Originally Posted by
miloteddy
Traveling through China is a great humbling experience for Westerners. Unlike other Asian countries, such as Thailand, they do not go out of their way to accommodate English Speakers. I am fine with that. You can always get your point across with a little imagination. I do a lot of pointing, for instance. No problem here. As for the Chinese content on the AVOD, bring an IPAD, or similar with the stuff that you like. Over time, I suspect their US routes will get more training, but that is fine, as long as the service, overall, is what you expect. Better yet, maybe Westerners can learn some Mandarin. I have not, but it ain't a bad idea.
Thailand has English speakers? Outside of luxury hotels, where? Just because something in English has been written on a sign doesn't mean those who made the sign understand it. Getting
anything done at a 7-11 is odious, so the most practical word I recall is "toong," which means bag.
Though, I do hear you about others learning at least a few basic phrases (say, non-Chinese speakers going to China) when traveling.