Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 8:48 AM
Subject: Asia - Day 6
Note to self – Chinese beer will give you one NASTY headache the following morning!!
My Chinese hotel room does not have a clock. It has two TV’s, a mini bar, a couch and chairs, a desk, 3 telephones (one next to the toilet – who uses that?) and a box of condoms, but no clock. There is a large billboard as you enter Shekou from the ferry terminal that says “Time is Money”, nothing else. I’m sure there is a connection here but I am not finding it – See “note to self” above. I am not sure what time I woke up. After scanning through multiple channels on the TV (all in Chinese except for one station in English which was transparently state propaganda) I found a news program that said it was 9:30 AM. I groggily got ready for the day and realized that I had left my toothpaste in Hong Kong. I scrubbed my teeth as best I could with a toothbrush and bottled water, used some Listerine, and I was ready for breakfast. Around this time the phone rang. It was Larry, his first words were “Too much Beer”.
We met for breakfast in the second floor restaurant. The same 9 girls were sitting and chatting and still ignoring everyone. The buffet looked as bad as before. I managed to scrounge up a small piece of ham, a sausage that tasted more like a hot dog, and 2 pieces of toast. Larry didn’t eat – I guess he has stayed here before. We discussed the previous day’s events and we both agreed it went well. The chatting waitress girls at one table started talking to Larry in Chinese and he answered back in a rather annoyed tone. I asked him what that was about and he told me they wanted to know what room I was in.
Note to self – Next time in Shekou, find a new hotel
I told Larry about my need for toothpaste and he suggested we go to the Wal-Mart in Shenzhen, a five minute cab ride away, because “they very cheap!” I have not been in a Wal-Mart in probably 12 years but I agreed to go, a Wal-Mart here had to be interesting. It was still raining so we grabbed the umbrellas and hailed a taxi. Riding in the taxi, you can’t help but notice the contrast between the old China and the new China. The old China I am referring to is the Communist era China; very utilitarian buildings, little ornamentation of any kind, bland, ugly, in need of a paint job. The new China looks as modern as any place in the US. Driving through Shenzhen there are tall ugly concrete apartment buildings next to spotless shopping centers, new looking cars and old looking bicycles. In fact the cars slightly outnumber the bicycles, a recent development. The Wal-Mart Superstore is a large two-story building with no parking lot. Inside, the differences with an American Wal-Mart become instantly apparent; There a no large aisles, most items are displayed on plastic pallets that are neatly arranged. The store is very crowded, has a sort of an escalator without steps – a moving ramp that takes you to the second level so you can bring your shopping cart too, and sells just about everything. The shopping carts are rather small and all four wheels pivot – this makes them difficult to control. We found the toothpaste (Crest, in a Chinese package – a regular tube cost 6 RMB, about 75 cents). Larry needed some fruit to bring home to his daughter who is 4. His daughter expects him to bring special fruits back from his trips to Shenzhen and he does not like to disappoint her –I guess daughters can work their fathers everywhere. The produce section was very large and busy, and most everything on display I have never seen before. One of the items Larry picked out was about the size of a large cherry, but had a greenish brown skin like a kiwi. He asked me if I wanted one and handed it to me before I could answer. He took one too, peeled it, ate the fruit which was colorless and translucent, and spit out the seed. I asked if you were allowed to eat the fruit before you pay for it and he gave me a very puzzled look like I had asked him if it was OK to breathe. I took that as a yes. Regarding the spitting of the seed, the Chinese will not put their fingers in their mouths, even to remove a seed – it is considered very bad manners. You see people spitting stuff onto their plates in restaurants frequently. Anyway, I peeled and ate my pilfered fruit but I could not bring myself to spitting the seed. I used my fingers, I hope no one was watching.
The Wal-Mart has a separate tea shop inside. The shop sells all kinds of teas, tea pots and cups, and the like. There is a table towards the back where one of the girls will prepare you samples of any tea they sell. Larry told me that tea is very expensive in Shanghai where he lives, and he likes to buy from this shop. We sat down at the table in the back, and the tea girl, who was dressed in something that looked like a cross between a Kimono and Mao suit, sat down and began to prepare some samples.
This may prove to be the highlight of the trip. Larry and I spent about an hour in the shop while he explained to me the differences between this tea and that, and why one tea is prepared differently than another. We must have sampled a dozen different teas and they all tasted very different from each other. They were also much better than any tea I have ever had, even the cheap ones that Larry didn’t like. The tea leaves were usually placed in a small cup, hot water was poured over them until it overflowed, a small lid was placed on the cup and the contents were poured out into the drain in the center of the table. Larry explained that this was to wash the tea leaves and that this was very important. The cup with the now wet leaves was refilled with hot water, but not until overflowing this time, and after only about 15 seconds the lid was placed on again and the liquid was poured through a strainer into our small tea cups. This was a green tea and it was so smooth going down, none of that irritation in the back of your throat like some teas give you. We had more of this one, but this time it was steeped longer – necessary after using the leaves once already. We also tried some red teas, which were prepared with hotter water, and some black teas, one of which was aged for 10 years. I had great fun and my headache was gone too. I went to purchase some tea and I was told through my interpreter (Larry) that they cannot take foreign credit cards in this shop and that this is common throughout China. I found an ATM and bought some tea to bring home.
After the Wal-Mart experience, we returned to the hotel, dropped off our items, and returned to the restaurant where he had dined the night before. We sat in the main dining room, and this time the lights stayed on. Larry ordered from the all Chinese menu more good food. One dish was a steamed and seasoned shrimp which was impossible to peel. Larry ate his shell and all. I tried this too, surprisingly not too bad. I paid for lunch, we returned to our hotel, checked out, and Larry accompanied me to the ferry terminal for my 2:45 trip back to Hong Kong. Traveling in this part of China would be very difficult without some Mandarin or Cantonese knowledge, or without a local to guide you. The ride back was much as the one to Shekou, rainy, poor visibility, many, many ships and cranes, a couple of war ships this time. I got through immigration and customs without a hitch, grabbed a taxi, and back to the hotel. The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets of Kowloon to do some shopping. You really can find some great bargains here. The Indian tailors are no longer amusing, they are really annoying me now.
Time to shut down. I have to pack from tomorrow’s early trip to Shanghai. Hong Kong has been so much fun. If you mixed mugginess and unabashed seediness of New Orleans and the bustle and variety of New York, you might come close to this city. I can’t wait to come back. Maybe next time I will get a foot massage (nothing higher than the ankle though).
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