Cabs & Whatnots

At the front porch of the hotel, I watched an elderly Japanese couple slide in and out of 3 cabs because the drivers didn't know where they wanted to go in spite of a printed map. The drivers couldn't communicate with them in Mandarin. The couple spoke little English, and the cab drivers spoke no English. Two couples (French and Canadian) before and after them didn't seem to speak Mandarin either, but held printouts that the cab drivers seemed to understand.

The hotel concierge of didn't seem to be able to help them either. Not surprising. Most times in China, I end up having to give directions to the cab driver, or I know more than the concierge, all thanks to the great big intarwebs. Most people, aren't very helpful, and if they try to be, they're likely to give you the wrong information. It can be a little exasperating. But I've learnt to get around it. Cab drivers might know the main road, but they appear to be completely clueless about the specific buildings or streets. At least they're upfront about it, and tell you the moment you get into the cab. I suppose it's because Beijing is huge, and buildings change every couple of months. It was the same situation in Kunming where I had to tell every driver how to get to the intended building, even though it was my first visit to the area. Many times, I'm not sure who's the Chinese and who's the foreigner.

Often, cabs in China (and many other countries) have this stale smell of cigarettes. The seat covers are dirty and eeky. Cabs in Shanghai start at 12yuan; Kunming starts at 8yuan with an additional fuel surcharge of 2yuan; Beijing's meter begins at 10yuan with a fuel surcharge of 2yuan. Stories across the world are the same, aren't they? High fuel prices, high rental of cabs, meant that few cabs ply the road. It's not that easy to get a cab in Beijing or Kunming. (Shanghai is a different story.) It's tough to simply hail a cab unless one stops in front of you because someone else is getting out. Rain, no cabs; snow, no cabs; peak hour, of course no cabs. Apparently there's a hotline to call for a cab. You can try. I've never heard of anyone getting through that line.

I hesitated to offer assistance to the Japanese couple. I'm not a particularly amiable person, especially not when I'm overseas. In this case, I'm in Beijing, not Singapore. I'm a foreigner in a host country, and I don't quite want to break any protocols, regulations, social customs and norms. It's called, 'minding my own business'. Plus friends have cautioned me a zillion times not to go squat in a Chinese jail again. I hear them! Then I sighed. Decided to take a look at the couple's printed stuff. There was a map, but it was blurred; the Chinese words depicting the roads weren't legible. At least the address had been printed out in both English and Chinese. To my slight surprise, their destination was the same office building as mine. When my driver pulled up in a car that had plenty of space for 2 additional humans, it was a no brainer. I gave the couple a lift.