Summary of China
Cost: The complete 3 month trip cost me $3300. It includes the visa, the airline ticket and even depreciation on the bicycle. This is cheap, considering that I stayed in hotels nearly every night. But it's more expensive than South East Asia.
Weather: Rain was inevitable and I had my fair share.
Culture: Chinese like spitting everywhere they go. They also chew with their mouths open. Children rarely wear diapers, so they go to the toilet on any piece of pavement. Many Chinese drop their rubbish anywhere and don't use the bin. Fortunately there are many cleaners.
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People are very curious about foreigners. Unlike SE Asia, they are more respectful and did not shout "Hello" when they first saw me.
Police: In many of the small towns, they were very suspicious of my movements. I was interviewed 8 times, 4 times in my hotel room and 4 times at the police station ! My bags were searched once. Thank goodness for the translator app!
Hotels had high standards, but they often turned me away for not having permanent residence in China. I heard that The Netherlands had similar restrictions on foreigners 50 years ago.
Roads: This is the best part of touring in China. Most of the time it's cement with a nice shoulder. The roads are frequently sweeped, so punctures are rare.
Traffic: Riding on truck routes is inevitable, but it can be minimized.
Internet: Access to Google apps are a real headache. Fortunately, Baidu Maps was very accurate and listed most of the hotels and hostels.
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