China, The Highlight Reel

Shortly after our trip started, Jen and I decided to keep a list of highlights and anti-highlights (memorable moments, but not in a good way).

A number of these probably won't make sense unless you've been to China or were on our trip, so feel free to ask if you'd like further explanation... (and many of these will link to photos once I have them uploaded, so you'll have to check back later)

Highlights

• Flight to China and getting bumped to business class for no apparent reason
• Personal tour guide / lifestyle consultant / food orderer: Xian
  
• Water show at Grand Goose Pagoda
• Hot Pot
• Pot Stickers
• Grandma's cookies
• Buying Chinese Rolex
• Red Lantern Hostel
• Seven Sages Hostel
• Sweet Sticky Rice
• Chinese babies' butts
• Old man Mao outfits and glasses
• Forbidden City
• The Italian couple
• Western breakfast
• Western toilets
• Eastern clean
• Terracotta Warriors
  
• "Are they 'Hello'?"
• Megaphones
• Guilin Seven Stars Park: tour guide, peacock photo, man with free tangerines, Bill Clinton podium, ink blown painting, golden rat, temple(s)
• Guilin Backpackers Inn
  
• Yangshuo
• Biking in countryside outside of Yangshuo
• Not getting followed up Half Moon trail by old ladies selling water and coke
• Master Director Wei and his Culture House
• Chinese Calligraphy, brush painting, and taichi lessons from Master Wei
• Fresh banana and lemon yogurt smoothies
• Home cooked Culture House food
• Impressions Liu Sanjie light show, with door-to-door service and 2nd row seat while paying less than face value of ticket
• Yak meat, Yak cheese pizza, Yak cafe
• The Great Wall
• Ziplining down from The Great Wall
  
• Donkey Pancakes
• Peking Duck
• Jasmine tea
• Full body and foot massage
• The Summer Palace
• Wu-Mart
• Dried Fish
• Red bean latte, scone, and pastries
• Signs written with poor English grammar
  

Anti-Highlights

• Fake Oreo switcharoo
• Deer Park
• Last-minute flight booking
• Counterfeit 100 yuan bill
• Chinese Rolex breaking. Twice.
• Pearl Market aggressiveness
• Dried persimmons
• Flight delay and cancellation
  
• Mr. Bond coffee
• The bus ride to The Great Wall
  
• Flight back home in economy where nothing worked (no movie, no dimming of lights, lack of food selection)
• Being hassled everywhere to buy cheap crap