Everything takes longer!

Being a foreigner always means that daily errands are more challenging than they are back home. Not being able to read many Chinese characters, not knowing which types of stores sell which items and not knowing how the purchase process works (there are lots of variation on this theme in China) can be chalked up to typical difficulties.

But China is different - it is a relationship society. There are discussions (between you and the employees, typically one that can speak some english, as well as even more among the employees themselves), bargains, friendly interaction - and then maybe you end up with what you were looking for - or not.

The experience of buying a multi-function printer yesterday went rather smoothly, and the machine I bought happens to have both english and chinese characters on the machine and in the manuals. Lesson number one: You have to insist on getting what you want, or you will be sold something else. In any case, I had about 6 people catering to my needs at the Beijing Department Store to get that transaction done (there is also paperwork involved).

Buying a local bike was another story. First, I had a hard time locating the bike shop (reputedly, the best in town). Then, I spent 2 hours there on Monday, ultimately agreeing on a bike that was to be delivered to the shop (from an affiliated store) on Tuesday. On Tuesday, the shop called and said that they did not have one, but would probably have one on Thursday. Thursday I called and they told me to come by. The bike was hot pink (we had agreed on a more subdued peach color), a bit on the small side and far too fancy (with 3 speeds!) and expensive for my needs, so we began discussing again. After another hour, they admitted that they could arrange a cheaper model, from the same factory that manufactures for Diamondback. Should arrive on Friday...but, they did not call as planned. Then, there was a call Saturday evening, so I went by the shop today (Sunday), expecting a bike. They said they didn't have the color I wanted, so there was no bike. Another lesson: Chinese do not like to say "no". In the end, we agreed amicably that it would be better for me to go to a lower-end shop with lots of cheap bikes (this store is really specialized in high-end foreign brands), so I got my RMB 100 deposit back and went to the Giant shop they recommended.

We agreed to stay in touch - I promised to send Shen Shaofeng this photo of him doing a wheelie on my Bike Friday outside his shop...