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Published: August 16th 2009
Adios, Ciao, and Cheerio
After finally completing our Yangtze “cruise” and the Three Gorges Dam our tour bus dropped us in yet another parking lot, this time in Yichang, downstream from the dam. We showed up at the Yichang Hotel and found our bags in the parking lot. An employee from the boat tried to say we could not pick up our bags, but I was not in the mood at that point. We grabbed our bags and started to look for our “local guide” but were not met by anyone. We found our River Guide Ben and he said to enjoy lunch and that our guide would find us. We made our way into a tiny room with five banquet style tables and once again we were sat with our usual crew from table 5 on the boat, including the Spanish, the Italians, and the Brits. It was nice to have our last meal with them, a meal that was even better than the food on the boat. Most of the people at the table had met with their guide, so they ate in relative calm, but we had yet to see ours. We saw River Guide
Ben organizing the guides outside and Eric expressed, “Wonderful, Ben only knows us as the Spicy Couple.” But, all the worrying was for nothing. Our guide finally met us. He was supposed to drive us to the bus station and arrange for us to take the bus to Wu Han.
As much as our guide seemed to be trying to sell us something, either a tour of Yichang, or arranging for a guide for us in Wu Han or Xi’an, he arranged two seats on a large bus, German made, and very safe (his words). During the ride to the bus station, he assured us that Yichang had all of the modern amenities, including McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut. We gave our lecture on the horrors of McDonald’s, saying we do not eat there, it is bad for you, and it clogs your heart and makes it stop working. He looked horrified, like we just told him there was no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny. He replied, “So KFC is better?” Oh no, we warned about all of the grease in the KFC. At that point, he was grasping at straws, “So, Pizza Hut is the healthiest?” Oh no,
Spicy Beans
With garlic and chili peppersstill, grease and fat. Stay away. He was not too pleased with our warnings that the food will make him fat and make his heart stop pumping. Poor guy.
About four hours later we were making our way into the city of Wu Han. I read that Wu Han was a smaller, charming city, similar to Shanghai with its own Bund and concession era European neighborhoods. We did not see much evidence of that through our tour of the city. We later found out that Wu Han is one of the largest cities in the world, on the list of the top 50 by population, and way larger than Chicago; so much for the smaller city, although in comparison to Shanghai it is smaller. Our large, safe, German made bus stopped at a long distance bus station at the outskirts of the city. We transferred into a smaller minibus and made our way through the traffic of the city to arrive at our final bus destination. Luckily, the Chinese man from Table 5 was also on our bus and he helped to make sure we knew when to get off of our bus; then he confirmed with a local
The Aftermath
This picture helped us order our third dish - pork with peppers. that our hotel was on the other side of the river. He had five hours to kill before his flight back to Fujian, and we hoped in a cab to head towards the Holiday Inn. After taking a cruise ship to a funicular to a tour bus to a long distance bus to minibus to a taxi, we finally arrived. We were getting flashbacks of our trip from the Perhenthian Islands to Kuala Lumpur. My initial impression - Wu Han, like the other cities we had visited in China was loud, crowded, congested - all same same.
Amber Versus China - Bring It On
When we arrived at the hotel, I was told that although our hotel confirmation included internet access, we would be charged for internet. I was told there was no place to eat outside the hotel unless we took a cab some place. I was also told that, despite Lonely Planet and other tour books saying every hotel can help book train tickets for us, this one didn’t. I decided I would start to fight back; I would not let China win. This was a lofty goal that was more difficult than anticipated.
First, was the internet. We purchased internet service in our room, checked our email confirmation and confirmed that the internet was included, but the language was unclear from our email confirmation. It did not say internet included for free and it did not say for a fee. I disputed it with an employee, trying to explain the difference between free and fee, and then spoke with the front desk manager, who informed me that they were aware there was a lack of clarity in the room rate description and they were working on it. She would give us one day free internet, but once we were made aware there was a charge, it would not be free for the second day. I told her quite clearly, “no, there will be no charge for both days.” She agreed. Yeah! I felt a little success. I was fighting back against big, bad China.
Chinese and Red Bull
As for food, when we checked in we were told we could walk to the “riverfront” for restaurants, but when we emerged for dinner we were told the riverfront was across the bridge and we should take a taxi there,
of course. After more questioning and prodding, we were told there was one small restaurant across the street. We figured we would check it out. We found the restaurant down a quiet side street and it was not “small” in my mind, it was just right, with about a dozen large tables. They handed us a menu, which, by this point you should assume based on my prior comments, was not in English. There were several people around with food on their table so we pointed to a yummy looking stir fried dish that was served over an open flame. They spoke some English so, we asked if it was pork, and they said yes. We said one please. Then, I pointed to an eggplant dish on someone else’s table and with rice and beer we were set. The flame cooked dish arrived and we were disappointed that it was tofu, but it had bits of thick bacon in it; certainly not vegetarian fare. As far as tofu goes, it was not too bad, but we were disappointed. The eggplant was totally tasty, with string beans, spicy brown sauce, and sautéed garlic.
We also noticed a few of the
A Wal Mart Mirage
We don't even know where a Wal Mart is in Chicago, but this seemed comforting. tables surrounding us were filled with young people drinking themselves silly. One large table of ten or so people brought in a large bottle of orange soda, possibly an energy drink. They each downed a glass like they were looking to boost their immune system before drinking. Then, some of them were drinking beer and those that weren’t each ordered a bottle of liquor, a little smaller than a fifth, of clear liquid. They each filled their glasses to the brim with the contents of an entire bottle. They started drinking it down, and from the puckered up looks on their faces the liquor was strong and nasty. The other table next to us was three young guys, who spoke a little English. They were using a large plastic pitcher to mix some sort of clear liquor with Chinese Red Bull. After they drained the liquor bottle in one swoop, Eric asked if he could smell the bottle. It was strong smelling that was for sure. The guys asked if we wanted to try some of their concoction, and of course we could not say no. It was not the worst thing I ever tasted. Eric took two sips and
at the end of our beers, they offered him another sip, which he took, of course to be polite. It was nice to be treated so well, even if they were offering us the liquor to see if we could even handle it. As it was, the large table all stared at me when they walked in and I was eating. Its okay, I am getting used to feeling like a monkey on display in a zoo. I wanted to tell the people at the hotel that we had good food, just across the street, they were helpful, we ate and drank well, dinner cost about $6, and we did not need a cab to get there. Okay, score two for the Hoffmans.
We tried to recreate this meal, minus the tofu, the following day, but we could not get them to understand eggplant. Instead, we ordered a chicken and pepper dish, a Chinese version of spicy chili and garlic edamame, and a pork with green peppers. All tasty. I often take pictures of the food we eat, and in this case, it became quite useful. We returned the following afternoon for our last meal before heading out of
MMMM
Trying not to have an icy headache the city. This time, there were no people in the restaurant and we could not point to the food already ordered. Instead, we pulled up the pictures from the day before on our digital camera to place our order. It was a first for us, but worked beautifully.
Train Ticket Trouble
Back to the train tickets, my third battle against China. I was told when we checked in that the ticket office on the second floor could help with train tickets. When I arrived I was told they only arrange plane tickets. A second employee, Angel, who looked as though she worked for the hotel business center rather than the travel agency that ran the office, at least spoke enough English to give me the phone number of the train ticket service company. I called the number through Skype, but it was all in Chinese.
I returned to speak to Angel and asked if they could call the office for me. Angel called and confirmed that the company would bring us two soft sleeper tickets for the night train from Wu Han to Xi’an, and they would deliver them in the morning. I told Angel we would wait for her call in the am. Around 9:30 in the morning the phone rang and no one was there. I ran down to the business center to see if the tickets arrived and they hadn’t. Around 11:30 we returned asking about the tickets. Things became progressively uncertain at this point. Angel tried her best to help us, but I knew this was outside of her usual job responsibilities. The ticket service company said they had been too busy to get the tickets today; they would try to get them by the end of day; they could deliver them this evening; then they said they might not deliver them until the next morning, our departure date. The story changed so many times we could not keep up with it. We asked if we could taxi to the office to pick them up so we knew we would have them; we did not want to wait for the tickets until the next morning, because if we waited that long what if there was a problem reserving seats and we were stuck in Wu Han. We could not go to the office, we were told, because they did not speak English. We asked if there were any other places we could go to and buy tickets, but she said none that speak English (that is why hotels facilitate ticket purchases, because none of the offices speak English). Angel said she would call us when they confirmed the tickets were purchased and if they could not deliver them she would try to go over and pick them up herself. She really wanted to help us and I tried to convey our appreciation.
I was frustrated. It should not be this difficult. It was the first time in the trip I felt distraught enough that I wanted to head home. I wanted to return to our hotel room, climb under the covers, and not come out. Eventually, Angel was able to get us the tickets. I think she sent a coworker to pick them up from the agency. We sang her praises to her boss, which I hope did something. She was by far the most helpful person we dealt with in China.
Heading Into Town - Stopping Crime
Despite wanting to climb back into bed, we took a cab to the city center to have some lunch and see the city. The cab dropped us off in a large shopping area and our first stop was at the bank. We gave almost all of the cash we had to Angel for the train tickets. Our first stop at the ATM turned up with both of our ATM cards being rejected. Eric started cursing bloody murder he was so pissed. The next bank we went to had three ATMS behind a sliding door that just would not open; that was not a good sign. We were both hungry and cranky. I stopped complaining as much as I was in the morning to put on a good face for Eric. No need to exacerbate his crankiness with my crankiness. We stopped at the McDonalds of dumplings and forced some food down. Then, we continued looking for another ATM when we saw a sign that was like a mirage in the distance - Wal Mart. We needed to pick up some snacks for our 12 hour train ride (at this point still assuming we would actually receive train tickets). As soon as we ascended the escalator we saw another ATM, which worked, immediately putting our mind at ease. Food in our bellies and cash in our pockets - things were looking up.
After our shopping we continued to explore the area, trying as always to find a tea house. But, the only cafes we saw were take away frozen tea joints. We wandered down one street with mostly large stores including at least four Nike stores within a half mile, prompting Eric to call it Nike Town. As we turned a corner a guy wearing a purple polo shirt said hello, and we responded. One of his friends raised his hands to make reference to how tall Eric was. The tallest one in their group was no more than 5’7”, and the purple shirt guy was shorter than me. Then, things got weird.
The guy in purple quickly walked past us and then a few moments later I saw him pass me again. He then quickly turned around and walked in the opposite direction. I turned to look behind me and saw him approach a young girl from the back sort of squatting as he walked. I could not tell whether he was trying to steal from the girl, trying to pinch her ass, or whether he knew her and was trying to sneak up on her to say hello, like friends. The girl felt his presence, turned, scowled at him, and I knew he was no friend. I still was not sure if he was a pick pocket or a pervert. A minute later I saw him try to touch the leg of a guy sitting on a bench in the promenade, and the guy twitched his leg to move away. I told Eric about the guy and his strange actions. We kept walking and took a break on a bench. I then noticed purple shirt guy in a little store front, using a phone, and buying some soda from two women. I did not trust him at all and was sort of watching to see if he stole something from the women. When he emerged from the store he headed one way down the street and when seeing a girl walk by, he quickly turned to follow her. She was young, carrying a small purse on a long strap at her side, with the zipper facing the back. He followed her and one of his friends crouched as he approached the girl and started to unzip her bag. They were maybe 15 yards away from us. I stood, started clapping my hands loudly, and yelled in a deep, loud voice, “Hey!” Immediately, people turned to look at me, as did the girl who was about to get robbed. She startled the guy behind her and he walked off. The guy in purple was pretty pissed at being disturbed and started storming his way in our direction saying something not so nice that I did not understand. I think when he saw it was me yelling and Eric was standing next to me, towering over him, he just walked on. We turned and walked in the opposite direction, constantly looking behind us to see if he or one of his cronies was following us. It was surreal.
He was just about the worst pick pocket ever, as I assume they are generally quiet and covert. He was just obvious in his actions. We agreed to start making our way back to the hotel, calling it a day. I was pretty quiet about the experience because I expected Eric to start yelling at me for sticking my nose in it and possibly putting myself in danger in a country where we don’t speak the language. I immediately apologized to him, before he got mad at me, saying I just could not watch what was happening without doing something. I repeated that to him several times. He finally said, he was not going to yell at me. It was instinct that made me do it. I am just lucky the little purple shirt guy was half Eric’s size and too much of a sleaze bag criminal to defend himself.
As a reward, I wanted ice cream. Eric then chided me for breaking for western food before him. We stopped at Dairy Queen and I had a vanilla Oreo blizzard. While enjoying our ice cream I heard police sirens, but was pretty certain they had not caught my guy. I am sure he got off scot free. We failed at finding a tea house for some Chinese tea, but stopped at a modern café for a Hong Kong coffee milk tea, which is exactly what it sounds like - coffee, tea, and milk. It was recommended by our friend Brian as one of his favorites from Hong Kong. It was pretty good, but I would not say our favorite. But, after our crazy tour through town, we felt tired and deflated and returned to the hotel to await dinner at our restaurant near the hotel.
Hope for the Future
I won three minor battles in Wu Han, but the war was far from over. I felt good about stopping purple shirt guy, but still did not feel too good about the country as a whole. China was not only tough but I was just not enjoying myself enough to make the challenges worth it. We have hiccups and troubles everywhere we go, but the fun and the great experiences far outweigh the trying times. This was different. I was still glad we came to China to experience the country, but hoped that things would improve. Our next stop was Xi’an, home of the famous Terracotta Warriors, and then we would be off to Beijing. I was putting a lot of faith into Xi’an - it better be one hell of a city.
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Scott Hunt
non-member comment
Not fair!
I can't even get a Blizzard in Dallas!