Dal

We visited Western China (like far west), so it's not what most people think of when we say we went to China. Most people go to Hong Kong, Shanghai, or other East Coast cities. We visited Chengdu, Xi'an, Chongqing and Wulong.

If you're an average American, chances are you'll stick out a foot or two above the crowd. It gives you great visibility but literally everyone will be looking 'up' to you.

The food was not for me. Like at all. There were two dishes that were pretty decent, but rice was my staple. Gong Bao Ji Ding (Kung Pao Chicken) and the vegetables were pretty safe options.

The craziest things we tried were chicken heads and pigs hoofs. Not gonna lie, now that we're back home I have mild PTSD when I get a whiff of the spice they used for EVERYTHING food related over there.

The hotels are super nice, especially for the value. Since the exchange rate is so good, we stayed in 5-star hotels for about $70/night. If you choose to stay in Airbnb's the visa application process can get more complicated. Hotels are the easiest (and still cheap) way to go.

For transportation don't rent a car. Driving there is INSANE and you'll end up in an accident 99% of the time. The train system is awesome for long distances, and use DiDi (Chinese Uber) to get around the cities. Again, exchange rate is super good so our 2 hour Didi ride cost us about $25.

Erika

First thing's first, if you're a blondie, congrats, you get to be a celebrity for the duration of your China trip. Pictures, staring, the whole 9 yards.

Honestly? I Didn't mind it. The dancer in me kind of likes being the center of attention?

The countryside is the closest thing to Switzerland we've seen so far. (Other than just going directly to Switzerland duh).

It's the most charming and quaint place. Lots of greenery, cute town-house type condos, and all things you would never expect to see in China.

The cities are amazing at night time. The buildings all have projections and pictures on them and the lights are insane. They are huge skyscrapers and are so cool at night!

And then the sun comes up. It's all just gross. But what do you expect when there are 18 some odd million people all residing tight together in a city.

Work on your squats, and I mean like a deep genuine, life or death squat. Why? Well because if you plan on going to the bathroom ever, to relieve yourself from any internal situations, you gotta drop it drop it low girl (or boy in some instances).

Work on aim because the toilets are ground level and very unforgiving.

Also, bring your own toilet paper. Just treat Chinese bathroom experiences like camping and you'll be good to go.

The food is honestly not too bad. Don't ask what it is, just ask if it's spicy or not and most of the flavors were honestly great. There are, however, familiar options such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and their local fast food option Dicos. But try authentic food while you're there. You have to.

Google translate is your key to communication. Worked flawlessly and everyone there will either already have it on their phone, or are fine using yours to respond. Works like a charm!

Go. See. The. Pandas. Try to go early to avoid incomprehensible amounts of crowds, but just go and let all the baby animal talk flow.

Terracotta Warriors - okay in all honesty, they were really cool, the story is amazing, but the experience is miserable. You think of China and you think of millions of people, shoulder to shoulder, shoving, no air: that is this experience. It's hard to find a good place to stand for any kind of picture or breathing room. It honestly was a bit overwhelming.

Overall, China is amazing! Good place for a short 5-6 day trip.