New Year's day - 1 day in China

Today is the New Year and my first day in China. What a shitty start for a new year! What a shitty way to start a trip!

I got up early and headed to the bathroom for a shower. Oops! Showers were dormitory style: no walls, the bathrooms were basically open stalls with showers installed on the wall 3 feet from each other. So what I'm trying to say is: no privacy what so ever. I took the quickest shower of my life and got myself at the tour-booking desk at the hostel's reception. First place I want to visit was of course the Great Wall. There are several tours to different parts of the wall. The old not-renovated part sounded more intriguing but it was 4 hours drive away. I didn't want to spend 8 hours in transportation. So I booked the Balading tour to the renovated part. The tour leaves at 7:30 in the morning, includes lunch and comes back at around 6.

I had the whole day to explore the city on my own. The first impression I had from Beijing is that, boy, everything is so enormous. The buildings, roads, restaurants, .... The roads are wide and to prevent the pedestrians from crossing the roads wherever they feel like it, there are fences all around the roads and between opposite lanes, so you have to cross the road only at the intersections and designated areas. It means that you have to walk the whole block to get to an intersection. And one block in Beijing means a long walk.

I decided to visit Forbidden City. I had the receptionist at the hostel to write it down in Chinese and hopped into a cab. There is a square where the taxi drops you and then you'll have to walk to the gate. I was on my way to the gate when a Chinese woman approached me and tried to sell me Forbidden City Tourist guide. I didn't want it but she was persistent and lowered the price from 90 yuan to 40. I bought it. Then a Chinese man approached me on a taxi-bike and offered me a ride to the gate for 50. Everybody was walking so I refused. But he too was very persistent and reduced the price to 20. It was cold and he looked poor and desperate so I agreed. I sat on the chair behind the bike and 30 second later we were at the gate. He got off the bike and asked me for 20 US dollars! I said I taught you said 20 Yuan, and he said he meant 20 dollars. 20 dollars in China would probably equal to two days average salary! He got aggressive and started to yell. I was not going to ruin my New Years Day arguing with this guy. I paid him 15 US dollars and walked away. What a rip off! Later I was told by other travelers that in a case like this you must say: "Hold on, I'll call the cops and if they say pay him $20, then i'll give you 20 dollars." As soon as they hear "cops", they will disappear.

The imperial palace was occupied by only the royal family and their servants. There are 9,999 buildings in total, surrounded by a wall separating Forbidden City from the rest of the town, There are two gates on each side of the wall opposite each other. To walk from one gate to the other, visiting all the buildings and the imperial garden, it would probably take at least 3 hours. It was amazing to see how much detail is put into each palace. Their architecture is all traditional Chinese and gets repetitive after a while. But each one served a different purpose; for example palace of longevity (Tranquil and Joyful), palace of harmony (Supreme, Central and Preserved), mental cultivation, hall for ancestry worship, ...

It was cold and windy in Beijing. It would probably be much more pleasant to walk around the garden in spring or summer.

After a long walk, I went to the Tian'anmen Square -- the biggest square in the world. I was tired, cold and hungry, so I decided to find a place to get lunch and coffee. The square is huge and I couldn't see anything but enormous government buildings and museums. Then this girl walked up to me and introduced herself as an art student who studies at the Beijing University. and politely asked me if I would be interested to see their painting exhibition. My North American telemarketing experience kicking in, I immediately asked her "What are you selling?" She replied: "Nothing, just look and if you like something, we'll give you a good price, and if you don't like anything, you don't have to buy." I said: "I love arts and I would be more that happy to look at your work, but I'm starving and need to eat first." She was not about to let me go. She took me to a "safe" restaurant, ordering Peking duck -- the famous dish in Beijing -- , sat there patiently as I ate, and after lunch took me around the square to show me the open market where I would have never found on my own. It was a local market, not built for the tourists. She helped me to buy a long warm winter coat (only 100 yuan, very inexpensive), and asked me if there is anything at all I needed help with.

Two hours or so later we were at her art gallery, looking at the traditional Chinese paintings on silk. I bought two long vertical traditional paintings. I don't know if I felt obliged after all the help she provided me with, or I just really liked the paintings of half-naked girls.

It was around 6 in the evening and I thought before I head back to the hostel, I go back to the market and look around. On my way I saw a bag store and I figured I probably need a suitcase after all the shopping I am about to do. The store was crowded and people were bumping into each other with no apologies.

I couldn't find a small suitcase, I left the store only to find out that while I was bending over some bags, I was pick pocketed. my purse was opened and all the money in there was robbed. 700 in US bills, 600,000 Korean Won and some 1000 Yuan. Almost two third of the money I had brought to China for my trip was gone.

I was outraged and felt invaded. I was extremely mad. I didn't know what to do. The thief had probably disappeared by then, or maybe standing in a corner, watching my reaction, thinking how stupid and easy this one was! I went back to the store and asked the salesperson if she saw anything falling off me. She didn't understand a word of course, so I showed her my opened purse. She threw her shoulders up and walked away.

There was absolutely nothing I could do. I was so mad I could kill a Chinese or two. I got into a cab and went back to the hostel. I found it very unfair. How could someone do such a thing? How can they live with that? The money would be as much as 1-year average salary in China and someone just unfairly earned that in a second!

I had been warned to watch my purse by shopkeepers and other travelers, but I'm not a paranoid person. Korea has spoiled me. This would not have happened in Korea. I lost my suitcase when I first arrived in Korea at the bus terminal. Two weeks later I got a call from the Iranian embassy, asking me to go to Seoul and pick it up. My Iranian passport was in the suitcase and whoever found it, sent the suitcase straight to the embassy. Everything was intact.

Then there came the second phrase of the frustration, sadness and helplessness. I broke into tears. I called my then-boyfriend and cried. Then I went to my room and counted all the money I had left. 600K Korean won and 50 something Yuan. Only almost 600 US dollars in total. Would it be enough to go ahead with my plans, 15 days in China and 12 days in Taiwan? I didn't think so. I decided to go back home, take the next ferry to Incheon and go to my safe home. I blamed myself for carrying so much money on me, all in one place. How stupid of me!

It was my first day in China and the first day of the year. What a wonderful beginning!