China -- A spray of garish neon welcomed me to China, a detonation of frantic color, flashing lights and pageantry assaulting the senses. Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province, resembled every Chinatown in any country in the world, but was no dime store imitation, no emigrant ghetto in San Francisco or Kuala Lumpur. This was the real thing, China in all its vivid, vibrant glory. I was enthralled and a bit intimidated by this Asian behemoth, a less well-trodden and more challenging destination than some of my previous global stomping grounds. Although fascinating, a scenically splendid land steeped in culture, history and heritage, China was -- and remains -- one of the most exhausting and maddening countries I’ve ever visited. A mangled web of contradictions -- at once rigid and linear, chaotic and frenetic -- where queues are nonexistent and humanity melds into a mass of flailing limbs and pulsating bodies, it is a country where manners are misplaced, restraint and personal space seemingly alien concepts.

Understandable, though, when one considers the laws of the jungle. With more than 1.3 billion people (including 55 recognized ethnic minorities) it is indeed a matter of “survival of the fittest.” Initially deeming the Chinese to be surly and inhospitable, as I forayed from Yunnan and Sichuan provinces to Beijing, the nation’s capital, Inner Mongolia and Xian, I began to appreciate the historical and sociological circumstances that manifest the collective character of this unique land. With only approximately one percent of the population English speakers and tourism a relatively recent development, it stands to reason that the locals, particularly in rural areas, display some wariness towards foreigners (to whom they sometimes disparagingly refer as “White Devils”). But with Beijing hosting the 2008 Olympics and the MTV generation increasingly embracing all things Western, these statistics and attitudes are quickly changing.

It’s been a little while since I traversed the labyrinth that is China, a country that rattled and inspired, challenged and uplifted, educated and enlightened me, but my impressions and experiences remain as vivid in my mind as some of the people I encountered along the way: Godspeed Wu, the eccentric bicycle guide from Chengdu with whom I still occasionally correspond; the loquacious university student sharing my Beijing dorm room who pretended to be a foreign tourist (Korean) one night in Tianamen Square to experience first hand the realities of being a visitor to his country; the young woman who befriended me in a lonely city of more than 15 million; and the fabulous group of nine Chinese, three Japanese and one Tibetan with whom I spent a crazy evening busting loose to Chinese rock and American rap music.

China, for me, was a fantastically disorienting place, a tangle of anarchic traffic (pedestrians, bicycles, cars, livestock), incomprehensible language barriers and undecipherable signage all contributing to the confusion -- as alien to this OFP (Only Foreign Person, which was often the case) as I appeared to be to the multitudes who brazenly stared at me as though I were circus freak. Simple tasks were often an exercise in patience, resourcefulness and tenacity as were the many grueling bus and train journeys I endured. To wit: it required two hours and four buses to find the RIGHT bus going in the RIGHT direction as we futilely navigated the theoretically short and easy jump from Dali to Lijiang, a lovely UNESCO spot in Yunnan.

Although I attempted to master some basic Mandarin, it is a difficult tonal language with many similar words. As such my most essential companion turned out to be a Mandarin-English phrasebook, but even that did not entirely mitigate the communication obstacles. Perhaps my most amusing faux pas occurred in Dali, a quaint touristic village in Yunnan, populated by a colorful legion of ethnic minorities and a battalion of aggressive vendors. Having learned to say “do not touch me” in Mandarin, I was perplexed by the inexplicably strange reactions I elicited until I discovered that I had been bellowing “I want a friend” to the incredulous locals.

Embracing cultures requires serious compromise, and although I’m accustomed to Asian toilets, sanitary conditions in China diminished to a point where I feared permanent constipation. Squat toilets were a luxury compared to the literal holes in the ground – which offered no privacy and stench only a sewer could love -- masquerading as “facilities.” Factor in the lack of decent coffee (China being a land of tea) and the vile cigarettes I was compelled to smoke (I know – good opportunity to quit!), my system went into serious shock.

Then there was the spitting. Any rumination on China’s abundant and varied delights was persistently interrupted by the revolting sound of phlegm emission. A saying that roughly translated means “better out than in” is a philosophy to which the Chinese stringently adhere. Although spitting is reportedly outlawed in some cities, word had clearly not spread to the areas I visited.

Despite the annoyances, however, China’s highlights were remarkable and many. From the character-etched visages and multihued costumes of the tribal peoples (Yi, Mosu, Bai and others) to the deliriously spectacular landscapes of Yunnan and Sichuan to the sprawling grasslands of Inner Mongolia (not to be confused with Outer Mongolia, an independent nation) to Xian’s fabled “underground city” of terracotta soldiers built by some ancient emperor to protect him in death and Beijing’s remarkable heritage -- including of course the legendary Great Wall of China which I trekked (mostly on all fours due to perilous steps and my fear of heights!), Forbidden City and Summer Palace -- China is a beguiling and compelling travel destination, a dizzying and profound experience which will remain indelibly engraved in my memory.

By Suzan Crane -- Global Gypsy Girl