Harbin-The Arrival

In my quest to see as much of China during my year abroad I decided to visit Harbin during the first part of the Chinese New Year.  Why Harbin?  Well, it is world famous for its Snow and Ice Festival where artists create grand sculptures and palaces out of snow and ice...and light them up with a different array of colors at night.  It is also renowned for having the largest collection of Siberian Tigers, for brewing Harbin Beer and of course...for its freezing cold Siberian winters.  As such I spent my time leading up to the trip preparing the best I could by bartering for a pair of boots (in as much as you can call them boots...they are 'Timberland' boots...but I figure I can wear these after my trip to Harbin as well...so I'm going with it), more gloves, scarves, hats and better socks.

Photo courtesy of Gary Olson...This is Zhaolan Park at night :-0

I was a little worried about traveling on Monday the first day of the Chinese Spring Festival...but at least getting a taxi to the airport was easy and quick.  The flight went off without a hitch and before I knew it I had landed in Harbin.  I had previously made the decision to try to find my way to my hotel without using a taxi from the airport because that would cost about 140 RMB (with an honest driver)...so figuring out this bus system shouldn't be a problem right?  I've done this sort of thing before in Xi'An and there was an info desk and they helped us find our bus right away...no problem.  Not such luck this time.  Turns out...I'm pretty sure I was the only English speaker in that airport...no info desk...no signs (in English)...and certainly not enough functional Chinese to accomplish this task...or maybe not?

I went outside where I thought the buses might be and BAMMMM!!!  That was not the sound of me being smacked by a bus (thankfully) but rather the sound of the Harbin freezing cold temperatures hitting me.  I've experienced cold before...but this...this was no joke.  I quickly surveyed the situation and realized the other Chinese were in a similar state of shock...and the cold was causing them to proceed with even less order then before (I never knew this was possible).  So in a mad frenzy of Chinese people flying in and around me...bumping, shoving and cutting in line...I bought a bus ticket.  I know I spent 20 RMB...I managed a simple statement that I 'hope' conveyed to the lady which general direction I was going and here I was staring at a ticket written completely in Chinese characters.  Which bus to take?  I ask the lady and she points at the place where all the buses are leaving and yells...Nega Nega (that one).  O.k...so we've narrowed it down to four.

I follow the wave of people and step onto the first bus.  The man takes my ticket crumples it and motions me in.  I try to quickly show him the address of where I'm going and he glances and says something which I think means...o.k.??  So I sit down apprehensively...and eventually we take off.  I survey the bus to see if anyone speaks English because even if I'm on the right bus...I have no idea which stop to get off and they are only making announcements in Chinese.  Nope...no English speakers. O.k.  well the bus keeps going and I see we are headed toward the town of Harbin...so that is good...right direction.  Then the bus stops and people get off.  Then it stops again and more people get off.  I have no idea why I stay on the bus but I do.

Finally I look up the word for train station because I think that is close to where I need to go.  I show the character to some people sitting around me and they don't know where it is at...they are not from Harbin.  Of course not...nobody on this bus is.  They are all Chinese Nationals just visiting for the Holiday...and probably going to the same festival as me.  Well...I figure I'll be able to spot a train station right?  We keep making stops...keep making stops...finally...there's almost nobody left on the bus and I ask the bus driver again and this time he says something in Chinese which I understand...one more stop.  O.k. Sweet.  I get off...and good thing I asked because this has no signs of being a train station...lol.

But at this point I can grab a taxi and show him the address (useful hint when traveling in China...use your phone to take a photo of the characters that describe the address where you want to go...this way you can just show them the characters).  I get in the taxi and he looks at the address and says he knows where it is.  But after about 5 minutes I here him saying to himself in Chinese (and he clearly thinks I don't speak any Chinese at this point...which I practically don't) 'Where is Yanyuan Inn?'.  He repeats it to himself again.  AHHH...he is lost!  He doesn't know where it is either.  He eventually gets on the phone and calls a friend and thankfully I arrive at the hotel.  Phew!!  That was a scary experience for me...not one that I like to do often because I really didn't know where I was going and was just guessing for the most part...but made it safely from airport to hotel front door for a total of just 30 RMB...so a total savings of about 100 RMB...I can dig that.  (Note:  This town is SUPER expensive in terms of admission fees so I'm trying to save money on transportation the best I can).

I go inside the hotel and wait a couple of minutes while they check in the guests in front of me.  Now the reason I chose this hotel is because it was listed as a 'Western Hotel'.  What this means is that they are certifying that they have staff who can assist you in English.  Usually it also means they have little cards or directions for taxi drivers to help you get to local attractions.  However...it quickly became apparent that this hotel was labeling itself as a Western Hotel simply to make some extra cash.  None of the staff even knew 'Hello' (which all Chinese know).  So...right away I realize...this town could be quite a challenge.  While my Chinese is very functional...there are certain things that are really hard without an English speaker...and I guess we will discover all of those.

The check-in process was rather lengthy because I needed to ask a few questions (like why are you charging me 1000 RMB instead of the 650 that I reserved it for)...but I've become better with my Chinese/English dictionary too...so thankfully...I was all checked in.  Phew!  After unpacking I threw on some more winter clothes (yep...what I wore to the Beijing Airport was certainly not enough) and headed out to find some dinner.

Now when traveling in China I love to try out the local cuisines and take in new restaurants.  That is one of the most enjoyable things about traveling for me.  Whether it be a nice sit down restaurant or street food from the vendors...it doesn't really matter...I love to try it all and experience that town/province's local flair.  As I began walking down the street (a street in which the reviews said had a plethora of amazing restaurants) I realized two things:  A)  Walking at night in Harbin could very well kill me!  Any exposed skin immediately hurts because of the cold and within about a minute I realize my legs are killing me (i.e. jeans are NOT enough)...my toes are freezing (better wear two pairs of socks next time)...and I really could throw on a third jacket underneath the other two...and B)  There are almost NO restaurants open.

Meaning as it was the first day of the Spring Festival I'm assuming many of the restaurants closed.  The others that were open I went in and they all told me in Chinese 'no tables for one'...or 'no eating by yourself here'.  What!  Come on!  I get it...they were probably doing some 'special' for families...because everyone gets together with their family during Spring Festival...but where does that leave my growling stomach?  Well after walking around for far too long in the bitter cold I realize that my two choices for now are KFC or McDonalds.  More as a response to its proximity to my frozen toes...I chose McDonalds.  The thing I do like about KFC and McDonalds is that they make it really easy for foreigners to order...they have picture menus that they bring out and you just point to whatever item you want.  But wait...what!  Not in Harbin.  No pictures...ahh!  O.k. that's o.k...I'm pretty functional with food language...but how do you say 'Big Mac'...never mind...I surprise myself by ordering what I want with no problems whatsoever and even ask for Fa piau (weird Chinese receipt thing that is kind of like a tax ride-off but is also kind of like playing a slot machine...I didn't win this time...lol).

After dinner I realize nothing is going to be open so I head back to the hotel noting some of the beautiful streets and Russian influenced architecture.  I do find a small convenience store/gas station open and head in to buy a couple bottles of water and a couple bottles of pigio to celebrate the New Year.  I get back to my room and realize I have no bottle opener...so water it is.  The fireworks start to go off and remind me it is time to sleep as I will have a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

Zaijian and Wan an (goodnight)
Gary

Farewell to Xi'An

We woke up on Monday (our last day in Xi'An) and decided an immediate trip for coffee was in order.  Since Starbucks was right in the heart of town and situated on our way to our first destination it seemed to make sense.  Here I lingered over whether I should buy a Starbucks Xi'An coffee mug.  I decided against it, although it should be noted that later on I kicked myself over not buying it there.  Why?  Because I've decided I love the Starbucks coffee mugs and that they make great souvenirs...so moral of the story...next time you are debating whether or not to buy that souvenir...do it!  You probably won't be back!

Rodney with a local Xi'An Policeman

O.k. after our coffee we decided to head down to a more artsy district of town.  We had seen this portion of the city on our walk about the city wall and decided it would be a good morning trip before our flight back to Beijing.  The little district was great in that it was a local place with almost no tourists.  This provided us with less of the usual tacky touristy items and more authentic Chinese cultural items.  Rodney searched around for some lions and Mao memorabilia and I just pretty much browsed the calligraphy and took in the local art.  After a peaceful morning here we headed back to the hotel to check out and start our journey to the airport and back to Beijing.

At checkout the staff highly recommended for us to take a taxi to a certain part of town and then take a bus from there to the airport.  So we got in the taxi and told him where we were going.  The taxi driver starts talking a little and between the little amount of Chinese we knew and the fantastic sign language type hand flapping he was doing we were able to communicate very well.  He was trying to talk us into letting him take us all the way to the airport.  We played it cool until he finally hit a price that sounded great...and we took it.  Sometimes you just have to love bartering in China.  It is hard to describe, but without speaking the same language...without anybody getting mad or even really confused even...we both came to a deal that made everyone happy!  Gotta love that.  I think Comcast should learn to do the same :-)

It was once we got to the airport that the excitement for the day really happened.  Rodney and I had both decided to take just carry on items so we wouldn't have to check baggage.  I told Rodney I had some chapstick in my bag and they might get mad so I might be a second, so he got into a different line.  My bag went through just fine and I start looking around...but no Rodney.  There is a small commotion going on at the security line next to me...wonder what that could be.  Wait, isn't that Rodney in there?

Turns out Rodney had purchased a couple of long army knives for gifts while in Xi'An and completely forgot that they were in his carry on.  Needless to say...security was not going to let him go through with those.  All in all, it wasn't too bad though as they were super nice and took him back to the front and allowed him to check that bag and proceed.  Phew...disaster averted!  I can only imagine the ruckus that the U.S. airports would have raised over something like that!

Once safely on the airplane we made it back to Beijing in no time at all (sidenote:  flying domestic China really isn't bad at all.  They always provide meals for you on the plane and you can check two bags for free...the only downside...no phones whatsoever!  Even if you just use your iPod touch as a music player...that's a no go...but otherwise...very pleasant!).  Now comes the real test, can I get the taxi driver to get us back to campus?  Well...turns out with a map it isn't too bad.  Next time, I will try it with just words.

Back safely now in my apartment I can't help but think what a great opportunity this semester has been.  I'm very thankful for this time in China, and the ability to explore a little bit on my own.  I can't wait for future adventures...now that I know I can travel pretty well with my limited language skills!

Zaijian for now,
Gary

Xi'An Part San

After a long day of sightseeing yesterday we decided to start out our morning a little slower by walking around downtown a bit and getting breakfast at Starbucks :-)  After some caffeine and a muffin we had a plan for the day and headed out to the city wall with the intentions of renting a bike and riding completely around the top.

Yep, Starbucks is pretty much the same :-)

Once at the wall our hopes were soon dashed as we discovered they had banned bikes on the top of the wall for the month of December in order to finish some construction on one portion of the wall :-(  O.k., no problem (may murrr!).  The bikes were appealing because this city wall goes around the entire city and the bikes would have allowed us to get a 360 of all of Xi'An.  However, we soon discovered that wall is wall is wall :-)  We strolled along about 1/4 of the wall and took in the relatively quiet city (not a big tourist season right now) and scouted out some areas to perhaps try later in the day.  It was a little chilly...but not too bad (well for me at least...I'm pretty sure Rodney froze his butt off!)

On top of the City Wall of Xi'An

After our adventure on the wall we decided to try to find a couple of the more local attractions we had searched out via Rodney's trusty travel guide.  The first item on Rodney's list was a local flea market/antique fair which is only held on Sundays in Xi'An.  I have to admit...I had little faith that we would find the right alley for this market (or even if it still existed given the book was published in 2007)...but...Rodney had faith and we soon found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a pretty cool local antique market.

Local Antique Flea Market in Xi'An

I wasn't really sure I was looking for anything here but Rodney had his heart set on finding some swords/knives for a relative.  We bartered some and looked around and eventually I spotted a pair of walnuts I thought would make a good stocking stuffer.  (O.k. it is hard to describe the fascination with walnuts here...but...you see them all over the place, people buy them in a set and twirl them around in their hand...I think it is supposed to help circulation or something??)  I asked how much...200 RMB!!  What?  Here's the other thing about these walnuts, depending on (apparently the sellers opinion) they can range in price from pretty cheap...to outrageously expensive.  Supposedly the more expensive ones are almost identical in size, shape, weight, and markings.  I quickly moved on to the guy right next to him where I got a set for 20 RMB.  Good enough for me!  Rodney bartered for awhile and soon had himself a couple of nice knives and a bracelet of some sort...all in all, a pretty good find!

As Rodney was finishing up one final transaction I wandered out and noticed a temple nearby...and heck...that seems touristy right?  So we went and visited what apparently is a pretty famous Taoist temple.  Here's the thing with me and temples though.  In China...there are a LOT of temples.  And to some extent...a temple is a temple is a temple.  So it was cool to see the Taoist temple...but, we didn't linger for long.  The one thing I found fascinating about this one is that you could buy fake money outside of the temple to leave for the temple Gods apparently.  I had a pretty good laugh about this.  For 10 RMB you could buy 10,000 fake RMB to leave for the temple Gods.  Why not leave the 10 RMB?

An alter and statue where you can leave fruit and fake money.

After the temple we decided to hit up the Big Goose Pagoda.  We weren't really sure what to expect...other than a Pagoda, but it turned out to be a really good choice.  The area around here looked almost like a Disneyland of Pagodas.  Tons of vendors, outdoor fountains going off, rides and of course the usual pagoda and towers to explore.  We decided to make our way to the huge tower and start our way to the top.  After what seemed like 25 flights of stairs we finally arrived to the top!

The Big Goose Pagoda in Xi'An

We got to the top just in time too!  There was a window at the top where you could look out upon the whole square and just as we reached the top they started a fountain show in the square below (very similar to the fountain shows in front of the Bellagio).  After enjoying the fountains we headed back down and explored the square a bit more before deciding it was time for a little dinner.

I had my heart set on a local dish, Yang Rou Pao Mo.  This is essentially pita bread that you tear up really small into a bowl and then they pour either beef or mutton soup over top and let it soak into the bread.  I had found the 'best' place in Xi'An to find this dish (supposedly it has been serving the local specialty since 1897...there was even a famous poem and song written about it that basically says something like everything in the world is changing, but once we go home to this restaurant in Xi'An the Yang Rou Pao Mo never changes) and armed with iPhone pictures I had taken of the address in Chinese and the dish name in Chinese we set off on an adventure.

Turns out, the photos helped immensely and we found the restaurant, no problem!  Once inside we ordered up our soup and tried to order several other dishes because we were starving.  But each time we were brutally rebuffed and directed to a counter where cold unappetizing dishes laid.  We soon got the picture, as foreigners we were allowed to have the soup...and pick dishes that were already made...but not order anything else...lol.  O.k. no problem, we came for soup anyways.  As we sat painstakingly tearing up our bread a young Chinese boy joined us at our table.  We seemed to get along just fine...well the conversation was a little lacking (him not speaking any English...Rodney using 'Wei Wei' to convey everything from excuse me to go straight ahead and myself knowing only food words and numbers...lol)...but I do enjoy how they do it in China...if there is room at your table...sit somebody else there!

Our soup soon arrived, and it was worth the wait.  If you should ever find yourself in Xi'An you will certainly need to try out this local specialty :-)  After dinner we were pretty exhausted so we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.  Tomorrow we shall return to Beijing, but will have a little time to explore the artsy part of Xi'An and perhaps do a little more shopping.

Zaijian for now.
Gary

Xi'an Part Deaux-The Terracotta Warriors

We arrived late last night to Xi'an after our plane had been delayed a few hours because of a light snow in Beijing.  After catching a bus from the airport near Xi'an to downtown we bartered with a taxi/random van driver to get us to our hotel (turned out he was a little crooked...oh well...they always are).  Once in the hotel we made a rough plan for the next day and hit the sheets shortly thereafter.

One of the many Terracotta Warriors

Bright and early the next morning we met Patrick, a driver recommended to us by several faculty at ICB who had previously visited Xi'an.  Since the Terracotta warriors are a great distance away from downtown Xi'an, a private driver or a vast knowledge of the local transit system is needed.  Since Peter quoted us a price of $50 for the entire days worth of driving...we decided to go with that option :-)  Once in Peter's car he asked us if we would like to visit a Bamboo village.  Rodney was very non-committal about it...but I was excited...YEAH!!  Bring on the Bamboo village!

After a short while we pulled into the 'Bamboo village' and I realized why Rodney had been so non-committal.  Turns out Peter wasn't talking about a Bamboo village...but rather the Banpo village, an archeological site of sorts where they think the oldest Chinese civilization once lived.  Hmm...still I guess when in Xi'an...might as well see all the sites right.  Anyways...we roamed around looking at the outlines of old huts and visited the museum with tons of old pottery and weapons and stuff of that nature and it was pretty cool.  Probably the most eventful happening was when Rodney and I were actually looking for Peter after we were done at the 'village'.  Rodney was down on the path looking around and I was on top of a set of stairs looking for Peter.  Apparently I decided to walk while not looking at the ground and fell face first off the set of 6 stairs...right on my face...yep.  Rodney saw the whole thing and in his defense only laughed a bit.  Bam...nothing like falling on your face to wake you up and get you ready for the rest of the day right.  Right.  O.k. we found Peter and were soon off again.

Banpo Village...no Bamboo to be found

After the Banpo village Peter drove us to 'the official Terracotta Warriors souvenir place.  I think this stop is mandated and helps keep the cost of his services down.  Rodney and I looked around and actually did barter a few items.  I found a little teapot Christmas tree ornament for my mom for Christmas and was pleased with the price...and then back on our way to the actual warriors :-)

In Pit 1 with the football field full of warriors :-)

Peter dropped us off for a quick lunch on the outskirts of the Terracotta Warriors and then we were off inside to start our viewing of the three different pits.  For those unfamiliar with the Terracotta Warriors (the 8th wonder of the world), an ancient Chinese emperor believed that an individual could take with them all items buried with them into the afterlife.  So he had his people construct an entire army out of stone to bury with him for him to have in the afterlife.  Crazy right!  Football sized fields full of soldiers, horses, carriages and regalia...all handcrafted with the most intense detail you could ever imagine.

They are still working on unearthing some of these warriors here

There are three pits of soldiers and each was incredibly impressive and well worth the trip to Xi'an just to see the warriors.  Lighting was a little low so the pictures didn't turn out that great...but it was the type of experience that one can never forget.  If you want to read more about the warriors click on Terracotta Warriors :-)

These are all life-size warriors...incredible!

On our way out of seeing the warriors Rodney and I stopped and bartered quite a bit.  It was here that I had my first bartering experience where the ENTIRE transaction was done in Chinese...from start to finish.  It was a great feeling to know that I actually could barter the whole way through without the seller flipping over into English (which they will do in a heartbeat if they feel your Chinese isn't good enough)...so woohoo!!  Ended up buying some shadow puppets as Christmas presents, some ginger taffy, and some other local Xi'an treats.

After our bartering we found Peter and he graciously took us back to our hotel (seriously if anyone is going to Xi'an this guy was fantastic).  By the time we got back it was 5:00 and we were feeling like another adventure.  This time we wanted to find and explore the Muslim Quarter of Xi'an.  Rodney's impeccable directional skills quickly got us there and we were soon immersed in the lights, sounds, smells and vibrant nature of the street life here.

Mmm...muslim food...BAA!!

Food was the #1 priority on our agenda and Rodney soon found a restaurant with great smelling food out front that we had to try...but one small problem...they spoke neither English...nor Chinese!  And there were no picture menus...uhh...I'm about ready to abort mission when Rodney and the waiter start in on some sort of baaaaing mooing routine and before we know it Rodney has successfully ordered us mutton, beef, and lamb chuar, bread, and rice...score!  The food was delicious...and the experience was even better.

Slightly out of focus...or perfectly capturing the mood?

We left with our bellies full (well not full enough to prevent me from trying many other great street food items...yum) and began to just stroll and do some light bartering.  I found a set of China dolls for another Christmas present that I liked and some other novel items...but decided that rest was important than bartering and we were soon back to the hotel to wrap up a GREAT first night in Xi'an.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow where we will get to explore the rest of the town, the city wall, and many of the pagaoda's around.  If the weather is nice we hope to bike around the entire city wall...so fingers crossed.

Zaijian and Wan An (Good night)
Gary

Xi'An or Not to Xi'An

With only one week of classes left (and then finals) my friend and fellow faculty member Rodney came up with the idea (on Monday) to take the upcoming weekend and head to Xi'An.  Since I've been meaning to get out of Beijing and travel a bit...I decided this opportunity could not be missed.  Within a day the plan was set, plane tickets were bought, a hotel was secured and lesson plans and grading were caught up.  Friday rolled around and I found myself slightly queasy as I overheard Rodney saying something about me being the one who spoke Chinese...'gulp'.  This could be interesting...

Traveling in China is something I certainly want to do and I believe this trip will be great for giving me confidence in doing that.  It is just that there are so many things that come up that are hard to deal with if you do not have good language skills...we will see how we do :-)

Xi'An Bell Tower at Night

What is in Xi'An you may ask (and I asked some students as well).  Well, Xi'An is home to the Terracotta Warriors...one of the greatest sites in China and considered the 8th Wonder of the World.  In fact, most people say if you have not been to Xi'An to see the warriors...then you have not even been to China!  They also have a very vibrant Muslim Quarter, a huge city wall that goes around the entire city, and several other temples, pagodas, sites and food to explore and see.

Big Goose Pagoda

As I sit here in the Beijing airport waiting to catch our delayed flight (it snowed today for the first time in Beijing...and apparently snow stops planes in China) I have a few main thoughts running through my head.  1.  We managed to get from our apartment to the airport without a hitch (thanks to a student who helped me write out in Chinese 'Please take this man to the airport Terminal 3 :-), 2.  I love Burger King!  The airport has all sorts of delicious American food...and by delicious I mean they have real meat!  3.  The internet here is FANTASTIC!  Way better then on campus or in our apartments.  4.  I am thankful for this opportunity to get out and explore a country with such vast history as China.  It should be an epic weekend :-)

Zaijian,
(Learn Chinese:  T-San-Terminal 3)
Gary

The Silk Market

Today I woke up and realized that there is almost no time between now and when I head home for Christmas!  Woah!  Where did the semester go!!  More importantly...where am I going to get Christmas presents??  I've wanted to go to the Silk Market for some time now; both for the experience and to try to get some presents for my family.  However, I felt as if I shouldn't go for the first time by myself.  For one reason or another I kept missing others who went to the Silk Market and finally woke up this morning and determined...it's now or never.

I made up my mind and threw a map in my newly acquired satchel (well man-purse...so to speak...or maybe more appropriately 'european bag thingy which everyone in Asia seems to have') was out the door and hailing a taxi before I had time to talk myself out of it.  I told the taxi driver Silk Market and we were on our way...and still on our way...and still on our way.  O.k. finally we are there.  (Woah...much longer taxi ride then expected...probably should have taken the subway...but that's o.k. I'm here now and ready to bargain!).

The two scarves I bought for my sister Mary

I step inside the building and am immediately confronted with the sound of yelling, bartering, and people running to and fro.  This place is no joke.  Serious bargainers only.  I realize quickly I need to put my bargaining fears in the past.  I tried out some simple bargaining strategies at the Jin Ma markets and bartered a scarf down 10 RMB (from 40 to 30) and a satchel down 10 RMB as well.  So...yeah...not so great.  But...at least I had tried...and had a little taste of what to expect.  This place is overwhelming...what should I do first...find the scarves.  I drew my sister Mary's name for Christmas and I know I want to buy her two scarves from China...so might as well start there.  I start my way through the first floor and this is certainly different then any of the other markets I've been to in China.  Everyone you pass is speaking English to you begging you to come in...some are reaching out and grabbing you and trying to get you to come in and almost EVERYONE is reaching out and patting my belly.  What?  No lie.  As I walk by it goes like this. 'You like bags'-belly pat. 'You need jeans'-belly pat. 'You like t-shirt'-double belly pat.  Woah...need to find scarves stat!!!

I zoom through floor one...up to floor 2...up to floor 3...up to floor 4...up to floor 5.  I zoom in and out...darting away from belly patters and walking quickly and diverting my eyes to try to stay out of their grasp.  I survey the floors.  It looks like scarves are on floor 3...and I'm off.  I'm walking by stand after stand all with thousands of beautiful scarves and girls yelling at me.  Which one do I stop at?  This lady pats my belly...definitely not stopping...the next lady is yelling at me...nope...next lady says nothing...score!  I'm looking here.  The thing about China is you have to look and decide...quickly!  Two things I'm NOT good at.  But I need to be.  I quickly survey...she thinks I'm looking for myself and I quickly dispel that by pulling out a beautiful purple scarf.  This seems like Mary.  Or at least a good option.  I ask how much in Chinese.  210 RMB.  WHAT!  Holy Moly.  No WAY!  I instinctively start bartering and it goes like this:  210...no...20...no...150...no...50...no 80...no 70...no 75 o.k.  Thirty seconds of bartering and I have the scarf for 75 RMB.  $12.  Good?  No!  That was way to easy.  That was bad bartering Gary...Bad Bad Bad!  But...I know I had to go through this learning experience to do better.  I need to start lower...slow the pace...not go up...let her keep coming down...o.k.  Slower...slower.

You want HOW much for this Adidas Jacket??

I move on.  I come across a shop selling Adidas wear.  I'm a sucker for a black sports jacket and am badly in need of a new one.  Those of you that know me can attest to the fact that my black Nike jacket is old and needs to be tossed.  I go in and she is lively from the beginning.  Smelling a sale she wants to know what I'm after.  An Adidas jacket...what color...black of course.  Of course she has 'just the thing I'm looking for under 18 piles of junk'.  She pulls it out and it is a set of an Adidas track jacket (black) and matching pants.  It looks great.  Will it fit?  Asian clothes generally don't fit me.  So she pulls out the tag XXXXXL is what it says.  Lol...what!  I try it on.  It is a snug fit...but fits well.  I'm definitely not a 5XL...but o.k. whatever...it does look good...I might as well at least barter.  I like it...but won't be heartbroken if I leave without it...probably a good item to practice bargaining with.

I ask how much in Chinese.  She says...oh well originally 2700 RMB but special price for you because you speak Chinese 1850 RMB.  I laugh.  Deal!  No just kidding.  1800 RMB...I am so taken aback by this outlandish price...something like $290.  I laugh.  I know I can practice my bartering here.  I draw it out...I complain in Chinese how it is 'too expensive'.  I hemm and haw...oh so expensive...oh too much.  She goes on and on about quality blah blah blah...finally o.k. special price 1500.  This is ridiculous I'm ready to leave...she pulls me back...you name the price...how much you want to spend.  I need to joke with my price because she joked with her price.  10 RMB.  She laughs...o.k. o.k. she starts coming down a little.  The process goes on and on and on and on.

And on and on and on and on.  I go up slowly and she is coming down...but still way too much.  Eventually we both know I'm going to buy.  But...for how much...after about half an hour we reach a decision 330 RMB.  That is actually a little more than I probably would have wanted to pay...it is maybe $50.  But...maybe it was worth it...it took FOREVER to get the price down that far and she didn't want to do it....and in the end she shook my hand and said you are a great barterer my friend.  (maybe she is just joking because she got lots of money).  But still I think it was good...my friends who barter a lot seem to think it was insane to get them to go down more than 50%...so I'm happy.

Anyways...this gave me confidence.  Now I'm in the game.  What else do I want??  I've made several laps where I've had my eye on this certain pair of mittens.  They are Ugg mittens...black...and look super warm.  Beijing is FREEZING in the winter and I need a good pair of gloves.  Finally I go in.  Duo Show Jian?  250 RMB.  OMG!!!  Are you serious.  This time I'm in it to win it.  I barter hard and fast...40 RMB nope he's not going to do it...I leave...he comes running after and says 'give me your money...don't let anybody see'.  O.k.  Now I really know I've gotten a good deal.  Excited about this success I decide to move on for a second scarf for my sister.  I've heard that with GREAT bartering you can get it to 35...maybe 25 if you are Chinese.  That's my goal...35 RMB.

What do you think?  Is the one on the left worth twice as much?

I find a shop and the lady drags me in.  I tell her I'm looking for my sister and I need a scarf that is bright and colorful.  She brings me a silk scarf that is yellow and orange and super bright.  'Oh everyone loves this...traditional Chinese scarf.'  No that is way too bright...my sister won't like it.  So she says...I know just what she wants and brings me a black scarf.  Umm...no...this is way to dull...let me look around.  At this...the lady loses it.  NO!  YOU LEAVE!  You don't know what you want!  You stupid foreigner!  You not going to buy because you don't know what you want!  Stupid white man!

O.k. the 'stupid white man' crack struck a chord.  I'm not saying I should be proud of what I did next...but it happened.  I tell her that no I am going to buy a scarf for my sister...today...right now!  And that I'm going to pay full price...at the store right next door!  She screams something in Chinese and I'm off.  The next store lets me look around (something the other sales lady was not willing to let me do) and I find a scarf I think Mary will like.  I ask how much and again they start at 210.  This time I hold firm to my bartering and don't budge...keeping 35 as my goal.  Eventually the lady cracks...'you crazy...you want to pay only amount that is enough for a small child ice cream'.  I tell her she needs to find a new place to buy her children ice cream...and she laughs and lowers the price a bit.  I hold firm and eventually...finally...get the scarf for 30 RMB!  YES!!!!!!!! Now that was a great deal.  But I'm not done...oh no.

I take my new scarf back to the shop with the mean sales lady.  She's not there...I ask for her and they go to the back and find her.  She comes out and I show her the scarf.  I say 'Look!  I just purchased this...it is beautiful...and I see you have the exact same one!  I paid full price 210 RMB!'  The sales lady gets all red and is about to lose it...she cannot believe she kicked me out and I overpaid for a scarf she had.  You can see the anger rising.  She screams a high pitched squeal and then starts saying something to herself in Chinese and then says 'Oh that scarf is SOOO Ugly! Your sister must have UGLY face to want to wear such an ugly scarf!!'  I laughed and said goodbye, Merry Christmas and she shrieked and went into the back room seriously miffed that she missed such a sale.

Nothing could top that experience so I was soon on my way out the door to the subway and back home.  First trip to the Silk Market...a raging success!
Zaijian,
(Learn Chinese:  Jiada-FAKE!! Very helpful in bartering)
Gary

Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner??

O.k. so here is my question for you.  Judging by this plate of food in front of me...which meal was I eating?  Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner??

So I'm guessing the egg is probably the dead giveaway right?  This is part of a traditional Chinese breakfast...well...at least the part I took from the buffet I was at.  The soup is a conjee sort of thing (not my favorite...sort of like a rice porridge).  The bun is called mantou and is probably my favorite part of these type of breakfasts because you can either dip it into the 'soup' or sometimes I'll tear it in half and put my hard boiled egg between the halves and have a little sandwich.  The rest of the plate here is just some type of noodles, some green beans, and pickled bamboo.  Usually there is a huge selection of vegetables...often even a vegetable salad (at 7:00 a.m. it is hard for me to eat a vegetable salad).  They will also often put their version of coffee on the buffet (don't be fooled...get just the regular hot water instead...trust me).

So there you have it...a traditional Chinese breakfast.  So what do I eat you may be asking?  Well...I've fallen in love with these things called jian bing.  They are kind of like an egg pancake sort of crepe thing.  They start with a batter they put out on a crepe machine.  Then they take and crack an egg or two in it and spread that around.  After they flip it they put on different spices, lettuce, onions, a huge pork rind (I think that's what it is...it is really crunchy) and I have them put a stick of processed meat in it too.  Sounds disgusting right?  Nope....delicious!  Love em.  Chris and I often dream of starting a jian bing stand in the U.S.  They only cost about 4 RMB here...but they are HUGE and delicious...mmm!

O.k. enough about food...off to teach :-)
Zaijian,
Gary