Since we arrived so late on Thursday night to Quito I didn´t get to see much of the city. It is at quite a high elevation, 9500 ft., and surrounded on all sides by mountains. At this time of year they are green and treeless. Some of the tallest active volcanoes in the world, Cotopaxie and Pichincha flank the city on either side. One of our cabbies told us that Cotopaxie erupts every 100 years, and is currently overdue. If it were to erupt, almost 250,000 people could potentially be affected. Cotopaxie has snow year round, but we couldn´t see either volcano as both were wreathed in clouds.
We hitched a cab to the monument at the equator, which is about a 40 minute drive north out of the city. The monument is known as El Mitad del Mundo. It was built before GPS systems, so when the location was officially calibrated, it turns out that they were 250 meters off! Still, it´s an interesting place to visit with small tourist shops, a monument tower that one can climb for a good view, and plenty of funny photo ops featuring one straddling the equator. You can also get a souvenier passport stamp showing you´ve been to the middle of the world.
After jumping across the equator several times, we headed back to Quito´s historical quarter, which was built in the 1600´s when the Spanish ruled the area. The historical area is absolutely charming, with slightly run down but obviously well-loved European style buildings that made me feel as if I were in Slovakia or Croatia! The only difference, of course, was that everyone here is Ecuadorian. About 20% of the population is local indigenous people and the rest are mestizo, although they seem to trend smaller and browner than in Mexico.
Our cabbie was very chatty, so we engaged him to take us to a hill above the city where there stands a statue of the Virgin Mary standing on top of a serpent, symbolizing the evil in the world. After grabbing a good view, we got dropped off at the central square where we saw the Presidential Palace and several churches. We wandered through the city until we ended up at the city Basilica, which is Gothic in style although was completed in the 1920´s. Instead of saints, its outer walls are adorned with exotic animals including iguanas and tortoises!
We then stopped by a travel agency to try to arrange our hotel and tours in the Galapagos. We went to Happy Gringo, which I had been emailing with prior to our departure as well as came highly recommended by Lonely Planet. As it turned out, we were quite unhappy gringos by the end. We walked in and explained that we wanted to see if there were any last minute deals on Galapagos boat tours. We were told that there were two tours leaving that matched our schedules and that one was a midrange boat for $850 per person and the other was a luxury boat for $990 per person. We chatted a bit about the options, and were ready to go for the luxury boat, but then were told that the boat was now full. Then we were told that we had to pay cash, immediately. Since it was past 5pm and the banks were closed, there was no way we could get that much cash. It was also ridiculous that they would expect us to carry around that much money in US$, which is the currency here in Ecuador. We tried to get them to accept credit card, but they said they would charge us 6%, which was egregious as well. After a lot of arguing and back and forth, we decided to just walk and try to arrange something on the islands themselves.
We had received a dinner recommendation from a gingo in the immigration line (an expat) who said that if we wanted steaks we should go to Restaurante El Sur. We had the hotel make us reservations at 10pm (like many other parts of Latin America, people dine fashionably late in Ecuador). After a quick nap and shower, we headed over to the restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal of Lomo steak, which is an Argentinean style tenderized and marinated very thin steak. It was fabulous! We also had a fine Chilean wine with it which complimented the meal perfectly. It was so tasty!!
Our flights were early, 8:30, so we had to get up early to make it to the airport. I was so full from dinner, I went right to bed. I was excited, however, as I knew we would be in the Galapagos the next day!
Showing posts with label HAPPY WITH CRAPPY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HAPPY WITH CRAPPY. Show all posts
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Saturday, May 9, 2009
All the King's Horses and All the King's Men
Xi'an, according to the guidebook, is "firmly on the tourist itinerary" and I have to say for tourists their public transportation is very handy. To get out to the terracotta warriors of Qin Shi Huang Di (the first emperor of a united China in 221BCE) one only need step off the overnight train and head to the east side of the train station plaza, where minibuses and tourist public buses depart for these destinations regularly. Xi'an's imposing city walls were the first thing we saw when we got off the train and we wanted to walk around them, but at 13km in circumference we didn't have time--the best way is to rent bikes and bike around.
The tourist bus #307 runs right out to the terracotta warrior complex, about 20k outside of town, via some city streets and other attractions such as the Taoist holy mountain Li Shan and various museums and whatnot along the way. The cost is only 7 yuan, which makes it a much better deal than the minibuses that take you straight to the warriors for 26 yuan. Jessica and I hopped onto the tourist bus and it took us about one hour to arrive. The bus was very nice, though, more like a long distance coach, and was air conditioned.
The terracotta army is actually adjacent to the grave of the Qin emperor, which has not been excavated, and was not mentioned in extant historical texts. The army features thousands of life-sized warrior figurines with unique facial features, different poses and uniforms. Horses, chariots, weaponry and other artifacts were also found with the army. It was discovered in 1975 by a peasant sinking a well and has been nicely excavated and was well presented. According to the ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian, the tomb of the Qin emperor has rivers of mercury and treasures untold... as well as booby traps full of spears and arrows waiting to shoot any who trespass. Sounds like a case for Indiana Jones!
The army is housed in three vaults, all partially excavated and roofed. The 1st vault is the largest, with 8000 or so figures arranged in neat rows. The vault is the size of an aircraft hanger, so the scale is immense. Ignoring the throngs of tourists taking photos and posing in front of the figures, Jess and I tried to capture the scope of the view with photos but they don't really do it justice. You can't wander around the figures (since they are fragile terracotta and additionally sections are still under construction) but there are walkways around the entire area so you can get a closer look.
To me the figures were certainly imposing, but also a little sad. They are just standing, waiting for their master who will never come. Some were reassembled but others are lying smashed.
The second vault is fully of mostly broken horses and cavalrymen. This vault also has a fine museum with a close up view of one horse and cavalryman (the detail on both is exquisite, down to the individual lines of hair on both as well as the notched bolts that hold the warrior's armor together. There are also archer figures and a spectacular general, with a fancy hairdo, scarves of glory and a bushy handlebar mustache. You can see the fingernails on all the figures, really impressive.
The third vault is mostly empty, but it does house six beautiful horse figures that came with a chariot, which is being restored. There is also a separate museum that shows two 1/5 scale war chariots with horses and driver, all made of bronze. The museum also features two marionettes that were used in the Beijing Olympic opening ceremonies, which are kind of the most creepy things I've ever seen.
Having had our fill of history, Jess and I caught the bus back to Xi'an and got back on the internet. Unfortunately, the flight was now 200 yuan more expensive! Fighting over the phone with Air China proved fruitless, so we caught the airport bus (which we discovered by luck while wandering around looking for the internet cafe). The bus took about an hour, and it rained heavily. We got quite damp walking over to take the bus.
At the airport, the one staff member at the Air China ticket booking desk was spectacularly unhelpful, raising her voice and interrupting us when we tried to explain our story. We asked to speak to her boss, and she made a phone call, then said "Boss not coming. I no help you." She then proceeded to ignore us and read the paper. No amount of talking loudly in English or Chinese would rouse her. Jessica was so furious she could barely speak. Unfortunately, Air China's flight that I was already booked on was the cheapest. We decided to book the flight, but used a private ticket booking desk provided by the airport itself, which was just 2 booths down from the Air China satan's spawn. Ironically they quoted us a cheaper rate on the Eastern China flight that left a little earlier compared to what we were told when we asked the official Eastern China Airlines ticket booking staff, but Jess opted for Air China so we could fly together. OOPS.
We made it through security and went and sat in a cafe until boarding time... when an announcement was promptly made that our flight was delayed until 10:45 due to "maintenance of the aircraft." To us that sounded like "we're bull$hitting you because we're incompetent idiots." As you can tell we were really down on Air China right now. In what was not a shocker, they delayed the flight again to midnight, and then once more to 12:45. I was not the only person who was infuriated with Air China, local Chinese citizens were arguing with the ground staff and receiving the same crappy service (which made me a little bit perversely pleased).
Finally, another plane arrived around 12:20am and we boarded at 12:45am. They gave us 100 yuan refund, which is about US$12. Thanks a lot, way to rub salt on an open wound! The flight was uneventful, except for a minor altercation with a flight attendant who told me to turn off my iPhone (which was in airplane mode) because it "wasn't allowed in China" which is complete BS because I used it on the Air China flight we took from Guilin to Chengdu AND it's basically an iPod when it is on airplane mode. I stuck to my guns because there was no way I wasn't going to have music and my games during the flight. Eventually another flight attendant came over and knocked some sense into the one berating me. This entire exchange was in a mixture of English and Chinese, all of it probably ruder than I would like but I was at my last straw.
We landed at Beijing Capital Airport at 2:20am, but we had to taxi forever and then once we got off the gate I think we walked about a kilometer to get out. Jessica and I were not happy with the fact that Terminal 3 at Beijing Captial Airport is the world's second largest terminal after Dubai! We took a cab to the Mariott and got to our room at 4am. Thanks a lot, Air China. I'm going to tell everyone I possibly can about how crappy your customer service is.
The tourist bus #307 runs right out to the terracotta warrior complex, about 20k outside of town, via some city streets and other attractions such as the Taoist holy mountain Li Shan and various museums and whatnot along the way. The cost is only 7 yuan, which makes it a much better deal than the minibuses that take you straight to the warriors for 26 yuan. Jessica and I hopped onto the tourist bus and it took us about one hour to arrive. The bus was very nice, though, more like a long distance coach, and was air conditioned.
The terracotta army is actually adjacent to the grave of the Qin emperor, which has not been excavated, and was not mentioned in extant historical texts. The army features thousands of life-sized warrior figurines with unique facial features, different poses and uniforms. Horses, chariots, weaponry and other artifacts were also found with the army. It was discovered in 1975 by a peasant sinking a well and has been nicely excavated and was well presented. According to the ancient Chinese historian Sima Qian, the tomb of the Qin emperor has rivers of mercury and treasures untold... as well as booby traps full of spears and arrows waiting to shoot any who trespass. Sounds like a case for Indiana Jones!
The army is housed in three vaults, all partially excavated and roofed. The 1st vault is the largest, with 8000 or so figures arranged in neat rows. The vault is the size of an aircraft hanger, so the scale is immense. Ignoring the throngs of tourists taking photos and posing in front of the figures, Jess and I tried to capture the scope of the view with photos but they don't really do it justice. You can't wander around the figures (since they are fragile terracotta and additionally sections are still under construction) but there are walkways around the entire area so you can get a closer look.
To me the figures were certainly imposing, but also a little sad. They are just standing, waiting for their master who will never come. Some were reassembled but others are lying smashed.
The second vault is fully of mostly broken horses and cavalrymen. This vault also has a fine museum with a close up view of one horse and cavalryman (the detail on both is exquisite, down to the individual lines of hair on both as well as the notched bolts that hold the warrior's armor together. There are also archer figures and a spectacular general, with a fancy hairdo, scarves of glory and a bushy handlebar mustache. You can see the fingernails on all the figures, really impressive.
The third vault is mostly empty, but it does house six beautiful horse figures that came with a chariot, which is being restored. There is also a separate museum that shows two 1/5 scale war chariots with horses and driver, all made of bronze. The museum also features two marionettes that were used in the Beijing Olympic opening ceremonies, which are kind of the most creepy things I've ever seen.
Having had our fill of history, Jess and I caught the bus back to Xi'an and got back on the internet. Unfortunately, the flight was now 200 yuan more expensive! Fighting over the phone with Air China proved fruitless, so we caught the airport bus (which we discovered by luck while wandering around looking for the internet cafe). The bus took about an hour, and it rained heavily. We got quite damp walking over to take the bus.
At the airport, the one staff member at the Air China ticket booking desk was spectacularly unhelpful, raising her voice and interrupting us when we tried to explain our story. We asked to speak to her boss, and she made a phone call, then said "Boss not coming. I no help you." She then proceeded to ignore us and read the paper. No amount of talking loudly in English or Chinese would rouse her. Jessica was so furious she could barely speak. Unfortunately, Air China's flight that I was already booked on was the cheapest. We decided to book the flight, but used a private ticket booking desk provided by the airport itself, which was just 2 booths down from the Air China satan's spawn. Ironically they quoted us a cheaper rate on the Eastern China flight that left a little earlier compared to what we were told when we asked the official Eastern China Airlines ticket booking staff, but Jess opted for Air China so we could fly together. OOPS.
We made it through security and went and sat in a cafe until boarding time... when an announcement was promptly made that our flight was delayed until 10:45 due to "maintenance of the aircraft." To us that sounded like "we're bull$hitting you because we're incompetent idiots." As you can tell we were really down on Air China right now. In what was not a shocker, they delayed the flight again to midnight, and then once more to 12:45. I was not the only person who was infuriated with Air China, local Chinese citizens were arguing with the ground staff and receiving the same crappy service (which made me a little bit perversely pleased).
Finally, another plane arrived around 12:20am and we boarded at 12:45am. They gave us 100 yuan refund, which is about US$12. Thanks a lot, way to rub salt on an open wound! The flight was uneventful, except for a minor altercation with a flight attendant who told me to turn off my iPhone (which was in airplane mode) because it "wasn't allowed in China" which is complete BS because I used it on the Air China flight we took from Guilin to Chengdu AND it's basically an iPod when it is on airplane mode. I stuck to my guns because there was no way I wasn't going to have music and my games during the flight. Eventually another flight attendant came over and knocked some sense into the one berating me. This entire exchange was in a mixture of English and Chinese, all of it probably ruder than I would like but I was at my last straw.
We landed at Beijing Capital Airport at 2:20am, but we had to taxi forever and then once we got off the gate I think we walked about a kilometer to get out. Jessica and I were not happy with the fact that Terminal 3 at Beijing Captial Airport is the world's second largest terminal after Dubai! We took a cab to the Mariott and got to our room at 4am. Thanks a lot, Air China. I'm going to tell everyone I possibly can about how crappy your customer service is.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Chengdu Redeemed, Sort Of
Last night Jess and I met up for drinks with our new British friends Matthew and Nathan. We met them at the panda reserve while we were waiting for Jessica's turn to cuddle the baby panda. They are working on a 5 part documentary on Chengdu and the pandas, for this presenter named Nigel Marvin. They are in Chengdu for 2 weeks and then are off to the wilderness at Bifengxia to try to find wild pandas.
We took a cab to their hotel and walked down the street a little ways to find a restaurant that was open. In China, especially in smaller cities, there are very few bars and pubs, if you are going to drink and socialize, you do it at a restaurant. We found a place and popped in. The proprietors were very excited to have some foreigners and recommended many Sichuan style dishes. I got some spicy beef and potatoes foe Jessica. Everythig came on a stick, it was spicy and very good! They also gave us lots of yummy tea and we got some Snow Beer for the guys, who had already eaten dinner.
It seemed that the guys didn't know anything about China; they didn't know you had to bargain (!!!!!!!!!) or about the concept of face so we immediately set them straight on that. We just had a nice time chatting about what we had done in China and I gave them tips on cultural scenery they could use to pad their documentary. Nathan told us about the cottage he owns in England, it's in a tiny village with no streetlight and only one lane and one road. Jess and I wanted to go there immediately!
The proprietors of the restaurant chatted with us a bit and asked to take photos with us; like I said, I don't think they got any foreigners popping in often... Or ever! We didn't mind the photos though, as they asked very nicely and posed in the pictures with us.
We knocked off around midnight; the guys had 6:30am photo call and we were tired from our day at the panda reserve.
The next morning we slept in and then took the bus to a big China Mobile store that we had seen the day before. Jessica had bought a top-up card in Beijing, but it ripped when she tried to scrape the foil off the pin number. She had been told by a China Mobile branch in Beijing that exchanging the card would be easy, she just had to go to a main headquarters. Serves us right for thinking anything in China would be easy!
Things were going fine until they realized the card was purchased in Beijing. Aparently the Chengdu and Beijing branches are separate subsidiaries and cannot exhange cards between systems. One hour later of escalating claims to supervisors and making people call the Beijing branch we left sans new card or refund. We will have to go in Beijing and demand a refund. So annoying! My Chinese is better from the arguing, however.
Jess and I are currently in a Starbucks checking email, then we will check out the Tibetan quarter nearby and then we catch the train to Xi'an! I'm excited for Terracotta Warriors!
We took a cab to their hotel and walked down the street a little ways to find a restaurant that was open. In China, especially in smaller cities, there are very few bars and pubs, if you are going to drink and socialize, you do it at a restaurant. We found a place and popped in. The proprietors were very excited to have some foreigners and recommended many Sichuan style dishes. I got some spicy beef and potatoes foe Jessica. Everythig came on a stick, it was spicy and very good! They also gave us lots of yummy tea and we got some Snow Beer for the guys, who had already eaten dinner.
It seemed that the guys didn't know anything about China; they didn't know you had to bargain (!!!!!!!!!) or about the concept of face so we immediately set them straight on that. We just had a nice time chatting about what we had done in China and I gave them tips on cultural scenery they could use to pad their documentary. Nathan told us about the cottage he owns in England, it's in a tiny village with no streetlight and only one lane and one road. Jess and I wanted to go there immediately!
The proprietors of the restaurant chatted with us a bit and asked to take photos with us; like I said, I don't think they got any foreigners popping in often... Or ever! We didn't mind the photos though, as they asked very nicely and posed in the pictures with us.
We knocked off around midnight; the guys had 6:30am photo call and we were tired from our day at the panda reserve.
The next morning we slept in and then took the bus to a big China Mobile store that we had seen the day before. Jessica had bought a top-up card in Beijing, but it ripped when she tried to scrape the foil off the pin number. She had been told by a China Mobile branch in Beijing that exchanging the card would be easy, she just had to go to a main headquarters. Serves us right for thinking anything in China would be easy!
Things were going fine until they realized the card was purchased in Beijing. Aparently the Chengdu and Beijing branches are separate subsidiaries and cannot exhange cards between systems. One hour later of escalating claims to supervisors and making people call the Beijing branch we left sans new card or refund. We will have to go in Beijing and demand a refund. So annoying! My Chinese is better from the arguing, however.
Jess and I are currently in a Starbucks checking email, then we will check out the Tibetan quarter nearby and then we catch the train to Xi'an! I'm excited for Terracotta Warriors!
Monday, May 4, 2009
A Host of Funny-Shaped Mountains
Jess and I had our Lijiang River cruise today and I must say it is spectacular. We caught our bus at 8:30 am and were driven to a location downstream. We were the only two non-Asian people on the bus (there was one Japanese guy as we found out later). In typical Chinese style, there was a guide blabbing into a microphone the whole time. Everyone seemed to ignore it. We got off at the ferry terminal, which of course included a huge jewelry store (because when you go boating, you should get jewelry too) as well as some stalls where I got a cheap bucket hat and a sticky rice steamed thing that had beans and chestnuts. Pretty good.
The tour guide made me explain to the Japanese guy that the boat did not include a return bus to Guilin and that if he wanted to he could take bus #36610 to get back or he could call her. I was not too pleased at being roped into being translator, since the comprehension was slow going. Luckily someone else spoke some Japanese so I got off the hook.
The cruise boats are flat bottomed ferries with a lower deck where you eat lunch, and then an observation deck with no sun shade and no chairs. Some boats (like ours) have a small room up top with a few tables and chairs. The downstairs area kind of sucks because it's crowded, smoking is allowed and of course, Chinese people fear the sun like vampires so a bunch of people immediately closed the window curtains! When I complained that we couldn't see, they opened it slightly but it still sucked.
Jess and I headed up to the observation deck as soon as the boat pushed off. We took some chairs out of the room up top and sat at the front, underneath a roof overhang to get a bit of shade. The weather was sunny and pleasant again but we didn't want to spend 4 hours in the noonday sun. We were having a nice time until one of the boat staff came and kicked us off the chairs. The reason given was that some people were coming up to eat in the room. I argued a bit but they were adamant so we acquiesced and spread out my sarong in the same spot.
The scenery was of course fabulous, with fantastically shaped limestone karst formations lining the river, crowned with leafy green tops. We could see farmers tending the fields, fishing cormorants, grazing water buffalo and smaller boats as well as bamboo rafts. Several enterprising fellows even tied up to the side of the boat and hawked "jade" pigs and cows through the window! Another ferry got a food delivery via small moterboat.
We were mostly left alone except periodically, whenever a famous formation came up, a passel of Chinese passengers would rush in and crowd our area, taking the requisite portraits with the V for victory sign. I swear they must have gotten the same photo at least 50 times! They reacted to our presence much like the rest of China, ranging from bemusement to outright blatant staring. We just stare back and that solves the problem. Lunch was served about 2 hours in, so the crowds left after that.
Jess and I agreed that if we had to do it again we'd just take the bus straight to Yangshou, where the ferries terminate, and just hire a small bamboo raft with a roof and a simple outboard motor and take us upstream. The cruise is lovely, but sharing a boat with 30 other passengers who don't appreciate the beauty of nature in the same way is considerably less lovely.
We are spending the night in Yangshou, which is a small village on the bank of the river with gorgeous peaks surrounding it. The air here is fresh and pleasant and Jess and I can't help but feel refreshed after 7 weeks of Beijing pollution and smog. We're staying at a hostel/hotel called Riverview; we have a view of the river, a balcony and air conditioning in our private room. The owners are pleasantly un-pushy.
Yangshow is kind of a westerner hang out so I have promised Jess pizza for dinner. We plan to go for a quick hike and then maybe hit the pub later. We hope to rent bikes and go for a bike ride tomorrow morning before taking the bus back to Guilin.
The tour guide made me explain to the Japanese guy that the boat did not include a return bus to Guilin and that if he wanted to he could take bus #36610 to get back or he could call her. I was not too pleased at being roped into being translator, since the comprehension was slow going. Luckily someone else spoke some Japanese so I got off the hook.
The cruise boats are flat bottomed ferries with a lower deck where you eat lunch, and then an observation deck with no sun shade and no chairs. Some boats (like ours) have a small room up top with a few tables and chairs. The downstairs area kind of sucks because it's crowded, smoking is allowed and of course, Chinese people fear the sun like vampires so a bunch of people immediately closed the window curtains! When I complained that we couldn't see, they opened it slightly but it still sucked.
Jess and I headed up to the observation deck as soon as the boat pushed off. We took some chairs out of the room up top and sat at the front, underneath a roof overhang to get a bit of shade. The weather was sunny and pleasant again but we didn't want to spend 4 hours in the noonday sun. We were having a nice time until one of the boat staff came and kicked us off the chairs. The reason given was that some people were coming up to eat in the room. I argued a bit but they were adamant so we acquiesced and spread out my sarong in the same spot.
The scenery was of course fabulous, with fantastically shaped limestone karst formations lining the river, crowned with leafy green tops. We could see farmers tending the fields, fishing cormorants, grazing water buffalo and smaller boats as well as bamboo rafts. Several enterprising fellows even tied up to the side of the boat and hawked "jade" pigs and cows through the window! Another ferry got a food delivery via small moterboat.
We were mostly left alone except periodically, whenever a famous formation came up, a passel of Chinese passengers would rush in and crowd our area, taking the requisite portraits with the V for victory sign. I swear they must have gotten the same photo at least 50 times! They reacted to our presence much like the rest of China, ranging from bemusement to outright blatant staring. We just stare back and that solves the problem. Lunch was served about 2 hours in, so the crowds left after that.
Jess and I agreed that if we had to do it again we'd just take the bus straight to Yangshou, where the ferries terminate, and just hire a small bamboo raft with a roof and a simple outboard motor and take us upstream. The cruise is lovely, but sharing a boat with 30 other passengers who don't appreciate the beauty of nature in the same way is considerably less lovely.
We are spending the night in Yangshou, which is a small village on the bank of the river with gorgeous peaks surrounding it. The air here is fresh and pleasant and Jess and I can't help but feel refreshed after 7 weeks of Beijing pollution and smog. We're staying at a hostel/hotel called Riverview; we have a view of the river, a balcony and air conditioning in our private room. The owners are pleasantly un-pushy.
Yangshow is kind of a westerner hang out so I have promised Jess pizza for dinner. We plan to go for a quick hike and then maybe hit the pub later. We hope to rent bikes and go for a bike ride tomorrow morning before taking the bus back to Guilin.
Friday, May 1, 2009
The Most Inconvenient Online Travel Company in the World
Now that our semester has wound down in Beijing, Jessica and I have some time to travel around China before we go back to the US. We had planned to spend a couple of days in Beijing with our friends before taking the overnight train to Xi'an, then the overnight train to Chengdu, then flying to Guilin and then flying back to Beijing. Unfortunately, this weekend is "Worker's Holiday", so EVERYONE in China (all 1.4 billion of them) is trying to take the train to go back to their country village and the train station is a complete nut house. I went by last night to purchase tickets and there were mobs of people running around, waiting, squatting and sleeping outside. Since there are a lot of real peasanty types taking the train, everyone cuts in line and you have to be really aggressive. Several people asked me to help them purchase tickets to get home, I said no thanks. I noticed that they pestered other local Chinese too, not just me, so I guess I don't mind as much. I would have been more annoyed had they targeted the only foreigner in the train station.
There were only soft sleeper tickets available on Monday night to go to Xi'an, so I elected not to purchase. We are checking out of our hotel on Sunday so we didn't want to extend for another day--we've been in Beijing for 7 weeks and wanted to get out of town! Jessica was back in the hotel and is out of minutes on her phone (Again! She and her boyfriend talk so much she goes through a 100RMB card every two days. Yes. Two days!) so I couldn't call her to confirm. Soft sleeper from Beijing to Xi'an is about 420RMB.
I went back to the hotel and suggested to Jessica that we go the opposite way, and fly straight from Beijing to Guilin. I looked up the tickets using an online reservation site, www.elong.net. They have searchable functions in English and allow you to book online (some Chinese websites don't, you have to come and pay for the tickets in person). We had looked at flights earlier in the week and they were a little pricey, about 1000RMB for the flight from Guilin to Beijing. As it turned out, the flights were now half the price! Beijing to Guilin was only 540RMB and Guilin to Chengdu (to see the pandas) was only 510RMB! What a deal! We booked the tickets immediately, planning to buy the train tickets when we get to Chengdu.
Elong has quite possibly one of the worst systems for buying tickets online: you input your credit card and hit confirm, but then you have to scan or fax a signed credit card use authorization form AND copies of front and back of your credit card AND a copy of your passport (if you are a foreign credit card holder). What a pain! Jess and I spent about 2 hours taking photos of our passports and credit cards and emailing them, and elong kept calling us back saying stuff like "your electronic authorization is not good enough, we need fax" and "we cannot see the signature on the back of Miss Tartell's credit card". We finally solved the problems by sending out electronic authorizations to Jessica's boyfriend in the US, and having him e-fax the authorizations back to elong. They were insistent that they needed either a scanned copy or a fax--which was ridiculous because it's the SAME goddamn thing. Anyway, right about midnight we got everything sorted out, which was annoying because Panos and Ben came over to our hotel room to have a drink before we went out. We had planned to go to Fez Bar, which is this cool outdoor bar overlooking the city, but it closes at 1pm so we couldn't go at midnight. Instead, I had a better idea...
There were only soft sleeper tickets available on Monday night to go to Xi'an, so I elected not to purchase. We are checking out of our hotel on Sunday so we didn't want to extend for another day--we've been in Beijing for 7 weeks and wanted to get out of town! Jessica was back in the hotel and is out of minutes on her phone (Again! She and her boyfriend talk so much she goes through a 100RMB card every two days. Yes. Two days!) so I couldn't call her to confirm. Soft sleeper from Beijing to Xi'an is about 420RMB.
I went back to the hotel and suggested to Jessica that we go the opposite way, and fly straight from Beijing to Guilin. I looked up the tickets using an online reservation site, www.elong.net. They have searchable functions in English and allow you to book online (some Chinese websites don't, you have to come and pay for the tickets in person). We had looked at flights earlier in the week and they were a little pricey, about 1000RMB for the flight from Guilin to Beijing. As it turned out, the flights were now half the price! Beijing to Guilin was only 540RMB and Guilin to Chengdu (to see the pandas) was only 510RMB! What a deal! We booked the tickets immediately, planning to buy the train tickets when we get to Chengdu.
Elong has quite possibly one of the worst systems for buying tickets online: you input your credit card and hit confirm, but then you have to scan or fax a signed credit card use authorization form AND copies of front and back of your credit card AND a copy of your passport (if you are a foreign credit card holder). What a pain! Jess and I spent about 2 hours taking photos of our passports and credit cards and emailing them, and elong kept calling us back saying stuff like "your electronic authorization is not good enough, we need fax" and "we cannot see the signature on the back of Miss Tartell's credit card". We finally solved the problems by sending out electronic authorizations to Jessica's boyfriend in the US, and having him e-fax the authorizations back to elong. They were insistent that they needed either a scanned copy or a fax--which was ridiculous because it's the SAME goddamn thing. Anyway, right about midnight we got everything sorted out, which was annoying because Panos and Ben came over to our hotel room to have a drink before we went out. We had planned to go to Fez Bar, which is this cool outdoor bar overlooking the city, but it closes at 1pm so we couldn't go at midnight. Instead, I had a better idea...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Chinese Laundry
Mike Logan went to Henan province for the weekend, so I asked him if I could borrow the keys to his apartment for the weekend as he has a washing machine. Jessica has not done laundry since coming to China (she brought a lot of clothes) and I have only done real laundry once along with strategic sink washing. Of course Mike does not have a dryer, but those seem pretty rare in China as every seems perfectly happy with crispy air-dried clothes. The water here is very hard, so everything dries very hard as well--in the case of my underwear it can literally stand up on its own.
Mike's apartment (site of the infamous good cop/bad cop shakedown) is in a supposedly "nice" apartment complex just next to our hotel. Let me just say that I think many years of absolute deprivation has resulted in the Chinese being somewhat willing to forgive situations that to Western eyes seem ridiculous. For instance, the apartment building has one main entry gate and then several side gates that are only accessible with an electronic keycard, both for entry AND exit. There are always at least ten people waiting on either side of the gate for someone to come through and either buzz them in or out. There are "guards" stationed next to the gate but they never let people in or out, or stop you from letting people in or out. Ridiculous! At midnight all the side gates are chained shut, which is really comforting should there be some kind of emergency and you can't reach the main gate.
The inside of the building is typically poorly maintained. The carpet is stained, the first time Mike moved in everything was covered with a layer of yellow sand (perhaps from a sandstorm?) and there are exposed wires in the hallways. On top of this, it seems that people rent out the apartments in the complex for businesses as well as living spaces. Just next door to Mike's apartment there is somekind of internet company cranking away, as the place is packed with people on computers typing busily away, and they are always shipping hundreds of boxes in and out every day. Not kidding, EVERY time we go to Mike's apartment there are at least one or two guys with a bicycle delivery pallet full of about 10-20 Lenovo desktops stacked (optional assistant for unloading on top of the boxes). These guys clog up the entrance gate with their deliveries and always bogart the elevator. Today one of these guys crammed in with a delivery dolly, and then refused to move when it came to my floor. I even said "excuse me" in Chinese and he just played dumb. I shoved him out of the way, which made me angry because I didn't want to come across as an ugly, rude foreigner, but come on, dude! Get out of my way on the elevator! I've noticed that elevator etiquette is nonexistent here, people will just shove in (this applies to the subway, too) when you're trying to get out and never hold the door for you. I imagine when you live with 1.5 billion people, you just don't have time to wait for everyone else.
Jessica and I have been running laundry loads for about two days straight here, and Mike's apartment is covered with drying clothes. He gets back from Henan on Monday morning, so everything should have plenty of time to dry properly by then. I won't be sad to never have to come back to this complex again. It's madness in here!
Mike's apartment (site of the infamous good cop/bad cop shakedown) is in a supposedly "nice" apartment complex just next to our hotel. Let me just say that I think many years of absolute deprivation has resulted in the Chinese being somewhat willing to forgive situations that to Western eyes seem ridiculous. For instance, the apartment building has one main entry gate and then several side gates that are only accessible with an electronic keycard, both for entry AND exit. There are always at least ten people waiting on either side of the gate for someone to come through and either buzz them in or out. There are "guards" stationed next to the gate but they never let people in or out, or stop you from letting people in or out. Ridiculous! At midnight all the side gates are chained shut, which is really comforting should there be some kind of emergency and you can't reach the main gate.
The inside of the building is typically poorly maintained. The carpet is stained, the first time Mike moved in everything was covered with a layer of yellow sand (perhaps from a sandstorm?) and there are exposed wires in the hallways. On top of this, it seems that people rent out the apartments in the complex for businesses as well as living spaces. Just next door to Mike's apartment there is somekind of internet company cranking away, as the place is packed with people on computers typing busily away, and they are always shipping hundreds of boxes in and out every day. Not kidding, EVERY time we go to Mike's apartment there are at least one or two guys with a bicycle delivery pallet full of about 10-20 Lenovo desktops stacked (optional assistant for unloading on top of the boxes). These guys clog up the entrance gate with their deliveries and always bogart the elevator. Today one of these guys crammed in with a delivery dolly, and then refused to move when it came to my floor. I even said "excuse me" in Chinese and he just played dumb. I shoved him out of the way, which made me angry because I didn't want to come across as an ugly, rude foreigner, but come on, dude! Get out of my way on the elevator! I've noticed that elevator etiquette is nonexistent here, people will just shove in (this applies to the subway, too) when you're trying to get out and never hold the door for you. I imagine when you live with 1.5 billion people, you just don't have time to wait for everyone else.
Jessica and I have been running laundry loads for about two days straight here, and Mike's apartment is covered with drying clothes. He gets back from Henan on Monday morning, so everything should have plenty of time to dry properly by then. I won't be sad to never have to come back to this complex again. It's madness in here!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Gran Turismo 八: Streets of Beijing
Today after the Accounting quiz in the morning I had a meeting with one of my groups in the classroom and then decided to join Panos and Matt at the Bridge Cafe in Wudaokou. Jessica had stayed back at the hotel to take the quiz because she didn't feel well, so I was faced with three options: 1) take a cab by myself for 10 yuan (cheap by US terms, wasteful by Chinese terms), 2) walk with my heavy laptop bag; takes about 30 minutes, or 3) take the bus. The bus is something I have not yet attempted because it is still subject to the traffic on Beijing's streets, which can be pretty atrocious, and any time we have needed to go somewhere far away I have used the subway. I'm very good with subways, not so good with buses or trams (in Croatia I needed specific instructions from my mom for which tram to take, when to get off, etc).
My Japanese classmate, Tomo, lives in Wudaokou, and takes the bus to class frequently, so he told me I had three options, the #331, #375 or #656. Tomo said the bus costs only 1 yuan, bargain! and was pretty fast. Excellent, I thought to myself, this will be an adventure.
Well, I was right. First of all, on some buses you can enter up front by the driver as well as in the middle of the bus, but not always. Additionally, if you don't have a subway/bus card then you have to pay a separate transit employee who sits in the middle of the bus (This is China! Everyone gets a job!). This lady marks your exit stop on a paper ticket and hands it back to you. She also announces the upcoming stops, even though there is a voice recording that announces them too.
At 1PM on a Tuesday the bus is not very crowded, not are the streets busy, so we didn't get stuck in traffic. That didn't stop the bus driver from driving like a maniac however! Jessica (who lives in NYC when she's not at school) and I like to "subway surf" sometimes when the train is not too crowded. Subway surfing is when you balance on the train without hanging on to anything. On our Line 10 by our house it's very easy--it's a gentle ride with only one curve, and the starts and stops are not halting. Not so much on the bus. The driver accelerated very quickly, such that people just getting on the bus almost fell over. He also hit the break abruptly and had a penchant for wrenching the wheel across to change lanes. When we got near to Wudaokou there is a special bus lane so that the stops don't block traffic, and he swung the bus into the lane without slowing down so it almost caused an accident and a lot of people who were standing swung around their poles like it was a busy night at Les Danses Nues in Quebec (this is an inside joke). Even the local Chinese on the bus commented on how poorly the driver was driving. On the plus side, I made it to Wudaokou pretty much in record time, even with stops!
I'll definitely take the bus now from Beida to Wudaokou, although maybe I'll try to get the 331 or the 375; the 656 guy was just too crazy!
My Japanese classmate, Tomo, lives in Wudaokou, and takes the bus to class frequently, so he told me I had three options, the #331, #375 or #656. Tomo said the bus costs only 1 yuan, bargain! and was pretty fast. Excellent, I thought to myself, this will be an adventure.
Well, I was right. First of all, on some buses you can enter up front by the driver as well as in the middle of the bus, but not always. Additionally, if you don't have a subway/bus card then you have to pay a separate transit employee who sits in the middle of the bus (This is China! Everyone gets a job!). This lady marks your exit stop on a paper ticket and hands it back to you. She also announces the upcoming stops, even though there is a voice recording that announces them too.
At 1PM on a Tuesday the bus is not very crowded, not are the streets busy, so we didn't get stuck in traffic. That didn't stop the bus driver from driving like a maniac however! Jessica (who lives in NYC when she's not at school) and I like to "subway surf" sometimes when the train is not too crowded. Subway surfing is when you balance on the train without hanging on to anything. On our Line 10 by our house it's very easy--it's a gentle ride with only one curve, and the starts and stops are not halting. Not so much on the bus. The driver accelerated very quickly, such that people just getting on the bus almost fell over. He also hit the break abruptly and had a penchant for wrenching the wheel across to change lanes. When we got near to Wudaokou there is a special bus lane so that the stops don't block traffic, and he swung the bus into the lane without slowing down so it almost caused an accident and a lot of people who were standing swung around their poles like it was a busy night at Les Danses Nues in Quebec (this is an inside joke). Even the local Chinese on the bus commented on how poorly the driver was driving. On the plus side, I made it to Wudaokou pretty much in record time, even with stops!
I'll definitely take the bus now from Beida to Wudaokou, although maybe I'll try to get the 331 or the 375; the 656 guy was just too crazy!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Boy-Crazy
This morning while walking to school, Jessica and I saw a couple with TWIN baby boys in a double stroller. This was causing quite a sensation, as everyone was stopping to peek at the babies and congratulate the parents. The father was of course BURSTING with joy because of the double auspiciousness of the birth. The babies were sooo chubby and cute. It coincided with this article on MSNBC about kidnappings of male children because of this continued devaluation of female children in China.
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/16/1895654.aspx
In China a daughter traditionally leaves the family to join her husband's family, so sons were preferred because they would stick around, get married and take care of the parents in their dotage. My oldest auntie in China takes care of my grandmother (her mother in law) even though her husband passed away many years ago. This is culturally expected, and of course it works out for us because we have someone who is caring for my mildly infirm grandmother, but sometimes I wonder if she wishes she could take care of her biological mother. Maybe I'll ask her nicely the next time I am in China.
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/04/16/1895654.aspx
In China a daughter traditionally leaves the family to join her husband's family, so sons were preferred because they would stick around, get married and take care of the parents in their dotage. My oldest auntie in China takes care of my grandmother (her mother in law) even though her husband passed away many years ago. This is culturally expected, and of course it works out for us because we have someone who is caring for my mildly infirm grandmother, but sometimes I wonder if she wishes she could take care of her biological mother. Maybe I'll ask her nicely the next time I am in China.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Big Brother is Watching!
Mike had an interesting run-in with the cops in his apartment building on Thursday night. They came and banged on his door with very authoritative cop knocks and asked him to provide his registration papers (everyone gets one as a foreign national staying in China). They were polite but firm; and employed a classic "good cop bad cop" strategy with the younger one being more of a jerk and the older one being more polite. As soon as he showed his papers, they thanked him and left. Mike reported that they went and banged on other doors on his hallway as well, so he wasn't sure if it was a random sweep or if they were targeting specific rooms. I think that there is definitely someone in the building who is a Communist Party informant, who wanted to make sure that the laowai staying in the building was on the up and up. Just a not-so-subtle reminder that we aren't living in a free state, despite their embracing of Western-style capitalism.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Put Me In, Coach! (Chinese-Style Massage)
Something I forgot to add from last week, Jessica is a big massage fan so we decided to get a massage at Hezi Massage in Wudaokou. Mike had gone a few days before and gotten a foot massage, but it also included neck and shoulder massage as well. When Jess and I got to the place, we looked at their offer list and it only offered foot massage for 68 yuan for 80 minutes, or full body for 80 yuan for 60 minutes. We opted for the full body since we wanted to spend only an hour.
We had to put on these little scrub outfits, which consisted of some really unflattering length culottes (sort of Bermuda shorts length) with a little thong thing in the middle (we opted to keep our underwear on) and a kimono top (literally: it included a waist tie). We were in the same room together, so our masseuses came in together. There was a man and a woman, and I ended up with the man. In retrospect, it probably would have been better if I had had the woman, but more on that later.
Let me try to describe what a Chinese massage is... somewhat like Chinese medicine, if it's unpleasant and mildly painful at the beginning, then it will no doubt be inversely beneficial later on. The massage was vigorous, very active and totally hilarious to me because I've never gotten a professional massage before and was very ticklish.
The massage starts with head and neck massage (vigorous, poking, prodding and rubbing) and then moves to your shoulders. They also do a lot of joint and limb manipulation, involving having a stranger wave your arm around in various odd directions at a pretty high speed. They also do palm and finger massage, which is sort of odd feeling. There was a stomach rub component which did not work on me because I was so giggly, so my guy moved right on to the leg massage, which also made me giggle. There was more join manipulation involving hilarious hip contortions. Seriously, this massage made me feel like I was part of the Chinese Olympic wrestling team and that I was being prepped for the big meet.
We were then flipped over and had our backs worked on (vigorously, of course). There were times when the guy was using his elbow on my back and seemed like he was putting almost all his weight on me. At no time was the massage ever painful or injurious, but it was close. I also wanted to laugh the whole time, because I basically paid to be manhandled by a total stranger. The silly outfits did not help the situation.
The next day I was a little sore, but the day after I was fine. I don't think I would say this was particularly relaxing, although Jessica loved it and wants to go back. I think I will try a spa next time, maybe one of the hot springs places in the mountains around here or something like hot stone massage. Seems like that would be more soothing, as opposed to Rocky IV level of Soviet joint manipulation. On the plus side, I do kind of feel like Dolf Lundgren: "I vill break him."
We had to put on these little scrub outfits, which consisted of some really unflattering length culottes (sort of Bermuda shorts length) with a little thong thing in the middle (we opted to keep our underwear on) and a kimono top (literally: it included a waist tie). We were in the same room together, so our masseuses came in together. There was a man and a woman, and I ended up with the man. In retrospect, it probably would have been better if I had had the woman, but more on that later.
Let me try to describe what a Chinese massage is... somewhat like Chinese medicine, if it's unpleasant and mildly painful at the beginning, then it will no doubt be inversely beneficial later on. The massage was vigorous, very active and totally hilarious to me because I've never gotten a professional massage before and was very ticklish.
The massage starts with head and neck massage (vigorous, poking, prodding and rubbing) and then moves to your shoulders. They also do a lot of joint and limb manipulation, involving having a stranger wave your arm around in various odd directions at a pretty high speed. They also do palm and finger massage, which is sort of odd feeling. There was a stomach rub component which did not work on me because I was so giggly, so my guy moved right on to the leg massage, which also made me giggle. There was more join manipulation involving hilarious hip contortions. Seriously, this massage made me feel like I was part of the Chinese Olympic wrestling team and that I was being prepped for the big meet.
We were then flipped over and had our backs worked on (vigorously, of course). There were times when the guy was using his elbow on my back and seemed like he was putting almost all his weight on me. At no time was the massage ever painful or injurious, but it was close. I also wanted to laugh the whole time, because I basically paid to be manhandled by a total stranger. The silly outfits did not help the situation.
The next day I was a little sore, but the day after I was fine. I don't think I would say this was particularly relaxing, although Jessica loved it and wants to go back. I think I will try a spa next time, maybe one of the hot springs places in the mountains around here or something like hot stone massage. Seems like that would be more soothing, as opposed to Rocky IV level of Soviet joint manipulation. On the plus side, I do kind of feel like Dolf Lundgren: "I vill break him."
Accounting Quiz: I Call Shenanigans!
This morning we were supposed to have an accounting quiz from 9-10am. There was some confusion about where we were supposed to go to take the quiz, as the professor (who is teaching it online from Glendale) told us to go to our classroom on the Beida campus, but we were trying to explain to the professor that about 2/3 of the class has not signed up for internet access in the classroom, as it is through Beida and costs 100 yuan. To further complicate matters, those who did sign up for internet only had the chance to sign up yesterday, and that signup time conflicted with beginners Chinese class so some people weren't able to complete their signup.
Professor Peterson, the accounting professor, seemed to be having a major disconnect--despite the fact that several of us repeatedly explained that we don't have internet in the classroom and don't care to pay extra to sign up for it (especially when we have free internet in the hotel and at a nearby Starbucks), he still kept telling us to go to the classroom. The last posting on the class board from him said that he had worked out with Donny that a Beida representative would be in the classroom to walk us through the internet setup.
Jess and I took a cab to the classroom so that we would have extra time to study in our hotel room. The cab cost 10 yuan. We got to the room and it was packed with students. Our classroom fits everyone, but just barely, and you have to sit right next to someone else at a table. The situation is not optimal for taking a quiz in the slightest. Jessica and I purchased a power strip at an electronics store so that we could both plug in during class and I'm glad we did--there aren't enough power plugs to go around in the classroom for 35 people to all be plugged in and charging.
We sat around for about ten minutes but no Beida proctor showed up. Everyone was talking and complaining, so it was very loud for the few students who had internet and opted to start the quiz. Hunter Kim, one of my classmates, finally called Professor Peterson over Skype and explained the situation. Peterson, who was still operating under the extreme misapprehension that we would 1) have a proctor and 2) have internet access proposed the following ridiculous solution to the problem:
Students currently with internet (9) finish the quiz, students without internet go and wait in the hallway until they are done, and then let those waiting use their computers to finish the quiz.
As you might imagine, there was a near riot when everyone heard this. We eventually talked him into extending the time the quiz would be available online and letting us go home to take the quiz either at the hotel or Starbucks. His rationale for forcing us to be in the classroom was that he wants to cut down on cheating as the quizzes are closed book, closed notes. However, his logic is flawed because with all of us crammed into one room, cheating would be very easy since everyone can see the computer screens of those sitting in front of them. Furthermore, Thunderbird has an honor code that we all signed, so what is the point of having an honor code when we aren't trusted to uphold and enforce it? Our Regional Business Environment: Asia exam is being administered online and is also closed book, closed notes, and yet Professor Goddard trusts us to be able to do this on our own, online, and not crammed into the classroom.
To use accounting language, the cost of the internet is 100 Yuan, and we have three quizzes left. That means the activity cost of each quiz is approximately Y33.33. That's a pretty decent meal at a nice restaurant. If we factor in the indirect overhead costs of transportation and the power cord, it's approximately Y75 per quiz. RIP OFF!
Some students are planning to email Professor Peterson and discuss the issue with him, hopefully he will see reason and let us take the damn quizzes from home. Some are also proposing that he score this quiz as optional (if it helps our grade, leave it in, if it hurts our grade, take it out) since it was such a disaster this morning to administer.
New "This is China" update: I just got a phone call from Mike Logan who went to the police station register himself as a foreigner renting a apartment in Beijing. He had to go with his landlord, who presents a special landlord ID to the police in order to register his tenants. It's very typically bureaucratic. However, it turns out that as an alien renting an apartment, Mike was supposed to register within 24 hours of signing the lease! He wasn't fined (although he could have been fined 500 yuan for ever day he neglected to register) but he did have to sign a form that acknowledges he violated Chinese law, essentially a warning. Yikes! I myself had to register through the hotel, but since I'm not renting it's less of a panic for the local precinct. This is China!
Professor Peterson, the accounting professor, seemed to be having a major disconnect--despite the fact that several of us repeatedly explained that we don't have internet in the classroom and don't care to pay extra to sign up for it (especially when we have free internet in the hotel and at a nearby Starbucks), he still kept telling us to go to the classroom. The last posting on the class board from him said that he had worked out with Donny that a Beida representative would be in the classroom to walk us through the internet setup.
Jess and I took a cab to the classroom so that we would have extra time to study in our hotel room. The cab cost 10 yuan. We got to the room and it was packed with students. Our classroom fits everyone, but just barely, and you have to sit right next to someone else at a table. The situation is not optimal for taking a quiz in the slightest. Jessica and I purchased a power strip at an electronics store so that we could both plug in during class and I'm glad we did--there aren't enough power plugs to go around in the classroom for 35 people to all be plugged in and charging.
We sat around for about ten minutes but no Beida proctor showed up. Everyone was talking and complaining, so it was very loud for the few students who had internet and opted to start the quiz. Hunter Kim, one of my classmates, finally called Professor Peterson over Skype and explained the situation. Peterson, who was still operating under the extreme misapprehension that we would 1) have a proctor and 2) have internet access proposed the following ridiculous solution to the problem:
Students currently with internet (9) finish the quiz, students without internet go and wait in the hallway until they are done, and then let those waiting use their computers to finish the quiz.
As you might imagine, there was a near riot when everyone heard this. We eventually talked him into extending the time the quiz would be available online and letting us go home to take the quiz either at the hotel or Starbucks. His rationale for forcing us to be in the classroom was that he wants to cut down on cheating as the quizzes are closed book, closed notes. However, his logic is flawed because with all of us crammed into one room, cheating would be very easy since everyone can see the computer screens of those sitting in front of them. Furthermore, Thunderbird has an honor code that we all signed, so what is the point of having an honor code when we aren't trusted to uphold and enforce it? Our Regional Business Environment: Asia exam is being administered online and is also closed book, closed notes, and yet Professor Goddard trusts us to be able to do this on our own, online, and not crammed into the classroom.
To use accounting language, the cost of the internet is 100 Yuan, and we have three quizzes left. That means the activity cost of each quiz is approximately Y33.33. That's a pretty decent meal at a nice restaurant. If we factor in the indirect overhead costs of transportation and the power cord, it's approximately Y75 per quiz. RIP OFF!
Some students are planning to email Professor Peterson and discuss the issue with him, hopefully he will see reason and let us take the damn quizzes from home. Some are also proposing that he score this quiz as optional (if it helps our grade, leave it in, if it hurts our grade, take it out) since it was such a disaster this morning to administer.
New "This is China" update: I just got a phone call from Mike Logan who went to the police station register himself as a foreigner renting a apartment in Beijing. He had to go with his landlord, who presents a special landlord ID to the police in order to register his tenants. It's very typically bureaucratic. However, it turns out that as an alien renting an apartment, Mike was supposed to register within 24 hours of signing the lease! He wasn't fined (although he could have been fined 500 yuan for ever day he neglected to register) but he did have to sign a form that acknowledges he violated Chinese law, essentially a warning. Yikes! I myself had to register through the hotel, but since I'm not renting it's less of a panic for the local precinct. This is China!
Monday, March 23, 2009
家乐福 : The 10th Circle of Hell
I helped Mike move into his new apartment on Sunday afternoon, which was an interesting adventure. It took him almost an hour and a half to exchange his travelers checks into RMB at the bank, and then the lease signing took another hour and a half. Finally he was done and I offered to go to Carrefour (家乐福 in Chinese) with him to find stuff like sheets, a pillow, soap, etc. The Carrefour is located near the hotel (and his apartment) in the big underground mall by the Sinosteel building in Zhangguancun. I had read a case in Competing Through Strategy about how Carrefour has been a huge success in China because they really cater to the Chinese market, so I was excited to see it in person. It turns out by catering to the Chinese market they have made it a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad place that is miserable.
First of all, the place is packed with so many people. Everywhere. They are pushy, shoving and in the way. Secondly, nothing is arranged in a logical manner. We found sponges, dishwashing gloves and trash bags together, but no dishwashing soap or laundry detergent. There are no staff anywhere to ask for help. The store is crowded with narrow aisles. It's also kept at a much higher ambient temperature than the rest of the mall and the outside temps. It was so miserable that Mike wanted to just leave without buying anything, but then I pointed out he'd have no toilet paper or sheets, so we waited in the line. The checkouts have 3 cashiers next to each other in a row, and each cashier has her own separate line, so it is a complete madhouse, of course, with everyone milling around confusingly. We had such an awful time in Carrefour that we stopped at Bellagio (this cute, modern Taiwanese style place nearby) to have a pick-me-up snack of passion fruit tea and mango rice balls. We found shampoo and detergent at the fake 7-11 next to Mike's apartment building, so I think I will just stick to Watson's and 7-11 from now own for toiletries and the like. Neat trivia, the detergent works for both hand wash and machine wash, I guess because not everyone has a clothes washer in their apartment. Dryers are non-existent here.
Also funny, we went out that night in Wudaokou and came back around 12:30am. I got a phone call from Mike telling me that his apartment complex locks the entrance gate with a PADLOCK at night! He had to jump the fence to get in. Talk about a fire hazard!
First of all, the place is packed with so many people. Everywhere. They are pushy, shoving and in the way. Secondly, nothing is arranged in a logical manner. We found sponges, dishwashing gloves and trash bags together, but no dishwashing soap or laundry detergent. There are no staff anywhere to ask for help. The store is crowded with narrow aisles. It's also kept at a much higher ambient temperature than the rest of the mall and the outside temps. It was so miserable that Mike wanted to just leave without buying anything, but then I pointed out he'd have no toilet paper or sheets, so we waited in the line. The checkouts have 3 cashiers next to each other in a row, and each cashier has her own separate line, so it is a complete madhouse, of course, with everyone milling around confusingly. We had such an awful time in Carrefour that we stopped at Bellagio (this cute, modern Taiwanese style place nearby) to have a pick-me-up snack of passion fruit tea and mango rice balls. We found shampoo and detergent at the fake 7-11 next to Mike's apartment building, so I think I will just stick to Watson's and 7-11 from now own for toiletries and the like. Neat trivia, the detergent works for both hand wash and machine wash, I guess because not everyone has a clothes washer in their apartment. Dryers are non-existent here.
Also funny, we went out that night in Wudaokou and came back around 12:30am. I got a phone call from Mike telling me that his apartment complex locks the entrance gate with a PADLOCK at night! He had to jump the fence to get in. Talk about a fire hazard!
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