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Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Lost in Beijing: Learn the maps before walking around

I have another lost story.  Don't worry it's not a trend we repeat every time.  I might have one more post about being lost.  Sometimes being lost in a foreign land can lead to some interesting finds off of the beaten track. 

In  Beijing, they have a subway system.  The line was right in front of our hotel.  We are not experienced subway riders.  The only thing we have in Orlando is the monorail at Disney and the airport.  We go down to check it out.  Low and behold the price is very good versus taking a cab.  Plus if you saw the traffic in Beijing, you'd want to avoid the roads.  We paid for our ticket and went down to catch a train. 

As we waited, I studied the map.  We were trying to get to Wangfujing Shopping street.  As many wives should know it is probably not good to let the husband set up directions.  We got on the train, which was in great condition.  Announcements are made in multiple languages and there is a chart to follow.  On the map, it looked like the stop was maybe a block away.  When we hit that spot we go out.  It was a couple of blocks away.  We started walking in the direction of the stores, or so we hoped. 

On our way we found a small mall.  We popped in and looked around.  There was a clothes shop for children and a grocery store.  Being low on clothes for Kiersten, we had to see what they had to offer.  Then it was a quick walk in the grocery store.  When we walked in a woman came up to us and said something in Mandarin.  We just looked at each other.  Then she gestured toward our bags.  She was telling us we could not bring them in the store.  We set them down and did a walk through. 

Back on the road, I finally acknowledged that we were lost.  We looked around and found some people walking near a building.  We pointed out our spot and tried to ask where to go.  They actually pointed out the way.  It turned out we were about 5 to 10 blocks away.  We did find another store that sold things cheaper than the tourist areas.  I would say sometimes getting lost can lead to great finds. 

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