User Comments - brendaninaus
brendaninaus
Posted on: The Tea Scam
June 1, 2012 at 12:39 AMyes, me too. I tried to walk out anyway and in the ensuing struggle with the large guys that suddenly appear, I was pushed over onto a beer glass which shattered sending glass fragments through my hand.
A police and later hospital visit (and it took them a while to get me to the hospital despite an obviously wound needing attention, note that Chinese emergency services are not integrated, so the police wanted to finish their report before I went to the hospital) ended with my hand with I think it was 7 stitches. Not a good start to a 30 day holiday.
Posted on: Changing Subway Lines
May 11, 2012 at 6:54 AMI was told the deposit isn't refundable, and as I was only in Shanghai a few days, it was not worth getting a transport card
Posted on: Changing Subway Lines
May 9, 2012 at 1:24 AMWhen using the Shanghai subway watch out for the "virtual interchange" stations. They are stations marked on the map as an interchange, but are actually physically seperated, so to interchange you have to exit one (thereby using up your ticket even if it has unused credit) to get to the other. If you have not read up on this you only find out when you get there.
It must have generated a lot of complaints because they have a printed out "calm transfer card" that they will give you as soon as you complain about having to buy a new ticket.
I think it was Shaanxi South station where I was caught out by this.
Posted on: School Life in China
May 8, 2012 at 12:33 AMI have seen a few documentaries and other TV programs on the Chinese school life. One of the most memorable was a documentary entiltled "Democracy in China". It was a fly on the wall show that followed the election of the class monitor.
It was like they had taken all the bad aspects of voting in their application of democracy, with things such as deningrating the opposition, vote buying, and using family connections to win votes.
I remeber thinking if this is their experience of democracy, no wonder it hasn't been applied on a wider scale.
Posted on: Can I Eat With You?
March 23, 2012 at 5:50 AMHot pot is a communal experience, but this can be annoying if you are alone in Chongqing, the hot pot capital, looking for a cheap meal. Your options can be very limited.
Posted on: Hospitality Series 6：Buying a Handbag
March 9, 2012 at 5:28 AMJohn point about not been asked if it is a debit or credit card reminded me my time as a shop assistant and the issues with them
In Australia (and from what John said, the US) we name the cards from the banks point of view. When we use a credit card we earn the bank credit (we earn ourselves a debit), and we use a debit card which uses our credit.
But the British seem to name them according to the user's point of view, which created confusion when you served English tourists.
Posted on: Don't push me!
July 21, 2011 at 2:35 AMI am always surprised at under 5 foot skinny Chinese people try and push me (well over 6 foot, and well built) in crowded situations. If I am in a situation with some one much bigger than me, getting physical would be the last thing I would want to do.
Posted on: 5000 Years of History
May 6, 2011 at 1:34 AMThe American Indians might have a different view on the length of America's history
Posted on: A Trip to Nanjing
May 4, 2011 at 5:53 AMHow did you get a photo of SunYatsen's Mausoleum (ZhongShanLing) with so few people?
Posted on: The Tea Scam
June 1, 2012 at 12:42 AMThe good thing about the art scam is they won't force you to pay. They will act unfriendly but not threatening, and while the paintings are overpriced by Chinese standards, they are OK if you compare them with what you would get back home.