Dalian City

Subway
I went into Dalian City on the subway on my own to meet up with two friends for lunch and to do some shopping. It takes about 1 hour which doesn't seem too long because it took me about 1.5 hours to get to UBC from Burnaby; however, I stood for an hour with people pushing in and out of the subway and I did not have to transfer. I also learned that my mandarin is still quite weak because when I asked an attendant where I could buy a subway pass they directed me to the Discovery Land, an amusement park. In the end, I did not end up getting a subway pass. FAIL! I will try again next time I go into the city after I ask someone how to say it properly.

Apple Store
I found a registered Apple store. Most of the products are the same and it felt like home. Many of my boys like my MacBook Pro but it's not very common in China yet. Time will come..... All the IT workers on the boys and girls campus always give me a long sigh when they see my laptop. hahaha.... I haven't had any problems. WHOOP WHOOP!

Taxi Ride
Taking the taxi is very common here because it's very convenient and cheap. I took the taxi on my own in Dalian City and the driver was very scary. He was quite nice in the beginning of the ride but at the end he wanted my number and he wanted me to sponsor him to Canada. His driving was fine but he kept turning around, looked at me, and then told me that I am very pretty. He even took off his sunglasses. CREEPER. I just said thank you. He wanted to know if I had a boyfriend and if I wanted to be his girlfriend. I wanted to get out of the taxi when he was driving but that wouldn't have been safe. He drove on the main streets the whole time so I knew I was okay. In the end, I sweet talked myself out and he didn't charge me for my taxi ride. Next time, I'm just going to sit in the cab and not say anything except for directions.

I also had another frightening experience with another cab driver with some of my friends. We flagged down a taxi and two taxis stopped. A senior woman walked off the curb at the same time, so we thought she'll take the first taxi and we'll take the second one; however, she was just trying to cross the street instead of taking the first taxi. We were already in the second taxi, the first taxi driver was very ANGRY. He followed us and drove very close to us. He kept yelling at us and pointing. I bet if it was traffic and all the cars had to stop, he would have jumped out and probably smoked us.

These are just a couple of bad incidents with taxi drivers but there are many good ones in China.

Overall, Dalian City is a very busy city. I have learned how to stand on the lines and dodge buses and trolleys when they are turning. There's a lot of shopping locations and parks to go see. 

Catherine, Monica and I at Erqi Square shopping