Beijing Day 7 in Adventures in paradise

Omg I have so much to write about but am so tired! I don’t wanna forget it all though so will write what I can.

Yesterday I figured out the subway system here. Man, it’s done well. 21+ different lines and I somehow navigated my way through two of them to get to the Beijing zoo.

It wasn’t even a plan to go there until I was Snapchatting with my friend Matt and he said he wanted to go here to see the giant pandas. I hadn’t even thought of that!
After a bit of research, I learned that they are native only in South China (where you can actually HOLD them) but they are here in the zoo!

So off I went. I ended up going quite late in the day, and it worked out perfectly. There weren’t many people at the zoo and the panda exhibit was so exciting. I didn’t expect much to happen, and the first few pandas I saw were quite docile, but then I got to the third one, who put on a real show for us spectators! I couldn’t believe it!
The VPN seems to be behaving tonight so let me know if this works.

It was dark when I left the zoo, it’s it’s then that I ran into trouble. I had the right change for a subway fare back but I had three 1¥ notes and one 1¥ coin (why China has both is beyond me, but this just adds to the questions I have about this country.). Anyway, the machines would only accept the coins but not the notes. It also wouldn’t accept my 100¥ note, despite the machine saying so. There was a ticketing box but no-one was manning it. I tried a variety of things like going to various restaurants and asking if they accepted Yuan, but no-one spoke English. I was holding the note and asking, “Yuan? Yes? No?” Lol, and each time I was met with a confused look. All because I can’t get or use WePay. Incredibly frustrating.
So I had to think of the next thing - get lesser money out at an ATM. Well, first of all, the ATM in the station was off with a taped note to it in Mandarin, so I figured it was out of order. I then went looking for an ATM and found one within a bank. I chose this in case the ATM decided to chew my card, which was the last thing I wanted. Did I mention I had to catch two trains to get to the zoo? I was a 2.5 hour walk from the hotel.
Anyway, the ATM was thankfully easy to use, gave an English option, and gave me my card back. Unfortunately Chinese ATMs only give out ¥100 notes 🙄
My God, can I not get a win, please?

So the next option was to catch a cab, which is a challenge in itself. I Googled about taxis in Beijing only to be met with, “Don’t be surprised if it takes you over 30 minutes to manage to hail a cab in Beijing.”
Lolz! I’m used to taxi ranks in Australia, but they don’t exist here. I also read that taxi drivers hate being given ¥100 notes 🙄
Fuck me!
By this time, I was getting overwhelmed and knew I wasn’t gonna get home unless I started to make a move. Thank fuck my VPN was working with my roaming. Normally anything Google is blocked in China too, so that woulda been fun! Because I went to the zoo so late, I didn’t think I’d need my charger, so (stupidly for the second time - bravo Matt!) didn’t bring it. I had about 35% battery, so I times that well, but I had a huge walk ahead of me. I didn’t have a choice. I was so overwhelmed. And hungry. I couldn’t pay for anything, yet again. If I had just bought a stuffed panda or something back at the zoo, things would have probably turned out differently. Because the actual tourist places have been the ONLY places where I’ve been able to use my fucking cash. It’s crazy. I’ve never come across a country that makes it so hard for a foreigner to pay for anything. I knew this was a possibility before coming here, but fuck, I can’t even seem to use my cash. So once again, I survived on my bottles of water I’d brought with, and I walked ALL the fucking way home.
I WeChat’d Ryan that I was in a predicament but he never replied. I got a message hours later that he’d fallen asleep and that I was insane for walking.
Not only that, to add fuel to the fire, it was extremely smoggy. I was breathing into my jacket sleeve quite often.
The only saving grace to walking that massive distance back to the hotel was that I got to see a lot more of the streets of Beijing. Groups of people were playing music and dancing in the parks and public areas, even the sidewalks. I had to walk through one group. Very Chinese, very cool. The lanterns all lit up. I even walked by Belhai Park, which is the biggest park in Beijing and mostly water, but unfortunately it was closed at that time of night, another ticketed attraction. I’d only seen Jingshan Park, which I think is the next or third biggest.
The streets of Beijing are old and gross, especially with an added noticeable smog in the air, and men just spitting on the sidewalks constantly. It makes sense though. So much pollution, they need to clear it out. I have noticed however that I only see the men do it. I’ve not noticed one single woman hack her phlegm up onto the sidewalk. I’ve mentioned this to Ryan and that I think either the women here are just far more discreet, or just aren’t disgusting animals 😜
I will say though that despite the huge walk and sore feet, I felt completely safe. There are police buildings absolutely everywhere, even in streets I wouldn’t have thought they’d be. And the Chinese are just driving around and breaking so many Australian laws that it’s crazy to me. No need for helmets on scooters/bikes, no need for seatbelts, you can text and have a conversation whilst driving any vehicle, you can jaywalk. That would be four different times in my country lol. The police seem to only care for real crime and keeping citizens safe. I really respect that.

I even stopped into a McDonald’s on the way back, since, you know, I was starving. Surely they would take cash! They have machines too! I wouldn’t have to try and interact with someone! Haha, aren’t I so cultured! I don’t know how I’m alive. Especially after walking 2.5 fucking hours across the insane intersections of Beijing. I was thankful whenever I came across an overbridge or an underpass. Anyway, back to McDonald’s. Yay I can order in English!
Get to the payment screen - no cash option LOL. They have a card reader! Nope - UnionPay only, which I think is an American thing? I’ve never heard of it in Australia. They did have an added option of paying with Apple pay, but I only have AndroidPay. I just. Couldn’t. Win. I walked out, drank the last of my water and walked back.

Man I was fucking sore, and over it. I got back to the hotel only to realise I’d entered from the wrong side and couldn’t find my lift. Apparently there’s an office side too, ergh. I walked around and I went straight to the Spa on level 6.
Now, I’ve been in here every night since I arrived here, but tonight I’d come in straight from the street and not my bathrobe from the room, so the lady on the desk didn’t know what I was saying. Given the night of bad luck and huge commuting by foot I’d just had, I was VERY close to “losing face” (getting angry), which is something I read that you do not do in China. I was really agitated. I was asking to use the spa, but the lady thought I was asking for a massage. “No, spa!”
“This is spa,” she would say back. She was also covering the clipboard that I usually sign to get in. I was like, “I come here, each night.”
It was only when I realised that I was saying “Spa” instead of “pool” that things turned around. “Pool! Pool!” I said, and apologised. She moved her stuff and I signed in as usual.

I went in and took a shower right away. I was sore and disgusting. I imagined the soot of Beijing polluted air bring washed from my face, but it seemed okay.
I wrapped a towel around the underwear I was wearing and went into that amazing jacuzzi. Say “jacuzzi” Matt! Not “spa”! Idiot.

Anyway, I finally got back up to the room and Ryan was asleep. He pretty much didn’t move all night. He got sick in Shanghai but is blaming it on me.

I’d had such a tough day. I chewed down on what free minimal good there was in the apartment, which was two pears and a few chocolates. I downed two bottles of the water. It was something.

I had a big cry in the lounge area of the room, out of view of Ryan, who was still in bed in the bedroom. I totally broke down but didn’t want him to hear or see me. I was a bit of a mess. Fuck, what a scary night.
I got myself together and went and joined Ryan in bed and slept til morning. I got up before him.
I’m not sure when we were talking but he says that none of his other friends have had as many issues as I have here. I was like, “Are they Chinese!? Do they have WeChat!? Chinese bank accounts?”
I said to him, “I don’t think I’ll ever come back here. Not unless things seriously improve.”
Ryan was born here. Yeah, I just said that about his home city.

It was just a fucking rough night, ya know. Very tough. The day started off great and things could have been worse. I’m still alive. I’m just frustrated that it’s not easier. The simple things I take for granted like handing over a card to pay for a meal is completely taken away from me here, it seems.

Ryan, if course, thinks I’m an idiot, which I clearly am. He’s like, “Ask the concierge for change! Every concierge in the world will do that for you!”
Yeah, cos I’m used to staying in hotels that actually HAVE concierges 😂🙄
I have zero clue about these things. Why would have have change on them? It wouldn’t have even occured to me. Once again, how am I coping with this whole human/life thing? I mean, really. I should’ve just dyed my whole hair blonde before coming here.

I’m trying to focus on how great the morning was and how cute the pandas were.

I’ve since had another day here in China but that will have to be another entry. Phewie.

Last updated October 31, 2019