I Got Scammed! // 5 Things to Know When Visiting China

I'm writing this because I came to Beijing dramatically unprepared, and I don't want anyone to follow in my footsteps!

1) Download several VPNs  

Simple, right? Not so! I downloaded a VPN but it's actually blocked now that I'm in the country, and it seems to be that way for most VPNs available. I would try to find an alternative solution, but sadly Google is blocked here making it a little difficult to find anything that isn't easily accessible on Bing. Other things that are blocked? No facebook, instagram, twitter, gmail (I have over 20 missed emails and whoever knows me knows me will know how much anxiety that brings me) and worst of all - Google Maps.

2) Carry a map

I often joke about how I don't understand how people could travel without Google Maps and that I would be clueless without it, and it turns out I was right! I got completely lost on my way home, desperately searching for anybody who could point me in the right direction. Sadly, the only address I had was in English, leading to laughs instead of assistance, leading me to my next point...

3) You're not going to fit in - and that's fine

This has been one of the strangest places as a tourist in my experience. Having been stopped over 5 times today to take selfies with random locals, I've also been laughed at numerous times for my shoddy use of chopsticks, attempt to pronounce Chinese words, and at my assumption that people might speak English. Fun fact: nobody speaks English - not police officers, shop workers, or restaurant owners - trust me, I spent half an hour trying to order food using a translator on my phone (not Google translate, sadly, because of course that's blocked). Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting everyone to speak English wherever I go, it's just something to keep in mind when traveling over here. 

4) Don't get scammed...

So these really nice ladies stopped me in the subway station because they wanted to practice their English; how nice! They walked me around Tiananmen Square, and then we went for tea and talked about school and their jobs and lives and such, they gave me lots of compliments, it was really nice. At the end, they made me pay for like half of it? Which was fair, but a little annoying because I'm a poor college student and tea is more expensive than food here. Then we parted ways, but when I got back to my hostel I see:

"Beware Tea Selling Scam
You may be approached by girls asking you to come and teas for free or pay separately. However at the end they will try and make you pay!"

I got scammed! For tea! Horrendous! Other scams include art students making you buy overly priced gifts, absurdly expensive fake tour guides, men getting you to pay for karaoke, and general pickpockets. Keep aware! 

5) Know what's going on in your area!

Familiarize yourself with the local transport, the food, the events and shows and concerts and whatnot. And explore, get lost! I got on a random subway, found the major monuments, and luckily happened to stumble upon a big military parade and flag show. Would have been better if I actually did research, but still an amazing experience! Put yourself out there, see the Great Wall and the Forbidden City especially, talk to locals and find the cool spots that you may not know as just a random tourist. I especially enjoyed the Dongsi Subdistrict, lots of cool restaurants and shops. 

Overall, Beijing is a beautiful city full of culture, history, and delicious food. While difficult to navigate at times, a visit is completely worth it. The night life is bright and fun, and the streets are constantly bustling and alive. There are fun markets and each neighborhood has its own individual attitude, reminding me of New York in a lot of ways. It's big, and can feel lonely at times, but I look forward to coming back and spending a more solid amount of time in this thriving city. 

Unexpected Adventure into Myanmar

I didn't know what to expect when I scheduled a week in Myanmar before heading off to China; I assumed I would spend the entire time in Yangon wandering through the streets as I usually do. However, after my first day there walking 15+ miles and visiting nearly every sight I could fathom, I realized that I would not be able to spend a week there. So instead of staying in the city, I immediately latched on to a fellow traveler, took an overnight bus to Bagan, and went exploring. There, I spent my days whizzing around on motorbikes through sandy roads filled with thousands of temples, playing with displaced monk children, eating Shan noodles, climbing trees and ancient shrines, speaking to locals about the humanitarian crisis there, getting food poisoning from Thai food, falling lots, and drinking local Myanmar beer with the other backpackers at my hostel in the evening. As my friend from home described it, it sounded like "peak Safia." 

I was supposed to fly to Beijing on the 31st, but ended up extending my time in Myanmar after realizing how beautiful it was and how much I would be missing out on if I left so soon. I took another overnight bus to Inle Lake, where villages and temples are built on stilts on the water. The people transport solely by boat, thriving off fishing and tourism. We were able to see the Long Neck Tribe, watch silver being made and silk being woven and banana cigarettes being stuffed with tobacco by elderly women laughing away to each other. Rain crashed down on our little boat, while soaked my clothes but made it even more of an adventure. After our boat journey, we took bikes out to a little vineyard for a wine-tasting ($5!) and a hike up to the forest monastery in a remote village miles away from Western-esque anything. I celebrated New Years at some ex-pat bar, filled with drunk tourists blasting music and dancing in the middle of this country where so much of the world is currently looking at.

Eventually I had to complete my journey and fly off to Hong Kong, after being placed on bus after bus after bus in the dead of night. Despite being stranded at unofficial bus stop in the rain at 1am with no internet or knowledge of the local language, I never had a single feeling of fear or danger; one of my favorite things about Myanmar is how friendly the people are. During my entire trip, I did not encounter a single person who would not smile back at me, or offer me whatever hospitality they could. The country, even the most touristy spots, are incredibly raw and real. Also, everything is incredibly cheap - make sure not to avoid the local spots on the side of the road, because from my experience they are not only the least expensive, but the most delicious and comes with the best service (I feel like I got a new mom).

Even though I extended my trip, there is no doubt that I want to return to Myanmar and visit everywhere I couldn't my first time around. I often find myself conflicted on my travels, not wanting to just be another clueless tourist, especially in a place as controversial as Myanmar. However, by knowing the history and making an effort to give back to the local community through tourism or just getting the resident perspectives on issues where the conversation is usually dominated by the West makes a big difference. Therefore, I will be soon releasing an interview I did with a local from Bagan on the Rakhine Muslims, also known as the Rohingya. The people I met (both locals and fellow travelers), the amazing sights, the beautiful Buddhist traditions that I learned about, all made it one of the most fantastic trips of my life. The fact that it was my first time truly backpacking alone was terrifying at first, but now I'm incredibly grateful for the experience.