First of all, early December, I finally made it to Beijing! (Woo!) It was super fun! Have some pictures:
Beijing!
Forbidden City
Statue Drain Thing!
Lion!
I had Beijing Roast Duck!
Its a super neat place. Definitely will go there again. But now I have a story and a warning.
I want to start off by saying that I'm pretty smart and pretty well-traveled (I'm 23 and I've been to something around 10 countries. One of them being Cuba). I've been to touristy places and places that I shouldn't have been in as a white guy. But Beijing was the first time I've ever legitimately gotten scammed.
A lot of it is on me, I probably should have researched how shit like that goes down, but being in Changchun (where everyone is super nice and respectful to me), I've got soft and gullible. I was insanely mad after this happened to me, but I figure its best to just own up to it and hopefully warn other waiguoren that find themselves in the Big B (that is what I'm trying to get people to call Beijing. It'll catch on).
So, I arrive in Beijing by myself. I had to teach one more class and Carter didn't, so he went up the day before and checked into the hostel. So, for my first hour or so in Beijing, I'm completely alone.
Yes, I get scammed in Beijing within an hour of arriving.
I get out of the train station, get to a cab and tell him to bring me to my hostel. He drives for not more than 5 minutes before stopping and pointing down an alley, telling me its down there. Then he's all "80 yuan!" I'm not paying 80 yuan for a 5 minute cab ride (In Changchun, I can pay about 100 to get me to the airport 45 minutes away). Haha, silly Chinese taxi driver, you think I don't know what I'm doing! I give him 20 because he made me laugh. He mutters something at me and I get out feeling like I got this whole China thing figured out.
As it turns out, the cab dropped me off a good ways walk away from my hostel so I was lost rather instantly. Its okay though, I have the address, I have the name of the hostel and I have enough knowledge of Chinese to ask directions. I get pointed down a few streets and eventually end up with a police officer that didn't have any idea where I needed to go. I'm talking to him, trying to get some clue of where my next move should be when three gentlemen come up.
"You speak English?"
"Um...yes."
"Oh, very good! American?"
"...yes."
Their English was pretty much flawless, and that surprised me a lot. Its super rare to ever find anyone in China with flawless English. To date, I'm sure they are still the only ones. They talk to the police officer, who tells them my problem and they look down at the address I had jotted down.
"That hotel is right across the street from ours! We are on our way there now, just come with us!"
This is when my super gullible 'Oh, the Chinese are so nice' thing from all my months in quaint, little Changchun kick in.
"Sure!"
I follow them down some crowded streets and alleys, and they talk non-stop. Two of them were businessmen with IBM and the other was a Chinese professor. They were all from Xi'an and visiting Beijing on vacation. They had just gotten back from some kind of travel in Chicago. They asked what I was doing in China (They were super impressed when I said teaching), what I thought of teaching and China, where I was from in America and a couple other similar questions.
And...it all seemed really legit. They were really friendly and were giving me a lot of tips for traveling Beijing (what to see, eat and all that).
There was a moment of silence and we were walking down an alley with fewer people in it, which was the first time that my danger sense gave me a little kick. I was wearing ratty clothes (as I do) and my camera was in my backpack. I didn't look like I had money, and I told myself that this must just be the way to the hostel and not worry about it.
They start talking to one another and to me, trying to get the Chinese professor to practice his English (he had the worst English of them, but it was still really good). They stop outside of a tea house.
"My friends and I have been walking all day, and its very cold. This is our favorite tea house. Would you mind coming in with us and sharing a pot? We could share emails!"
I didn't really want tea. I wanted to get to my hostel. I glanced at my watch. I had already called Carter to tell him that I had arrived, so he would be expecting me soon. The tea house looked friendly enough, so I shrugged and figured 'Why not have some tea with my new Chinese friends?'
We go in and I immediately sit down in front and they laugh and wave me to some stairs. "We come here all the time, we know the best seats!"
Once again, my danger sense kicks in, but I ignore it.
They take me upstairs where there were private booths that...were pretty nice looking. Before I had even sat down, one of them had already ordered tea.
At this point, the conversation shifts from me and China and Beijing to...well, mostly tea. They tell me how many varieties of Chinese tea there are, how it varies by region, how its made, what different teas mean and when the two pots they order finally arrive, they tell me that is an important tradition that when you meet new friends in China, that you share these two specific kinds of tea.
I had never heard that, but whatever. I drank two cups.
As soon as I drink, they start telling me that the more expensive the tea is, the better it is and we are drinking very good tea.
Once again, danger sense. This time I ignore it by telling myself that since they had invited me, the bill was on them (which is a real Chinese tradition. Person that does the inviting, always pays).
The bill comes around, and the person that had done all the talking picks it up and shows it to me. 1040 yuan. That's about 160usd.
Good thing that this guy is paying!
"Your share of the bill is only 800."
"What?"
"Give us 800 yuan. It is your share."
First of all, there were four of us and that is really shitty math. Second of all, I realize then what game they are playing.
I begin yelling and cursing in English and mixing it with anything bad I could say in Chinese...which really wasn't a lot ("You are bad!" "You are not my friend!" "You are bad meat!" and other such nonsense). The fact that I knew some Chinese seemed to surprise them.
"I would pay more, but I used my money to buy my sister some gifts!"
"No! This is ridiculous!" I continue yelling and cursing. The waitress and the guys are looking more and more uncomfortable. I start fantasizing about reaching into my bag and taking out my monopod and just attacking them. I was incredibly angry.
They start talking swiftly in Chinese. I get up, but I'm blocked on the inside of the booth.
"You only play 500!"
I think about taking the tea kettle from the table and just smashing it the main guy. But I didn't know where I was, who was downstairs, if they had anything on them...or even who these guys really were.
I threw down 200 yuan, and before they could protest, I start yelling and interrupting them. I stand up and they let me pass.
I get the hell out of that tea house, see that at least I'm on the right street now and take it to my hostel.
I found out that not everywhere is as friendly as Changchun and it woke me up from the dream that everyone in China may be super friendly. I no longer trust strange Chinese people that speak very good English. Worst first hour in Beijing ever.
The rest was pretty fun, though.
Why do we fall?
- Andrew
