So, it's funny how our time in the Philippines is always all about relaxing and chilling out and no plans, but we always seem to end up with no time to get anything done. Been meaning to write tons of stories, but never seem to get the time to just lay here and type. I'll try to throw together a brief post on Taichung now while trying to upload some pics to flickr!
Well... I arrived in Taipei at 6a and strolled leisurely through baggage and customs. I really only needed to be to Taichung by 5p or so, leaving me 11 hours to accomplish a 3 hours task, so no point in rushing... After clearing customs I found an info desk, discovered the bus station was in the airport, just around the corner, and there was a free internet stand on the way! I spent about an hour catching up on emails and stuff, just 'cuz I could, then headed to the bus station and got my ticket with 5 minutes to spare. I waited outside for a few then tried to set the clocks on my phone and camera. I went back inside to check the clock in there and the staff thought I was lost, so they radioed someone to walk me out to my bus just as it was arriving, ha!
The busses in Taiwan are super-posh - frilled curtains, seats like plush easy-chairs, TV screens (I watched Oceans 13 on my way back to Taipei!) and I heard stories of Videoke on some busses even! I napped most of the way down and then tried to figure out the map as I realized we were in Taichung, much more quickly than expected. I got off at Sogo, a fancy department store, and wandered the streets a bit, looking for a way to contact Heidi, who was at work, but I would be staying with for 2 days. I wandered into a shop to ask about a payphone and bought a camera case for $1, then had some confusing point and gesture and smile conversations with the staff and gave up.
Watched the opening ceremonies of Sogo; it was wild! The big clock in front had 16 panels which flipped around into moving dolls like the Glockenspiel in Munich, while playing "It's a Small World". Then 4 women in kimonos came out and walked and talked in unison, then backed into the store and signaled everyone to enter. It was like the opening of the Wonka factory!
I spotted a 7-11 so I went for water and found a payphone outside. It only took prepaid cards, but I found one in 7-11, so I finally called Heidi, but it just rang and rang. My cellphone didn't seem to work either, so I wandered to a net cafe and figured I'd catch her online, which I did 1 minute before my time ran out. I raced back to the payphone, got Heidi on the phone and got directions to give to a cab driver, so I finally was able to meet up with her at around noon!
We chatted for a while and went for lunch at a cafe nearby and just caught up and chilled until she had to go back to work. I relaxed at her apartment, took a long shower and watched some TV, then fell asleep only a few minutes before Heidi was to get home.
The next chunk of hours were a surreal blur. I apparently slept through her ringing the doorbell and having the manager let her into her 23rd floor apartment eventually. I woke up slightly and saw her napping too, so I went back to sleep. This continued for hours and hours, me not knowing if I was napping for 1 hours or 50, until I finally woke up fully aware that it was definitely late at night now. I got up and thought maybe we could go hit the town now, well-rested and all... Then I looked out the window and notice the streets were EMPTY. I checked the time and it was 5a! I had slept for 12 hours! I tinkered around
online a bit, fixing a thing or two on SixQ.Net, and then crawled back into bed and slept for a few more hours! I guess I really needed the rest!
That morning, when we finally arose and laughed about how we both conked out, we headed down to a corner breakfast shop where I had dan bing, which was like a bacon and cheese omelet wrapped in a crepe and eaten with the most addictively yummy sweet sauce! We met a guy there from Germany Heidi knew and chatted a while and tried to bum a ride up to a monkey park sorta place, since Heidi's scooter is little and might not make it up the hills to the park. Sadly that fell through, but we still had a fun day!
We putted around looking for some shades for me and a spare/new helmet. not much luck on either, but we wandered to the market area to stroll around. I love Asian markets! We walked around and people watched - the kids hang out there like mallrats! - and I'd say hi to people and they'd giggle. In a back alley I found my shades - some imitation BluBlockers for $2. We ended up getting hungry and were right down the street from a special treat: The Modern Toilet.
Oh yes, I snuck a few pictures to give you an idea, but this was a bathroom-themed restaurant! The chairs were all toilets with fancy covers, the tables were 2 sinks with a slab of glass over them. There were showers and faucets on the walls and urinals filled with marbles and stuff in the hallways, plus loads of trippy mirrors and decorations. Meals were severd in miniature toilets with the base being little open-flame stoves and the bowl being, well, a bowl of food. Side dishes were served with covers shaped like poop, and some drinks were served in urinals. I paid an extra $1 and got my drink in a portable urinal with a straw in it. I got a lemon & kumquat drink, that had a pit still floating in it, so you can imagine the realism here! Some dishes were served in bathtubs, but I didn't get one. Dessert? chocolate and coffee soft-serve ice cream served coiled in a miniature squat toilet! It was amazing!!
After leisurely lunch, we headed back to the scooter and cruised around town for a bit, stopping at a lovely Confucian temple in the middle of the city, a quiet sanctuary where we found what appeared to be a fashion shoot and another couple taking wedding pics. Tired from our adventures, we headed home to relax and regroup before a night out. Heidi needed to chat with a friend online, so I headed downstairs and scored us some fried chicken and drinks and mixed a cocktail and did a crossword puzzle. Eventually we caught a cab across town to a club that usually had DJs and dancing, but tonight was chill with tables and posh ambience. We settled into a booth and ordered a few vodkas and a snack, listening to mostly The Cure's Mixed Up album and talking and having a good time. We got a bit buzzed, but decided to call it a night since it was already very late and I had a 5a bus to catch.
As we were about to grab a cab home, the loud, drunk people at the table next to us came stumbling out. One of them tripped and fell over the marquee, crashing it to the ground and causing quite a scene. We laughed and said they needed the cam more than us, so we walked down the street to a little shop where we picked up a little bottle of rye whiskey and mixer and headed home to chill, have one last cocktail and pack up to go.
By about 5a, I finally stumbled out of Heidi's place and caught a cab to the bus/train station. I went ot the counter and said "bus to Taipei" and he handed me a ticket for an hour from then, and charged me $375 Taiwan Dollars. I was a bit confused, so I wandered around and found a tunnel to the bus station. Turns out I just bought a train ticket! I walked to the bus station and asked about the bus. It was $260 and leaving in 7 or 8 minutes. I ran back to the train station and said, "wrong ticket. Not bus. I don't want!" and the guy handed me my cash back without pause. Easy enough, I raced back to the bus as it pulled up, hopped on, wrote a short paragraph in my trusty notebook of an essay I want to write about traveling, then drifted off to sleep with the hopes that one of the nice people who said hello while boarding would wake me up at the right station when the time came...
And that was pretty much Taichung. It's not the most action-packed story to tell, but the city has a great vibe, lively and friendly and fairly easy to deal with everything, and talking to Heidi, she made it sound so easy to live and work there, I started thinking about my long-dime fantasy of permanently drifting around the world for a few years picking up work as I go. I think the time is coming. Maybe I hope...
Now I've got to shower, pack up and wait for my ride to Angeles for my flight in the morning to Malaysia! I hope to have more updates soon, 'cuz the story of Taipei is a great one, and I've got loads of pictures to share. I did manage to upload a few while typing this, so Check them out!
15 October 2008
13 October 2008
Quick note from the Philippines
Hoping to catch up tomorrow, but we're partying it up tonight after a few amazing days in Taiwan. The Philippines is HOT! We're burning up here, but we have A/C for the first time, so that's quite nice. Tomorrow we will feast on Tocino and maybe rent a pool to swim in for the evening. Gearing up for Malaysia and the constant movement of Bali and Thailand, but definitely looking forward to a few relaxing days. we meant to relax in Taiwan, but we didn't actually go to sleep at night the entire time we were there!
So much to tell... I'll write more soon!
ps. Jezrel says hi! :)
So much to tell... I'll write more soon!
ps. Jezrel says hi! :)
10 October 2008
The Adventure Begins at your Doorstep part 2
...so I'm at security in the airport, a few minutes to boarding time of my flight, frantically emptying my pockets and my bag searching for my passport, which is nowhere to be found. I'm not freaking out, but already starting to plan where I could sleep for the night, how I can change my ticket to one day later, how to get to the passport office, how much of my budget will be sucked away on a new same-day passport.
I walk quickly back to the check-in desk, texting Michelle to wait, she may have my passport! The desk is deserted, but a woman comes running out thinking I'm very late to check in. I ask if anyone's turned in a passport, or if I left it there. She runs to the back to check around for me when suddenly a man in a T-shirt says, "Excuse me! Um, did you maybe lose a passport?!" I say "Yeah!! Did you find it?" He asks my name and nods and says to come with him. He jogs off and I consider telling him about how I don't believe in running, but think better of it.
Suddenly I'm sprinting across the long terminal back to the wrong wing I tried to check in at earlier while this guy is telling me how he found the passport on the ground and turned it in to the staff. It must have fallen out of my pocket when I went there, or when I picked up my water and banana earlier, or something. But I get to teh gate panting while he flags down the staff and tells them I belong to that passport he turned in. I fill out some paperwork claiming it, they match me to my picture, and off I go again, running to the security gate to my now-boarding flight! I thank the man and his family profusely and think about offering a cash reward but realize I have too little to give, so it would seem almost rude to offer $5 for saving my entire trip. Once through security I try to spot him to give him my card and offer to try and discount any future travel, but I didn't see him again.
And that's how I managed to get on a 13.5 hour flight out-of-breath, stinky and drenched in sweat! Next stop, Taipei!
But more on that later...
I walk quickly back to the check-in desk, texting Michelle to wait, she may have my passport! The desk is deserted, but a woman comes running out thinking I'm very late to check in. I ask if anyone's turned in a passport, or if I left it there. She runs to the back to check around for me when suddenly a man in a T-shirt says, "Excuse me! Um, did you maybe lose a passport?!" I say "Yeah!! Did you find it?" He asks my name and nods and says to come with him. He jogs off and I consider telling him about how I don't believe in running, but think better of it.
Suddenly I'm sprinting across the long terminal back to the wrong wing I tried to check in at earlier while this guy is telling me how he found the passport on the ground and turned it in to the staff. It must have fallen out of my pocket when I went there, or when I picked up my water and banana earlier, or something. But I get to teh gate panting while he flags down the staff and tells them I belong to that passport he turned in. I fill out some paperwork claiming it, they match me to my picture, and off I go again, running to the security gate to my now-boarding flight! I thank the man and his family profusely and think about offering a cash reward but realize I have too little to give, so it would seem almost rude to offer $5 for saving my entire trip. Once through security I try to spot him to give him my card and offer to try and discount any future travel, but I didn't see him again.
And that's how I managed to get on a 13.5 hour flight out-of-breath, stinky and drenched in sweat! Next stop, Taipei!
But more on that later...
08 October 2008
The Adventure Begins at your Doorstep.
So, here's how this trip started (because my travel adventures begin the second I book a trip, ha!):
I race out of work and walk to the train station, hop on the Amtrak to Richmond, barely staying awake already. Switch to BART and head to downtown San Francisco instead of the airport, as a last minute meeting with Michelle seems possible. Wander the streets a bit, calling and texting John and Sach about things I forgot, and calling and texting to various countries to set up rides and meetings, etc., until Michelle finds me and I hop into her car. We're late (go figure) so after driving towards the show we were going to try and pop into for an hour, we decide to go straight to the airport. We park, thinking of going in for some tea for her and breakfast for me, but that doesn't sound too appealing in an airport terminal. Instead I go check in and grab a coupla waters and a banana (cuz i'm oh-so-healthy)and head back to the parking lot, where we chat and catch up for an hour.
Finally it's time to go and I race into the terminal to get to the gate and wait to board. I went to the wrong wing first, and discovered I get to trek yet again across the airport to check in. Nothing like working up a sweat before boarding a 13.5 hour flight! I pause at the top of security to dump all my pocket stuff into my bag, pull out my boarding pass and my passpor--- um, wait. OK, tickets, boarding pass, notepad, pen, pencil, camera, phone, old passport... NO PASSPORT!!! Hmmm...
(OUT OF TIME... will continue the saga later!)
I race out of work and walk to the train station, hop on the Amtrak to Richmond, barely staying awake already. Switch to BART and head to downtown San Francisco instead of the airport, as a last minute meeting with Michelle seems possible. Wander the streets a bit, calling and texting John and Sach about things I forgot, and calling and texting to various countries to set up rides and meetings, etc., until Michelle finds me and I hop into her car. We're late (go figure) so after driving towards the show we were going to try and pop into for an hour, we decide to go straight to the airport. We park, thinking of going in for some tea for her and breakfast for me, but that doesn't sound too appealing in an airport terminal. Instead I go check in and grab a coupla waters and a banana (cuz i'm oh-so-healthy)and head back to the parking lot, where we chat and catch up for an hour.
Finally it's time to go and I race into the terminal to get to the gate and wait to board. I went to the wrong wing first, and discovered I get to trek yet again across the airport to check in. Nothing like working up a sweat before boarding a 13.5 hour flight! I pause at the top of security to dump all my pocket stuff into my bag, pull out my boarding pass and my passpor--- um, wait. OK, tickets, boarding pass, notepad, pen, pencil, camera, phone, old passport... NO PASSPORT!!! Hmmm...
(OUT OF TIME... will continue the saga later!)
Day 1
Man have I got a story for you!
But, not yet. I've just arrived in Taiwan, alive and well. It's 8a now and I'm about to board a several hour train to Taichung to meet up with Heidi, but I thought I'd stand at this free internet for a bit to stretch my legs after a 13.5 hour flight and a 6 hour journey to get there.
Just thought I'd leave a quick note announcing my arrival to Asia. You can imagine the horns and fanfare.
Now off to the bus!
But, not yet. I've just arrived in Taiwan, alive and well. It's 8a now and I'm about to board a several hour train to Taichung to meet up with Heidi, but I thought I'd stand at this free internet for a bit to stretch my legs after a 13.5 hour flight and a 6 hour journey to get there.
Just thought I'd leave a quick note announcing my arrival to Asia. You can imagine the horns and fanfare.
Now off to the bus!
07 October 2008
Yet Another Rebirth...
To even make a post declaring that I'm revamping and restarting this blog seems trite at this point. For those of you (none of you) that have been following the evolution of SixQ.Net over the past 11 or 12 years, you know that I've launched and relaunched this site almost as many times as I've declared I'd be updating more now (and then never updating). So... let's do this to NO fanfare.
Last update I made in this was from Shanghai in December. As you can imagine and assume, I did make it home from China. I did it penniless, and came home to chaos and drama and after a move and thousands of dollars down the tubes, I'm now fully recovered from all that noise (just in time for the US economy to collapse on me anyway).
But also, after China, I flew home via Hong Kong and LAX, have been to LA 3 times since, Palm Springs/Coachella, San Diego, Lake Shasta, Vegas, Monterrey, etc. etc... Oh, and I went to South Africa for a week and a half or so, and stopped for a day in Frankfurt, Germany. I guess you'll have to wait to read about that in Newsweek or something, or when my autobiography is published, once I find a ghostwriter that can scribble words down as quickly as I can babble travel stories.
Anyway, so... no big relaunch, but I am leaving the country again in less than 24 hours. This time I'm bouncing around Asia a bit more - off to Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Should be good times; a month away is much needed. I'll update as much as I can, put notes on Facebook and MySpace maybe, upload vids to MySpace and photos to Flickr. Got the Google Calendar updated as well. And as always, if you're not reading this on SixQ.Net, you bloody well should be! I've got everything tied together there - contact links, MySpace, Facebook, Google Calendar, Flickr, etc., plus a buncha free mashup mixes for those who don't know.
So... I'm gonna sleep for 3 hours, go work for 10 hours, then train it down to the airport and start another wild ride! Hope you kids drop a note or 10 to keep in touch! :)
Cheers,
6Q
Last update I made in this was from Shanghai in December. As you can imagine and assume, I did make it home from China. I did it penniless, and came home to chaos and drama and after a move and thousands of dollars down the tubes, I'm now fully recovered from all that noise (just in time for the US economy to collapse on me anyway).
But also, after China, I flew home via Hong Kong and LAX, have been to LA 3 times since, Palm Springs/Coachella, San Diego, Lake Shasta, Vegas, Monterrey, etc. etc... Oh, and I went to South Africa for a week and a half or so, and stopped for a day in Frankfurt, Germany. I guess you'll have to wait to read about that in Newsweek or something, or when my autobiography is published, once I find a ghostwriter that can scribble words down as quickly as I can babble travel stories.
Anyway, so... no big relaunch, but I am leaving the country again in less than 24 hours. This time I'm bouncing around Asia a bit more - off to Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Should be good times; a month away is much needed. I'll update as much as I can, put notes on Facebook and MySpace maybe, upload vids to MySpace and photos to Flickr. Got the Google Calendar updated as well. And as always, if you're not reading this on SixQ.Net, you bloody well should be! I've got everything tied together there - contact links, MySpace, Facebook, Google Calendar, Flickr, etc., plus a buncha free mashup mixes for those who don't know.
So... I'm gonna sleep for 3 hours, go work for 10 hours, then train it down to the airport and start another wild ride! Hope you kids drop a note or 10 to keep in touch! :)
Cheers,
6Q
27 December 2007
Barely Made it to Shanghai!
Wow, yesterday was the most insane travel day ever! Let me briefly lay it out here, before I have to run for breakfast and activities. Well, cheap activities because I just discovered I only have $100 left to my name!
Woke up at 7a. Hobbled into a quick shower on my purple, broken toe and headed downstairs to meet Nic for breakfast. Was too late to actually eat, but off we headed to the metro and to Hong Kong Island to the Chinese Embassy where a line had already formed down the whole block for visa applicants. Got in line, got the form to fill out, took turns racing around to find ATMs and passport photo shops. Got into the visa office and got number 58 when they were helping person #7! Finally got to the window and they said the fastest they could get us a visa was 3p. We explained that our train was at 2.45p and we had tried for 2 days to get visas, but they were closed for Christmas! They said we could check back at noon or again at 2p.
Off we raced back to Kowloon on the mainland to pack our bags and get back to check in with the visa office. It was already 10 something, and we hit traffic on the tunnel back to Hong Kong Island after explaining to the hotel that we may or may not check out a day early, depending on the visa. The visa office gates closed from 12p to 2p for lunch and we slid in at 11.53a to get back in to the sea of people waiting for visa help. A woman came to the closed window we had to wait at around noon and told us it would be until 3p. We begged and she said check back at 12.30p or 1p and then closed the window. Nic read, I watched a film on my laptop and she re-opened at 12.30 to check for us. She was super helpful and I nearly proposed to her when she came back with two passports in hand! We got our visas and we were on our way!
Tunnel traffic was hell but we found a lady with a cab who suggested another tunnel, which was faster, but cost a grip! We ended up at the train station with about 15 minutes before the 1.19p train to Dongguan and Guangzhau we wanted to take. I raced for an ATM and got cash just in time to get our tickets and go, but not with enough time to get breakfast yet. Quickly through customs, which was far less stressful now that I had that final visa and didn't have to beg for them not to stamp that page - my passport is completely full now! Jumped on the train and chilled for a bit. All the webpages I found said Dongguan was 50km to the airport, same as Ghangzhau East station, but an hour closer by train. So we hopped off the train at Dongguan and discovered there was not much English, no ATMs to get local currency, and a lot of shady cab drivers. Nic's got some conversational Chinese under his belt, so we argued a bit, looking for a metered cab to keep it honest.
We found a very helpful girl in a local shop who called an English speaking friend who told us that all the websites were wrong and we were now 150km from our flight. it was 3p and our flight was at 7p. We negotiated with the least annoying shady cab driver and made a deal at about $40 for the 2 hour drive. Loading our bags in the trunk we took off. After about 20 minutes, the cabbie seemed lost and was making u-turns and asking around. Then he found a taxi stand and raced over to it. I assumed he was going to ask a fellow cabbie for directions. I was way off.
He negotiated with the cab drivers to pawn us off on them! There was a lot of shouting and talking in Chinese and we were yelling that we needed to go NOW to the airport! We finally figured out what was going on - he wanted us to pay the $40 to another cab driver and go with him, and then pay him $15 or so for the ride to that cab! We told him we'd pay our $40 whenever we got to the airport and no money any sooner! It took a lot of yelling and fighting - I was so glad I had Nic with me to argue in English and Chinese! We were afraid to get out of the cab, since our bags were in the trunk and he could drive off with them. Nic shouted that he was a theif and got out and angrily popped the trunk. Once the bags were safe, I jumped out too and we hopped in another cab, refusing to pay the first a penny. The other cab guy paid the first out some portion of the $40 we would pay him and we were back on the road. Apparently this whole thing is typical Chinese drama!
Two hours later, we were finally pulling up to the airport, but our cab driver pulled over asking for the money then before we got there. After the last escapade, we agreed only to pay him 1/3 until we were at the airport. Turns out, he was afraid of us paying obviously at the terminal since he was an unlicensed illegal cab, so we slipped him the rest as we pulled up and said goodbye like he was a friend and we were finally there. After checking in and getting some food and boarding our flight, we could finally relax!
The flight was just fine on Air China, and for once I actually got seated next to a cute girl! Of course, she didn't speak English, but I shared my headphones with her as I watched American Dreamz on a Filipino bootleg DVD on my computer, and ended up exchanging emails - new friend in China! :)
Back on the group, we were too late for the busses (it was now about 10p) so we had to cab it again, which a cute and helpful girl at a car rental place guessed would cost $7. Outside the unmetered cabs offered it for $21 and we insisted on a meter. Once we got into a metered cab, we circled the parking lot and he stopped to ask one of the shady cabbies for directions. The cabbie got into the car with us and we figured out where we were going. Then he told us the fare was $21 and not metered. We were pissed and Nic yelled and got out and tried to get our bags back to leave. He finally caved in and turned on his meter, and it cost us $14 to get to our hostel. But we were finally there!
We checked in, Nic checked email, I found Ayaka, and we freshened up and got some noodles form a street vendor. We were exhausted and pissy and generally crap, but the street vendor food brightened the mood immediately! So good -why can't we have that in the states?! Finally we called it a night, after a very very long day.
Now I'm in Shanghai and getting ready to head out for food and some shopping! Hell of a trip, eh?!
I can't believe I'm going home so soon. It's difficult to grasp. But Sounds like some people are coming over for New Years Eve?!
Woke up at 7a. Hobbled into a quick shower on my purple, broken toe and headed downstairs to meet Nic for breakfast. Was too late to actually eat, but off we headed to the metro and to Hong Kong Island to the Chinese Embassy where a line had already formed down the whole block for visa applicants. Got in line, got the form to fill out, took turns racing around to find ATMs and passport photo shops. Got into the visa office and got number 58 when they were helping person #7! Finally got to the window and they said the fastest they could get us a visa was 3p. We explained that our train was at 2.45p and we had tried for 2 days to get visas, but they were closed for Christmas! They said we could check back at noon or again at 2p.
Off we raced back to Kowloon on the mainland to pack our bags and get back to check in with the visa office. It was already 10 something, and we hit traffic on the tunnel back to Hong Kong Island after explaining to the hotel that we may or may not check out a day early, depending on the visa. The visa office gates closed from 12p to 2p for lunch and we slid in at 11.53a to get back in to the sea of people waiting for visa help. A woman came to the closed window we had to wait at around noon and told us it would be until 3p. We begged and she said check back at 12.30p or 1p and then closed the window. Nic read, I watched a film on my laptop and she re-opened at 12.30 to check for us. She was super helpful and I nearly proposed to her when she came back with two passports in hand! We got our visas and we were on our way!
Tunnel traffic was hell but we found a lady with a cab who suggested another tunnel, which was faster, but cost a grip! We ended up at the train station with about 15 minutes before the 1.19p train to Dongguan and Guangzhau we wanted to take. I raced for an ATM and got cash just in time to get our tickets and go, but not with enough time to get breakfast yet. Quickly through customs, which was far less stressful now that I had that final visa and didn't have to beg for them not to stamp that page - my passport is completely full now! Jumped on the train and chilled for a bit. All the webpages I found said Dongguan was 50km to the airport, same as Ghangzhau East station, but an hour closer by train. So we hopped off the train at Dongguan and discovered there was not much English, no ATMs to get local currency, and a lot of shady cab drivers. Nic's got some conversational Chinese under his belt, so we argued a bit, looking for a metered cab to keep it honest.
We found a very helpful girl in a local shop who called an English speaking friend who told us that all the websites were wrong and we were now 150km from our flight. it was 3p and our flight was at 7p. We negotiated with the least annoying shady cab driver and made a deal at about $40 for the 2 hour drive. Loading our bags in the trunk we took off. After about 20 minutes, the cabbie seemed lost and was making u-turns and asking around. Then he found a taxi stand and raced over to it. I assumed he was going to ask a fellow cabbie for directions. I was way off.
He negotiated with the cab drivers to pawn us off on them! There was a lot of shouting and talking in Chinese and we were yelling that we needed to go NOW to the airport! We finally figured out what was going on - he wanted us to pay the $40 to another cab driver and go with him, and then pay him $15 or so for the ride to that cab! We told him we'd pay our $40 whenever we got to the airport and no money any sooner! It took a lot of yelling and fighting - I was so glad I had Nic with me to argue in English and Chinese! We were afraid to get out of the cab, since our bags were in the trunk and he could drive off with them. Nic shouted that he was a theif and got out and angrily popped the trunk. Once the bags were safe, I jumped out too and we hopped in another cab, refusing to pay the first a penny. The other cab guy paid the first out some portion of the $40 we would pay him and we were back on the road. Apparently this whole thing is typical Chinese drama!
Two hours later, we were finally pulling up to the airport, but our cab driver pulled over asking for the money then before we got there. After the last escapade, we agreed only to pay him 1/3 until we were at the airport. Turns out, he was afraid of us paying obviously at the terminal since he was an unlicensed illegal cab, so we slipped him the rest as we pulled up and said goodbye like he was a friend and we were finally there. After checking in and getting some food and boarding our flight, we could finally relax!
The flight was just fine on Air China, and for once I actually got seated next to a cute girl! Of course, she didn't speak English, but I shared my headphones with her as I watched American Dreamz on a Filipino bootleg DVD on my computer, and ended up exchanging emails - new friend in China! :)
Back on the group, we were too late for the busses (it was now about 10p) so we had to cab it again, which a cute and helpful girl at a car rental place guessed would cost $7. Outside the unmetered cabs offered it for $21 and we insisted on a meter. Once we got into a metered cab, we circled the parking lot and he stopped to ask one of the shady cabbies for directions. The cabbie got into the car with us and we figured out where we were going. Then he told us the fare was $21 and not metered. We were pissed and Nic yelled and got out and tried to get our bags back to leave. He finally caved in and turned on his meter, and it cost us $14 to get to our hostel. But we were finally there!
We checked in, Nic checked email, I found Ayaka, and we freshened up and got some noodles form a street vendor. We were exhausted and pissy and generally crap, but the street vendor food brightened the mood immediately! So good -why can't we have that in the states?! Finally we called it a night, after a very very long day.
Now I'm in Shanghai and getting ready to head out for food and some shopping! Hell of a trip, eh?!
I can't believe I'm going home so soon. It's difficult to grasp. But Sounds like some people are coming over for New Years Eve?!
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