Things To Get Used To

As was recently brought to my attention by the arrival of a pair of girls from Slovakia, China is really quite different from the west. I've been living here for a little while, but for long enough, and in deep enough that I don't really notice a lot of the things that makes being in China different. So I thought that for the brief moment that I was aware of these things, I would describe a few of them.

First of all is food. Likely, this is the first thing you will notice in China, at least if you take a non-tourist route. Food in China is served everywhere: streetcorners are just as popular as restaurants, and food ranges from kabobs to canteloupe. The difference is the style. Canteloupes are HUGE, vendors are plentiful, and just as interested in your dollar. You can walk around in any downtown area in any city and find food and water (for a price, of course). But, I usually enjoy frequenting slightly different neighborhoods. Off in the quieter, slower (not always) parts of town, you can find streets that are lined with restaurants. The cheapest are very small, don't have menus, and are complete with all manner of interesting sights and smells. I was brought into this world rather gently, but going to any of these places you need to get used to a few things: food is not eaten once it touches the table. Period. You are assumed to be able to pay more than you should. You have to use chopsticks, though that may be obvious. And perhaps finally, you need to have a good stomach. If the sight of weird meat being cooked gets you antsy, well, go somewhere else. This is perhaps a good piece in the life of a vegetarian in China: no wierd meat to contend with.

Second of all is shopping. Price tags are rare, found in the more expensive parts of town. Elsewhere, it is bargaining that gets you your prices. This includes tourist sights, food, souvenirs, everything. For a new arrival, this perhaps key to your survival. If you're paying prices that are acceptable in the west, then you're getting ripped off. Prices should be anywhere from 7 to 10 times cheaper in China. If the price looks acceptable were it to be in dollars or euros (using the same numbers), then you're safe. Food on the street costs the equivalent of 15 cents, more, and you're asking to be taken in. Naturally, prices are higher in the cities, where there are higher wages and generally a better quality of life. This is not a rule; you will also see some of the most heart-wrenching sights in China inside cities.

This is the next most critical thing to be aware of. In the downtown areas, giving money to beggars is like asking for a mob. Sometimes for white people, even stopping will do that. If you're female, this happens even faster, but for anyone crowds will form. Last night for instance that was the scene when the a couple of girls stopped to pet a dog. There were more than thirty people encircling them in the space of a minute. However, it is the cripples that will test your patience. The Chinese have perfected the art of the pitiful cripple. You will see sights that will make your stomach do a blackflip, and you will be followed by poor children. But the second money shows up, you better be willing to dish out. So far I have limited myself to the monks, and to the less crowded parts of town where a couple yuan goes unnoticed and doesn't draw crowds, and is perhaps more appreciated. Similarly to your shopping: do your giving at the end of the trip, just before you leave, as inconspicuously as possible.

So far as dirt is concerned, there is one thing that creates this image in a foreigner's head. It is the simple fact that the streets are seen to be external to the private venues operated by the locals that results in the dirty back streets you can see in most cities. This is actually very similar to last century's europe: wash water went out the window, as did garbage. China has yet to change this view. You will see garbage thrown on the ground, and spitting inside busses. This is just part of the Chinese experience. If you don't want to deal with that, stick to downtown Shanghai, Beijing, and to paying a fistfull.

And when it comes to tourism: see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, see Yangshuo's many sights, and perhaps a pagoda or two; and then stick to things off the beaten path. My best times in China have been unplanned, often talking with locals, or discovering new things. To sum it up: a traveler must be adventurous.