After a grueling 34-hour day, being in China is finally a reality. As we drove in, walked around, and mingled with the locals, I recognized a great deal of things.
Essential to understanding Beijing is realizing its status as a tourist city. As I rode in, parallels between Vegas and LA kept becoming evident. You can see parts of the city that are very clearly designed to be tourist traps. In addition, the sort of people who call Beijing their hometown tend to be very similar. The materialism that has permeated the city is clearly seen with the outrageous styles many locals are sporting.
Our first hour in, we went down to Pearl market, an amusing mix of a mall and open market. Instead of the store having one cashier per department, there were several stalls built next to one another, each trading virtually the same wares, Although haggling sounded easy at first, and it felt easy, until you realize you got ripped off. The folks running the stalls are very, very good. Their analysis begins the moment you come into their domain. They follow your eyes, trying to see how much you'd be willing to give up for the item. Their only strategic fault is how they will approach you, unsolicited. The moment that THEY are the ones offering the price, they allow the buyer control over how "interested" they are in buying it. Unfortunately, this is not often taken advantage of, something of which I, too, am guilty.
I don't have time to write about the ride in, the alleys, or the walls now, but they will definitely be covered in the next few posts. Stay classy, readers.
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