China - Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

I've been living in China for almost 5 years now. I believe that fate brought me here. My best friend had to move to China because her dad wanted her to learn Chinese. Her dad offered to pay for my flight, my schooling and my dorm just to convince my friend to move to China. I've lived in 5 different cities in China (Wuhan, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai) since then.

Fast forward to the present and here's what I learned about China.

temples and giant Buddhas - once you've seen one, you've seen them all 

these are my top 5 temples/Buddha that I believe are worth seeing:

1. Leshan's giant Buddha (Sichuan province)

2. Langmusi (Gansu province) - This is actually a Tibetan town. From what I heard, it is the only place where you can witness an actual sky burial. No one died when I was there so I didn't get to see it.

3. Datong's hanging temple (Shanxi province)

4. Datong Yungang grottoes (Shanxi province)

main cave/buddha at mogao caves

5. Mogao caves (Gansu province) - not allowed to take pics of the buddha, but the main buddha is in this temple (on the right) and its that big

            Like every relationship, I have a love-hate relationship with China...

6 things I dislike 

1. Air pollution

2. Spitting (especially the sound they make just before they spit)

3. Split pants (pants with a slit in the middle) - that means they just squat and do their business anywhere without having to take their pants off - thank god only children wear split pants!

4. Public toilets (squat toilets and that horrendous smell!)

5. No queuing - just pushing

6. The 4 tones of the Chinese language (i'm tone deaf so speaking Chinese makes me sound and feel like an idiot)

10 things I love

1. Beautiful scenery (China is so huge and it offers so much - both in the city and the countryside)

2. The FOOD! (i might make another blog about my favorite Chinese food)

3. The history 

4. Amazing people I meet (locals and foreigners)

5. Convenient and cheap public transportation

6. Adorable little Chinese babies (I teach English to children and I love my students)

7. Old couples dancing with a group of other old couples (at the park, outside the mall or anywhere with a big empty space)

8. Chinese martial arts

                                                                9. Qipao - Chinese traditional dress 

                                                                10. Convenient apps to make life easier 

speaking of apps...

bon app - for restaurants/bar/nightlife

metroman - subway (30 cities in China plus 2 cities in Korea, 2 cities in Europe - London and Madrid, Singapore, Moscow, Delhi and Mexico City)  - amazing right!?

baidu maps - Chinese version of google maps (google is blocked in China - unless you have vpn)

betternet - vpn (allows you to open websites that are blocked in China)

dianping and meituan - buy tickets online (movies, play, musicals, ballet)

taobao/ bao pals (english version) - online shopping (like amazon)

uber - taxi services

wechat - social media/txting/ paying for anything (you have to link your bank account to your wechat accont)

qq music - like Spotify but you can choose the songs without having to pay for the app

hanping lite - dictionary (English-chinese and vice versa)

ctrip - book flights/train/hotel

Disney app - shanghai disneyland 

mobike/ ofo - rent a bike (in big cities)

That's it for now. I will definitely write more blogs about China with more pictures. This country has so much to offer! From the city lights and beautiful modern buildings of Shanghai to the historical palaces, Buddhas and temples all over the country. Not to mention sacred mountains, karst mountains, the rice terraces, the Yangtze river, snow capped mountains in the west, crystal clear waters of jiuzhaigou, the silk road and many more.