Day 16- Ganbei!

Anybody who has spent some time in China will know what ganbei means. They will also know that drinking in China is a serious business.

I was wandering around the centre of Beijing, feeling rather lonely in the throngs of people (80,000 tickets are sold for 'Forbidden City' every day). So I was glad when I made friends with a Chinese man, Ching, who was in Beijing for business but had some time off. Together we got away from the noise of the main road and explored the courtyards where the Emperor's family and servants once lived. They are now ordinary homes, but retain some historical curiosities that Ching was able to tell me about. 

We found a bar, to have a "couple beers". It was then that I was informed of the complex rules of drinking in China. Most importantly, we were always to drink together (you can see where this is going already) by declaring ganbei, clinking glasses, and finishing everything in the glass. As we worked our way through three beers (supposedly the maximum for two strangers), we also drank tea, and had a fascinating conversation about our countries, cultures, families, work, beliefs...

After the third, I was told we must complete our formal introduction with some glasses of wine, taking turns to choose the wine, stand up, and talk about ourselves. At this point, I should probably have taken a moment to think of my budget and finding my hostel. A responsible me would have swallowed his pride and said one glass was enough for me. The real me was enraptured by the experience, too curious to see how it would end, and too stubborn to let Ching think the Scots can't drink. As I chose the first wine, I remembered Ching saying that Chinese wine wasn't good, so I looked further for a not too expensive European one. At this point, I had all but given up on calculating exchanges rates. "Are these Tugriks or Roubles? Well those ones at the bottom are much more expensive so I'm sure it'll be fine, my lunch was dead cheap anyway" I thought to myself.

We proceeded with the ritual and continued getting to know each other, ending by wishing each other good luck and finishing our tea. 

 

Then came the bill.

The effects of the alcohol seemed to vanish all of a sudden, as my head double and triple checked that it was getting the right message from the eyes. We both stared for a moment, desperately searching for a decimal point somewhere, anywhere. But there was none. I could have stayed in a five star hotel for the sum we were now confronted with. Shit, we just spent £400 on wine.

After some final cross checking with the menu we accepted our fate and split it two ways. I thought Ching was equally horrified, but as we had both chosen the wine in turn there was no way for us to blame each other. He bought a final final round of beers to smooth things over a little, and we left laughing, just with rather light pockets.

I then found myself with the task of navigating this colossal city full of weird symbols, with a bit of a wobble in my step. Happily, my map reading skills weren't too impaired, and I made it to within a couple hundred metres when the rain began. I remember the route I had to take- right, right, right, left. But suddenly the streets were so narrow it was hard to tell between streets and alleys, English names disappeared from the signs, and it really rained. I was almost soaked to the skin, and it was starting to look quite dark, when a boy ran across the road to give me his umbrella. I was quite touched by this act of kindness, but also lost. 

At the next place with any English writing, I heard an Australian voice saying "just 55 yuan for a bed, mate". I carefully calculated what that was in pounds, and realised it was an offer I couldn't refuse.

Edit- of course this was a scam! It was a good one, in that I learnt so much about my 'friend' that I found it impossible to accept he had tricked me. I love to trust people. For the most part, I find this works in my favour, but definitely not this time. So beware, next time you are in Beijing- the people there are not friendly, and if they are friendly, something funny is probably going on.