I am too big for China :)
Well…..after the shoe debacle yesterday, I didn’t think I could be embarrassed by my gigantic proportions again….ummm…not quite. Michael came over in the morning and we went bike shopping. I wound up having to buy the biggest bike in the store, which was still too small for me. The trip basically consisted of me picking out a style in 1 minute, Michael arguing with the salesman for 40 minutes negotiating on the price, and then the salesman spending 40 minutes getting it all adjusted. Watching Michael negotiate was very funny. At times is was a straight out shouting match. At times he would turn to me and say shake your head like the price is too high. In the end, we wound up getting the 400 Yuan ($50 US) bike for 270 Yuan (around $35 US), and they included a basket, kick stand, box rack, rear wheel lock, and a chain guard. Good work Michael.
The bike is nothing special. It would be considered slightly cheap in the US, and definitely a bit girly with the basket and all, but who cares. It will work well for everyday use and is not pink. The basket does make me feel a bit feminine, but I can deal with it if it means not having to carry all my stuff. It only has 1 gear, which isn’t bad because all of Shijiazhuang is flat, and there are a million bikes on the street at all times so you can’t go too fast.
We then hit one of the explosion street corner bike shops for a heavy duty lock. They had about 15 different kinds. I bought the top-of-the-line one, which cost 17 Yuan (around $2 US)…..I love China. The same lock would have been $40 in the America. Of course Michael had to spend 10 minutes getting the price down from 18 Yuan to 17 Yuan, but I guess that is just a Chinese thing…..if you can bargain, you bargain
Next stop was trying to find a desk for my room. I wanted something which I could use to study and use as a computer station. We went to 6 desk shops and couldn’t find anything that would fit my gargantuan legs:
I guess I am just far taller than all Chinese people. We finally decided that I was going to need a custom made desk. I cringed as such a thing in the states would be horribly expensive. We sized out my legs, the height, the width, etc. and waited for the price quote. After much back and forth, Michael finally said that it would cost 270 Yuan, with a 20 Yuan delivery and assembly charge. Now 290 yuan (about $39 US) is not a lot for a custom size desk, made of nice cherry wood, delivered and setup. I was very pleased, but was worried about how long it would take to get it. Michael said that it would take 3 days from today 
SMOKIN!
I came back home and had lunch. Ivy, the president of KCE was going to stop by in the afternoon and check in on me. We met up at around 230. She gave me my books and we went on a little tour of the city in her car. She has this little thing called a QQ, that I barely fit into. I had spent my entire time here in Shijiazhuang in the area immediately around my house (near Xingbai plaza) and hadn’t seen how big the city really was. Well…..let me tell you….Shijiazhuang is BIG! We spent 20 minutes driving around and didn’t come close to making it all the way across the city. Ivy is a cool girl and speaks great English. It was fun spending time with her, but I came home early as we start my lessons tomorrow at 830am.
Good Night ya’all
October 31st, 2005 at 4:58 am
Lol, you feel feminine because of the basket. I once again welcome you to asia, my friend….EVERY bike here has a basket and just one gear. Well, almost all of them. When your bike becomes your ride to the super market, clothing store, gym, movie theater, bar, or anywhere else you want to go…you really grow to appreciate that five-sided peice of wire mesh. Man, I love my bike.
October 31st, 2005 at 7:06 am
Glad to see you adjusting and fitting into the rhythm of the city. You are really broadening your perspective of the world. The prices are unbelievable. You are going to have a ball.
October 31st, 2005 at 9:23 am
Cudstomized desk! That’s sweet! I bet that you could have probably had a bike made for you too but just $10 more bucks. Sounds like you are really enjoying yourself Andy. You need to get some luggage racks and stuff. That’s make you feel more masculine if that’s what you are looking for. ^_^ Do they have a lot of scooters there? (i.e. Honda Sprees)
October 31st, 2005 at 9:41 am
Just tell them you want the Yao Ming model!! We’re missing you, although you probably wouldn’t join us in our Avian Flu Chicken Outfits for Halloween later today. We’ll send photos. Love, Dad
October 31st, 2005 at 10:11 am
Hi Andy,
It’s Susan from your Dad’s office. Great blog! It’s brought back many memories of my trip to China. I remember that the sunsets were brilliant because of the pollution from coal and I don’t know if things have changed, but boxes of cigarettes were a great tip. Also, if you get a chance to order/taste Beggar’s Chicken – do it!
Susan
October 31st, 2005 at 10:48 am
Andy,
I love the details and photos of your narrative. Makes me smile. love T
October 31st, 2005 at 1:07 pm
Andy,
How are you? Looks like you are having a great time and congrats on your GMAT and LSAT work. I am impressed. Sorry about the Mooney. All is well in Santa Barbara and the photos of your step-sib are very cute!!!!
Is the web truly limited over there? How do you get unfettered access?
Jeff
October 31st, 2005 at 3:21 pm
Well, two of my bikes only have one gear, but luckily neither of them has a basket on the front. Glad to hear everything is going well over there, even if you are the resident Tall White Man. It sounds like a blast (especially everything costing like 10% of what it does here)!
P
October 31st, 2005 at 4:32 pm
Dear Giant Foreign Person,
Your blog makes for wonderful reading! Though the laughing out loud that results poses a bit of a problem here in my cubicle at work. I was going to ask what the &*$# kind of sheets you had, but I see someone else has given you grief about them. Good.
Staying tuned,
Shelly
October 31st, 2005 at 6:06 pm
Hey, I logged on your blog….it’s very nice and well done. Congratulations….it looks like all your friends and family is living this amazing experience with you.
Regarding to your first days in the new country…I know it’s gonna be difficult, but remember that it’s gonna be challenging and compelling in the same time, and that everything you will experience it will stay always in your memories.
Fatti sentire,
Davide
P.S. e’ vero che ti posso chiamare al nuimero di San Diego? Come funziona? Lo voglio fare anche io con il mio numero di cellulare italiano. Quale e’ la differenza di fuso orario con San Diego? Quando ti posso chiamare?
October 31st, 2005 at 9:32 pm
Justin….you are sooo right
Grandpa Jerry…..thanks
Elijah….haha….you are probably right…..a custom bike would not have cost that much….but I like my bike. I am not sure that luggage racks would make me feel any more masculine at all. There aren’t a lot of scooters here, but there are a few. Electric bicycles are FAR more popular, but a bit expensive (for China). I thought about getting one but I actually like peddling around.
Dad…..that is exactly what I need….the Yao model. I actually might have joined you in a chicken outfit believe it or not. I can’t wait to see the photos. I will post them on the site if you send me some good ones. (full size, not just a link to Krista’s gallery)
Susan…..when were you in China and where? I actually haven’t seen a sunset since I have been here as my classes run from before sunset until after it and a build blocks the view from my classroom. There is a lot of pollution tho so I would imagine that the sunsets are pretty. What do you mean when you say “cigarettes were a great tip”? I will try to find some beggars chicken but the name kind of scares me.
Terry….Thanks….I love the positive feedback
Keep it coming
Jeff…..I am doing well but am getting over a case of traveler’s tummy right now. Thanks….I worked hard studying for them both….I wish I had done just a little better on the LSAT but it is what it is. Speaking of photos…..how about sending me a couple of Tatiana?
Paul….why do you have two bikes that only have 1 gear?!?!?!
Shelly…..Thanks. Hehehe. I actually have gotten kinda used to the sheets and laugh every time I walk in the room. In that respect, part of my wishes I had the ones with hamburgler dancing around as they were worse. Maybe I will get those for the second room.
Davide….Grazie. E vero…..puoi chiamarmi al mio numero di San Diego. Ce un servizio negli stati uniti che si chiama Vonage. http://www.vonage.com Questo servizio funziona come Skype, pero ti dano un numero normale che altri possono usare a telefonarti. Le chiamate vengono sopra il internet, e cosi funziona in tutto il mondo, anche con il numero di San Diego. Solo devi avere internet. Penso che non sia possibile usare questo servizio con un numero Italiano, ma forse un servizio Italiano come questo esiste. Cercala. Ti ho appena spedito un email con i detagli del fuso orario
November 1st, 2005 at 9:48 am
Hi Andrew,
I was there June 19 1989 with my Dad and Uncle who used to have an office in Beijing. If you recall Tiananmen happened June 4 of that year. It was very interesting to say the least, and the Chinese were very interested in why American tourists were there at that time. Needless to say, we were treated like royalty. There were a couple of tense moments – like the time the cab driver was taking us to the Forbidden City, went through the wrong gate and wound up driving through the Chinese Army’s bivouac. I didn’t get any photos of that, but I do have a great photo of the Chinese army lined up in one of the area’s of the Forbidden City – it still sits on my Dad’s desk. (We weren’t allow to photograph the army.) Beggar’s Chicken is chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and baked in clay for 24 hours. It is THE most tender, delicious chicken i have ever tasted. I had it at a banquet and got to crack the clay with a mallet – it’s supposed to bring luck or something.
The sunsets stretched from one horizon to the other – and China doesn’t have time zones so the sunsets were 9:30 pm as i recall… and purple, red, green.
When i was there cigarettes were a hot commodity. My uncle used them to tip the taxi driver, bellhop, etc. I don’t know if things have changed, but the Chinese used to chain smoke constantly.
I was mostly in the Beijing area traveling to the Ming Tombs, Great wall, Summer Palace and a Japanese Golf course in the middle of the mountains, then on to Hong Kong.
November 1st, 2005 at 2:32 pm
Susan…..WOW! Sounds like you had a really great time here. That chicken sounds wonderful….I will have to find some
The Chinese still chain smoke….big time! It drives me nuts. I was told, however, that you NEVER tip in China, not for anything. Maybe that is just a Shijiazhuang thing, or maybe tipping is more accepted in touristy cities like Beijing.
November 1st, 2005 at 8:05 pm
Hola Andres! – Como siempre, tus anecdotas son muy divertidas y tienes un estilo muy humoristico e interesante para describir tus aventuras. Me gusta mucho leer acerca de tus experiencias alla – has considerado alguna vez ser escritor o escribir un libro “Mis aventuras en China”?
El ‘negociar’ por todo se acostumbra mucho en Latino America tambien, es parte de la cultura, pero esos precios me parecen muy baratos. Quiero que cuentes acerca de las muchachas chinas, no has dicho que clase de reaccion ellas tienen hacia ti.. sorpresa, admiracion, miedo, temor?.
Bueno, sigue escribiendo, este es un medio magnifico de vivir esas experiencias contigo. Y si algo necesitas de aqui, avisame que en lo que pueda servirte, lo hare. Buena Suerte gigante (no solo de estatura fisica) !!!
November 2nd, 2005 at 3:26 am
Viejo…..gracias!!! Mi madre mi dijo en la manana que yo seria un buon escritor y que tengo che escribir un libro como mi dijiste
(ya sabes que ella es un escitor….es en mi sangre). Las muchachas chinas……voy a decirte mas….solo tienes que esperar un poquito (e pienso que no voy a escribir di ellas aqui 
).
Gracias un otra vez,
Andres (AKA Andrea) (AKA Andrew) (AKA an1 di2 [= 安迪])
November 3rd, 2005 at 8:35 pm
This is just about the funniest thing I’ve read in a while. I wish I’d had the patience (and the internet access!) to do such a detailed log about my trip! China, so far, sounds very amusing. I’ll be reading this often, methinks…
November 4th, 2005 at 8:50 pm
Meg…..thanks a lot. It takes a lot more work than I would have thought to keep this up to date. I remember wishing you had made more posts on your site, but understand that your goal wasn’t to be connected all the time
. Keep reading and commenting 
Andy