After Tuesday night's failed attempt to make it to dinner on time via the 394 bus to BeiDa's west gate, I was quite gratified that yesterday I found a bus to take us directly from Bei Wai to the Wudaokou clothing market (hurray 836, you are convenient and efficient!) HOWEVER it took me half an hour of playing around on bjbus.com to figure out the right schedule, AND the bus of course took forever to come while all the other buses (including the loathed 394) whizzed by, repeatedly.
Not to mention while we were waiting, we stood there for enough time that a creepy middle Chinese man approached my and asked me for my phone number and email address (among other questions.) Luckily I had encountered this situation before (on a bus, coincidentally) and I told him my phone is broken and proceeded to give him a fake email address. I would feel bad except I was being polite and he was trying to pick me up, even though I told him I am returning to America in three days and I'm totally not an appropriate age for him. WTH China.
Also I just learned that those strange people who stand outside Carrefour asking for your receipts when you leave actually have a purpose in collecting them. I never gave mine up, but I wondered why they wanted them, because it's not like the receipts have credit cards numbers on them since everyone pays with cash. But apparently they collect them and then sell them to other people who want to claim them as tax returns. What??? Can't you find a better way to stick it to the man?
Oh, China. I've been thinking that a lot lately. I'm trying to take lots of pictures in my last few days here of the random stuff I see everyday, just so I have a reminder of how truly crazy this place is. On one hand, I'm glad to be going home and seeing my family and not having to deal with Beijing transportation/pollution/haggling etc, but on the other hand I know that I'm not done with China yet. So I'm going to enjoy my last few days here, think "Oh China" a lot, and then look forward to some serious R&R back in the US.
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2 comments:
so i finally found your blog just in time for you to come home. see you soon!
Hey Lindsay.
Hope your last few days are great. And say hello the family when you get home. Unfortunately, I don't get to be in the States for Christmas, but my family is coming to Italy to do it all the same. Have a good one.
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