Actually, we did try to use it again at another area near the guest house, but it turned out the pass we had wasn't valid for that area and we felt we had spent enough, so we just turned around and went for a walk around town.
While much of China is now very modern, there are some old habits that people still have...
Pretty spot by the river. What are those women under the umbrellas doing?
Well they're doing their laundry of course!
The town is actually very quiet during the day, because most people are out enjoying the park.
Because we didn't do too much yesterday, now is a good time to tell you about how we pay for things here in China. I had researched this in advance, so I had an idea of how things worked before we got here, but there's still a bit of a learning curve.
China is a very cash-less society. Yes, cash is still used, and you can use it as a tourist if you wish to. However it's sooo much easier not to. And in most cases, the business you are dealing with would prefer not to have to deal with your cash.
They have two popular apps that are used for a wide variety of things, but both of them are also used as a payment service. For tourists, you download the AliPay app and the WeChat app. It's best to have both because as I said, they are used for different things besides paying for stuff. Anyhow, once you have the apps on your phone, you link your credit card to the app. You have to do this before you arrive in China, and preferably in your home country although I was able to activate and link everything properly while we were still in Mexico.
So as an example, you go into a convenience store and buy a carton of milk. The cashier rings it in, and you bring up the AliPay app on your phone. You hit the pay button, and a barcode comes up on your phone. You scan the barcode on a little terminal at the cashier, and bingo... you've paid. With the charge going directly to your credit card back home.
Same for anything. Hotel, restaurant, tour tickets, taxis... it's all paid through the apps. In fact, we haven't been to an ATM since we arrived, and we won't need to. I have no cash on me, no worry about running out of cash, no change in my pocket, and no ATM or foreign exchange fees to deal with (provided you have a zero foreign exchange fee credit card linked to the app).
I also use the AliPay app to order a Didi taxi. Didi is the Chinese version of Uber. And it works essentially the same way. And when your ride is finished, you authorize the app to pay your bill. Easy peasy.
As much as I personally am against the idea of "them" getting rid of cash, now that I'm actually using the system, I have to admit that I really like it. It's just so easy.
Today (Sunday) is a travel day. We are taking a 7 hour train ride... in first class! This time though, unlike our freebie upgrade on the plane the other day, we are paying the extra ourselves to get more comfortable seats. Full details tomorrow!
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And in Canada...
Wow, that's so different from Mexico, where we used cash almost exclusively. In the US now, though, we rarely use cash. I never even know how much is in my wallet. It's certainly more convenient not to have to worry about having enough cash on hand for purchases; it was a constant worry in Mexico: going to the ATM, hoping we had enough small bills/change for small things, like veggies at a produce stand where they often couldn't make change, collectivos, and so forth. I enjoyed a more cash-based society, but it was less convenient than using cards. And apps are one step beyond that. I wonder what the really old folks do? My mother doesn't even have a Smartphone. She wouldn't do too well in China!
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