What I didn’t know.

Ignore my last post.
Here is some real world knowledge to help you if traveling to China.
I’m typing on a mobile phone so forgive my short advice, which brings me to my first point. Bring a laptop, and don’t expect the same capabilities as home. Internet access in China is spotty at best and even a fast connection does not always guarantee any particular website will be available to you. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t, except Facebook, it never works.
Learn Chinese food words, numbers, and common phrases in ordering food, riding in a taxi and bargaining with street vendors. These are some of the only times you are on your own and the language barrier can severely hinder a simple process.
Never wait to buy a souvenir you really want. Always go into a bargaining situation ready to walk away at any time. A look of excitement and satisfaction will only solidify a sellers high price, act aloof and you can regularly buy items for less than half their asking price.
The Chinese people as a whole are very polite and eager to please, some speak rudimentary English so with a little patience you can go a long way.

Hope this helps an would-be travelers.
More knowledge soon to come.

The night before.

It’s almost 2 a.m. the night before my 7 a.m. flight. Yeah, I should probably be sleeping, but what good college student hasn’t gone at least 2 or 3 days on the same number of sleep hours? Maybe my rigorous sleep deprivation routine will offset the jet leg, who knows.

But what I do know is this,  seeing The Hangover 2 just a few hours ago was not a good idea. I am moments away from boarding an international flight to an Asian country, let the hilarity ensue? If the stars align maybe I too can find a small monkey companion of my own.

Peace.