[entropy12]

I have been to all those countries you listed, except Singapore where I am planning to visit next February. “Filth” depends on one’s definition of it. A lot of harmless and odor free debris flying around does not bother me as much as stink from open sewers and rotting material in standing pools of dirty water. In US one of dirtiest places are alleys behind Cottage Grove street in south side of Chicago. Not to mention one of the most dangerous places on earth to get mugged.

[cloudmountain]

I have been to all those countries you listed, except Singapore where I am planning to visit next February. “Filth” depends on one’s definition of it. A lot of harmless and odor free debris flying around does not bother me as much as stink from open sewers and rotting material in standing pools of dirty water. In US one of dirtiest places are alleys behind Cottage Grove street in south side of Chicago. Not to mention one of the most dangerous places on earth to get mugged.

Well, filth IS in the eye of the beholder.

I don't go to Chinese restaurants anymore. I used to go but I would sit in the MIDDLE of the room, not next to the walls. In the past when I sat near the walls I would occasionally see a cockroach crawl up the wall.

One of our morning breakfast hangouts was a cafe owned and run by Chinese. We went there for years. One day, however, while I was sitting at the counter, a cockroach ran up from the service area up on to the counter, right at me. Yikes. That was my last visit there.

The Chinese, as a people/culture aren't personally dirty, but cleanliness costs MONEY and the Chinese don't want to spend money on clean. Singapore was the exception. Amazing, a clean Chinese country....city, really.

The Chinese believe in TWO things: luck and money.

[cloudmountain]

You don't know dirty until you've been to China.
They gather and STORE urine. We SAW the ENORMOUS vats of urine. We could smell them. Not even the Chinese guide we had knew what they were for.

When we went to Shanghai in the early 80's I was by the river and asked the guide was that stench was from the river.
He said, without pause or shame: "Madame, that is the smell of 12 million people going to the toilet twice a day."

Shanghai was the BEST of all the Chinese cities, the cleanest and most modern.

In one hotel (Xian) I slept with my clothes on, it was so filthy. There were so many cockroaches in the bathroom that my husband had to come in with me when I went to the toilet to keep the cockroaches away from me.

He took his video camera to China--it was one of the first video cameras made. The Chinese were agog with curiosity for that new BIG camera.

India, Mexico, Africa--all looked SWISS-clean compared to China.

Is anyone going to tell me: Oh, China has changed now?
Hah, I say, HAH!!! Some things don't change and China's view on paying for cleanliness has NOT changed. I doubt that it ever will.