cheers

tinkello is the hotmail

As we walked, we passed a hotel which had a lounge, she said no as it would be too expensive and that they would have to serve us food in order to get wine. I wasnt about to argue so we walked further. We actually came across 2 different bars but both were closed at it was early afternoon.

We came across an alley and she suggested we walk down to see what was there. I am very street smart (which will help me out later) and I said No, I am not going down there. Her reply was OK we will just keep on walking. As we walked we came across a beautiful park with a small river / stream running through it. There were several tourists and people so I suggested we walk through there to see what was on the other side. Wouldnt you know it as soon as we get out of the park there is a sign TEA HOUSE WINE etc. I say look this is perfect!!! We go inside and she says something in Chinese to the staff and we enter a Tea room. Next thing you know a bowl of oranges and something that looks like dried Banana chips is brought to the table. Also a bottle of opened wine with a French Label. Not thinking much of it as wine is brought to tables in carefes (open bottles) we are each poured a glass. Next thing you know she slams the glass of wine back like a sailor and says I should do the same! Right away I start thinking what if the wine is drugged?? I tell her no and I sip it slowly. I nursed the wine as we spoke and about 30 minutes later I was sure that there was nothing in it. I had 2 glasses of wine and she had 3. She then asked that we should order another bottle. I said no so she ordered another glass and slammed it back too. She then got up and sat beside me and said what a wonderful time she was having. She appeared to be a bit tipsy. By now I figured something was up for sure. At that point I asked where the washroom was and the waitress took me to a public bathroom right across the road, she actually walked over with me and waited so now I really get the feeling something is up! I return to the tea house and the girl has now ordered tea saying this is traditional tea and we should have a cup. At this point I say I have to leave and would like the bill. She tells the waitress and says she is getting it for me. The next thing the waitress comes back in asking if I want to buy some fine tea, again I say I would like the bill and no thank you to the tea. 10 minutes later she returns with a bill and a bag. The girl tells me she bought me the tea as a gift and she was paying for the tea. I said no thank you and she said she was offended as it was a gift, I said OK thanks.

I look at the bill and everything is written in Chinese, I see what looks to be 9000 RMB scratched at the bottom. Now I know something is up. The last thing I want to do is look like I am in a panic. I smiled and said I would like to pay by credit card. This allows me not to open my wallet and show how much cash I have and I can put in the wrong code when I try to use the card so it is denied. I figured these ladies knew what they were doing when they figured the bill as I am sure they spotted my watch, cloths and label inside my coat. After several attempts in the credit card machine and my card being denied (I put in the wrong code) I said I have to call my credit card company as there seems to be a problem. Let me call them so I can get this approved. They had a phone to me in seconds and I was on the line with mastercard. Now I am standing in front of them and the guy on the phone is of course asking me my security questions and I have to answer. While I am doing this the girl is on her cell phone talking to someone. I am looking at the back of the tea house and the front door as I am talking …trying to figure out if someone is being called in and if I am going to get robbed! I then ask the mastercard guy if there were denied attempts on my card due to wrong pin number. His reply was no, the card was not used. BOOM!! the card swipe machine they used was a fake!! Yes they were trying to get my pin number and card info!!! Again, not to raise awareness letting them know I knew what was going on I said to the guy on the phone “Thank you, no worries I will pay my bill in cash” and hung up.

Now the adrenaline is rushing!!! Am I going to get wacked, whats going on. I looked at the young girl and said This is a fucken scam!! 9000 RMB for wine??? She said it was French wine and it was very good. I replied that wasnt French wine and the bottle was open. She then said OK how much you can pay then?? I replied I am not paying anything, I am getting the police and I bolted for the door!!! I ran down the road for 2 blocks and hit the main road and ran for another couple blocks full out. While I am running I am thinking either someone may be coming after me or that the police could be involved with the scam (that was my worst fear!!!). Finally after about a mile I was able to get a cab and I headed back to my hotel where I called my credit card company to have my card cancelled!

So, In the end I was smart to follow my instinct. I ended up getting a bowl of oranges, some “French Wine” and a great story to share for free!!!
Hell, now that I know the scam I would go back and drink more wine this time for free!!!
Cheers!!!

Excitement in his voice, he also told us that we could be very lucky on that day because the Chinese government had invited him to the Forbidden City for a few days to meet visitors. He “promised nothing” though as we had to be very lucky – maybe he had left the day before. Anyhow, shortly afterwards, he told us to follow him to a private part of the forbidden city – where only guides and staff are allowed. It seemed we were extremely lucky because the nameless ‘nephew’ was still there. We asked if we could take some pictures with him to which we were told yes, but only if we bought one of his calligraphy – the cheapest was 1,200 yuan – basically for him to write one word on a small piece of scroll.

We noticed that only foreigners were ‘privileged’ enough to meet this guy. The family before us and after us (taken there by other ‘official guides’, both bought the calligraphy and took pictures with him. We thought it was a bit steep for a Chinese word and said no. The guide then proceeded to persuade saying he really thought we were missing out big time as it was a rare opportunity and really it was just the price of a meal. I said our meals certainly wouldn’t cost that much!

When he realised in the end that we weren’t interested, he turned cold suddenly and said the tour ended there since we weren’t buying. That was when we realised the guy was just a con person who might or might not be an official guide, but I tend to believe him to be the latter as we paid his fee at the office inside with a proper receipt.

So easy to see afterwards that it was a scam. Beware, no matter how genuine they are, more often than not, they’re con people. Looking back, I think we would have enjoyed the place more without the guide and doing it at our own pace. His sole purpose was to sell us the calligraphy where he gets the most commission.

We got curious and googled about the nephew. There was no such mention. The closest to the story was a half brother of Puyi who was married to a distant cousin of the Japanese emperor who lived 1908 – 1994. We don’t know who the guy in the Forbidden City was, but he certainly was no nephew of the late emperor Puyi