Ok kids, todays story takes place during the summer of 1999 in Suzhou, China. The Chinese govenment was subsidizing tourism (and probably still is) in an attempt to bring in outside money into China. This along with the fantastic exchange rate, made China an extremely affordable travel destination. I had just gotten in from Shanghai and had until 9am the next day (when my tour van departed) to do whatever I wished. I headed out on foot, but realized that I would not make it very far without some mode of transportation. I found a little place that would rent me a bike for the night for roughly 3 American dollars. Now riding a bike in China is an adrenaline pumping activity. The traffic laws are not really laws, but more like suggestions. The simple act of turning left can be a harrowing ordeal. And to make matters worse, Tsing Tao beer was cheaper than water. So with a basket full of beer and a head full of piss and vinegar I was off. As I rode around town, little kids would stare and point. I realized that this was not a tourist city like Shanghai, and I was quite possibly the first round-eyes that these kids had ever seen.
Eventually, I passed a street lined with policemen. they weren't letting anyone through. My inquisitive nature and intolerance of authority got the better of me, and I noticed a side street behind the policemen. I went around the block to investigate. Sure enough, every street in the square city block was guarded by policemen. "What the hell could be going on?" I thought. I tried to ask several people, but was unsuccessful due to the fact that no one spoke English, and I didn't speak Mandarin. I made it all the way around to the opposite end of the original street when I saw the entrance. "Holy shit!" I said to myself, it was a huge concert! After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally snuck in. It was huge! And I had to be the only foreigner there. I had no idea the name of the band performing, but they were a Chinese soft rock outfit. The lead singer would croon into his mic with his video image projected on HUGE screens on both sides of the stage. Girls were screaming for him... It was very surreal......but authentic.
The show finally ended, and the enormous crowd filed out of the stadium. I had conversations with several people consisting of hand gestures, facial expressions, and useless banter. Eventually, I spotted a bar and stopped in for a drink. I met a young Chinese-American guy who was from New York. He was studying the Chinese language in Suzhou. He introduced me to his friends and we all went to another bar that he claimed had great music. After a short taxi ride, we were there. Everyone was surprised to see a foreigner there, but they were all very nice. People kept buying me drinks, even people that I couldn't speak to due to the language barrier. The music was fantastic. It was a group of Chinese guys that did cover songs of popular American songs like the Police, Van Morrison, etc. After a while, and a heroic intake of alcohol, the band dragged me onstage to sing. The lead singer and I belted out tunes arm in arm while the band played along. It was like a wierd movie or something, and the bar patrons dug it. After we finished singing, I tried to speak with the lead singer, only to find out that he can sing in English but can't speak it.
Eventually, my New Yorker friend and I took a taxi to his place to watch bootleg movies on VCD. I awoke the next morning with a splitting headache, a little hazy, and unsure of where I was...and then I saw the clock. It read 8:40am, and everything became clear. I had twenty minutes to get back to my hotel to catch the tour bus. I woke him up, got directions, wrote down my address in America, and ran like hell. As I rounded the corner coming up to the Hotel entrance at 7:58am, I saw the tour guide. She looked confused. She asked me, "Where have you been?" Without thinking, or breaking stride, I replied very matter of factly, "I stayed at a friends house last night." As I entered the elevator I saw that the tour guide now looked even more puzzled. "Oh well," I thought, "I'll explain it to her later."
***Well, I guess this one went a bit long as well. I'll try to make the next one shorter. I know you all have short attention spans... And I can assure you that not all my stories will involve drunken bike riding through Asia.
Eventually, I passed a street lined with policemen. they weren't letting anyone through. My inquisitive nature and intolerance of authority got the better of me, and I noticed a side street behind the policemen. I went around the block to investigate. Sure enough, every street in the square city block was guarded by policemen. "What the hell could be going on?" I thought. I tried to ask several people, but was unsuccessful due to the fact that no one spoke English, and I didn't speak Mandarin. I made it all the way around to the opposite end of the original street when I saw the entrance. "Holy shit!" I said to myself, it was a huge concert! After a few unsuccessful attempts, I finally snuck in. It was huge! And I had to be the only foreigner there. I had no idea the name of the band performing, but they were a Chinese soft rock outfit. The lead singer would croon into his mic with his video image projected on HUGE screens on both sides of the stage. Girls were screaming for him... It was very surreal......but authentic.
The show finally ended, and the enormous crowd filed out of the stadium. I had conversations with several people consisting of hand gestures, facial expressions, and useless banter. Eventually, I spotted a bar and stopped in for a drink. I met a young Chinese-American guy who was from New York. He was studying the Chinese language in Suzhou. He introduced me to his friends and we all went to another bar that he claimed had great music. After a short taxi ride, we were there. Everyone was surprised to see a foreigner there, but they were all very nice. People kept buying me drinks, even people that I couldn't speak to due to the language barrier. The music was fantastic. It was a group of Chinese guys that did cover songs of popular American songs like the Police, Van Morrison, etc. After a while, and a heroic intake of alcohol, the band dragged me onstage to sing. The lead singer and I belted out tunes arm in arm while the band played along. It was like a wierd movie or something, and the bar patrons dug it. After we finished singing, I tried to speak with the lead singer, only to find out that he can sing in English but can't speak it.
Eventually, my New Yorker friend and I took a taxi to his place to watch bootleg movies on VCD. I awoke the next morning with a splitting headache, a little hazy, and unsure of where I was...and then I saw the clock. It read 8:40am, and everything became clear. I had twenty minutes to get back to my hotel to catch the tour bus. I woke him up, got directions, wrote down my address in America, and ran like hell. As I rounded the corner coming up to the Hotel entrance at 7:58am, I saw the tour guide. She looked confused. She asked me, "Where have you been?" Without thinking, or breaking stride, I replied very matter of factly, "I stayed at a friends house last night." As I entered the elevator I saw that the tour guide now looked even more puzzled. "Oh well," I thought, "I'll explain it to her later."
***Well, I guess this one went a bit long as well. I'll try to make the next one shorter. I know you all have short attention spans... And I can assure you that not all my stories will involve drunken bike riding through Asia.