Yesterday a friend and I went over to Culture Street and Chinocky area in Wuhan to see what things were about. I am never making the mistake of going out on a Saturday, during a sale period, and getting on public transportation – especially the bus.
People never wait in line for the bus at Guang Gu during rush hour but I did not know that because the students who go with me usually take me on a weekday or on an off peak period. When I go with the other professors we usually drive or hop in a cab. However, last night was not a good time to hop in a cab because of the shopping crowds and rain.
So we walked and waited in the rain for a hour to try to catch a cab. Finally we go on the metro which was crowded but fine. It was like the typical NYC subway at pre-rush hour. My friend kept telling me this was going to be really bad but I did not believe her because all day her version of really bad was perfectly acceptable to me as I am use to the city and crowds.
We finally got into a cab in Guang Gu and it turns out it was a “black cab” or a fake cab. The guy had all the markings of a real taxi including the meter but he did not have the bar on the top which states whether or not the cab was empty. In the dark, I thought that the light was just broken because it was dark and raining.
Once we got into the cab, the guy asked if we were both together and when I said yes, he wanted to charge us 50 yuan for the ride back to school. It usually is 25-31 yuan so I told him I would give him 35 yuan and he told us to get out. When I made a fuss, he admitted that he was not a real cab and it turned out to be true because while he had the taxi meter, he did not have the machine that connects to the meter which calculates miles and fees.
We got out of the texi and then saw the bus we needed. I have never been scared to get on public transportation before but this time, I was not happy. I hate crowds to start with but they are tolerable as long as I do not feel like I am going to get trampled in a stampede. On the Wuhan bus at Guang Gu, I felt like I was going to get trampled in the crowd. The crowd kept surging and I could not move so finally I grabbed the door of the bus and pulled myself on. The girl behind me kept screaming that they were crushing her. The girls in front of me were trying to help another friend whose strap popped off her book bag.
In the commotion, I lost my friend who was definitely more skilled than I in navigating the mob. They had a guy directing traffic and a cop trying to get rid of the fake taxi drivers and illegal buses but nobody to direct the mass of people. What they need to do since people cannot seem to get on a line at the bus stop is to install the metal fences that force people to get into lines – these exist at the airports and buses for people to wait for taxis. Otherwise, they need to bring back the police officers with the batons and beat people into line when they cut like they did during the Olympics and the World Expo. If you visit Beijing and Shanghai, everyone knows to get in a nice line if they need to wait.
I cannot decide if yesterday’s shopping experience was just a bad day or if it was because I was with my friend. She was saying that sometimes she was just tired because of the way people treat her. Sometimes they are ultra nice like when the guy tried to help her buy a metro token yesterday and sometimes, they just ignore her and she can’t even buy a bag of rice.
Usually I can at least shop. They might want to rip me off when I don’t bargain with them but they will at least try to sell me something. Yesterday was weird because the guy who I bought honey from was at first okay and then something strange happened so I did not get a nice discount like we had negotiated. So now I need to ship my honey from the U.S. to China.
To make sure that I am actually getting the quality I want and to be happy with the prices, I am going to buy and ship things to my friends back home and have them ship it to me. Even if this is more expensive than just buying things in China, I would rather spend the money and pay the taxes from home because I know that I am getting what I ordered and I know that the prices are fair. Sad for most of the shop keepers here because I am a habitual shopper and once I find a place I like, I usually go back and buy from the same people. Not only do I buy from the same people but I recommend and bring friends. In China, I have maybe gotten customer service and goods here from a handful of stores which warrant that kind of loyalty.
Current Mood: Happy and Contemplative
I appreciate the adorable rabbit image a friend sent me and the beautiful transportation card issued by the city of Wuhan. Here is hoping to the transportation system getting better.
