Help Meri plan a Grand Adventure (tm)

[Jacob]

Shanghai: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/shanghai

[Monoriu]

I can't imagine Shanghai being unfriendly to tourists.  It is probably the most internationalised city in mainland China, and lots of expats live there.  They held a World Expo a few years ago and the authorities "trained" the local population on how to deal with foreigners and to speak basic English etc.  Granted, you can't speak English everywhere, but nobody will be surprised about seeing a foreigner.  Unless you go to some really backwater part of the mainland, you'll be fine.  Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai etc are all used to being tourist destinations. 

[Monoriu]

EDIT: but if you go to China, don't go right now - they're having a heatwave. Also, don't go in winter because the pollution is worse then. Something like late summer to mid-autumn is probably best.

Pollution is less of a problem in Shanghai and Hong Kong.  We are near the ocean and we have very little heavy industry.  Beijing is a different story.  It is best to avoid Beijing in the winter and spring. 

[HisMajestyBOB]

Shanghai does have it's pollution days, but it's not as bad as Beijing. The humidity is pretty bad. Like DC-bad. In winter it stays above freezing, but it's still humid so you get this damp cold that's kinda gross.

Tourist-wise, there's plenty of English signage (except around Yuyuan Garden, for some reason) and people are definitely used to foreigners. I almost never got the "Oh, laowai!" treatment there unless I really went off the beaten path. Not a lot of people speak English, even in the service industry, but if you're patient you can get by, and there's sometimes there's a local who speaks English well who will help.

The Bund is nice, and there's nice restaurants, Yu Yuan Garden, shopping (don't bother with Nanjing Road), and tall buildings. Jing'an Temple is fairly central and a short but neat visit. The Shanghai Museum is okay, but the Shanghai Building Museum is pretty neat since it goes into the history of the city itself. Shanghai is just a big modern city and before it was that, it was a fishing village, so there's not much to see in terms of history, unlike Beijing. I'd use it as a starting point to get acclimated and then go to Beijing and Xi'an. But then again, maybe that's just because I lived there so long.

[merithyn]

I've been to the UK twice, Italy, Germany, and Istanbul once.

The Eastern European nations are a definite maybe. I know myself well enough to know that I won't be able to visit any concentration camps. Not if I ever want to sleep again, anyway. But there are a ton of cool places to visit in that area just the same.

I'd say given where you've been, going to Asia is going to be more of a grand adventure.

You know, having googled a bit I think going to Shanghai is a pretty good idea. Get a couple of guide books, including Lonely Planet or equivalent, and research online. You should be able to spend 10 days fairly well, especially if you book one or two day trips to the nearby countryside.

I'd probably consider staying at hostels/ backpacker hotels as that's a good way to meet other travelers, socialize, and come across different adventures. And if you have a way to get a contact in the city before hand - friend of a friend or reaching out the the Chinese SCA (don't think they have one, but maybe you belong to some other group) to arrange a visit/ meetup is great too. Don't think we've got any languishites there, though.

EDIT: but if you go to China, don't go right now - they're having a heatwave. Also, don't go in winter because the pollution is worse then. Something like late summer to mid-autumn is probably best.

I'm thinking April-ish. And Shanghai is a stopping place, to fly into and out of and spend a few days in, not the whole trip. I'm thinking of doing a hiking/boating trip along the Yangtze. Maybe not this one in particular, but something like it:

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cruise/regal/tour-ds406b.htm

I've been training to climb Mount Saint Helen's next summer, and this would be a great way to see how well I'm doing. Plus... wow... what better way to see China??

[Jacob]

I'm thinking April-ish. And Shanghai is a stopping place, to fly into and out of and spend a few days in, not the whole trip. I'm thinking of doing a hiking/boating trip along the Yangtze. Maybe not this one in particular, but something like it:

https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cruise/regal/tour-ds406b.htm

I've been training to climb Mount Saint Helen's next summer, and this would be a great way to see how well I'm doing. Plus... wow... what better way to see China??

That sounds perfect

[merithyn]

For those who have been to and/or lived in China, anything I should be concerned about when booking such a trip? Anything I should pay attention to, etc?

[Savonarola]

For those who have been to and/or lived in China, anything I should be concerned about when booking such a trip? Anything I should pay attention to, etc?

You'll need a visa.  You can get it in person at the Chinese Consulate (there's one in San Francisco), but it's a lot easier just to pay someone to file for you.

[Jacob]

I'd say the main thing is finding a reputable operator - so check out reviews etc. I'd also, in an organized tour, expect there to be at least some of the "and now we'll stop at this quaint traditional crafts store that isn't really that quaint and they sell a lot of knick-knacks and maybe you'll buy something" and take that in a stride. In general, if something seems too good to be true (like a "hey we'll take you on this tour for FREE") it usually is.

Uh... other than that, I dunno.

[CountDeMoney]

Meri winds up on trial for espionage in a North Korean court, you know she went the cheapo route.

[derspiess]

Young Pioneer Tours offers budget travel to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from.

[CountDeMoney]

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea finds you guilty of:  NOT WORKING WELL WITH OTHERS

[Jacob]

Meri winds up on trial for espionage in a North Korean court, you know she went the cheapo route.

It's way too much trouble (and expensive) to get Americans in to North Korea.

In that vein: my wife met this Irish-Chinese girl once. Her parents fled China - I think in the 80s - and paid someone to smuggle them to New York by boat. The boat put into Dublin and let them off with a "welcome to New York, good luck." Since they spoke no English it apparently took them quite a while before they realized they were not, in fact, in New York... but I get they managed okay in the end.

[derspiess]

Young Pioneers Tours is no longer accepting Americans

http://www.youngpioneertours.com/north-korea-faq/

Recent cases of severe unwarranted consequences for American detainees in North Korea means we now consider the risk to Americans visiting North Korea to be too high and as such we can no longer accept Americans travelling on US passports for tours to North Korea.

[garbon]

Young Pioneers Tours is no longer accepting Americans

http://www.youngpioneertours.com/north-korea-faq/

Recent cases of severe unwarranted consequences for American detainees in North Korea means we now consider the risk to Americans visiting North Korea to be too high and as such we can no longer accept Americans travelling on US passports for tours to North Korea.

Duh. Our state department has banned us from going.