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Timi, a first-time solo traveler from Romania, reflects on five weeks in China. She finds the language barrier difficult after leaving her country for the first time in 18 years, but says police often help her find her way. She uses Amap for transport, notices large malls and painted electric boxes, and discusses cultural differences around spitting and shouting. Other challenges include finding vegetarian food, carrying luggage through metro security and adjusting to Kunming’s altitude. Her advice is to travel with less baggage and make local friends before arriving.
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First impressions and the language barrier
Timi, a traveler from Romania, talks about a five-week solo trip through China. She had not left her country in 18 years and was about 10,000 kilometers from home, so communicating in Chinese became her hardest challenge. After five weeks of hearing Chinese, she once became overwhelmed when a local answered her question in Mandarin while she needed English help. She is careful to say that the person was trying to help and that the reaction was hers. The scale of airports and shopping malls also surprises her: malls can have seven, eight or even ten levels, compared with the two or three floors she knew at home.
Timi says police were among the most helpful people she met when she was lost. She uses Amap to navigate buses, metros and double-decker buses. She also notices painted electric boxes, artistic walls and clean streets, and takes many photographs of these details. Some cultural differences catch her off guard, including spitting and groups shouting. At Dianchi Lake, she is upset to see people shouting at seagulls to make them fly for photos. She advises against feeding birds white bread because it can kill them, and suggests seeds or corn instead.
Food, luggage and Kunming’s altitude
As a vegetarian, Timi finds it difficult to avoid meat and lard. She uses Happy Cow and carries a handwritten note with the Chinese characters for “vegetarian” to show people. She regrets bringing several bags because metro security requires her to lift them onto and off scanners. Her advice is to pack light, be patient with language barriers and avoid taking misunderstandings personally.
In Kunming, the altitude affects her with dizziness and a racing heart. She describes feeling as if she had a two-day hangover and recommends getting altitude-sickness pills before visiting. For a solo trip, she suggests making friends in advance through HelloTalk or WeChat groups. Timi says she would return to China, but with fewer bags and perhaps with company.
Her account also includes the steps she takes to make daily activities manageable. For navigation she uses Amap on buses, metro routes and double-decker buses, and she says helpful police officers guide her when she is lost. As a vegetarian, she searches on Happy Cow and shows people a handwritten note with the Chinese characters for “vegetarian” because avoiding meat and lard is difficult. Timi also recommends making friends before arrival through HelloTalk or WeChat groups, especially for someone traveling alone. Her advice reflects a trip with both appealing details, such as painted electric boxes and artistic walls, and moments of exhaustion, including carrying luggage through metro security and adjusting to Kunming’s altitude.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: How did you find food as a vegetarian in China?
- A: I used Happy Cow and also wrote the Chinese characters for 'vegetarian' on a map to show people.
- Q: What was the hardest part of your trip?
- A: The language barrier was the most difficult. I hadn't left my country for 18 years, and suddenly I was 10,000 km away.
- Q: What was the most surprising thing you found?
- A: Probably how helpful the policemen were. They guided me every time I got lost. Also the painted electric boxes everywhere.
- Q: Why did you cry during the trip?
- A: After 5 weeks of only hearing Chinese, someone spoke to me in Chinese when I needed English help—it was the last drop. Not their fault, I'm oversensitive.
- Q: What apps are essential for China travel?
- A: Amap for navigation, Alipay for payments, and trip.com for booking hotels, trains, and eSIMs.
- Q: Did you struggle with the toilets in China?
- A: I actually didn't use public bathrooms at all. I go before I leave and after I return. My bladder is strong.
