Service - apparently you can complain about anything now. We were driving to Hukou and at one toll booth was tagged for weighing too much. After getting it sorted out, our driver called someone, who picked up, and lodged a complaint. He got a call back within half an hour too. ...Service still sucks tho. Service with a smile is unheard of and you're likely to get your stuff tossed at you rather than handed to you.
WeChat - best app ever? Texting, phone calls (video too), file sharing, social media plus you can use it for damn near anything, including paying random street vendors, friends, cabbies, actual stores, etc.
Hepatitis - bejeebus the food was good this time. I love both Shaanxi and Sichuan styles of food. But at most of my meals outside tournament week all I could think while eating was "hepatitis, hepatitis, you're getting hepatitis." Then I go back for seconds, sometimes thirds, lol. I actually bought a bag of red and green peppercorns; I hope someone will make me something! My god I ate a lot here. Even at home, I'm usually the last person to stop eating anyway (since I eat slowly) but here it was cause i always got more did than anyone else. Random side notes: yak meat tastes just like regular beef; Tibetan yak butter tea is pretty good; the fruit here, while plentiful, cheap and juicy, isn't super flavorful; the stinky tofu here is pretty good, ha; the fried chicken is damn good; xian sour milk is good too, very similar to the Peking style, just less less thick.
Loud aF - people here talk loud as fuck. And the Shanghainese speak even louder and so fast too! I don't understand like 90% of Shanghainese. And the car horns, Jesus. I get why they use them (more as a friendly "hello I'm here" and not the American "fuck you asshole") but my god they've somehow turned up the volume. And since they do use them differently, why that decibel level? they EAT loud af too. ugh.
Driving - I like how they drive here, which is actually scary as hell if you've ever seen it. But seriously, they're such efficient drivers! Really regret not taking CJ up on his offer last year to let me drive around Daqing.
Dry heat - I hate humidity. In the hostel the girls wash their socks and under things and hang them up to dry. ...or not dry, lol. Dali was nice and dry tho. My swimsuit and jersey dried each day and I actually had to put on lotion after showering. Juizhaigou too, probably cause it's so high up.
High altitude - wasn't terribly worried about it until the tour guide went on and on and on about it. I bought a $16 bottle of oxygenated water, figuring it'd do nothing but also knowing I'd feel really stupid if I didn't buy it and got sick. (J later looked up oxygenated water, and yeah, it's bogus.) I didn't get sick, tho about a third of my bus mates did. thankfully no one threw up loudly, tho at my hotel that night I could hear painful vomiting thru the walls. Imagine trying to fall asleep to that... Anyway, good to know tho that 4200k up doesn't affect me besides a slight numbness in the fingers I messed up years ago. I did nearly 13 miles that day too, with a ton of stairs, and no big effects so I guess I'm now ready for Everest?
Food waste - HUGE problem here, omg. at I think every meal I was the only person to clean my plate. I mean, I'm often the only one to do it here too (cause I take food home), but in China the amount of food wasted was pretty crazy. Even those not sensitive to the issue (as I am) would probably notice and be surprised.
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