The worst thing about China for tourists are the bathrooms, nothing more than a whole in the ground. Yes, no seat and you have to carry toilet paper with you wherever you go. Most tourist attractions have western-style bathrooms as well and they are rated on a star system. Our group got excited every time we ran across a 5-star bathroom. We even started rating them ourselves. All of our hotel rooms had western toilets and, in Hong Kong, all toilets are western because of the lingering influence of the British empire. Thailand has both types.

You have probably all seen the iconic photo of the student standing in front of the Chinese army tank in Tiananmen Square. Our Chinese tour director was surprisingly frank in discussing his country's government. He said those of you in the west saw this picture and said "how brave this young student is. Our government also published the picture but with a different take. They told us: 'look at how nice our tank commander is not to run over the student.' "

Another example of our guide's frankness was when one of us asked him about the unemployment rate in China. He said it is tied to the U.S. rate. "If your rate is 7%, ours is 6.5%. If your rate is 6%, our rate is 5.5%."

Our tour guide told us that when he was growing up, the Chinese media showed photos of homeless people in the US and implied that most Americans were like this. When his mother fed him something he didn't like, his mom would say "eat all your food; there are people starving in America."

China is experiencing a building boom as it transitions to a capitalist economy. Our tour guide said that some people now say the crane is the national bird.

The most pleasant surprise in China was the quality of the airlines. We took about 5 domestic flights, all on China Eastern or China Southern airlines. All flights include a hot meal, even on flights of 50 minutes. The seat includes a USB port for charging your phone. We flew Thai Air from Hong Kong to Bangkok and, even in coach, they provide complimentary wine and a cold towel. The entertainment console has an in-flight chat feature where you can chat with other flyers whether you know them or not. One flyer posted a message "come to 68C for a good time."

In Thailand, while people have many more freedoms than in China, censorship is still in effect. The movie "The King and I" is banned in Thailand and the government blocks the Wikipedia page of the current king.