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So you do care a little, since your level of caring could go down.
I LOVE Europe - the history, the people, the sights, the food, the wine.....I've been several times and I'd go back to anywhere in Europe in a heart beat.
The history is one of class-consiousness and terrible spasms of brutality, which reached its absolute worst in World War II.
Some of the people are as noble and decent as you'll find anywhere, but quite a few are two-faced, hating Americans but loving their money.
Too many of the "sights" are fixatedon the past, and the class-consciousness and over-politicization is stifling to human progress: And too many faux Europhiles want to bring what our forefathers "voted with their feet" to escape here.
And you can find food and wine that's just as good in Scranton; all you need to know is where to look.
I never had an interest in going to China but now I have a teaching job here for 2 years. The place kind of grows on you but I don't know if I would go here just as a tourist. Maybe I need to visit Shanghai and Chengdu and check out some of the natural beauty which I don't see near Beijing (Tianjin).
I wasn't thrilled with India the first time I went but coming from China earlier this week I marveled at being able to speak English and read signage and have good Indian food!
The problem with many people travelling in China is that they only see a few large cities and leave - Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong (I honestly don't know why people spend $$$ to see HK) and probably Xi'an. That's like going to the US and see NYC, LA, Chicago and Boston and then call it a day. Nothing wrong, but the fact is, by seeing so little, one is not qualified to say "China is like this or that".
If one visits China, I would recommend seeing Beijing and Xi'an, and probably Suzhou and Hangzhou near Shanghai. Seeing Shanghai is helpful too only in terms of knowing how advanced and prosperous it is compared with most western cities. In reality, only NYC is remotely comparable to its size and vibrancy. You don't really go to China to visit those massive cities - except a few they are mostly alike and highly sterile with uninteresting buildings, just like American cities.
China's natural beauty lies in its south and southwest, not the most populated east coast. Sichuan, Yunnan province in particular. Spend a couple of weeks there and then decide if you like China or not. Beijing and Shanghai are not China.
Last edited by botticelli; 06-04-2015 at 10:41 AM..
And you can find food and wine that's just as good in Scranton; all you need to know is where to look.
really? Will I find excellent Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish or Thai food in Scranton? or 90% of the restaurants offer nothing but various forms of steaks, burgers, chicken wings, American pizzas and fries?
ZERO interest in visiting Detroit or Cleveland. Sorry, folks that hail from there. I'm sure they are wonderful in their own right, but the northern old industrial cities just do not appeal to me.
Internationally, no interest in any of eastern Europe, and really don't care much for southeast Asia. China I would like to see.
Some parts of Asia, the Middle East, and Africa I simply have no desire to visit. It's generally a personal safety issue, in some cases they are still just too third world for me to have interest.
Why do you think Paris or London are that expensive? I found them to be cheaper to visit than most American cities such as San Francisco or Boston.
I wouldn't go to those either, in all likelihood.
It's not that I'm personally against them or fear travelling to them. I just prefer places that are cheaper and less obvious. I remember once trying to find a cheap dorm in London and I just couldn't find anything less than 30 euro, which isn't a big deal for most travelling people, but often that's more than my maximum daily budget altogether.
That's actually what it comes down to often enough, finding a place to stay for free or cheap. Sightseeing and eating are as cheap as you make them anywhere. I even prefer to pick up groceries locally much of the time in Europe anyways, rather than eat out. The quality to price ratio of cheese doesn't get anywhere near as great in Canada.
The history is one of class-consiousness and terrible spasms of brutality, which reached its absolute worst in World War II.
Some of the people are as noble and decent as you'll find anywhere, but quite a few are two-faced, hating Americans but loving their money.
Too many of the "sights" are fixatedon the past, and the class-consciousness and over-politicization is stifling to human progress: And too many faux Europhiles want to bring what our forefathers "voted with their feet" to escape here.
And you can find food and wine that's just as good in Scranton; all you need to know is where to look.
Thanks Comrade! What does Trotsky say about all this?
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