Dough

Money. The current exchange rate of the U.S. dollar to China’s rmb, (renminbi or yuan or kuai) is $1 to 6.83 R.M.B., sounds good right? It is good but, it can be confusing at first. Some places I go to for dinner have dishes ranging from around 20 to 850 rmb (real steak) that’s $2.92 to $124.00. I tend to eat at the less expensive places so I’m sure there are things that can cost much more but, I’m just a machine operator not a CEO like a lot of the other ex-pats here. Let me say though some places offer a great deal, there is a Chinese place I love called Yangyang. I can get several different dishes for around 15 rmb each and a beer for 10 rmb and walk out stuffed only spending around $8.00. Back home it would cost $25 at least. Sautéed green beans and dumplings are great! But, on the other hand most places will cost you nearly the same as in the U.S. to have a good meal. Around Suzhou they have learned that western people have money and will spend it.
The bars that have food usually have good food but it’s priced the same as bar food in the states. The beer will cost you about the same. It took me a while to get used to paying 25 or 35 rmb for a beer. But that’s really only about $3.50 to $5.00 so it’s just like back home. Tsingtao is the popular local beer and sometimes you can find it for 10 to 15 rmb or I can walk to a little store around the corner and get it for 3.50 rmb that’s fifty one cents, now that is China cheap.
Art work and bamboo crafts can be cheap if you know how to negotiate. Luckily my friend Scott and his wife Tammy are here to show me where and how to get the bargains. Especially Tammy, let’s face it women are better at shopping and here that can save you money. I’ve bought quite a few cut paper art and some silk art pieces for good prices and even a hand painted scroll from the artist himself.
As far as groceries, western stuff (eatable food) will cost more than back home. For example a small box of corn flakes cost about ten dollars U.S. but honestly I eat out just about every night anyway. Now the lunches at work are provided for us. I ate in the canteen for the first three weeks I was here. Its Chinese food, real Chinese food, stuff like seaweed, bamboo, bok choy, lots of tofu and all types of lovely meats served with a glob of rice. I stopped eating there when one day one of the Chinese guys I was eating with looked at the meat on his plate and said “that’s strange”. Now many days I hold my breath when I walk by. I usually have a granola bar, some crackers or an occasional peanut butter and jelly sandwich. (jelly is very expensive) For anyone wondering, there is a wal-mart here but it’s nothing like one back home unless the one near you has plucked chickens, head and all, hanging room temperature in the meat section.
Taxis are the only way to get anywhere that’s further than you can walk. I mean they have busses but, that’s not an adventure I’m looking for. They are very crowded and I can’t read Chinese so I have no idea where they are going. Taxi rides are very affordable 10 rmb $1.45 gets me to a lot of places around town. 13 rmb $1.93 gets me to the downtown area, when you can find a driver that will take you there. During rush hour they will act like they don’t understand you until you pull out a card with the destination on it even then some will say no.
I’ll have to get a haircut pretty soon so I’m sure that will be a blog of its own. This Saturday I will be going to check out Shanghai so I will share some pictures when I get back.
Zai Jian (see you later)