The Independent Traveler
Already Jessica was lamenting the fact she had packed too much stuff for her and Nick's three-month trip to Asia.They had bypassed the taxi touts in the arrival hall at Capital Airport, but her shoulder was aching as they finally located the new taxi loading area. The Chinese guy who was obviously in charge of the mayhem, pointed to a shiny, black Hyundai. Nick got out his guidebook and showed the driver where they wanted to go. He was careful to make sure the driver started the meter.
The drive from the airport seemed to take forever. Once the expressway ended, it seemed they were making one turn after another, When they arrived at the guesthouse, the fare was double what the guidebook said it should be. But Nick didn't know enough Chinese to ask why, in spite of the fact, he and Jessica had borrowed the Beginning Mandarin cassettes from their local library and practiced diligently for two whole weeks before they left.
The girl at the front desk didn't speak any English but she was soon joined by another girl who did. Nick explained they had made reservations. The second girl said they were full and only had a deluxe suite. Nick told her that wasn't possible, he had faxed over the information ten days ago. The girls opened a drawer below the counter and started rummaging through stacks of paper. Appearing somewhat embarrassed, the girl said they had no fax. Nick was getting perturbed. Jessica was tired. Nick asked for the suite at the double room price. The girls talked in Chinese, then one made a call. The second girl apologized but said they could not do that. But she did offer to call another guesthouse nearby. Nick was angry now.
Nick and Jessica stood on the curb waiting for a taxi. Another guidebook selection was only four blocks away and this time Nick had a map. Although the second guesthouse wasn't as nice as the first, the price was within their budget and the room was okay. They settled in just as the karaoke parlor next door started getting lively.
The next morning, Nick was at the travel desk in the lobby when it opened at 8:30. Having backpacked in Europe and South America, he knew he should not wait until the last minute to buy tickets. The girl said she could book train tickets to Xi'An. the hard sleeper tickets were 188 Yuan each. The service charge was 50 Yuan each. Nick decided the service charge was too expensive , that he would buy the tickets himself. Jessica had no objections. She would stay at the guesthouse and get some sleep. She hadn't slept well.
The taxi fare was more than he anticipated or would have liked to have paid. But getting to the train station the cheap way would have taken too long. It took him 20 minutes to find the right ticket window. He wasn't amused at the way people just seemed to barge in to the front of the line. He showed the clerk a piece of paper that had all the train information written on it.
He didn't understand what the ticket clerk was saying. He pointed to the paper again. He knew there was a problem. Murmurs from behind him didn't help the situation. A young man in his mid-twenties came alongside and asked if he needed help. The young man explained there were no hard sleepers available, but Nick could buy hard seat tickets and once on the train, possibly upgrade to hard sleeper. Nick didn't know what to do. Without any way to contact Jessica, he made the decision to buy the hard seat tickets (they were dirt cheap) and hope for the best.That afternoon, they walked through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. They had planned to see the Mao Mausoleum, but it was closed in the afternoons. Not knowing what to do for dinner, they ate at a small street vendor that sold the Chinese dumplings. They were delicious and cheap. They walked to the famous bar street to grab a beer before going back to the guesthouse. But as they walked to the bar the guidebook raved about, Nick realized something was wrong. The street had been razed, nothing but bricks and pieces of concrete remained. How could this be? They had just bought the latest edition of the most popular guidebook in the world.
They turned around and walked to the north end of the street. It looked inviting,live music and a bars full of people. There didn't seem to be too many foreigners there. They entered a bar and looked at the drink menu, a Qingdao beer for 50 yuan? Nick had just bought one the night before at the small market by the guesthouse for 2 Yuan. No deal. He would buy another one there tonight. In the room, Nick found the swimmers wax he had packed.
It took them over three hours to travel forty miles. It was more an ordeal than a day-trip to the Great Wall. But once Nick and Jessica sighted the Wall, the walking, subway, and buses were soon forgotten. They were at the Great Wall of China. As they approached it became quite clear this was not the "wild" Wall the guidebook had claimed. It resembled a construction site. The whole section was being renovated.
The trip back to Beijing was just as grueling. They made it to their guesthouse just in time to change clothes. Tonight they would see a Beijing Opera performance. The taxi driver was trying to relay something as Nick showed him the address of the old wooden theater. Finally, the driver gave up and starting driving. As soon as they approached the boarded up doors, Jessica realized the driver had been trying to tell them the theater was closed. They decided to eat some dinner and call it a night. It had been a long day.
It was their last day in Beijing. Nick checked their backpacks with the front desk. Nick and Jessica took off to see Chairman Mao. Afterwards, strolling through Tiananmen, they were approached by two young Chinese. Nick knew they were touts, but with some free time, he and Jessica decided to take them up on their offer to see a traditional Chinese tea ceremony. The Chinese couple led them through some narrow streets and alleys. The tea ceremony was unique. They both agreed the tea was excellent. A young girl explained the process step-by-step. Jessica wanted to visit the Silk Market, so asked Nick to settle up. The waitress brought the bill. Nick and Jessicas' jaws dropped. The bill was just under $500. That had to be impossible. They had only had three pots of tea. And the pots were small. The young girl explained they had drank the best tea in the house. Nick refused to pay. It would take all the cash they had on them. The girl said they had to pay. The young man who had led them there left the room. Two older men entered. Nick told them he didn't have that much money. The girl talked to one of the new arrivals. She asked how much money Nick had. It was getting ugly. They settled on a little over $200. Jessica was shaking as they left. Neither spoke.
As they waited to board the train that evening, Nick and Jessica decided they had had a good time in Beijing despite what had happened earlier. They also agreed the next time they visited Beijing, they would do things differently.