Our time in China has finally come to an end. We finished our Customer Visits on a high note. After being told how much we are struggling to break into good favor with the Government and how key that is to being successful here, we visited the China Customs Service here in Beijing. They've developed a very sophisticated application using the client and showed it off to us. From the moment we sat down it was clear that they've got some really smart people and their application proved it. We went through our standard presentation, answered questions, etc., and they were very pleased and excited about the the stuff that we'll be rolling out in v2. It was a great way to crystalize the relationship and really get validation on what we've decided to do, but the signifiance of this particular customer made it all the more worthwhile.
We've continued to have great meals here at bargain prices. We've really started to like it. Now, we are staying fairly conservative. No pig organs, no starfish, crickets, silkworms, or seahorses in our food. They certainly like to eat every part of everything here. It's crazy. So is the driving. Our taxi driver got pulled over for changing lanes in the wrong place. Which is funny because we have yet to see any places where driving in a lane is appearently appropriate to begin with. Let's just say the driving is very "fluid".
Today was our only full day off of the trip. We hired a van for the day and were driven north about an hour into the mountains to see the Great Wall. Driving outside of the main city of Beijing holds some interesting sites. Sheep herders in the road, chickens by the side of the road, bikes, cars, and trucks every where. When we got to the parking lot to walk up to the wall, the place is pretty much empty. As soon as we get out of the car we're faced with what we termed "The Gauntlet". There is a lane headed up to the stairs and tram that go up to the ridgeline, and as soon as we step onto it, each one of the souveneir dealers (all selling the same crap, of course), start basically attacking us with stuff. It's actually incredibly amusing because they all say "oooooh you friend, i know you, you like postcard? mao hat for you? I remember you!" Yeah, we're the only three whiteys for 100 miles so I'd expect they'll remember us. Oh, anyway, the Wall is amazing as well. It snakes around as far as you can see and was an undertaking of mammoth proportions. It's had a lot of work done to keep it in repair, and you could see sections up the hill that weren't in such good shape. It's really hilly country though so it's quite a view. It even snowed a little bit when we were up there (just some flurries) but it was odd because it wasn't all that cold. Wait until you guys see my Chairman Mao watch. What time is it you ask? It's Mao time.
We headed back into town and went to the Xuishiu Market which is basically more souvenier stuff but they've got tons of really convincing knock offs of brands like North Face, Gucci, etc. It's fun to bargain them down. Basically, they don't really speak much English so they hand you a calculator and type the starting price. The rule of thumb is you should pay about 30% of the first offered price. You type something small and hand it back. "nooo nooo, you put you best price". So you just type in the same price or maybe a little more, they object, and you start to walk a way. At this point they will physically hook your arm and start saying "no no, you put you best price!" and hand you the calculator again. Eventually, they'll give in and you're set. You can get a North Face jacket for about $25 or a nice silk tie for about $5.
The people here have been fantastic. Johnny, a local guy was nice enough to be our guide today and accompany us to the Wall and to the market. It was good to get some explanations and context on things. The food has been great (it's easier to enjoy once you get out of the terror stage), the weather has been really nice, and we've got some good work done.
Time to get on a plane and start all over again...Japan here we come.