Hong Kong : The train ticket

This weekend, Carol and I went to Hong Kong. There were two reasons for going, and I'm not sure which was more important to me. One reason was to leave mainland China to deal with some money matters, and the other reason was to leave Guangzhou, just to mix life up a little. The last holiday from teaching we had was at the beginning of October, so it's been a tough slog since our next holiday seems so far off. We haven't had a long weekend or anything, and I'm not used to working for almost 4 months without an extra day off to look forward to!

Hong Kong seems to always cost me more money than I intend. Last trip, in September, I paid too much money for a watch, as I did a poor job in the bargaining. The good thing is that I haven't been ripped off again, so I learned my lesson. This time, it was something totally different, and happened before we left Guangzhou.

Carol and I bought tickets last week for the first train leaving Guangzhou on Saturday, at 8:17am. It's a popular train, so buying a few days ahead was a wise choice. We left home at 7am, in a cab. To make the cab ride easy, I showed the driver my ticket, so he'd know where we were going because I still don't know enough Chinese to tell him myself. There was no drama on the cab ride...the driver knew where we were going, and traffic was light. It was a good thing, since we realized we hadn't given ourselves as much time as we would have liked.

The action started as I tried to pay for the ride. As soon as I started digging in my pockets to pay the fare, a homeless man came to the cab, stood in the open door, and began bowing and saying something over and over over. He obviously wanted my money, and I guess asking me when I had it in my fist was a good tactic on his part. I was having trouble finding the right change, and the added distraction of the homeless man wasn't helping.

The driver decided to help, and drove about 50m away from the man. There was another person waiting there though, so this time I didn't open my door as fast. I was still digging around, looking for the money I knew I had. Finally I found it in my pocket, paid, and the cab drove off. It was a bit stressful, but I was happy to have paid finally. It's hard digging in your pockets when you're sitting down and can't get full leg extension.

As the cab drove away, I realized I no longer had my train ticket in my hand. I had it in my hand for the whole ride, after I showed it to the driver when we got in. I don't remember putting it away, but do remember looking at it during the ride. I looked in my bag, in all my pockets, and couldn't find it. I must have dropped it in the search for money, or put it on the dashboard or something. Frustrating! The added distraction of the homeless people, and our semi-rush to make the train must have made me forget all about the ticket.

So, the train was due to leave in half an hour, and I didn't have a ticket. When I tried to buy another ticket for 8:17 train, the lady told me it was sold out, so I couldn't be on it. I was so frustrated. I don't think I've ever punched a wall, but I almost did just then. I angrily bought a ticket for the second train of the day, two hours away. This was going to be a pain, as Carol would arrive in Hong Kong two hours before I would. It was going to be a hassle for us to find each other, and also it was terribly inconvenient for her personally and also for our plans of the day.

As I walked dejectedly away from the ticket wicket, with Carol rushing to make her train, I wondered how I'd spend my two hours. I was angry, frustrated and embarrassed that I wasn't organized enough to keep my ticket. I was also embarrassed that my disorganization had caused me to spend my money on a second ticket, now paying double for a trip to Hong Kong. And I was also embarrassed for throwing a wrench into our plans.

As I walked away from the wicket, two Chinese guys in nice-ish suits, standing (hiding?) behind a big support column, waved me over and said with sideways, worrisome glances, "Ticket? You need ticket?" Turns out they were scalping train tickets...what a good idea. They had one ticket left for the 8:17 train. I thought about it for about 4 seconds, and bought it. I paid a hefty scalpers charge though, an extra 50%. Yikes. Serves me right for losing my original I guess. We exchanged money and ticket while they nervously kept watch for the authorities. I had now bought my 3rd ticket to Hong Kong, and this one had cost me a lot more than the other two. I figured it was necessary though, as Carol and I could travel together, not have to find each other, and not have to alter our planned plans.

So, I learned a lesson...don't be careless with important things like train tickets! I made a conscious effort for the rest of the trip to put my money, tickets, keys, and everything important back to their rightful place, not somewhere where I would lose it.

That's the beginning of the trip. I will write more about actual Hong Kong later.