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I love steamed buns and was always on the lookout for vendors that looked hygienic. The place I found in Xian looked great and they had four different kinds, each with a different filling.

China 1998 - Part Three: Xian & Beijing

Dougburnett
2003-11-22 16:39:38

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had prices written on the goods - mostly gift items - that were not fixed. Bargaining, of course, was the order of the day. I find the best way to get the price down is to make a real low counter offer and, when it's rejected, head for the door. Many times the price would drop from say 500 yuan to 200 before I got there. Other times I couldn't get them down by more than half. You have to take each purchase separately. Remember that if you do leave, you can always go back - they will be glad to see you again.

Beijing

He was at least a head shorter that me and was shouting something incomprehensible right in my face. My first reaction was that he must be pissed about something - maybe I had stepped on his newly shined shoes. Then I looked closer and I noticed he was smiling. He wasn't the only one: a small group of his buddies were all yucking it up too and one guy was waving his camera at me. "Oh," I thought, "another photo op." Well, I never turn down a request from one of my Chinese fans. So I stepped close to him and put on my best "Crazy-looking American Tourist" smile and his pal clicked away. "So," I thought, " this is what it's like to
be famous."

Saturday, April 18, 1998

I ran into Rochelle again in the arrival hall. She suggested that I share a taxi with her and a guy she had met on a tour in Xian. As we rode into Beijing, he told us he was a financial controller for some small city in Holland. We arrived at his hotel first. As we pulled in, he suggested that we all kick in 20 yuan - the meter read 60. Without thinking I gave him 20. He was getting his bag out of the trunk when it hit me - why does he have the money? We were going to pay the driver, not him. I got out quickly and asked for the money back. He said, "Yes, you are right. I wasn't thinking," and got out his wallet. Notice that he had the money for the driver in his wallet.
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