Originally Posted by susiesan (Post 17272387)

We are still in Yangshuo. Woke up to beautiful blue sky (finally see it!), less humidity. The perfect day to rent bikes and go rafting on the Yulong River.

Off we go, about 45 minute bike ride to Dragon Bridge to board rafts. About halfway there we stop to sip some water and a lady comes up and says "bamboo raft" and points in the direction to go (which we do know from a map supplied by Outside Inn).

Now she's leading/following us. I know she's making sure we go to her husbands' raft; I know the score. She's not just guiding us out of the goodness of her heart. So we stop and chat, she asks again about bamboo rafts, I say yes, and how much. She says RMB 200 for 2 people plus the bikes. I know the going rate is 150. She asks if we're American, I say yes, she says my Chinese is very good.

We arrive at the raft docks. I ask how much. She says 200 , I say too expensive, give me discount, okay. This is all in Chinese. She keeps saying 200, I keep saying 150. Then she's at 180, I'm still 150. back and forth. She calls her husband over, he types 160 on his phone, asks okay, and holds out his hand to shake on the deal. I hesitate...then okay and shake on 160.

Observation: I find it easier to negotiate with women as long as we both have a smile on our face. Plus even speaking a little Mandarin puts it all on a different level. I think they realize this mei gua ren knows what she's doing.

Rafting was lovely, quiet, relaxing. Scenery is stunning, meili. The raft man sensed we were in no rush and went very slow. He pointed out good places to take photos. At the end, he did not hover looking for a tip, but I wasn't going to give it anyways. Nice way to spend our last day in Yangshuo.

Originally Posted by susiesan (Post 17272387)

We are still in Yangshuo. Woke up to beautiful blue sky (finally see it!), less humidity. The perfect day to rent bikes and go rafting on the Yulong River.

Off we go, about 45 minute bike ride to Dragon Bridge to board rafts. About halfway there we stop to sip some water and a lady comes up and says "bamboo raft" and points in the direction to go (which we do know from a map supplied by Outside Inn).

Now she's leading/following us. I know she's making sure we go to her husbands' raft; I know the score. She's not just guiding us out of the goodness of her heart. So we stop and chat, she asks again about bamboo rafts, I say yes, and how much. She says RMB 200 for 2 people plus the bikes. I know the going rate is 150. She asks if we're American, I say yes, she says my Chinese is very good.

We arrive at the raft docks. I ask how much. She says 200 , I say too expensive, give me discount, okay. This is all in Chinese. She keeps saying 200, I keep saying 150. Then she's at 180, I'm still 150. back and forth. She calls her husband over, he types 160 on his phone, asks okay, and holds out his hand to shake on the deal. I hesitate...then okay and shake on 160.

Observation: I find it easier to negotiate with women as long as we both have a smile on our face. Plus even speaking a little Mandarin puts it all on a different level. I think they realize this mei gua ren knows what she's doing.

Rafting was lovely, quiet, relaxing. Scenery is stunning, meili. The raft man sensed we were in no rush and went very slow. He pointed out good places to take photos. At the end, he did not hover looking for a tip, but I wasn't going to give it anyways. Nice way to spend our last day in Yangshuo.

Originally Posted by anacapamalibu (Post 17277902)

Mei guo ren

Originally Posted by tentseller (Post 17279095)

You meant 美国游客 OR 美国人?

Originally Posted by susiesan (Post 17281740)

We got up early and left Yangshuo Outside Inn for Longi Rice Terraces at 7:30 am, sharing a car with a young Swiss couple to save expenses for all. It took 3 hours to get there. Even though the rice had already been harvested, it's an impressive piece of Chinese scenery. Fairly crowded. The worst behaving tourists were the Koreans. Jeeesh, are they loud and pushy.

Got to airport at Guilin for Air China flight to Shanghai which left an hour late. By the time we got into our room at Le Royal Meridien it was after midnight. Upon check in, I asked about getting an upgrade to the executive floor. I was already paying $60 plus 4000 SPG points per night. They offered eiter and addition 4500 SPG points a night or RMB 750 plus tax. I went fore the points-I have over 400K banked so I might as well use them. After the rural, rustic Outside Inn, luxury is very nice.

Observation: this is something the guys may not know about, the behaviour of Chinese women in bathrooms. They pick a stall and line up at the door. If someone comes out of another stall, they will not move into it. They wait for the one they are lined up in front and leave one empty. Which works out well for mee as I'm happy to use it and jump the line. They also will not use the one stall that has a western toilet.

Originally Posted by susiesan (Post 17281740)

Observation: this is something the guys may not know about, the behaviour of Chinese women in bathrooms. They pick a stall and line up at the door. If someone comes out of another stall, they will not move into it. They wait for the one they are lined up in front and leave one empty. Which works out well for mee as I'm happy to use it and jump the line. They also will not use the one stall that has a western toilet.

Originally Posted by susiesan (Post 17281740)

... They also will not use the one stall that has a western toilet.

Originally Posted by anacapamalibu (Post 17282928)

On the flipside:

Men's room attendant gives you a back massage while you are
taking a leak.

Originally Posted by tycosiao (Post 17283298)

Where did you get this back massage in China?

Never experienced this. :D

Originally Posted by susiesan (Post 17281740)

We got up early and left Yangshuo Outside Inn for Longi Rice Terraces at 7:30 am, sharing a car with a young Swiss couple to save expenses for all. It took 3 hours to get there. Even though the rice had already been harvested, it's an impressive piece of Chinese scenery. Fairly crowded. The worst behaving tourists were the Koreans. Jeeesh, are they loud and pushy.

Got to airport at Guilin for Air China flight to Shanghai which left an hour late. By the time we got into our room at Le Royal Meridien it was after midnight. Upon check in, I asked about getting an upgrade to the executive floor. I was already paying $60 plus 4000 SPG points per night. They offered eiter and addition 4500 SPG points a night or RMB 750 plus tax. I went fore the points-I have over 400K banked so I might as well use them. After the rural, rustic Outside Inn, luxury is very nice.

Observation: this is something the guys may not know about, the behaviour of Chinese women in bathrooms. They pick a stall and line up at the door. If someone comes out of another stall, they will not move into it. They wait for the one they are lined up in front and leave one empty. Which works out well for mee as I'm happy to use it and jump the line. They also will not use the one stall that has a western toilet.

Originally Posted by anacapamalibu (Post 17282928)

On the flipside:

Men's room attendant gives you a back massage while you are
taking a leak.

Originally Posted by anacapamalibu (Post 17283629)

KTV.

First time I thought I was getting robbed. Instinct was to elbow the dude in the gut and double him over. I guess its an added revenue stream in addition to them peddling their nick nacks.

Originally Posted by chchkiwi (Post 17284914)

Is it still necessary to carry own toilet paper when using public bathrooms? On a visit about five years ago, there was no toilet paper in the stalls but a few sheets were sometimes given out by the attendants - but our group found it easier just to carry our own.