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  1. #1 Asking directions in China 
    Senior C-Moto Guru bigdamo's Avatar
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    I read this from someone who was cycling through China thought it funny but some what true.

    "if you ask "how far is it to ______," you'll get either a) not far,
    b) very far, or c) too far for a bicycle. if you do get a number, it'll
    invariably be 2km, regardless of the actual distance.

    you'll quickly learn never to ask "is this the road to ______?"
    the answer is always yes!

    so you switch to "which of these two roads will take me to ______?"
    the answer usually is both will take you there. (or none, you can't
    get there from here)

    you think you're smart? so now you ask "where does this road go?"

    and the answer...........where do you want to go? "


    I think their loss of face will never allow them to tell you straight up they don't know.
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  2. #2 Re: Asking directions in China 
    Senior C-Moto Guru zhu's Avatar
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    real blokes never ask directions
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  3. #3 Re: Asking directions in China 
    MCM Chinese fellow td_ref's Avatar
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    where do you want to go?
    同志仍需努力
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  4. #4 Re: Asking directions in China 
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    It's an exercise in frustration to ask directions from locals, but this is good incentive to get very skilled at navigation and figure out what works best for you.

    I find an Ipad and GPS combination is the way to go, or some other way of getting maps on my mobile devices. Others may prefer detailed paper maps, or something to that effect.

    If it comes down to asking locals, then the best thing is to keep asking and get multiple confirmations and verifications from different people.

    Even if it all goes belly up, then a compass will more often that not, save the day. I was astonished to find once I was using a compass and talking to locals at the same time in the countryside, that they had no idea what I was using. I had to explain that it was your culture that invented the thing in the first place.
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  5. #5 Re: Asking directions in China 
    C-Moto Guru MotoKai's Avatar
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    This one's been killing me for the last 10 years.
    When you ask somewhere where something is (could be anything) you often get the same response.

    Q: Where can I find the nearest gas station?
    A: There isn't one here.

    Chinese
    Q: Qingwen, zui jin de jiayouzhan zai nali? 请问,最近的加油站在哪里?
    A: Zheli meiyou. 这里没有。
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  6. #6 Re: Asking directions in China 
    Senior C-Moto Guru zhu's Avatar
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    yeah because there isnt one

    "here"

    or you would be able to see it!
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  7. #7 Re: Asking directions in China 
    Senior C-Moto Guru
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    On both occasions when I got lost, wet and cold from the rain, the same locals who were useless for directions gave me hot soup and a dry blanket to warm up.
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  8. #8 Re: Asking directions in China 
    Senior C-Moto Guru bigdamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zhu View Post
    yeah because there isnt one

    "here"

    or you would be able to see it!
    Me thinks you must be Chinese with that logic.
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  9. #9 Re: Asking directions in China 
    Duct tape savant felix's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slabo View Post
    the same locals who were useless for directions gave me hot soup and a dry blanket to warm up.
    +1, nice words slabo.


    There are ways to get better answers from people. The thing is that a lot people have never been more than 100km away from their hometown, and took a bus to go there anyway. Back before i used gps and still relied on paper maps and local wisdom, i'd usually pick the closest place on the map in the direction i wanted to go, somewhere say 10 - 15km away, and ask which way to get there. People usually know how to get the next town.
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  10. #10 Re: Asking directions in China 
    Senior C-Moto Guru bigdamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by slabo View Post
    On both occasions when I got lost, wet and cold from the rain, the same locals who were useless for directions gave me hot soup and a dry blanket to warm up.
    Why is it that people who have the least give the most and the people who have the most give the least especially in China .
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