Though my trip to China started a little off, I became really excited as we started to head out of the airport. I first noticed that China’s airport was not far from how Manila’s NAIA looked like. Fading yellow traffic barrels outside the terminal were filled with people holding name placards anticipating the next batch of arriving passengers. There were also those smoke-belching buses, vans, cars, etc. that ruled over the highway which forced the pedestrians to run for their dear lives. Then, there were of course, the cab peddlers. This, I was not surprise at all. Funny to say the least, we were snookered into taking a cab that charged us triple or should I say quadruple of the legit fare. Lesson learned and as all the other locals say “Don’t trust a Chinese in China” I have to say, perhaps that goes for, if not all, most country nowadays.
Skipping all work shenanigans and less entertaining experiences, my trip to China was nonetheless, still worthwhile. We went to visit two places China’s been known for – the Silk Market and the Great Wall. The Silk Market had at least or I think 4 floors which were divided into all different sections – clothes, shoes, bags, jewelries, electronics, souvenirs, etc. I had fun haggling with all the vendors Pinoy style. Haha! Then, the day before we left, we all headed (now with our CEO,China contact person, my immediate boss) to one the world’s wonders – the Great Wall. We journeyed past a whole stretch of the wall and went straight to its peak. The whole atmosphere resembled so much of those RPN 9 Chinese fighting movies with its dark bluish-gray walls, rolled-up roof edges, hanging feng shui paraphernalia, dragon printed shirts, red, a little red and then more red. The Wall was a real wonder just thinking about how it was probably built, all those bricks, and how it had stood the test of time. It was amazing! There were a lot of tourists but the wall was huge enough it didn’t look as crowded. Few vendors sat along the wall selling different kinds of souvenirs, too! We stopped by one, who personalizes engraved photos of the Great Wall and then moved on to haggle some more with others. The best deal I bought was the 6 shirts for $5.00! Until then, I was a happy camper!
As it was time for us to leave, we got to the plane already around boarding time. Big surprise! I got held up checking in…but it was not in any way of my Bible smuggling activities. One counter person could not find Guam in the system! Haha! For sure, my trip would not have been complete without it.