phillipas

Now, this thread really isn't aimed at the level of the Hilton concierge booking your Mercedes for an hour later than you wanted it.

We're going way below that level.

This evening I find myself in a very small town on the outskirts of a small town - and the hotel is below even my own paltry standards. Now don't think I've been cheap - I've booked myself into the hotel's 'deluxe' suite - the finest suite it offers. It costs RMB120 a night.

The stench from the loo leaves little to the imagination as to what's been down it, and in terms of a shower there's apparently hot water in the morning.

The one redeeming feature, and a very surprising one is that the room actually has a computer complete with the latest flat-screen monitor. Which is a useful diversion given that the TV doesn't work.

And it's in the sort of territory where foreigners are very much a novelty. Walking into a suitable looking place for dinner I was instantly accosted by 3 pissed guys at a table, one who turned out to be the chef. My efforts to actually select something from the menu were thwarted when said chef snatched it from my hand and decided to make the decision as to what I would eat himself. It turned out to be stomach with a selection of incredibly spicy other things. The soup was good though.

And obviously I had a few shots of baijiu thrust into my hand.

The positive was that it only cost 17 British pence (literally - I gifted a few British coins and my efforts to actually pay for the dinner were refused). On making my excuses and heading to my 'deluxe' suite I was caught 5 minutes later by said guys (sans chef) and invited to eat some mutton (street stand). I politely declined the trotters that appeared, at which point they decided to order something they though would be more agreeable to a foreigners appetite. The sheep's brains soon appeared - easily identifiable as brains given that they were still inside the (somewhat charred) head. They were actually pretty good!

And having finally made it back to my room of the hotel I didn't tell them I was in - they've now been knocking on my door with 'something for the train tomorrow' - vacuum packed chicken's feet.

And in so many ways this is the kind of trip I absolutely love in China. Yes - the infrastructure can be shocking but the people, as ignorant as they are about foreigners, do so much to show their hospitality.

In terms of this thread I'm not sure about the title now - originally it was just going to be about the delights of the hotel. I guess now it's more a case of your own 'in the sticks' experiences.

MP (Miles+Points)

What an experience! Can you get that in England for 10 pounds? Surely you will enjoy that!

I've been travel to China freqently in the last 7 years, haven't visited "small town" like that. Every time someone said bring me to a small town, I always end up with at least 1 million of population there.

Enjoy your visit, I guess it's somewhere towards north west of China, isn't it?

Lufthomie

I'm curious, do you speak any Chinese? Was is difficult to communicate?
Could you please elaborate on how you feel you were percieved as a foreigner.

I feel that travel to China would be facinating. I appreciate your post and would really like to hear more from your trip.

iahphx

This is a great story. I've never had quite that unique a Chinese experience (perhaps because I stay a little more on the beaten path), but I have no doubt that it would be common in some of the more obscure locales.

This summer, I was being driven around Shanxi province and it was time for dinner. There was a specific restaurant I wanted to go to, but the driver had absolutely no clue how to get there (I had address, phone number and map, but to no avail). So I asked him to recommend a place. Well, we wound up is some over-the-top-banquet-hall -- where I imagined middle class Chinese would hold "fancy" weddings. The staff was fascinated by our presence (we were obviously the first Westerners in quite some time -- perhaps ever).

Although they had menus, we weren't really allowed to choose our own dishes -- the staff brought what they thought Westerners "would like." Of course, they didn't have the faintest clue, and I'm really not sure what I ate that night. And I really don't think I want to know. Most of it was terrible to the Western palate, but a few things were tasty, or at least edible. I think the tab for our "banquet" for 4 was less than US$10.

I guess the lesson from this is that if you want to eat well in an obscure location in China, it's probably a good idea to know what you're getting into. If you want a "cultural experience," let a local make the choices for you!

phillipas

Spot on! Gansu Province to be exact. I used a teacher here and when AY came up with their Ł800-return-in-J-from-the-UK-CAN-seeing-that-they-are-dropping-the-route I decided to do a trip and catch up on my old students. Most of my old students are essentialy the children of peasant farmers thus my destinations on this trip don't in any way feature things like Western chain hotels. Even McDonalds is the best part of 24 hours away on the train.

For reference I'm slap bang in the middle of this map:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl...77248&t=h&z=14

I speak enough Chinese to deal with the practicalities of daily life - but I struggle to get beyond the general gist of conversation.

In terms of how I am perceived as a foreigner the key thing to remember is that for those guys in the restaurant I was the first non-Chinese they had ever met. When I comment about the locals being 'ignorant' about the typical dietary tastes of a Westerner I mean it in it's truest sense rather than in any way an insulting term - for example what do you know about the dietery preference of, say, a Niuean? Indeed - do you know where Niue is? My chef tonight was firmly convinced I was from that well known New Zealand city that is London.

As a foreigner in the more remote parts of China you will be welcomed, ssimply on rareity value, as an honoured guest - and your arrival in town will be public knowledge within 30 minutes. Indeed when I first arrived in one of China's more remote parts for a meeting at a loacl school the local TV station was there to record my arrival.

The key to making the trip enjoyable on your part, and indeed to not offending the locals, is simply to accept the local hospitality - however it may or may not fit in with your own Western forged definitions of hospitality.

But yes - I'd struggle to recommend the place I'm in to anyone who doesn't have at least basic language skills. But if you do then the more remote parts are truly the place to get an experience of what is typical China whether it's the local restaurateur providing a free meal or the private language school yhat got you to do a PA there offering to settle your account with the finest local 'ladies rahter than in cash.

anacapamalibu

When I pulled up to this dilapidated shack - farmhouse restaurant in NE China
and could hear the dogs barking in back...I kinda got a hint of what was on the menu.

Actually the dog neck and silk worm larva were pretty tasty. ^

Jamoldo

Totally true on the first point regarding population. Everytime I ask where someone is from, I get a frown and a "small town, only 2 million people."

Don't have to go to the great NW of China to get in the sticks though. A 1-2 hour radius from most major (tier I and II) cities should do the trick, though in this case, you were proven right...

I've had the same "never seen foreigner before" expression at me though I'm of Indian origin, so fair play.

Op: what a great story.

mosburger

My pet peeve in "local" Chinese hotels is that the staff don't bother to do the dishes. Just stand there bored in the morning while guests are busy cleaning their cups with tea water.

In family owned hotels this is mostly not the case as they keep a rather strict regime on their workers.

rkkwan

My gosh. I have to say most of my Chinese hotel experiences have been pretty bad. It'd be a miracle if there's nothing seriously wrong with any stay. Things that have happened in recent visits include: (I'm not including those stays in the early 80's)

- A/C or heat not working or very weak
- No hot water
- Leaky toilet
- Horrible smell coming from the toilet or the sewage pipe
- Very strong cigarette smell (most have some anyways)
- Loud TV from next room, loud talking in the hallway, slamming doors, etc
- Phone call at midnight asking if one wants "massage service"
- Being accused of stealing towels or destroying things during checkout
etc...

Jailer

In Turpan, or was it Urumqi, the two-room, Soviet era hotel where we ceded one room to the rat, wasn’t nearly as bad as the hotel in Xining where they gave away our room and we slept in the lobby. ‘Twas 1988, so a different China.

phillipas

And there was hot water the next morning. Lashings of the stuff. The then evident lack of any towels meant using the duvet cover for drying purposes - but it did the job. And at least, unlike rkkwan, I wasn't accused of nicking the towels on check-out!

The next day saw me visiting a student I taught a couple of years back. She's now working as a teacher in her home village and helping mum and dad with the farming. I've visited a few farmer's homes before, but never to stay overnight which I did on this trip - and it's a pretty humbling experience. As Westerners we tend to class a whole range of things as 'essential' when in reality they're not.

And then it was onto Lanzhou for a night-stop and then with ZH to CAN via XIY. And ZH get the thumbs up for probably the best domestic service (Y) I've encountered in China.

My last 2 nights in China were spent in Dongguan (easily reached by direct bus from CAN in about 70 minutes) and in the type of hotel I love - no facilities of it's own, but set on a back street that was teeming with life until the early hours. Corner shop - check, street stands - check, beer market - check. The most notable thing about my inspection visit to the room was the 4 packs of condoms lovingly (no pun intended!) placed by the bed which suggested the midnight phone call would be something of a certainty. But it never came so a peaceful night was assured.

All up it was great to get to China again. China Railways did themselves proud in terms of ticket availibility which was the one thing that could really have thrown a spanner into the works. Catching up with students I taught up to 5 years ago is a fantastic experience in terms of seeing what they have done with themselves. And it's just interesting visiting places I've not seen for a few years as it really emphasises the pace at which China is changing. And of course, Chinese hospitality is as fantastic as ever.

If you are going to be doing more than one visit to China I'd highly reccommend making the effort and getting out into the sticks.

woody125

I'm hoping it was not URC. I have a forced 2 day layover there before flying on to OVB. I'm at the Sheraton and speak not a word of Chinese but I'm up for some cultural 101 kinda stuff for sure. And...I'll eat just about anything.

Loren Pechtel

I don't think there's really any hope of avoiding this. Strange how they just hang up when my wife answers, though. (She's a native speaker, I know a couple of dozen words and my accent is so bad that it's about 50:50 whether I'll be understood.)

Jamoldo

No need to worry about URC. Sufficient good hotels there. Never been to the Sheraton, but have stayed at the Hoi Tak which was just fine (this was in 2005).

Jailer

Thinking back over 20 years now, the most bizarre Chinese hotel incident was when a group of us wanted to go out of a hotel unescorted at 0600, and the door was locked. We had to get a porter, and it must have taken 15 minutes, to let us out of the hotel. Apparently, fire codes came late to hotels in China.