So that’s why I have been pretty quiet the past few days and sorry I haven’t responded to all of your great comments.  Thank you all for reading and I apologize for not keeping up to date with what I’m doing.  But I’m trying.  In the next couple of weeks you can all look forward to reading about my experiences in these great places.

A few things have happened to me in the past few days that I think can really teach the uninitiated a few valuable lessons about traveling.  So I would like to illuminate what happened and what you can take out of the situation.

1. While walking down the street in Shanghai at night, an older couple approached me and explained in very broken English that their money bag had been lost/stolen.  As they explained it, they were very embarassed to be asking but they desperately needed some money.

Well, being the cold-hearted scrooge that I am, I said no and moved on.  Besides, I had my suspicions.  About 5 blocks later, another couple leading a child approached me and said the exact same thing to the letter.  Having confirmed my suspicions, I brightly told them that I just heard that not 5 minutes ago and walked on my merry way.

Lesson Learned: People are almost invariably full of sh*t and only want your money, even if they are dragging a poor, unfortunate child around.

2. When trying to find the bus station in Shanghai, a man driving a scooter taxi tried to give me a ride.  I knew the station was within walking distance so I politely declined.  He then tried to tell me that the station was in the opposite direction I was walking and that it was too far to walk, but he would only charge me 5 RMB for a lift (how nice of him!).  Fortunately, I’m not dumb enough to believe that so I kept walking.  Turns out the station was only a couple of hundred meters and in exactly the direction I had originally been heading.

Lesson Learned: If you don’t know which way to go, don’t ask a taxi driver unless you plan on taking a ride from him/her.  Or, for that matter, anyone else that would want your money or try to sell you something.  These are the types of people who are more inclined to give you false information out of spite for you not giving them money.  Now, I’m not saying they will all do that all the time, but they have a reason to given their position.  When in doubt, ask a police officer, or if you have to buy a bottle of water from a vendor and then ask for directions.

3. Once I got to the bus station, another tout asked me where I was going.  I told him, and he immediately offered to give me a taxi ride there.  A taxi ride, for a 2.5 hour trip?  I don’t think so.  I politely declined and ducked into a McDonald’s to escape from him (he was very persistent and followed me around quite a bit).  After some time, I emerged to go buy a ticket.  The same tout found me and offered to sell me a bus ticket to my destination for 150 RMB.  I said no and he immediately dropped down to 120 RMB.  I said no again and headed to the ticket counter.  The bus ticket is 65 RMB.

Lesson Learned: It is almost always in your best interest to go through official channels for transportation in a foreign country.  Especially in a place where you may not be familiar with the language (like me, sorta).  I can’t read Chinese so if I had taken him up on his offer he could have very well sold me a fake ticket or a ticket to some other place.  Not to mention I would have gotten seriously ripped off.  And that would have sucked.  A lot.

4. While I was in Hangzhou, I visited Lingyin Temple, one of the most holy places in the area.  As I was leaving I overheard a lot of shouting.  I ventured in that direction and discovered a man in a heated arguement with the ticket takers there.  I have no idea what they were arguing about but it went on for a good 20 minutes.  At the very least I thought it was ridiculously inappropriate to let tempers flare in such a serene, holy, and beautiful temple.

Lesson Learned: No matter where they are, some people will find a way to be an asshole.  Always be mindful of your actions towards others and don’t think that just because you are in some temple or church, others will hold their tongue if you piss them off.  If you really make transgressions bad enough against an other, chances are they will let you know how angry they are regardless of your location.  And let’s not forget that getting involved in these types of situations as a foreigner is usually not a good idea.

So these are just a couple of important lessons anyone should be aware of when traveling.  Fortunately I have traveled enough that I know what’s going on (usually) in these situations.  But for those who don’t travel much or not at all, keep these anecdotes in mind when you are out on the open road.  And remember: be aware, be mindful, be safe, and don’t do anything stupid.

I will be home soon and hopefully be able to catch up on the mountain of reading I need to do before I make the big trip back to the US for a while.  Once again sorry I have been so quiet here and I haven’t kept up reading all of the great blogs out there that I love.  But I’m still here and I’ll make sure to leave you all great comments.

Cheers!

Related posts:

1. Reflections on a Semester Past
2. A Few Days On the Lake
3. Stranded by Snow