Apr 21, 2011
One thing we always enjoy in our travels is the food, and as much as it pains me to admit it, Carol is usually more adventurous than I am, at least in terms of stuff that can’t be identified. I’m better in eating off the street so I guess it all balances out. Today for lunch we were just exploring the city by foot letting the paths take us where they will. We ventured upon a little restaurant which was full of locals and went in. I often just look at what others are eating and when I find something that looks good, I’ll do the Harry and Sally thing and say: “I’ll have what he/she’s having. Today, however, they had pictures on the menu and that facilitated ordering. When the waiter asked us if we wanted spicy or non spicy, we said “Spicy.” Hey, we’ve eaten Schezchan before. Well, he was right. It was spicy. The rabbit dish came in a sea of those red peppers which you may have two or three in your meal at a restaurant at home. This literally had hundreds of them, and it was killer stuff. Habanera meets Chinese cooking. Moises would have loved it, but we suffered. Naturally we finished it, but the memory remained long afterward. An ice cream stand helped ease the pain, but we’ll remember the lesson.
One of the most difficult things about traveling for a short time in foreign countries is avoiding making general comments about a culture when you in fact see so little of that culture in the time you actually spend in that country. It’s like Kenyans trying to identify American culture after spending two weeks in Waco, Texas. We try to be keen observers and Carol and I always bounce what we see individually off the other to determine if it’s just one of us or if the other sees/feels the same thing. One real difference here in China is the lack of “family” in the traditional Asian sense. The one child policy of the government changes everything. You don’t see siblings playing, squabbling, and interacting. Mom, dad, and the one child sit at the table or walk down the street, but the whole setting is entirely different. We’ve talked about it on this trip and our other venture to china about seven years ago (Yunnan province) and we see it as making a large difference in how the culture manifests itself. Certainly family has traditionally been central to the culture and we can’t help wondering what changes it will bring in the long run. This is not to say that Chinese children are/will be spoiled little snots who see themselves as the center of the universe, but certainly its gotta change the mix. Both Carol and I had one child each before we hooked up, and while they became brother and sister after time, they were essentially raised with them being the only child. We couldn’t be happier about whom they’ve become, but then our kids are the exception because they’re perfect, right?
We walked out and about today and saw lots of different sides to the city. We went passed Lamborghini Porsche, and Maserati dealerships, looked in the Gucci windows and eyeballed shoe shops where the price of the shoes rivaled my car payment. My mother used to make me eat my squash by telling me that there were starving children in China. That may be true still, but let me tell you there is money here, and it’s displayed in an ostentatious manner. If you’ve got it flaunt it.
But the contrast in the haves and have nots is striking. All the cars seem to be new. I haven’t seen old clunkers chugging down the street, and yet we watched thousands of people riding bicycles which look like they belong in some museum featuring quaint methods of travel for the early 1900’s. Chic women in spike heels and Parisian couture have their hair styled in upscale salons while others look like they desperately need a bath and a good meal. We understand that the contrast is even more stark in Shanghai, but that’s not on our itinerary, but certainly there seems to be a cultural revolution taking place and I’m not talking about the Red Guards holding up Mao’s little red book. The young people look as boppy as you’ll find anywhere. Tinted hair, facial piercings and clothes which would make any thrift store teenie shopper in the US proud seem to indicate that Bob Dylan was right. You don’t need a weatherman to tell that things are changing;. Thankfully, tattoos don’t seem to be in thing just yet. Don’t know what that means, but I suspect the government is certainly trying to figure out how to control that change and still allow for the new freedoms which have taken place. The market economy seems to be flourishing and you can’t retreat from that. Put a little money in people’s pocket and they won’t settle for the old way. Allow for some levels of entrepreneurship and total government control is gone. They do keep the internet rules pretty stringent, however. This will not be Tunisia or Egypt here. There’s no facebook, I can’t access my blog, Google pulled out for awhile, but they’re back, and there’s no youtube. Social control seems very much alive and thriving here.
Everything just seems to be on a grander scale here. Traffic on the main thoroughfares is five lanes wide in each direction and every lane is filled with cars. Streets are filled with people there is a bustle and haste to everything. It is NOT a relaxing place. Not a lot of shady, green spots to sit and relax. Where there are benches, they are filled. Restaurants are crowded, and the din is, well, let’s just say it’s noticeable. The Chinese are not a quiet people. They shout into their cell phones, talk loudly to people standing right next to them, and have conversations with people clear across the room from them – long conversations.
I thought that driving in Morocco was an adventure, but walking on these avenues certainly ups the ante. When you cross the street with the green man, the danger only increases, because there are rules we obvbiously don’t understand. I’m the original bobble-head when crossing, continuously checking in all directions. Large intersections have those aforementioned five lanes of traffic coming from an equal number of directions. Carols and I have adopted the rule of getting into a knot of people and following them across the street, always keeping them between the line of cars barreling down upon you. It could be bowling for dollars if anybody gets hit.
If I’m ever captured by alien powers and they want to torture me, they’d do well to just deprive me of sleep. I was awakened this morning by Carol rustling in the bathroom. Lights went on and then off, suitcases were unzipped and she seemed to be in the process of getting up. I felt really refreshed and when I asked her what time it was I heard her say: “5” So I asked her if she wanted to snuggle. She hurt my feelings when she reluctantly agreed. After a few minutes she rolled back over and I decided to go ahead and get up. Not wanting to disturb her, I dressed in the dark grabbed the laptop and went downstairs. After checking some things online, I began to get sleepy and asked the desk clerk what time it was. It was 2:40. I don’t know how I got so confused but came back upstairs and had to try to get back into the sleep mode. Finally at the real 5:00 Carol stirred again and this time she did snuggle with her usual warmth. She then informed me that she just figured I couldn’t sleep and was going downstairs and so said nothing. You’d think that two people who will celebrate their 33rd anniversary on this trip would have better communication.
We’re really happy we came in two days before the group forms. It gives us time to time adjust (15 hours difference). Well, okay, some of us are adjusting better than others, and has allowed us the opportunity to wander without any grand scheme to our plans.
Today was highlighted by our trip on the Beijing subway. We needed to go in search of that iconic American tourist spot – the hard rock café. We’ve collected shot glasses for our daughter where ever we’ve gone, and it’s usually an adventure in itself. In Copenhagen, it was right in front of Tivoli Gardens, and that was a piece of cake, but here in Beijing, it’s off in the hinterlands, and unlike most places, when we found it, it was almost totally empty. Very Strange. But the subway ride, Jim….. The stations are extremely clean, in fact the whole city seems to be litter free with the exception of a building site which seemed to be a dumping ground. Trains are modern and comfortable, as long as you like to stand. A minimum of seats allows for a maximum of standing room. The Chinese veneration for us old farts does help, and people continuously gave Carol their seat. Maps are written in Chinese characters with western alphabetic letters below. Announcements about where you are and where you’re going are repeated in English so, all in all, it wasn’t nearly the adventure we’d anticipated. Unlike most systems which charge by the distance, here it is a flat 2 yuan, 25 cents. As befitting a city of 13 million it is the mode of transportation for the population as a whole. Good old Wikipedia tells me it’s only the 5th busiest subway system in the world with a ridership of 1.5 billion a year. I don’t know about other days, but in the middle of the day today, a large percentage of them were on our train.
We walked down to the “Pearl Market” which does indeed have hundreds of pearl shops in it, but at the same time has everything a western consumer would want but really doesn’t need. “You want iphone?” came the call from all sides. “Special price for you only.” It’s like the souks in Marrakesh meet Oriental knowledge of western greed and glut on a grand scale. “REAL” Rolex’s glittered from every corner of our eyesight and it is a dazzling tribute to just what we think we need. It’s definitely a contrivance for westerners. Not a single oriental in the place. No matter what you pay, you’re gonna pay too much. Tee shirts for the boys start out at $20 and you buy them for $3 and you’ve still been had. They know the rules and always want you to tell them how much you want to pay. You have to haggle and it is an art form, but one which Carol abhors. I don’t like it either, but see it as a necessary evil. I know I’m gonna pay too much anyway, I’m just trying to limit the damage. Your ignorance is their strength.
Additionally, in my last letter I talked about our tour company “World Encounters.” Keri the woman who handled my bookings receives the missives and informed me that it’s “World Expeditions.” She said if we had a lousy time to leave it, but that if we had a good trip to correct the issue. World Encounters was actually the company Carol and I used to take students to Europe. Carol proofread the letter and didn’t catch it either. World Expeditions has some trips that we’re also interested in doing that are socially conscious travel. Humanitarian trips where you build schools and facilities. We have several friends who have done this: Kate, with whom I used to work with at the travel agency, Lily, my sweet hamburger server at O’brady’s, and Bill, my neighbor, have all talked about how much these trips have meant to them personally. You can look at World Expeditions website for more information:
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