China - The Expected

Here are some shots of China which I kind of expected to see.

I was expecting to answer nature's call in nature itself, amongst the bushes but thank goodness, I didn't have to encounter that. My umbrella was used for rain instead of shielding myself as I had expected. However, I did come across those famous doorless toilets and I am glad to say somehow, I just didn't quite feel like going when I was faced with such a toilet.

One strange thing about the toilets in China is that there's a waste paper basket in each stall. Basically, you are supposed to throw your used toilet paper into these baskets. So, imagine if you will, as you squat over the toilet with the basket fairly close to your face, your eyes will be drawn to it's contents and you will automatically hold your breath as it would be less than a few feet away from your nostril.

Then of course, there is their famous Engrish. There were so many, from labelling watermelon as matermelon or honey melon as hamimelon, I didn't bother to take so many photos but here are a few:

At the 6-star hotel we stayed in Mei Zhou. An unexpected feeling!

Still at the same hotel, sign beside a bridge.

At another hotel where they were hosting the Koreans who were there for the Subaru Cup. Notice how they tried to change the spelling.

Another thing I noticed was that there is no Ground floor. The basement is called "-1"

In the city of Mei Zhou, there were two lions flanking the entrances of some businesses. Facing them, the one on the right would have it's mouth open while the other one has it's mouth closed. Our guide explained the open mouth was to bring in the money while the closed mouth was to keep it in. Didn't manage to take a photo of this.

And finally, I encountered people who would get their kids to urinate on cement or tiled floors or a pillar at the airport right in front of everyone, despite having a toilet or some bushes nearby. So these are the sort of things I've been warned about and that I have witnessed.

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Actually, I remember one thing good about the toilets in China. Some had pedals to activate the flush, which I thought was brilliant since most folks "geli" to touch the lever/button to flush.