Since I go to China so frequently, people often ask my advice about the region. So I thought I would share it with everyone.

5 things you need to know before visiting Southwestern China

THE GOOD/ BAD/ UGLY
The good news. If you are Caucasian, you will be pushed to the front of the line in most cases. Locals will smile at you more. They will be generally more polite to you than any of their counterparts. The bad news. Locals will hike up the prices seeing that you are western with money (of course). So, suggest a price that you are comfortable with and stand firm. Bargaining is a way of life in all of Chinese. The initial price offered on the street is always just a starting point. If you are Asian, you can expect the reserve treatment. However, just because you are Asian does not mean that you will get a fair price. It will probably be a bit lower initially, but the end price all depends on how good you are at bargaining.

WHAT TO BRING
Ok. So we all know that when going to a developing country, you need to bring comfortable shoes, layered fast drying clothing, diarehea medicine and maybe a fork if you don’t feel comfortable using the local brand. But here are some items that I think are essential that you might not think of.

Number one on my list is a sleeping pad, like a thermarest. You will find that unless you are staying in a four star hotel in the provincial capital, your bed is less than comfortable. The Chinese are used to sleeping on wood boards, so to add a bit of cotton batting is pretty darn comfortable for them. We on the other hand, with every comfort level known to man including a ‘sleep by number’ sleeping
system, are used to beds with a little give. Although a sleeping pad is nothing like the real thing, you will appreciate the Chinese bed that much more after a long day. I always like to travel with a compass, even in the city, just in case.

If you plan to take public transport in the country side, I HIGHLY recommend ear plugs. Vehicles out in the countryside seem to be born with the most piercing horns you have ever heard. Not only are they loud, but they are screeching. It’s amazing to see a tiny bread loaf bus come barreling down the hill blaring a horn that you would have thought befitting a semi.

Even though you probably aren’t going to be away for that long, please don’t forget to bring dental floss. I know this sound strange, but in the small cities in Southwestern China, they have never heard of dental floss. It’s shocking. I’m curious how they get things unstuck out of their teeth. It’s possible that they have another word for it that I don’t know or maybe you can only get it form a dentist. Anyhow, just don’t forget it.

And finally I can’t forget US dollars. Money talks, especially a US foreign currency. So, it’s wise to have a few bills tucked away just in case there is an emergency.

TRAVEL
Dorothy, you are not in Kansas anymore. Don’t even think about renting a car to get around. The rules of the road are way different out in China. In fact, there are no rules. It’s dangerous to drive and a serious hazard in the countryside where the roads are horrible. No exaggeration. If you’re car stops or something happens out on a rural road, I would be down right terrified. If you are planning to catch a train, plane, or bus, remember that the Chinese are very punctual.

FOOD
Food is spicy in this entire region and most every restaurant will add MSG and pork lard into your food. So, if you can not or do not want to eat food with any of these thing, I would suggest having a Chinese friend write in large words, ‘NO HOT PEPPERS, NO MSG, and/or NO PORK LARD’. And if you are at a small food stall, it doesn’t hurt to watch them while they cook. There’s nothing like two eyes on the cook to get him to walk the straight and narrow.

WHERE TO GO
Southwestern china is most well known for the multitude of hill tribe cultures and beautiful landscapes. So, if you are looking to go shopping or luxury living, this is not the place to look. Sichuan is probably most well known for their spicy food, panda bear reserve park, and Jouzigou water park. Yunnan is most well known for LiJiang, a recreation of an old Chinese village, and xishuangbanna, a region at the southern tip of Yunnan. Guizhou is most well known for the hill tribe cultures that specialize in texttile production, and Guangxi is most well known for Guilin, a region of karst mountains. good gift items? Cultural awareness.

LANGUAGE
SW China is composed of a multitude of hill tribe cultures. Since you’ll never be able to discern who you are talking to, Mandarin is a good way to start. Of course, it would be great to learn how to say hello ‘ni hao?’, thank you ‘xie xie’ and the very important where is the bathroom, ‘ce suo ne?’