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Published: September 28th 2012
Day 2...well, if the rest of my journey is anything like the past two days, I'm in for quite the ride! So, what are the odds of having a 11.5 hour flight out of chinatown (aka Vancouver) to China and sitting in an emergency exit window seat beside an oil typhoon? I guess the odds are in my favour because that is what happened to me. I do have to say, before finishing this particular part of this story, that since I'm traveling alone, I really have to trust & listen to my instincts about people and situations. After 12 hours of chatting to this guy, I felt like I had a good read on him and his business partner. So, rather than arriving in a city of 20 million people with no clue of where to go and figuring out the subway system all jet lagged, I find myself being whisked away in a car with a private driver and taken to a fancy shmansy hotel. Not even kidding, this guy just booked me in my own hotel room, which was like 2.5 rooms including a kitchen and sitting area, etc. So, Im feeling slightly overwhelmed at that moment, and then I get a call and they are meeting their chinese business partners for dinner, and I'm invited. Haha, I wish I could have a picture of that. Im sitting in a private, executive room with 7 of the most richest men that I've ever met, drinking outrageously expensive wine and eating a $5,000 dinner....all in my lululemon, stinky travel clothes and flip flops. HAH! I did learn that the chinese culture, if it is a business meeting, they sit at a round table, and it is always super private. This is because most of the business owners in China are government officials, so they can't be seen in public wining and dinning out of towners. Privacy is really important. Oh, and if you clink your glass to cheers, you have to down everything in the glass. I am forever grateful for the generousity of these men, because I had the best first night possible in Beijing, and the next morning, their driver drove me to the place I needed to be....go from a ballin hotel to a room with bunkbeds and sharing it with people from all over the world. Both experiences I love!
I will say that China is surprising me, in a positive way. The subway system here is the most user friendly that I have ever been on. And security, holy, its like going through an airport security check just to get on a subway or even to enter a tourist attraction area. They have police on every corner it feels like, and cameras everwhere. I guess I'm used to South America, where on the subway you are lucky if you don't get robbed or shoved. Here, it is crowded, but I can pull out my Iphone or camera, and people don't eye you up like your a piece of meat.
One thing is, no one speaks english. At all! It is extremely difficult to communicate, and for some reason, my brain thinks that when I need to talk spanish. So here I am, jibbering english and spanish together... Perhaps there is a reason that no one can understand 😊 Also, the way we hold up our fingers for numbers, like 8 fingers for the number 8. They don't do that here. Like 8 is a sideways L with your thumb and pointer finger... So interesting.
This next week is their National Holiday, so apparently the population grows by 40% or something...super duper. Anyhow, I know I am only getting a small taste of China. Kind of like going to Toronto and saying you've seen Canada. I will admit, my pre conceived ideas of chinese people and their country were totally wrong. It is a busy place, but the perfect starting spot (minus the hole in the floor toilets and the hacking up a snot ball and spitting it wherever they jolly well feel like).
So, in the next few days, I will go see the forbidden city, the great wall, then take the fast train to Shanghai. I unfortunetly have picked up a nasty, irritating cold/flu so that is frustrating. Perhaps I will go buy a face mask to keep my germs to myself ...
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Gloria Reibin
non-member comment
Going to Bejing?
Hi Darci! Not sure how flexible your schedule is. Just wondered if you're going to Bejing. I have a niece there who is going to school, and her Chinese is excellant. I'm sure she would love to show you around. I wish I had thought of that sooner. I could introduce you on Facebook if you'd like. She is a couple of years younger than you are, and you would love her! Otherwise, what a lucky girl you are! That Oil Tycoon experience was such a gift! Keep writing your amazing stories! Gloria.