CHINA RECAP

Favorite Things About China:

• The Great Wall. On a perfect October day, with no tourists to spoil the gorgeous view.
• Climbing Tai Shan. They're right; the view really is better from the top.
• The food. Duck's blood excepted.

Least Favorite Thing About China:

• The spitting. What you've heard is true. And not only do the Chinese love to spit, they're constantly hawking up enormous loogies with that awful cchhhhhhhhhggrrrrr! sound and depositing them right at your feet: on the sidewalk, at the bus station, in a 12th-Century temple courtyard, everywhere! And it's not like they all have pneumonia or anything; I think they just enjoy doing it. Call me "culturally insensitive" if you want, but it's disgusting.