Ben's reviews of the various components of our trip are much more detailed than mine, but I thought it'd be good to compare my (admittedly much less experienced) perspective with his, and also to give some insight on what it's like to travel with him. The only part of China I'd visited prior to this…
Continue reading: My Experience Traveling With Ben To China
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Nice review. Keeping a positive attitude is key for a successful trip. If you prepare yourself that there will be hiccups, you'll have a better time. Time and close to two million miles of travel has taught me that we cannot control everything despite our planning so going with the flow is best.
There are nice beaches in China, but I wouldn't go to any of them. All the nice ones will be extremely crowded, and you'll see litter everywhere.
@ Andrew: the Fashion Police would like to remind you that you are not Prince Georges and that grown-up men should not wear short shorts unless at the gym.
Thank you 😉
Do any ethnic writers work at this blog? It would be interesting to see reviews from the point of view of someone of color.
From what I've heard, China isn't a gay-friendly place (ie, films cannot show gay relationships). I was hoping for some insight as to the experience of two men traveling together in regards to how you were treated by the hotels etc.
Enjoyed the traveling with Ben part. It's fun to see another perspective sometimes. I like your writing style, Andrew!
Is the front cabin on that Xiamen 757, the old angled flat seats from American's 757?
St.Regis is sit on Chengdu's traditional Cellphone wholesale/retail street. That's why all the fake Apple stores. LOL.
JJJ: Not an endorsement of any Chinese policy/discrimination, but I'd say that most Chinese people would act along the line of "don't ask/don't tell," if it ever comes to their minds that you two might be gay. Politically, it might be a sensitive topic, but as far as traveling, especially in big cities, I don't think you'd encounter any problems.
O.K. I'll ask JJJ..
Were they supposed to announce they were gay? Can't people just travel...?
BTW... great post. Very entertaining.
I think the arrival announcement on Xiamen Airlines actually says that “Xiamen Airlines will always be your sincere friend"... denoting even greater permanence to the friendship
Last year when I was there, St. Regis served only a few appetizers in the lounge but they were delicious. You didn't mention local food much. I assume you did not try the spicy hotpot?
@JJJ I traveled with my husband last year (Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Chengdu, Beijing). Never had a problem. To my understanding, young generation in China is more gay-friendly than people you find in US. Elder people there have little knowledge about homosexuality, they would think you are just friends (as long as no PDA).
@Patrick: If you've read this blog before, you'll note that hotels make assumptions about their guests, many times incorrectly. I am only asking if assumptions were made in a manner that negatively affected the author's visit.
"Can’t people just travel…?'
It would be great if people could "just travel" without facing prejudice. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
@JJJ - I agree but I don't think making assumptions necessarily equates to prejudice. (at least in a bad way0
@JJJ , you are right that China is not a gay-friendly country but also is not a gay-hostile country either. They just pretend this thing does't exist.
But for this reason , you can always see same sex couples hand in hand or arm around shoulder kind of intimacy, especially among young people. Not that they are gays just close friends. They are not sensitive for being gay-ish in public as people in US would be. So it is very easy for gays to blend in without attracting attention from public.
Of course things are changing and people more and more aware of this issue now.
I know Chengdu like the back of my hand and love the place. In addition to the world famous panda breeding farm, there is nearby the Dujiangyan dam and irrigation system (one of the oldest in the world that's still working!), Chingcheng Shan (famous mountain range harboring Taoist monasteries and one of the most important Tao centers in the country), and Leshan with its YUGE Great Buddha carved right in a riverside cliff. The city itself is rather polluted, as are (were) parts of the Funan River that crosses the city, although other parts have been cleaned up and made "scenic".
As a Sinophile, I have enjoyed this series of reports on your China trip, but especially those on Chengdu and pandas, which brought back fond memories...
Cheers!
Andrew -
First, ignore the comment about the short shorts. What you were wearing doesn't come close to that definition. There, with that out of the way, this was another one of your great posts! I really, really, REALLY want to see Ben now as a contestant on Supermarket Sweep, complete with his Tumi rollaboard! Though, I'm equally puzzled you've watched enough to know the format?! No matter, the fact you fill your tummy at breakfast and then are so patient to wait your turn at picking up panda feces is admirable. And THEN, to write about it for us all to enjoy is priceless! You definitely need your own blog - you are really entertaining!
Dear Lucky (Ben):
Please travel with and have Andrew post more often. I was literally laughing out loud in my office and it's awesome to read his posts. As a parent with a teenager infatuated with Shawn Mendes....well, let's just leave it at that, shall we?
Travelling on a Chinese airline (or transiting through a Chinese air terminal) is always a horror story. Worst airline experience in the world – China Eastern.
Surely, travelling the world as you do, you would be able to notice that your room attendant Xiaofen Tan has recognised your sexual interests and is offering “special services” - the charge would be RMB 200 or RMB 450 depending on your preference.
...and gay life and activity is thriving and alive in China - not only in the mega-disco nightclubs of Beijing ("Destination") , Shanghai or Guangzhou but also in every other city, town and village across the country - just get advice from a local and you will quickly be directed to the park, bushes or bath houses.
I am scandalized, and perhaps a bit naive, because I had NO idea the note was anything but a sweet and attentive gesture. It impressed me. Tsk. Well, apparently I was going to learn today!
Nice report! Keep it up.
*A ponnytail is something most have at the back of the head not in the forehead.
@DCS I’m sorry to do this but just because you said you know Chengdu like the back of your hand.... it’s QingCheng 青城山 not ChingCheng.
Interesting to hear Lucky say before that the St. Regis Chengdu is in a good area. That area doesn’t have much happening except from stolen phone sales.. admittedly it’s only a 15 minute walk to the real centre of town (Chunxi Road/IFS/Taikoo Li). The Shangri-La, despite being a bit dated, is in probably the best spot in town (location-wise).
@Katy,
There's no way the note was anything other that what it appears: A nice comment to a guest.
That other interpretation is baloney.
Does anyone actually read anymore? Andrew and Ben stayed in separate rooms and both are in committed relationships.
More posts from Andrew please. Intelligent, well-written and amusing. ( You can give him Daniel's slots please!)
You know, Mao at best foolishly created a system that unwittingly resulted in the agonizing deaths of untold millions of people, and at worst he was actively complicit in those deaths and saw them as necessary for the greater good. But ha-ha, emoji joke - they should make one for someone being starved to death, that would be a riot.
@AirNiugini sez, likely proud of him/herself: "@DCS I’m sorry to do this but just because you said you know Chengdu like the back of your hand…. it’s QingCheng 青城山 not ChingCheng."
Tell me @AirNiugini, how different would "QingCheng" sound from "ChingCheng" in spoken language? Is there a 1:1 translation from Chinese characters to western alphabet (pinyin)? Better yet, ever heard of "Onomatopoeia."
Which is the correct spelling: "Szechuan" or Sichuan? See? You did absolutely nothing to me. Au contraire, you should feel a bit silly...
More to the point, however, is that the purported misspelling does not disprove my statement that "I know Chengdu like the back of my hand."
FYI - I went to Chengdu in 2004 and married a beautiful Sichuanese, who came to live with me in NYC but was simply unable to cope being away from home, so we separated after almost 4 years. But while we were together, I got to know and love Chengdu.
Sorry to rain on your parade 😉
G'day!
Never mind at all. The spell has no problem at all.
Mainland uses Pingying more often and mixes with old British translate.
A lot of examples: Beijing vs Peiking. It's all pronunciation translation. Never bother anyone at all.
I think there is a Six Senses in the area.
BTW, @Vince, you opened yourself to being "set right" by @AirNiugini for spelling 'pinyin' as "pingying"... 🙂
G'day!
Andrew, thats good humor about Ben.
Really made me laugh.
@Lucky, you need to travel with Andrew more often. 🙂
Those might not have been Apple knock-off stores. In China, there are plenty Apple's authorized retailers. And often times they have similar Apple style stores appearance. However, they are definitely not knockoffs. The real knock-off stores don't appear on a wide-open public street.
I always enjoy reading the experience of not only Lucky and his professional crew, but also people to whom travelling via Business or with Air Miles, is still pretty new. More of the same please!
p.s. I howled with laughter picturing Lucky dashing on board.