Ripped Off!

Traveling throughout most of China is cheap if you have your wits about you. Hong Kong is an exception with the ranking of 4 on the list of Most Expensive Cities in the World. Our own big apple, NYC, is ranked 10. However through our own follies, Aaron and I have been charged the foreigner price on a number of things in Beijing.

When we first arrived, we needed a taxi to get to our hotel. We just got off a 13 hour flight and not all of our cylinders were rapidly firing. While exiting the airport we were approached by a man wearing business casual slacks and coat. He flashed a business card and said, “Taxi?” Business cards are important to the Chinese entrepreneur. Not only do they translate into “professional”, but they are a nice excuse to demand unfair prices.

Aaron (Commander in Charge) went for it hook, line and sinker. We were whisked into a taxi cab and then told how much the ride would cost. For the 35 kilometer ride we would be fined 400 RMB or about 51 USD. In the city, cabbies charge 10 RMB just to get in and then an additional 2 RMB for every kilometer. For the airport taxi, we were charged 5 times the going rate. Ripped off! To add insult to injury, the cabbie asked for a tip, which is unheard of in the city. Aaron, always saving face, gave him a dollar tip. I wouldn’t have been so kind.

Once we got to the hotel, things weren’t any better. We came to realize that if we got any service that had a western flare, we were going to be overpriced. For admittance into the pool, the hotel charges 60 RMB or 8 USD for visitors (including children). Last time I used a pool in the US, I was charged 6 bucks.

After the first day of jet lag and insomnia, Maeli began to run out of diapers. Aaron and I wanted to explore the city anyway so we walked up Beijing’s version of 5th Ave, NYC. We quickly found a mall that carried one brand of European diapers. We paid 168 RMB for 42 diapers which is about 21 USD. Are you starting to get the trend here? If you look western or shop at western places, you are going to pay western prices. A week later I discovered a Chinese grocery store. I found Pampers and Huggies brand diapers. For 33 RMB, I bought a package of 28 diapers… 4 bucks.

After a week of shopping around and sight seeing, I began to feel like a walking money sign. People approached me and looked at me like I wore a suit of twenty dollar bills. A young fruit vendor thought it rather appropriate to charge me 13 USD for some cherries. Of course I declined and eventually got him to come down on the price of another smaller package of cherries. After frequenting the grocery store where all prices are clearly labeled, I realized that the young fruit vendor was charging me twice as much for the going price of oranges.

Sometimes it doesn’t even matter if the price is clearly labeled. When Maeli and I were at the Museum of Natural History my camera battery ran out. I found a little shop inside of the museum that sold AA batteries. The price was clearly marked…2.5 RMB for 4 batteries. I showed the clerk my 2 old batteries. She opened the new package, took out 2 batteries and put her hand up to indicate the number 5. I reluctantly handed her 5 RMB and waited for change. She pretended not to notice. Ripped off!

Once we settle down I am anxious to take formal lessons in Chinese. I’m kicking myself for not taking lessons before we left. What was I thinking? Because of the language barrier, it is much easier to be cheated out of money and do absolutely nothing about it.