Things to Know When Traveling China

(The World's Largest Buddha in Leshan)

Things to Know When Visiting Leshan and Mt. Emei

(Or Any Chinese Tourist Destination)

• Do not expect the sunny weather you see in the pictures in guide books or on TV shows. These destinations are in fog all but a few days of the year.
  
• Be prepared for crowds and do not hesitate to shove your way through them. In order to see the Giant Buddha at Leshan you had to get in a line and then queue down a set of stairs. If I wasn't fallowing the crowd quick enough, the people behind me would quickly shove their way in front of me.


• Bring Toilet paper and be prepared for nasty, smelling, squatter style bathrooms. We have gotten used to the squatter styled toilets here, but some of the most horrendous bathrooms we come across are during our travels around the country and NONE of them ever have toilet paper.
• Always walk clockwise around Buddhist temples, stupas, and alters. It is important to know local customs such as this to be respectful to the local people and their traditions.


• Tour buses are TINY. Be prepared to have NO leg room.
  
• Take snacks with you. Locals can get by with selling snack foods for 3 times their actually price at these tour destinations because there is no competition. Also on an organized tour there is minimal control over choice of restaurant and food so you never know what or how much you will be served. Luckily, as a vegetarian, they always brought out an extra vegetarian dish for me so I was satisfied after most meals.
  
• "Wild" monkeys are actually quite tame. Beware, they will attack you even if they think you have food. They have no problem jumping out of no where onto your arm or climbing up your body just to get a tiny piece of food you may hold in your hand. I was never personally attacked, but my roommate Erin was climbed by a Monkey the instant we entered the monkey area. Fortunately she was not physically injured, just a bit traumatized. As long as you hold the food out to them and don't tease them, they should leave you alone.

(Blurry, but gets the idea across)



• As a white person you are a celebrity. People will constantly be coming up to you asking to get a picture taken with you. Just smile, stand next to them and put the peace sign up and they will be happy and grateful.

• While you are photographing the monkeys (or any tourist attraction) Chinese will be photographing you. Sometimes they are discrete about it, sometimes they are not. Some Chinese love taking pictures of groups of white people and will not necessary ask for your permission.


• Travel in a group for packing purposes. I only brought one light jacket for a very cold destination. However, I was always warm because there was always someone who was too hot that would give me his or her jacket, hat, mittens, etc. I must have had three different outfits on throughout the day.


• Know the phrase "Bu Yao!" This means "I don't want!" This should be said to all the vendors that will constantly be pestering you to buy their products. Saying this usually gets them to leave you alone.


• Jumping Pictures must be taken at every single stop along the tour. You also must be creative with this and do a pose in the air that relates to the current attraction. At the stupa on the top of Mt. Emei we did our "Enlightened Buddha" pose mid-air.



• Lastly, use every moment of freetime to explore your surroundings. You never know what you might find. On our free night in Leshan we went exploring and found a fountain full of half naked women...hmmm...the things they have in China!