Chengdu 成都

Chengdu 成都

As my China trip travel started from early March'05, as soon as it touch down to city life again, the month of April'2005 started to feel cooling, not as cold as I was in Yangshuo.

Working for free

Chengdu is a big city life, a lot of shopping area, in this city; I've bought a few nice clothing. There was one day, I happen to shop around a big super market, when I saw the can of coffee; it was like seeing a drug that I need it at that time…. Ha…ha.. I've not drinking coffee for very long (may be more than a month), I miss the taste of the coffee. When I went to the cashier to pay for my can of coffee, the cashier asked; “are you a member? I replied no. She said; if you are not a member it is more expensive, so I said; okay how much, the cashier refuse to let me pay and ask me to go and borrow member card from people.”

I felt this cashier has a strange behavior, I approach another cashier and she said the same thing as the first cashier. I felt very strange, I was willing to pay for the full price to get my coffee and yet they refuse to let me pay, holding the can of coffee and looking around who I can approach, a lady queuing in front of me heard what the cashier said, she was so nice to allow me to use her member card to pay for my drink.

Do you know how much was the can of coffee cost and what difference it make to pay by a member card? The can of coffee cost only Y3 (Three China dollars) and by using member card to pay it cost Y2.60, just because of forty cents (China currency) I was there standing not able to had my coffee, very strange cashiers they have, I can't believe it…. As I've paid my coffee, open up the can of coffee, as I drank it, I still cannot believe how difficult to get this can of coffee I was drinking.

In Chengdu, I had steamboat with my two roommates (couple), we went to a Chinese seafood steamboat buffet and we seat there to eat for many hours, can't believe it.

In this youth hostel, it located in a building at level 6^th (check in counter), it does have free broadband access at level 8^th, level 8th itself was also a place for food and watch free DVD movies. Is a place to get to know other back packers from different part of the world.

The share room does not come with toilet; they had a share toilet and bathroom outside the common area. One thing I don't like about this youth hostel was; they don't clean the room everyday, even when there was someone check out the bed, they don't even clear the unclean bed sheet, they leave it as it was, a bit dirty as they don't even clear the dust bin in the room unless you ask them to do so, the workers there were very lazy I would say.

I've stayed in this youth hostel few nights (19 to 21 April’2006); I went to explore Juizhaigou a few days, the night before went to Juizhaigou I went to bed early.

(Click on next to read on Juizhaigou trip…)

When I was back from Juizhaigou (25 April’2006) to this youth hostel; the staffs were glad to see me again. Having said anything, they have given me the key for the same room I've stayed before.

When I was staying there for a few nights, I booked through them a tour to see Panda, Panda is their China protected animal and Chengdu have the most Pandas you could ever see else where in the world. As I've booked the tour from the hostel, no one in that youth hostel will represent to go with us even though it was a tour booked through them (this apply the same if you are staying in other youth hostel). A few of us, a couple and me in the same hostel we were waited at ground floor for the van to pick us, I thought once the van picked us, we were on our way to see Panda but it wasn't that way, the driver (Chinese man) have to go round the town area, hotel or hostel to pick others until the van was full.

I was surprise, the whole van was full with foreigners accept me a foreigner Asian who can speak Chinese. The driver was glad when he knew I could speaks Chinese, he needs me to do the interpretation and I did interpreted as the driver started to speak throughout the tour. I think, those that were in the van was glad to have me interpreted it. I felt like I was working as a tour guide for free and I don't get any discount. Unlike in Lijiang, the tour agency offers me to join their tour, at the same time do interpretation for them and they will give me some discount. Anyway, I don't mind doing it for fun and for free on this tour.

Going by tour it was a bit rashing, the driver will give us a timing to finish the whole area, it was not very big but I rather spend time walking slowly than have no choice got to get out at a time frame as the driver needs time to drive us back to our hostel, one by one at a different location, as the driver needs to fetch the next tour group to watch a show cum dinner.

If you have a group of four who wants to see Pandas, you can hire a taxi to go on your own, I think, it will be cheaper that way. I was alone, so I've no other choice to booked the tour. In those time, I was not sure how much was the taxi fare and how much was the entrance ticket. The entrance ticket was Y30 (China currency, price stated was base on April'2005) and my tour cost me about Y80 to Y90 (includsive of entrance ticket), you can imagine how much money you can save if you can go on your own with your own group.

If you are Panda lover or you want to see whether worth going there, here is the website for you to read out before you decide it (www.panda.org.cn).

As we reach our hostel, it was about time for dinner, we went up to level 8^th to check out what was the menu for the night, guess what, the lady boss were holding a party to teach foreigner how to make “汤圆” (a form of Chinese desert).

They have their staff ready for the flour and boiling water, as I join in and they started making it, the staff was simply just doing their own demo without explaining how to make and what is the meaning for this desert name. I ask the staff to explain it so that the foreigner would understand it and she replied; “I don't know how to explain it in English.”

The atmosphere was very silent and getting bore, I started to play my role act like as I was staff working there, started to do demo, explaining it as I was doing it and getting the rest of them who were watching it to get involved in doing it, have the feel of what was like to make it their own and eat it later together and see how it was taste like. When I did that the whole atmosphere changed so a life, everyone gets very excited and photos section on how they were involved in making it. When the lady boss saw what I've done, she was so glad to have me around in helping.

After the whole event was over, the lady boss and her husband had seat down talking to me, they had share with me how this hostel has come about and they further saying they need people who like me knows how to speak English to help to run the show.

She knew I've been traveling a lot, she ask for some advice and how I feel to stay there. I share with her my vision, advise and at the same time I told her frankly that the room was not clean, it started to smell badly. I've told her, I've asked to clean the room and especially the dustbin in the room was already full for two days and yet no one has clean it. She told me she did told the staff to clear, immediately when she heard my feedback again, she call the staff to clear it.

No matter how many times the lady boss told the staff, it was no use, I've to get hold of the staff myself (they were staying next door) and make sure the dustbin was clear on the spot. My first day check in, they never change my bed sheet, I'd insist it to change and I stayed in the room make sure they changed it before I went out of the room. I can't stand on people who getting the pay and lazy around not working.

There was one night, when I came back from explore outside, I went back to hostel, went up to level 8^th, wanting to check my email, the moment the lady boss saw me, she gets so excited to approaching me, she said; “I'm waiting for you", I thought what happen.

I've been getting my staffs to read this email but no one can explain what was it all about.

I was surprise to hear that, some of her staff can speak English, I've heard them spoken to a few guess when they check in and they can speak very well (simple English). Nevertheless, I've extend my helping hand, as I login to read her email, it was a room booking for two nights on a date mention in the email. I've helped her to reply a simple email to confirm the room available.

I remember one of the nights, after she had a discussion with her husband, she spoken to me again in person, she wanted me to stay there and work for them. I've ever asked one of the staff who was working there how much they earn for their living there, it was not much the money to convert it in our country currency. She said; she was willing to pay me higher than the rest of them, I wasn't holding any working permit; otherwise, I may work for a short while to help them to improved their youth hostel there. I told the boss I was not holding any work permit, can't work for them.

The day I left the hostel, they told me to come back again, if I ever visit them, they will let me stay for free. I felt so nice of them but in the real world, nothing is free, right?

May be one day I'll go back again and see any improvement take place.

I've very different experiences in Chengdu, to come to think about it, if the youth hostel boss was even willing to take another step to apply working permit for me, may be I'll stay to work there for them but such ideas does not cross her mind at that moment.

Well, I've left the hostel in the early evening to catch my night train to Xian.

To read on Juizhaiguo…. Click on next…

To read on Xian…click on next at the page of Juizhaiguo.