Secret Rocky Seaside Trail on Coloane Island

On my latest trip to Macau, a local resident brought me to the famous Hac Sa Beach (a.k.a Black Sand Beach).

At a corner of the beach, she unveiled the Trail of Morro de Hac-Sa. This, she says, connects Hac Sa beach to Cheoc Van Beach (which has normal colored sand).


It was evening time, and not too sunny. A strong sea breeze brew constantly. Starting along the trial, I see some people walking their dogs.


Amid surging waves along the rocky shore, I can see a pavilion in the distance. It seemed lonely, and perhaps the perfect place to reflect on life and the mysteries of the universe. However, some fishermen had the more practical idea of catching fish there.



The view I saw was awesome. Let this picture speak for itself.


Along the rocky trial I walked. I enjoyed the atmosphere, which was full of life and vitality.

But beware: if a storm hits, the waves will wash above much of this path. My friend told me that she has seen seashells left high above the cliff after a storm.

Living in Hong Kong

If you intend to live in Hong Kong even for a week, here are some things to make life easier.

1) Get maps: Buy a street directory, or use an online map service like Centamap to show you the way around Hong Kong.

2) Get a prepaid phone card: If you need to call back to your home country, consider the People's IDD Talk Prepaid card. Phone charges are cheap in Hong Kong.

3) Get a Octopus card: This is very useful for travel on the MTR and public transport. You can keep it for your next visit to Hong Kong or refund it 3 months later at no charge.


4) Open a bank account: Open a HSBC Hong Kong dollar savings account and select the "Easy Savers" option. This will exempt the account from minimum account charges. However, you will be charged a fee if you withdraw money from the bank counter.

To open the account, you must bring identification that shows your home address or have a friend who is an existing customer of the bank to vouch for you.

Ensure that you also apply for Internet Banking, since you may need to access your account from your home country.


5) Apply for PPS: With your HSBC bank account, you can top up your phone card every 6 months indefinitely to retain its number over the Internet.

6) Find cheap accomodation: This is a major challenge as even the cheapest hostels charge HK$400 per night. It is best to find a friend who could lend you his or her sofa.


7) Find cheap food: Food prices go for HK$30+ or above for a full meal. To find reasonably priced food, you must walk around and visit the small stalls in hidden in the minor streets. The ability to read handwritten traditional chinese characters is essential since the storeowners usually cater only to locals.

I ordered rice and 2 vegetable within 5 minutes walk from Chueng Sha Wan MTR for HK$17. It was sited next to a noodle stall. [Should be located at the middle of Cheung Fat Street.] To my relief, the stall owner could speak a little Mandarin. The meal was relatively filling for me. I ordered a take-away packet so that I do not have to subsist on bread the next morning.

I also ordered HK$24 fried rice from a small stall hidden in the corner of Landale Street within 10 minutes walk from Wan Chai MTR. The shopkeeper was very friendly and conversed with me in Mandarin. The fried rice was so delicious and the shopkeeper generous with extra servings that I ordered a take-away. The only issue I have are the numerous cockroaches crawling openly around the stall.

Cantonese Phrases for Tourists

If you cannot speak Cantonese in Macau, you will find it quite impossible to communicate with the majority of the population.

Although Portuguese is one of the official languages of Macao, only about 7% of the population know how to speak this language. English is understood by the Filipinos working locally as well as people in the tourist industry. Mandarin (putonghua) is sometimes understood by the local inhabitants (if you are lucky).

-----

If you do not know Cantonese, your best bet is to ask a Filipino or Filipina for translation help. You may be surprised to know that many know how to speak Cantonese although they cannot read Chinese.

The other workaround is to print out the Chinese names of your travel destination as well as simple phrases in Traditional Chinese like "where is the toilet?" (Only the younger folk cannot read Simplified Chinese.)

-----

Where is the toilet?
廁所喺邊度呀?
chisó hai bīndouh a?

I am not familiar with Cantonese
我唔識講廣東話
ngóh m̀sìk góng gwóngdùngwá

Please write it down
唔該你寫低吖?
m̀gòi néih sédài a?

I understand
我明白嘞
ngóh mìhngbaahk la

I don't understand
我唔明白
ngóh m̀ mìhngbaahk

Do you understand?
你明唔明呀?
néih mìhngm̀mìhng a

More Phrases
http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/cantonese.php

ATM Withdrawal Rates & Tips

ATMs are a low-cost and effective means of obtaining cash while overseas. However, there are some tips to observe:


1) Withdraw Hong Kong dollars.

- You can change them to Macau Patacas at Tai Fung Bank at a favorable rate of HKD$1 = MOP$1.03. For other currencies including Chinese Renminbi, Tai Fung bank will charge you a 1.5% to 2.5% spread (i.e. commission) in its exchange rates.

- If you change more than HKD$10,000 to Macau Patacas at Tai Fung, check if they charge you a "transaction fee". [They don't charge a fee as of 09 APR 2009.]

- If you want to gamble, use Hong Kong dollars as casions don't accept Macau Patacas.

- Don't carry Macau Patacas out of the country. Except for Zhuhai (across the border to China), you will have trouble finding other people to change them.

- If you withdraw from a Hong Kong bank in Macau Patacas, you will be charged the unfavorable rate of HKD$1 = MOP$1.02. The money changer in the airport gives you an even worse deal of HKD$1 = MOP$1.01.


2) HSBC ATMs only supply Hong Kong dollar bills in denominations of HKD$500 (US$64) and HKD$1000 (US$128) pieces. Hence, you cannot physically withdraw amounts smaller than that. Other ATMs probably have similar restrictions.


3) If you are withdrawing using a ATM, debit or credit card marked with "VISA", you can expect to pay about 1.6% before any bank charges. MasterCard probably charges a similar amount. [VISA rates]


4) If your bank charges a flat fee (like most Singapore banks) for withdrawals, you can save much if you plan your spending so that you withdraw a larger amount each time.

- If you are traveling from a country like Singapore where you can get exchange rates as low as 1% commission, then change your money to Hong Kong dollars before you arrive in Macau. Don't underestimate the savings, especially if you are a budget traveler.

- The low commission money changers can be found in Lucky Plaza (near Orchard MRT) and People's Park (near Chinatown MRT). Refer to [Singapore Street Directory]


5) Take note of (4) when you charge to your ATM or credit card. If you spend small amounts of money frequently, you may pay a lot in withdrawal fees.


Oh, by the way, please don't give away your money to the casino. There are better ways to do charity. :)

Macao Ferry Services to Hong Kong

The ferry trip between Macao and Hong Kong takes about 1 hour. Macau residents, seniors (above 60 years old) and children (below 12 years old) may obtain discounts.

The ferry companies have a standby queue. If you arrive early, join the queue. You will have an excellent chance of getting onto the next departing ferry ride.


----- TurboJet ------

http://www.turbojet.com.hk/eng/schedule/prd.html

Turbojet the most popular ferry company in Macau. Ferries usually depart every 15 minutes from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong island. I have heard that some casinos give complimentary tickets to regular customers.

Operating Hours: 4am - 2:30am (next day)

Weekday: HKD$134 - MOP$142
Weekends & Holidays: HKD$146 - MOP$154
Night: HKD$168 - MOP$176
(Rates are given as: HK > Macau - Macau > HK)



----- First Ferry ------

http://www.nwff.com.hk/engtext/schedule/route.asp

You can travel directly to the Kowloon peninsular in Hong Kong. Ferries usually depart every 30 minutes from the Tsim Sha Tsui China Ferry Terminal.

Operating Hours: 7am - 12 midnight

Weekday: HKD$133 - MOP$140
Weekends & Holidays: HKD$148 - MOP$155
Night: HKD$168 - MOP$175
(Rates are given as: HK > Macau - Macau > HK)


----- CotaiJet ------

http://cotaijet.com.mo/en/destinations/

CotaiJet has just started operating. (Cotai is the name of island formed from the merger of Coloane and Taipa.) If you are traveling to Taipa or Coloane, you can consider taking this service.

Operating Hours: 7:30am - 5pm

Weekday: HKD$134 - MOP$142
Weekends & Holidays: HKD$146 - MOP$154
Night: Not available yet
(Rates are given as: HK > Macau - Macau > HK)


----- Money Saving Tips ------

1) There are travel agencies operating in Shun Tak Centre that will sell you special tickets. Depending on the shop and time, you can get these tickets for HKD$4 to HKD$13 cheaper than the regular price. Apparently, these are tickets that casinos give to favorite customers. As far as I know, no one will check if your name matches that on the tickets.

2) If you are buying tickets in Macau, you can always pay the ticket price as Macau Patacas even if it is quoted in Hong Kong dollars. This gives you a 3% savings.

3) If you walk a short distance from the Macau Ferry Terminal, you can find the place where the casinos provide Free Bus Services. They stop running at 12 midnight. If you are going to a destination near the casino and do not have much luggage, you can take a free ride. When you reach the casino, you can hop on to another casino bus service to the Chinese border for free too.

Prepaid Phone Cards

This is a follow-up to my previous posting: Macao Phone Tips


Travelers coming to Macau can expect to find 3 types of phone cards:

1) CTM Best Prepaid: 180 day expiry limit, $0.4 per minute airtime

2) SmarTone Prepaid: 30 day expiry limit, $0.225 per minute airtime
(refer below for airtime charge ambiguity)

3) 3 Easy Travel: 180 day expiry limit, $0.4 per minute airtime, $0.25 per SMS


----- Analysis -----

If you are a heavy phone user staying only in Macau continuously, SmarTone Prepaid offers cheaper rates.

If you are a light phone user who comes to Macau for occasionally, Best Prepaid lets you retain your number with a 180 day expiry limit.

Best Prepaid is run by CTM, which has a deal with Yahoo Messenger to allow subscribers to receive free Yahoo messages via SMS for free. SmarTone is not recognized by Yahoo.


----- SmarTone English Translation -----

優惠套裝：$150 (原價 $170)
Special Offer: $ 150 (original price $ 170)

包括 $70智能咭及兩張 $50 增值券
Including $ 70 SIM cards and two $ 50 coupons

本地通話費：每分鐘 $0.405
Local calling rates: $ 0.405 per minute

[Note that there is some ambiguity here. Chinese SmarTone brochures claim the $0.225 charge, and in June 2007 my calls were charged at $0.225. Please inquire before buying the card.]


附加功能
Additional features

本地及國際來電顯示：首月免費，其後每月 $10
Local & International Caller Number Display: first month free, then $ 10 per month

所有來電轉駁：每分鐘 $0.44
All call forwarding: $ 0.44 per minute

留言信箱：每月 $28
Voice mailbox: $ 28 per month

發送本地短訊：每個 $0.25
Send local SMS: $ 0.25 each

發送國際短訊：每個 $1
Send international SMS: $ 1 each

發送國際短訊致菲律賓及印尼，每個 $0.65
International SMS sent to the Philippines and Indonesia, $ 0.65 each


熱點資訊下載：
Hot download information (via SMS):

即時天氣報告、足球消息及指定項目：每個 $0.50
Real-time weather reports, news and football: $ 0.50 each

其他資訊：免費
Other information: Free

收費以每月30日為單位
Charges will be accessed as a unit on the 30th


----- VoIP Services -----

You can also use Voice over IP services such as GTALK to VOIP if you have an Internet connection. My Filipino friends and I use Yahoo Messenger and Chikka to stay in touch.

Beware that Skype and Yahoo expire your phone credits after 180 days, an "obvious" condition stated among the voluminous lines of their user agreements.

After finding to my dismay that Skype has confiscated (some would say steal) over US$15 of my credits and would not give me a second chance to claim them back, I will no longer use their paid services anymore.

Transit via Macau on discount using Tiger Airways

Tiger Airways offers relatively cheap airfares from Singapore to many countries. However, its air ticket prices from Singapore to Macau is one of the cheapest, making it perfect for Singaporeans to transit to other places in the Pearl Delta Region, including Hong Kong, Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou.

I have worked out some ticket prices for a sample flight in November 2007. Feel free to make your own comparisons.

Be aware that if you miss your flight, Tiger Airways will neither wait for you nor give another seat on the next flight. You can expect to pay at least HKD$2000 for the next ticket even for non-peak periods. If you are waiting at the airport, you can only book a ticket 2 hours before the next flight.


----- Transit via Macau to Hong Kong (Round Trip, estimated) -----

Air Ticket directly to Hong Kong (including taxes & charges): HKD$1818

Air Ticket to Macau (including taxes & charges): HKD$1000
AP1 Bus to Ferry Terminal: HKD$8
Ferry Ticket (assuming most expensive rate): HKD$344
Total: HKD$1352

Savings: 26%

[Update: Tiger Airways is offering direct flights to Hong Kong from 01 February 2010, which means that the cost savings from then onwards will be minimal.]


----- Transit via Macau to Shenzhen (Round Trip, estimated) -----

Air Ticket directly to Shenzhen (including taxes & charges): RMB$1171

Air Ticket to Macau (including taxes & charges): RMB$967
AP1 Bus to Chinese Border: RMB$7
Bus Service to Shenzhen: RMB$100
Total: RMB$1074

Savings: 8%


----- Transit via Macau to Guangzhou (Round Trip, estimated) -----

Air Ticket directly to Shenzhen (including taxes & charges): RMB$1221

Air Ticket to Macau (including taxes & charges): RMB$967
AP1 Bus to Chinese Border: RMB$7
Bus Service to Guangzhou: RMB$85
Total: RMB$1059

Savings: 15%

Zhuhai Shopping

Zhuhai is a good place to go shopping from Macao. Unfortunately, knowing how to read and speak Mandarin (or Cantonese) is essential to exploring the area. This is what you will see right after you exit Chinese customs. Note the red arrows below, which will lead you to the bus stop.

If you want to buy some delicious small mangoes without traveling far, walk in the direction of the market. You can also buy vegetables, fruits and cheap accessories there. Bargaining is necessary unless you wish to pay an exorbitant price.

If they refuse to haggle, try paying the equivalent amount of Renminbi as Macau Patacas or Hong Kong dollars. [This may not work for long as the renminbi keeps appreciating.]

Warning: The Macao authorities do not like you carrying fruits and vegetables into Macao without permit. Raw meat is definitely not welcome. Pirated disks may also bring trouble. Check the law before importing anything.

If you wish to travel by bus, go down to the basement floor and head in the direction of the red arrow. You will find a nicely hidden escalator to an even lower floor.

Hint: Behind the red arrow are many small shops which seem to sell various goods, but are actually money changers in disguise. They will change money with you at a better rate than the shops and the bank. Be wary of counterfeit currency though!

After you head down the escalator, if you wish to travel within Zhuhai, then go straight. If you wish to travel to other cities, then turn to your right. You can buy tickets to travel to other cities. If you cannot pronounce Mandarin or Cantonese properly, it is best to write the Chinese name for the cities to give the note to the receptionist.

If you go straight, you will enter a dark and noisy place. This is the bus stop for local buses. Have Renminbi $1 and 50 cent notes or coins ready as other currencies are not accepted. The bus fare is usually RMB$1.50 for non-airconditioned buses and RMB$2.50 for air-conditioned buses.


The Number 2 sightseeing bus is popular with many tourists because it reaches many tourist attractions.

As you travel, you will see many other bus stops with signs. Unfortunately, the signs are mostly in Chinese. [Note: The van in front of the bus is a postal service (邮政) van.]

Wan Jia Bai Huo (万佳百货) is a good place to shop. They have big juicy Fuji apples at a reasonable price. I bought 5 of them for RMB$10. They also sell many groceries, drinks, clothes, equipment, cooked dishes, such as take-away meals.


If you don't mind some exercise, you only need to walk for around 5 minutes of walking down the big street directly in front of the Gongbei border. This is the view right in front of Wan Jia Bai Huo (万佳百货) leading to the border. The red building with the pointed roof is the Gong Bei (供北) border building.

Bus Route 2 also goes to the Bai Lian Dong (白莲洞) park. I like the water paddle boat but the rest of the park was not that interesting to me. [High voltage lines are running over the lake and spoiling the scenery, but as you know, this is China.]

After traveling past many places on Bus Number 2, you will see the Wan Zai (湾仔) bus station. This is the place to buy many computer parts cheaply.


Along the way, you will see some beggars such as this lady who wrote her life story in front of her. She is a Primary school teacher who came to this place to work in a factory. Her husband left her and her children for another woman. Now she needs money (RMB$280) to travel back home. Would kind people be willing to help?

I am aware that it is likely that these are frauds who are deceiving people. But if you have a kind heart, what to do?


There are still many places in Zhuhai I have not been to, including the Lover's Lane and Fisher-Maiden statue. I regret that I did not have the time to visit them.

Hidden Commission for TT to Philippines

Some Filipino friends told me that it only cost MOP$25 per transaction to send money to the Philippines. There seems to be no other charges.

I was skeptical and decided to investigate. Some simple math calculations indicated that this company charges somewhere around 4% to 5% commission on currency conversion.


Hence, I am exposing such hidden commissions with my Money Changer Rate Table spreadsheet with both the Hong Kong dollar and Macau Pataca as the base currencies.

It features the following currencies: Australian Dollar, Euro, Indonesian Rupiah, Japanese Yen, Malaysian Ringgit, Filipino Peso, Singapore Dollar, Taiwanese Dollar, Thai Baht and the US Dollar.

You can download the special spreadsheet and print it out for reference

Disclaimer: This spreadsheet is created for educational purposes only. The author is not liable for any errors or omissions in this work. Use it at your own risk.


By the way, I use a popular software called Currency Converter 2 to get the latest forex data straight off the Internet.

Never lend money to people on the street

There are some well-dressed people who will approach you and ask to lend money from you. They are from mainland China and often speak only Mandarin (Putonghua). Don't lend them money as they will not pay you back.


The first time I encountered them was in late October. A lady came up to me at night apologizing to bother me. She said that she has lost her wallet and needed money to stay overnight.

She explains that she is not begging for money, just borrowing it. She promises to pay me back the next day, when her business partner arrives. She will definitely treat me for lunch for my great help.

I scribbled my contact information down and handed her all the notes in my bag, which is somewhere around MOP$360. The result is that I lost all my money.


The second time I encountered them was the day before yesterday. A man came up to me asking to befriend me.

This time he told me that he had lost all the money gambling in the casino and needed money for food. He is persistent saying that he is very hungry and has 2 companions in a similar situation. Their credit card bounced, he explained.

Again, he explains that he is not begging for money, just borrowing it. He will return the money the next day when his friend comes by to rescue him. As he speaks, one of his companions came and shake my hand.

He gave me his name card, which contains a Zhuhai number. I left my mobile number with him. I thought that I could give him the benefit of the doubt, but this time I only offer MOP$30. I have little money left myself and am not keen to give much away.

He tried asking for me but I told him that he can just eat lesser and share with his companions. He said OK, and then turned away. He never called. I later called his number only to find that his mobile phone was switched off.


On hindsight, if I wanted to help, I should have brought these people to a restaurant or give them bread or food vouchers.

These people have no qualms about cheating others, and may just use the money to gamble and lose at the casinos. Lying may be their professional occupation, and they have long silenced their guilty conscience.

I am not going to help them again. If they are really desperate, perhaps a cheap loaf of bread is what they will get. If they get persistent, I will threaten to call the police.

Cheap Food in Macau (San Ma Lo)

Scenario: You wish to find cheap food and are near Macau New Central (San Ma Lo), which tends to have more expensive prices.

No problem. The market in Central is a tall 6 floor building near to the Post Office and fountains. In the picture below, this is the view from the street just before you turn right (-->>).

Shortly after you make a turn, you will notice this building on your left.

There are a few floors in the building. On the first floor, you can buy eggs and fruits. The cheapest price for the apples and lemons I got was $10 per 6 units.

Oh, by the way, they don't accept credit cards.

These are samples of apples available from the stalls. I prefer the Fuji apples (the 3 on the left). They don't seem to have nearly as much wax on them.

As you go to the second and third floors, you will be greeted by rows and rows of stalls selling meat. The place is usually very busy in the morning - the photos are taken around 2pm in the afternoon.

You can go up a few more floors where they sell vegetables. You can buy carrots, lettuce, leeks - just look and compare instead of buying from the first few stalls nearest to you. Sometimes stalls with the best business mark up their prices a little bit.

If you are hungry, you can look around for this nice hawker centre on the 5th floor. The prices there are comparable to Singapore, making it a great bargain. You can get a decent meal for MOP$16 instead of MOP$30 elsewhere. The only catch is that they list everything in Traditional Chinese.

After visiting the market, you can look around for other nice things to buy in the roadside stalls, like clothes and accessories.

There is a stall nearby that sells cheap and durable airline cabin size luggage bags (around MOP$120 to MOP$160). Look for the wheels to ensure that they are not made of rubber that can come off, but a single piece of thick plastic.

The ruins of Saint Paul are only 5 to 10 minutes walk away from this area. Follow the signboards if in doubt.

Go Daiso for cheap shopping

If you are coming from Macau Ferry Terminal, you can take bus 12.

If you are coming from the Blood Transfusion Centre near Kun Lam Statue, you can also board bus 8. Beware of taking bus 12 here - there are 2 versions, one of which goes to the Ferry Terminal!

The bus will travel up a fly-over and will pass by an old pink building called the Former Government House before reaching this bus stop.

Note down this bus stop, because it is where you will drop off.

To make sure that it is the correct bus stop, you should see a bridge in front of you. Note the McDonalds and KFC fast-food restaurants on both sides of the bridge.

Turn left and head into this street. Travel all the way up to the other end of the street.

You will be greeted by a construction site with 3 smiling, flying cats. The Chinese words mean "the cats on the walls of Paris". [Update: The cats no longer exist in April 2009.]

Turn left, and you will go down a very busy street.

Watch out for the Daiso sign on your right side as it is easy to miss. The huge Daiso superstore is underground.

In Daiso, things are sold according to Japanese Yen. To know the price in Patacas, just divide the number on the price tag by 10. If the price is not indicated, then the item is MOP$10 each.

The items they sell include Egyptian figurines, baskets and a plastic wrapper that can compress your winter clothes. Happy shopping!

Free Coins in Macau

There is a place in Macau where you can get free coins. And that place is none other than the higher floor of the Ruins of Saint Paul.


It also comes with a great scenery of Macau, as long as it is not raining or foggy.

Macao Art, Creativity, Youth, Nature Workshops

Are you keen to inspire children and teenagers to develop their creativity and positive thinking?

What about organize an event for people to get in touch with nature and save the environment at the same time?

Or maybe you may like to create some exotic art and music to spice up an otherwise boring ceremony, party or wedding?



If so, I would like to introduce you to my friends from Brainstorming Creations. They are a group of dynamic and inspired youth who aim to help develop the inner creativity and awareness of people.

And they love to have fun... Lots of it. They have organized various projects in Thailand and Macau and plan to continue to do even more.


Their work is also inspired by Waldorf Education, which makes their workshops unique. For instance, their storytelling uses a natural objects, simple storyline, and cloth dolls (so that children can imagine the emotions and facial expressions on their blank faces).

In addition, they are keen believers in promoting environmental awareness, so you can count on them to help protect the environment while they are doing their work.



Feel free to write to them at brainstormingcreations@gmail.com to find out more about their work.

Buying Computers in Macao

I suggest that you don't buy them if you can get them in Singapore or Taiwan.

Despite a 5% Goods & Service Tax (GST) in Singapore, key computer parts still cost around 1% to 5% more in Macau after currency conversion.

The exception are card readers, mice and other computer accessories made cheaply in neighboring China. [You may consider purchasing them in China at an even lower price.]

Beware that if you need to send many computer parts for repair, you will have to pay a MOP$80 shipping fee to send it to Hong Kong. And of course, you will have to wait a month for the computer part to travel.


If you are still keen to buy computer parts (perhaps you may not have a choice), then a good place would be Digital Technology Centre at Rua Um do Bairro Iao Hon in Macau.



It is within 10 minutes' walking distance from the border to China near the 3 sided bridge and a popular garden with pavilions.

Organic Vegetables in Macao

Global Village Association imports organic vegetables from Hong Kong every Wednesday. Depending on the session, they may contain potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, long beans, beetroot etc. Each packet costs MOP$60 and requires self-collection. [Update: They no longer offer the service since 2008.]

If you want to eat good vegetarian food (which is not necessarily organic), you can visit the restaurant in front of Kun Lam Tong. This is also near the Macau TV station at Rua de Francisco Xavier Pereira. However, be aware that it is rather difficult to find parking space there.

Get Rid of Brown MOP$10 banknotes

If you have one of those MOP$10 brown notes, bring it to any BNU branch and change it.

These notes have an image of the Memorial House of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen. The notes that a friend gave me were issued in 1991.

My friend thought that they were worthless, but fortunately, the deadline for changing these notes has been extended until 26 May 2009.

China Shopping Hazards

If you are going across the border to China to do some shopping, be careful, and be prepared.

1) Pickpockets

There are many pickpockets, including children. Never show your cash, and keep them separated in a few places. Be especially careful when you are seated on a bus. Never leave your luggage or bags unattended too. They tend to disappear.

No one will help alert you to the pickpockets or help you catch them. For some reason, the Chinese in China have became numbed to petty crime.




Sometimes you may see pickpockets in action on the bus, cutting out the pockets of unsuspecting passengers. Being the good Samaritan you are, you stop them. And being the good ruffians they are, they will wait and bash you up later with their friends.


-----

2) Fraud & Deceit

There are many products and practices in China which are downright unethical.

Rat meat may be sold for pigeon meat. Watermelons may be injected with artificial color and sugar water to enhance their taste. There were many food scandals in the past, such as fake, no-nutrient milk powder and poisonous rice. If possible, bring your own food along.


Learn how Chinese Renminbi looks like. If you look like a foreigner, you may be handed Taiwan money, which has about 1/4 the value of Renminbi. A simple rule is if you see Chairman Mao on the note, it is definitely Renminbi. There are also notes which are in cents (jiao), not dollars (yuan). They are legal currency too.

There are a lot of fake $50 and $100 Renminbi, and smaller amounts of other fake denominations. I always bring along a ultraviolet detector just in case. I am a victim of a fake RMB$50 note (probably from a money changer) myself. Here is a tutorial on how to recognize fake Chinese money.


You can buy a 8GB thumbdrive for RMB$120, an insane bargain in 2007. It will format and chkdsk nicely in the computer, but it won't work when you try to put real files on it. Your files will be randomly corrupted instead. The thumbdrive will report that it is full after you copied a few hundred megabytes to it. The same goes for the 8GB imitation iPod players.

Don't buy anything that looks too good to be true. Stick to products which have a warranty and more reasonable prices. Avoid buying from stalls and buy only from shops, as stall owners can just disappear whenever they like.


I was also cheated by a prepaid phone dealer. She claimed that the China card has RMB$200 of value, and she is selling it to me at a discount of RMB$100. It turns out the she has stuck the price stickers on the words that read "RMB$55 value, uniform pricing for the entire China". When I found out I was furious.

-----

3) Dangerous Taxi Drivers

Never ever take an unlicensed taxi. Not only will they charge exorbitant prices, they may also drive you to a place where the rest of their gang lies in wait to rob you. Always take a real taxi that charges by the meter.

The unlicensed taxi drivers are those people walking around busy areas with holding a bunch of keys. They often solicit customers actively.

-----

4) Bargaining

Unless you are very rich, bargaining skills are compulsory for shopping in China. Cheap as the goods may seem to richer countries, it can be cheaper.

For clothes, asking for half their quoted price and then pretending to walk out of the shop will often close the deal. Electronic items, however, may not enjoy such a large discount.

Many sellers are known to use strong and highly persuasive techniques to get you to buy from them, much like hard-selling. [You will know what I mean when you meet one of them.] It is important to learn to say 'no' to them.

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5) Language

It is rare to find Chinese shopkeepers who speak English, or any other foreign language. If you do not know Mandarin, or the dialect being spoken in the area, then it will be much harder to bargain and shop. In Zhuhai (bordering Macau) and Shenzhen (bordering Hong Kong), the dominant dialect is Cantonese.

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6) Beggars

There are many beggars in China, and it is very hard to tell which are genuine cases and which are just out to earn money.

At one time, I saw a young teenage girl knelling on the street, with the words "Need $10 to take bus home" scribbled in front of her. I decided to let that pass.


Another time, an adorable child pestered me singing Chinese songs wishing me good luck in a sad and tired tone. It was hard to resist ignoring him. I decided to give him some sweets and a RMB$1 coin, causing another child to appear. They asked for me, and I gave a MOP$1 coin to the new child.

Both of them are obviously from the family (or syndicate). I told them to share the sweets and I don't have any more to give or I can't take the bus home. They ran off happily, perhaps because they don't have to give the sweets to their "supervisor". All this time, I was watching my bag to make sure that their tiny fingers don't touch the rest of my money.


If you want to give to the beggars, be discrete and quick. Otherwise, a crowd of beggars (and potential pickpockets) will mill around you asking for donations.