I've made it to China!

I've made it to China. The 8-hour bus ride was uneventful, however we were offered lots of free water and snacks along the way which was a much welcomed surprise. Upon arrival in Naning, I immediately felt as though I'd been thrown 100 years into the future. Coming from Vietnam, where life moves slowly and tractors are still a common form of transportation, China is by all accounts in the 21st century. During the 15-minute taxi ride from the bus station to my hotel, I counted 22 high rises under construction, 5 KFC's, 12 McDonalds, 2 WalMart Super Centers, and only a handful of cars that looked like they should be condemned. Nanning's metropolis rivals that of Los Angeles, massive urban-sprawl, a bustling city center that glistens with shiny new 30 story buildings, billboards promising the luxuries of million-dollar condos, expensive cars, and all the latest in electronic gadgetry. The streets are line with shopping centers, department stores, and restaurants, all attracting consumers with neon lights, loud music, and promises of deep discounts. Chinese consumerism has arrived.

I experienced my first tast of how idfficult communication is likely to be here in China when ordering dinner. Walking into a nearby restaurant that was bustling with locals (I figured that was a sure sign it was good!), I plunked myself down and asked for a menu. Not one word in English. All very foreign, Chinese characters. Instead of blindly choosing something, I pulled out a 10 yuan note and somehow communicated this is what I've got to spend, please bring me something edible. A few minutes later, I was presented with dumplings filled with some sort of mystery meat. The waitress proceeded to combine soy sauce, vinegar, minced garlic, and hot pepper in a small dish, mixed it all up, and showed me that I was supposed to dunk my dumplings in it. Yum, this looked great! The table next to me thought all of this was hilarious and started taking pictures of me with their cell phones, laughing histaricly, and giving me repeated thumbs up. The dumplings were great and only cost me 6 yuan. I was just happy to have a filling meal and to not have been ripped off!