Beijing Tourist Trap Tips by nepalgoods

I once visited the Great Wall at Badaling with my sister. As I had forgotten to take any food with me I wanted to buy some cookies and a bottle of water at a state owned shop. They had the prices shown in the display, but it took them 3 times of counting until they got it right.

At one of the souvenir shops I saw a hat, which I liked. I bought it for a good price. But I did not check the change. A few minutes later I discovered that I had got some Taiwanese papermoney as change. I returned to the shop. When I waved the money at the shopkeeper, she changed it to the correct money without any discussion. I think she was very afraid, that anybody would see, what she tried.

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At Least Do This: Be carefull at any tourist spot in China! Never trust a shopkeeper when it comes to money. Sometimes I thought it is maybe a kind of sport for the Chinese to see, how much money they can get out of a stupid western tourist. But they respect it, when you show them that they cannot cheat you. So I made it my sport not to be cheated. I did not always succeed but most of the times.
Alternative: Take your own food and water with you, which you bought at a shop downtown.

Beijing Zoo opened in 1906 and it looks as if nothing has changed since then. Little efort is put into giving the animals a good and natural lifing conditions.

More than 6,000 animals of over 500 species are on show. Among them are giant pandas, golden monkeys, addaxes, tigers from Northeast China, elks, yaks, precious birds and gold fish.

Those animals are a sad sight. I hope hte conditions aree improving. But when you are an animal lover you better don't visit Beijing Zoo!!!

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Alternative: Don't go!