfortable. we stayed mostly in 3-stars, and the difference is huge (think days inn vs. sheraton). if you do 5-star, you'll be paying western prices ($200/night or so), but it's worth it to go 4-star ($60 - $80/night) if you find the right place. 3-stars are fine in a pinch, but they wouldn't be my first choice ... the key is finding a shower you feel cleaner getting out of than into, and that's more likely to happen at a 4 star.

advice: overall

maybe you're wondering if you should take a trip to asia. here's some thoughts to ponder to pre-screen yourself:

Hong Kong: anyone can enjoy.
Taiwan: great. taipei has anything you'd find in a big city. rest of island is beautiful with many undeveloped areas, such as the east coast. lots of unobstructed coastline and cultural treasures at the national palace museum.
China: not for the faint of heart, but it depends on the area you visit. we were always in SEZ's (Special Economic Zones), which are the designated areas the communist governement decided to give capitalism a whirl, so they cater to tourism. still , most tourism is targeted toward chinese and japanese so don't expect Western standards. even shanghai and bejing are a little rough around the edges. low costs once you're here though, so that helps balance things out. if you're a camper you could handle south china, but if not i'd stick to the shanghais and beijings. you will run into 'hole in the floor' no matter where you are, so be prepared. carry your own TP at all times.

end of trip tidbits

number of nights on trip: 29
number of different hotels: 21

item most regret not getting: chairman mao messenger bag for me; gold metal mesh slouch bag for gold metal mesh queen amy

item most regret getting: ear 'massage'/knuckle ear pounding from palm reader. (it still hurts)

new favorite chinese ritual: hot tea with meals

previously thought standard items no longer taken for granted: western toilet; lotion; napkins at meals; complimentary ice water; concept of ice water

best surprise: beijing

area took most getting used to: south china

most friendly locals: taiwan, esp. taipei

best markets: Taipei (night); Hong Kong (day)

best skyline: Hong Kong, then Shanghai

best food: it's all the same

No. of photos taken: 989
No. taken first 2 days: 234
No. taken last 2 days: 14

food i refused to eat: chicken feet, pigs feet, frog, fish head, tripe, jelly fish (i've already eaten it before and have no need to re-eat it), various disgusting eggs, including green and brown ones (not the shell, the yolk is brown or green).

food i tried: stinky tofu, coconut juice (this is huge for me), squid, octopus, snail, other small mollusk sucked out from his shell, duck blood soup broth

sign i was tired of shopping: shanghai marc jacobs store had 30 percent off sale and i didn't even flinch

unexpected trip side effect: since i am now used to 100-degree temps, i now get the chills when it's 86 degrees or lower, rather than my usual 75 degrees.

thing i'd never thought i'd say upon arrival in LA: 'wow, smell that clean air!!!!!" (china features 5 of the world's 10 most polluted cities. sometimes your boogers are black).

No. of Times ....

• we saw beggars - 1 (China)
• heard someone say "bless you," "excuse me," "pardon," "sorry," "oops," "didn't mean to do that," or "sorry i just carved my initials into your rib cage with my elbow" - 0
• we saw someone use tissue before or after sneezing, wheezing, coughing, hacking or blowing nose - 0
• saw someone defecate in public - 2 (thanks, china)
• saw someone hurl in public - 3 (thanks, china)
• a spewed chunk landed on me - 1
  
• saw someone pee in public - 2
  
• i used a hairdryer or curling iron on trip - 0
• we saw blue sky - 4
• i ate a meal without chopsticks - 1
• i used sunscreen - 0
• i got sunburned - 0
• i thought i was tan, but turned out to be dirt - 3

Best/Worst

Best:
Taiwan: Night Markets; Southern tip; Rugged East Coast; Hello Kitty promotion
Hong Kong: International flavor; Harbour
South China: Cheap prices; Jilin Univ. students
North China: Beijing's culture and history; Shanghai's architecture
T-shirt slogan: Snoopy t-shirt exclaiming: "F*ck it! Just F*ck it!" worn by chinese girl at jilin univ.

Worst:
Taiwan: Higher prices; chaotic traffic
Hong Kong: Cars on wrong side of road; vicious/mad taxi drivers
South China: Overall filthiness
North China: Pollution/smog; rudeness