Beijing Bound

No more Shanghai for the Gray boys. And on the morning after our little scam fiasco that would have been fine with me! But now we had got to like the city again but it was once again time to move on. Our next destination was Beijing, but before we left we had time for one last browse through the street markets to see if we could snare a bargain.

But first off we tried to find the Yu/Yuyan Gardens as it was supposedly very nice there. Then again, it was one of the scammers that had told me about it so I didn’t hold out much hope for the place – it would probably be chock-full of scammers! When we left the Yuyan Gardens metro station we were approached within the first 30 seconds by another set of tea scammers. We batted them away very easily as we know the drill by now. As we searched around for the gardens it seemed like we were in the wrong place, or that the gardens were actually pretty poor. So we continued our wander through the streets and ended up in the Old Town area, where we had now walked down the same market street about 6 times already. But this time we were on a mission. This time we would be getting the ol’ wallet out and bagging some stuff.

Our favourite market street......in Shanghai

I managed to find a shop with a few decent coats in and began the search through the chaps stock. I was on the lookout for one of those puffer-style jackets that everyone has out here; one that will keep you warm and toastie, while at the same time being very light and that will shrink down nicely to fit in my bag when needs be. The guy didn’t like my haggling technique at all, but then again he didn’t speak a word of English so it was pretty heavy going. I wanted under 100 RMB (£10) but just couldn’t get him to lower his price. Never mind, plenty more out there, so I left him to it and he muttered something under his breath.

I managed to grab a cheap scarf and a thick warm hat as it was already quite chilly in Shanghai so we knew that it would come in handy up in Beijing. James had wandered off when I was struggling with coat-guy, and I eventually spotted him (not exactly hard in China) in shop nearby trying on a jacket himself. He managed to haggle with them more successfully than me, as they spoke good English, and he bagged himself a bargain. Feeling rather pleased with ourselves, and at the end of the market street, we retraced our steps through the throng of shops and touts. As we were passing a row of shops on the other side of the street my eye was caught by a couple of coats I was after so stuck my head in for a closer look. The young girl inside spoke some English and I managed to get it down to the 100RMB mark and sealed the deal. She wasn’t very happy, but we have come to love that unhappy look on traders faces as it shows that we got a good deal and haven’t paid over the odds.

We collected our luggage from the hotel and hot-footed it to the railway station where, as usual, we had to go through the usual security measures before getting onto our train. Once we were in we reached the waiting area and were astonished at the level of comfort and sophistication there. Proper armchairs and nice tables, probably carpets too if my memory serves me correctly. And then we realised that our waiting room was upstairs. We were treated to a little less luxury than downstairs – metal seats like at a bus stop.

Soon we were on our train and packing ourselves away up the top. We had 4 middle-aged Chinese people below us, but they didn’t seem like they would cause any trouble. We settled in quickly, had some dinner and got playing some cards to pass the time. As we played, a young Chinese girl sidled up to us and asked if she could watch us play. We obliged, obviously, but were wary of any more potential scams that may be lurking around the corner. It didn’t seem like it as she was very polite and not at all like the usual suspects that have come up to greet us so enthusiastically. With her watching over my shoulder I talked her through what I was doing to try and beat James at rummy (in the what felt like the millionth game) and she caught on very quickly. Soon she was playing me, and then James, and then all three of us in one game. We also taught her how to play beggar-my-neighbour, which again she picked up straight away.

James and Haven, our cards buddy

We were chatting as well as playing cards and it got to the point where we were chatting more than playing cards, and the old fogies who had climbed into bed already (at 9:00pm) were muttering that we were being too loud. US being too loud?! What about the two guys on the next table down who were shouting at the tops of their voices and playing around on their phones for ages?! Anyway, we felt that we should turn in for the night so as not to disturb them as they slept; I mean, who would knowingly make noise around people who are trying to get some sleep…?