For our 4th Anniversary and my birthday we
planned a trip to China (another one of my milestone items). We left work on
Friday afternoon and went straight to the airport. After a quick stop in Hong
Kong, we were off to Beijing, China! It was a great holiday and we took PLENTY
of photos and have many stories to share so this will be the first of several
posts!
We arrived at night so there was not much we could see, but
it was amazing how expansive the airport, the roads, the buildings and
everything else were! Everything seemed to have a place, there was no crowding
or cramped spaces. One of the things we noticed first off was ALL the cameras!
They were EVERYWHERE—throughout our time in China this was a constant thing. That
and the pollution that made your boogers black!
This is the pollution from our window |
We stayed at the Ascott and decided that we just wanted to
get a taxi to the hotel. After waiting in a REALLY long line (something we did
very often during the course of the trip) we got into our first taxi. We showed
the driver our hotel, written in Mandarin characters and he waved his hand,
said something in Chinese that we understood as “NO!” This happened
frustratingly two more times before we got our taxi and we were pestered by the
“other guy” that always happens to pop up and say “I take you, same price. Come
with me.” After living in Asia for over a year we KNOW that if someone
approaches you out of the blue and offers you something—NEVER trust them OR
what they say! So luckily one of the drivers got us to the hotel.
The Ascott was in a great location, next to the main subway
station, had a pool, great restaurants around (well they were great until I
found a HUGE hair in my noodles once—that was downright nasty), and to our
surprise the room had a kitchen and a washer/dryer. Now, the washer and dryer
was one of those space-saving-economical contraptions that the washer and dryer
are the SAME machine. Great idea! But the instructions were ALL in characters!
HAHAHA…so when I did laundry I just took a guess and started with “A” and hoped
it worked. Eventually it did!
The first stop on our adventure was the Summer Palace. This
is a massive piece of land north west of Beijing and filled with gardens,
walkways, temples and a HUGE lake! It was so beautiful there. We explored the old
building that are intricately painted and immaculately landscaped. We climbed
thousands of stairs and relaxed on a water ferry.
Lunch |
I have never
considered myself as a follower or a “band-wagoner” but we began to get into
the habit of watching what others were doing and following the crowd. Even
after taking two years of Mandarin in college (6 years ago) I could not
understand what was being said. The longer we were there small phrased would
come back to me, like “Water” or “Bathroom” or “Excuse me” but that was it! We
were on the ferry and the captain was giving instructions and the whole boat of
people began to prepare their things. Us and an Indian couple were just sitting
there watching the melee around us. I started to laugh when I heard the Indian
lady lean over to her husband and say, “I am NO idea what is happening!” --my thoughts exactly!
The train and subway system in really great! It is only 2
RMB per ride (30 cents USD) and off you go. There is a learning curve with the
language barrier but we had it down by the time the week was over. Rush hour
was especially exciting! People were EVERYWHERE! All we had to do was stand in
front of the door of the train we wanted to ride and the masses would push us
on and when we wanted to get off they would push us off! It made me laugh to
see them try and push more people on. One lady was determined to push herself
onto an already packed train and then screamed in pain and surprise when she had
the door shut on her butt! I guess I should have felt bad for her, but it was a
bit hilarious! (in case you were wondering, they did open the doors so she
could gather her behind in and we could leave) You stood so close to people you
could smell their soap…and any other odor they may be sharing that day. Or you
could count their dandruff…you get the picture!
Lady Hiva wanted to go SHOPPING! So of course during our
first day we went to one of the markets. Before our trip she had asked several
of our friends and read books and online to find the BEST markets in the
city--This became our guide for the week. We planned site seeing and eating
around which markets she planned on visiting that day!
The markets sold EVERYTHING! Most of it was “knock-off”
stuff. The brands were names we had never heard of, but the quality was similar
and it was cheap…so we had fun. It is all about bargaining. When you find something
you like, you ask how much it is and they give you a price using their
calculator. It is hugely inflated—like 8 to 10 times the real price. Then you
have a chance to tell them it is too high and give your own price and the
yelling and haggling starts from there. It is really fun at first, but by the
time we left at night I was exhausted.
Lady wanted a photo with Mao as he passed! |
Another Mao being sold |
For example, I wanted to buy a suit. I asked how much and
the lady typed on her calculator while saying, “I give you good price.” Her
offer was 1620 RMB ( Somewhere around 275 USD)
“What?! That is way to high!” I would say and start to walk
away, which they don’t like. But because I am a foreigner they still want to
rip me off…that is NOT going to happen.
“What price you pay…hello? Hello? What price you pay?” She panics
and shoves the calculator in my face gesturing for me to take it. I learned in
Cambodia and Thailand that you NEVER take the calculator, much like you don’t haggle
while holding the merchandise, because they will not take it back and they see
it as a way to keep you there. It is hard to leave when you are holding their
stuff. So I type some outrageously low number while SHE holds the calculator.
To which she feigns distress and anger and says, “You JOKING! I lose money!”
“Ok then, good bye” and I start to leave again.
She promptly grabs my arm and says, “Ok, ok…I give you friend
price..” Then after that she offers the “Final price” then the “Final, final” then the “Big discount final price” and it
goes on and on until I get what I want. I usually walk away a few times and
they yell for me to come back. (Lady Hiva hates to argue so she gives in
easier.) I eventually bought the suit for 300RMB (48 USD). And still was sure I could have gotten lower…but
that is a cheap suit.
As we went from market to market it was fun to hear the
sellers yell in Mandarin, English, Spanish, and Russian! We would laugh when we
would hear them yell, “You joking!” or whine they are losing money if they sell
for that price…but later will actually sell it to you for less! HAHA…LIARS! It
made me wonder how many foreigners stop bargaining and pay the higher price?
Dinner! YUMMY! |
The kitchen making dumplings... |
We made it back from our first day…having really enjoyed it.
We both were tired and Lady Hiva’s back hurt from walking so much, but we sat
and mapped out our next day’s adventure: The GREAT WALL OF CHINA!
Ah, Din Tai Fung... One of my favorite restaurants! Their pork soup dumpling are to DIE for. We rarely eat anything else there, since that is so amazingly good!
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary and birthday! All I can saw is wow, what an awesome trip! Your photos are amazing as usual. Thanks for sharing all these pics and info about your trip. I'm impressed you can haggle so well. I'm awful at it and I know I get ripped of all the time!
ReplyDeleteI also love the photos from the Great Wall of China! It's a place I know many people (including myself) have dreamed of visiting some day and it's awesome you guys had the opportunity. I'm glad you didn't give up after the tour guide tried overcharging you. Plus the train experience must have just added to the adventure of the day. :)
Hope to see you guys soon!
i hated not talking to you on yr bday...but so glad you celebrated in a big way. xoxox
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