Losin' Face All Over the Place

Well, we had a few bad days. Not bad as in sickness, robbery or trouble with the law. Just scams and lost face. Our bright happy hotel didn't stay that way for the three nights we were there. An 18 dollar laundry bill is what started all the trouble. Then, when we tried to change some money to pay for the laundry and "deposits" at the hotel, we were told it could only be done at one bank and couldn't be done on Saturday if we were exchanging traveler's checks. So, we had to hold out till Monday and quit living like kings for a day and a half. We had to take public transport and keep the extras (internet, beer, phone use, etc...) to a minimum.

Now, in China, this does not mean that we couldn't eat like kings. The Chinese take great pride in their food, and for good reason. It's cheap and delicious. (We had Szechuan-style tofu and garlic cabbage on Saturday night. O the spices on that tofu! And the grand total was 24 Quai, or approximately 3 dollars.)

And beyond the money troubles, we ran into bargaining blunders of all sorts. A gaunt pedicab driver tricked $2.40 out of us, in front of his buddies. We bought a small pocket-watch for $2.25 when it should have been maybe $1.25. And, of course, the laundry. We thought it was 14 Quai, less than two dollars. But that must have been per item. Or something. We never figured it out clearly. And, we dropped nearly $10.00 on a soupy, sub-par dinner, including $2.40 for water!

You may think we're making a big fuss over a few dollars but it's about more than money. It's about losing face. The Chinese like food and opera and all that but they also like squawking and haggling over pocket change--making a deal. All our errant transactions happened in front of crowds and those crowds saw us as big, dumb outsiders who don't speak Mandarin getting steamrolled and not knowing how to stop it. (It's our own fault, really. If we had practiced our Mandarin before the trip, we'd be keener travelers.)

We're getting better now. We figured out the problems were: 1) Staying in the wrong part of town. 2) Not being mean enough. 3) Not enjoying the haggles and compromise.

Yesterday, we decided to be proactive about things. We moved to a cheaper hotel in a different part of town. Ironically, this is the embassy part of town but we're getting better deals on everything. After we checked in, made jokes with a playful staff and ate a divine dinner of hotpot, things sure seemed to be changing. See, on Sunday, Jim left his favorite cap in a cab. Last night a guy on the street tried to sell us a fitting replacement. The haggler's initial offer was three hats for 50 Quai. Jim talked him down to one hat for 5 Quai. And Jim didn't hand over the cash till the guy first handed over the change.

Although small, it was a defining moment for us both. Hopefully, we're figuring things out again.