China
A Glimpse into a Fascinating World
I won’t claim to be a China travel expert—I spent about 16 hours wandering through Shanghai during a layover, and I’m currently in the midst of researching for a future trip. But from those brief hours, I can confidently say that China is, by far, the most unique and intriguing country I’ve ever encountered.
It's one thing to learn about communism in school, but it’s an entirely different experience seeing it in action. And no, it wasn’t scary in a way that made me feel unsafe; it was more about the realization of how different life can be. For tourists, the locals don’t really bother you—in fact, 99% of the time, they won’t even talk to you. (Which, let’s be honest, can feel like a breath of fresh air after spending a month in the Philippines!)
BUT—and it’s a big but—because of China’s political landscape, many of the apps we rely on daily won’t work, even with a VPN. And I’m talking about essential ones like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, Google Maps, Chrome, and even Google Translate. You don’t realize how dependent you are on these apps until you lose access to them! And paying with a credit card? Good luck! In most places, you’ll need AliPay. It’s a learning curve, to say the least.
I thought I was prepared—I had two different VPNs ready. One didn’t work, and the other? I was kindly asked to delete it by airport security.
Oh, and here’s a funny story: I completely forgot to check the exchange rate before my flight. Since Google didn’t work once I landed, I had no way of figuring out how much a yuan was worth. (You might be wondering why I didn’t just use a different search engine… well, to find those, I would’ve had to Google them first!)
Despite all these hurdles, I’m absolutely fascinated by China, and I’m determined to go back. If you’re planning a trip as well, let me know—I’d love to help you navigate this fascinating, complex destination!
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