When in another country, there are always strange customs and ways of doing things. We heard, before we came to China, that there were such practices as no tipping. It is very true. The Chinese do not expect a tip. From wait staff to taxi drivers, they do not expect a tip. When we have offered one, it was accepted almost with regret. We spent the entire day with the driver who took us to The Great Wall. The price was arranged ahead of time and we spent more time on the wall than expected. Our hotel person, who arranged the trip, told us 600 Yuan and no tip. When we got back, he was happy to collect his fee.

Another practice that we are struggling with is the act of queueing or waiting in line. While getting onto the subway, or going to an escalator, or getting off of a vehicle, the Chinese are not waiting for anyone in front of them. We met an American today who has spent the last 7 years in China. He said that this practice is far better today than it was 2 years ago. They have had queueing "monitors" in place at bus stops and subway stations "teaching" people how to wait in line. We were on a boat trip across the lake at the Summer Palace and, when the boat docked, the people on the back of the boat raced to the front to get off before we did at the front end of the line. When you are used to certain practices, it is hard to adjust and accept what appears to be rudeness on the part of other people. This is just their way of behaving and it is acceptable to them. The American told us today that it was so bad at one time that they used to throw each other to the ground to get onto a bus. We have not seen that.

The last practice that we have experienced, and we were told about this before hand, is the art of bartering. In America, we would not thing of walking into a store and not paying the asking price. We often barter at a flea market or garage sale. (if you are not familiar with this practice, it is simply offering less than the asking price for a product). Our first day here, Christina walked into a store and bought some scented oil. She paid full price for it without thinking. I asked her why she did not barter and she basically said that she had forgotten. The sales woman was beaming. I said that we had just covered her rent for the month. There is an art to it and Christina has not mastered it at all. There is a lot of work in the process. I have had some real success at it, but you have to be willing to stick to your guns about it.

When we were at The Great Wall, there was a row of tourist sales people there to sell you the "priceless" treasures that all tourists must have. I watched a married couple work their magic for about a half and hour and sized up the products that we wanted to get. When Christina and I met up, we walked to one of the booths to make our purchases. I knew from watching and looking exactly what I wanted. I grabbed the articles and piled them up on the table. People have told us to hear the asking price, make an offer, and then pay about 1/4 of the asking price. After piling all of the articles up, I received an offer. It was 795 Yuan (6.77 Yuan to the dollar - you do the math). I had a lot of things to buy (I had to have these treasures). The woman went back and forth with me not accepting her offer. I had put 200 Yuan in my pocket prior to making the attempt to buy. I reached into my pocket and put the money in her hand. She deftly palmed it below the piece of paper she was using to make offers to me. She did not want to accept that low of an offer and kept trying for higher prices. I finally said no and started to walk away. Christina said to me that she still had my money. I knew this, but wanted to make the point that we would not accept more. I went back and stuck my hand out to get my money back. She said no and that she would accept my offer, all the time telling me she was losing money. I just nodded sympathetically, took my goods, said thank you in Chinese and left. You have to have a figure in your head when engaging in the practice. You have to know that most of these goods probably cost far less than you end up paying anyway. All in all, it is a fun thing to do. Christina says it exhausts her.

Today we did not have an event, so we went to the Temple of Heaven and shopping. More bartering. Tomorrow we have two sessions of Team Handball. No, it is not played inside a court with walls. This game is a cross between Basketball and Soccer. I will post some pictures tomorrow after the sessions. Most of you do not know the game because you will not see it on TV. Why? Because the Americans are not in the tournament for Team Handball. We do not qualify. The only times that Americans competed in Team Handball was in 1984 in LA and 1996 in Atlanta. We competed those times because the host country gets an automatic berth in any event in the games. So what are you watching? I can answer that probably. You will see the usual. Track and field, gymnastics, swimming, volleyball, basketball, boxing, and anything else where the Americans are entered and may have a chance to medal. Do you think you'll see any Badminton? Forget your stereotypes of the game, it is the most popular racquet sport in the world. It is one of the hottest tickets at the games. This is why I am in China. I get a perspective of the games that most Americans will never have via NBC's versions. If it does not sell commercial time, you will not see the event. Maybe, someday, Americans will appreciate what the true perspective of sport is all about. I'll get off my soapbox for now.

Rick