Yesterday, after classes at Guangzhou University somewhere in the Huadu district, I decided to go see my friends Aaron and Megan at Peizheng College... again somewhere in the Huadu District. Classes finished for me at 5:30 and I wanted to catch a bus to Huadu before nightfall. As I walked to the school bus I engaged a few teachers
to see if any of them knew what bus to take. Mark, an American who set me up with this job told Megan, real easy take the 4 bus. What he didn't tell her was where you catch the 4. So I asked around and in typical Chinese fashion I got a lot of I don't knows but they gave me directions any way. Some people just walked away from me. So I started walking. First in the direction of the main road but instincts told me to turn around. I have learned to really trust the instincts when the hackles go up, you know you need to do something different. I started walking in the opposite direction towards the bus station that you catch the 704 to the Renhe metro stop figuring that they would either have the bus there or they could tell me where to catch the bus. The bus station is a little hole in the wall place with smallish wooden benches you have to squat to sit on and a dirt parking lot for the busses. In my best Putong hua..(mandarin), I asked where do I catch the 4 bus to the New Century Hotel. Six people started to talk at me in Guangdong hua, (cantonese) of which I can only make out a little of what they are saying. Laughing and gesturing, grumbling and mumbling they told me no bus here. HAHAHAHA so funny...Ok ... so I asked where? they said there... and gestured south towards Guangzhou and take the 65 they said. I left the station, walking south. No worries.... the bus is out there somewhere. I engaged a motorcycle taxi and asked him where the 65 bus stop was. He wanted to know where I wanted to go. I told him Huadu. He wanted to take me there... 65 RMB he said. I said no. He started mumbling and grumbling. He started his motorcycle. I said wait. I want to go  to the bus stop. Take me to the bus stop. He thought about it, and said haode... (ok) and reluctantly gave me a ride to the bus stop. He charged me double. He cheated me, I didn't care. I found the bus stop. Three years ago I couldn't have done any of that. I would have cried.