And The Hits Just Keep Rolling!
At 0930 I’m watching the Presidential debate in my room about, (you’d be disappointed if I wasn’t), when a knock on my door signals the arrival of Kevin. Finally, I think I am being rescued and shuttled away from all the chaos of Beijing on National Day. The streets were seriously packed with Chinese tourists.
After the Bank of China telling us I can’t cash my travelers checks it is decided that I have enough and can safely leave for Datong. Anyone else see how that might sound like ‘downtown’? It is assumed every time I say it and I am diligent in my pronunciation. Well, as much as I can be.
I’m typing this in my room in Taiyuan where I magically appeared after boarding a bus for Datong. This truly has been an adventure and if it doesn’t stop being one so much I am going to fucking lose it. It is one thing when they don’t speak English and we can usually hand gesture our way through it or they recognize the words/numbers written down but when I meet someone who speaks good English my guard goes up. Something always seems too slick about them. At least on the street. If it is their job then I am just thankful. So with the help of a young man from my bus with a bit of English I was initially taken to a ‘small hotel’ that was going to cost Y30 but after being led to the room that had four beds and no real door I just grabbed my bags and bailed. The host then offered it for Y20. For those of you keeping track at home that is about $3.60 but he came down to $2.40. I just kept walking.
On the way here we drove past the Great Wall in a couple of places and I did the ‘take pictures from the moving bus’ thing. It really is amazing and I look forward to actually visiting it. We also were surrounded by these majestic mountains out across the plains that were straight out of Lord of the Rings.
I think they honk when they are driving because they are bad drivers and know they are bad drivers and are just constantly telling each other they are near. On the bus today every time we overtook another vehicle it was preceded by mad honking. I nodded off to sleep for awhile and was jolted from my sleep at the sound of a woman screaming for her life. They had put a movie in. Scared the crap out of me.
Rachel, you’ll need to ride blindfolded. In fact, you wouldn’t even like being a pedestrian. Keegan, on the other hand could be a cab driver over here. Really, you don’t even need to know the streets that well it would seem.
It seems like I am looked at somewhat suspect which sort of makes sense. When we see foreigners coming to America we look at people who have left what they had behind to try to make a new
better start in a land of great opportunity. When they see a foreigner they see someone who is coming to take or exploit them in some way that is not yet clear to them yet. So it took me a day and a half to get reflective on all that I left behind for this? I am already learning, eh?
I typed all this up last night but am now in the Business Center of a local hotel, (nicer than mine but I just had to find someplace that wasn’t that hovel I first went to), and am including some pictures. The lamb kebabs were on the street in Beijing late my first night. The next morning while out for a walk I found the Kings Can and the Taiyuan one is from about an hour ago. As I walked back by it the fountain was on so I may go get another one. I’m taking lots of postcards – you know, pictures that you or no one you know appears in.
Shortly before coming over to email I made contact with Michael who is here in Taiyuan and though he has only been here a couple of months he is going to try to help me find my way to Datong. Just feels good to have someone helping me. I think that despite all the glitches so far I am doing pretty well. It is nice hearing from everyone.