So what do you think of this ingenious transportation vehicle... it is a combination motorcycle/ taxi cab and one of the nicer ones we would see along the streets of Beijing. We thought they looked so silly. Never did we expect to see one from the inside!
As Heidi, Paul & I left the back gate of the Forbidden City we decided we had enough time to go over to Tiananmen Square but we would either have to walk ALL the way back through the Forbidden City which was quite a distance or we could take a pedicab -- a bicycle pulling a seat similar to a rickshaw -- and be driven around the city streets and dropped off very close to Tiananmen. There were lots and lots of Chinese people offering their services for pedicabs so we began to negotiate a price for the ride. Since there were 3 of us and the pedicab only seats 2 we would have to have 2 pedicabs. The Chinese always start way high in their pricing and then you just have to dicker them down and finally agree on an amount so you don't feel like you are getting ripped off. The price the guy was offering was way too much, according to Heidi's previous experiences so we continued to offer lower amounts -- all this while all of us were walking at a fast pace. The Chinese guy didn't want to lose us and we were trying to make it clear to him we thought he was asking too much so we were trying to walk away from him. Finally he said, "OK, OK! your price". We thought, "good deal!" The next thing we know he is putting us into one of these motorcycle cabs that also only hold 2 passengers and Paul & I were a little nervous thinking what if we get separated from Heidi... when much to our surprise, the guy then shoved Heidi in the cab too and the driver started talking off! We were so shocked but it was a totally hilarious situation! Our pedicab was very, very old and rickety... we hoped it would make it all the way and not bog down with the overweight. It did just fine! It turned out to be a very fun experience -- one we wouldn't have had sought out but actually enjoyed it and saved us a lot of backtracking!
1 comment:
I am loving your trip! I saw the movie The Last Emperor and I think it was about the Forbidden City. Actually all I remember about it was that the last emperor was still breast feeding when he was 12. (That's the kind of history that embeds itself in my mind!)
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