Braeden and I definitely signed up for a challenge when we chose China as our backpacking destination. Not only do few people speak English, it is impossible to read Chinese characters. I mean there is no chance of guessing what a word could be at all. In areas of travel and at tourist attractions signs are written in English as well. Here are some of our experiences after five days in Beijing.
Arrival:
We emerged from the subway not knowing which way to turn. I mean we actually stood on a street corner trying to guess which way our hostel was. We spotted a building I presumed to be a mall and walked towards it. The KFC sign on the outside gave me hope that someone may speak English. On route two teens gave us flyer so I asked them for directions. They didn’t speak English but still wanted to help so they found a woman who could. She promptly pulled out her phone and called the hostel for us. We arrived about ten minutes later!
Eating out:
We decided to have a Chinese breakfast on our second day. The previous morning we walked through the neighbourhood and saw dim sum being served all along the narrow backstreets (Hutongs). We stopped at the first restaurant we saw and they didn’t have an English menu or any menu at all. We just pointed at what we wanted. Out came two servings of dim sum- about 10 per plate- as well as a bowl of translucent paste. It tasted like nothing, but with sugar added reminded me of cream of wheat. All that food only cost us 9 Yuen, which equals about $1.30. This was a good outcome from not being able to communicate properly.
An opposite outcome happened at dinner on our third night. We were starving from walking around all day exploring Hutongs. We once again walked into a random restaurant to try our luck. Once again they spoke no English. This time however there was a menu with pictures. We ordered a chicken dish and what we thought to be noodles. When the server brought it out the staff was laughing at us. Turns out it was not noodles. Instead some sort of plant root, onions, and chili peppers. I wouldn’t eat it based on appearance alone. Braeden on the other hand refused to waste what we ordered. Let me tell you, I’ve never seen someone so red in the face from eating. Like a champ he refused to quit and ate the whole thing. The best thing he said: “Fuck my life that’s hot.” One part pain and one part pleasure I suppose since he said it was really good.
Buying Drugs:
Pharmaceuticals of course. Admit it, I got your attention! So after four straight says pounding the pavement I needed some Advil stat. I didn’t pack any in effort to save space. What a dumb move. It was quite an adventure trying to find some painkillers, let alone a drug store. The pharmacies are staffed mainly by women who wear nursing uniforms (complete with little hats). I googled the Chinese equivalent of Advil and I found Fenbid. Out of the six women working, none spoke English. I resorted to making motions of pain. First I triedna sore back. They brought me heat patches. Then I gestured taking a pill and they brought me a box I couldn’t read. Since I had no idea what I would be taking Braeden pulled out the old phrasebook and we found what we were looking for.
Conclusion:
All of these experiences have been more fun than frustrating. Everyone is eager to help and patient with us as we try to explain what we need. I didn’t come here expecting an easy time, but I definitely didn’t expect it to be this challenging.
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