When I first arrived in China, several amazing pieces of advice were given to me that I’d like to pass along. All three have to do with something you should always have on you, so I’ll call it:
The Must-Carry List
- A secret hundred
Fold up one hundred kuai bill and stick it someplace other than your wallet. The secret hundred assures your ability to get back to your hotel or apartment from pretty much anywhere in the city if (or when) you find yourself without any cash. It’s also a safeguard in the sad event that you lose your wallet. For those living here, it’s also helpful if you stumble across an amazing sale on cereal and need that extra cash to buy all ten boxes of 10-kuai Rice Crispies. - A pack of tissue
If you haven’t discovered this already, you will quickly find that many restrooms (even the nice ones) will often lack toilet paper. Maybe it’s out, maybe it was never there, or maybe the dispenser was on the wall outside of the stalls and you missed it. Whatever the case, it’s absolutely delightful to find that you have some tissue when you’ve already committed yourself to a specific stall. - Wetwipes or hand sanitizer
Many restrooms will have not have soap or water, though the latter is more common than the former, so you’ll often have to depend on your own forethought to rescue your personal hygiene.
With this list comes one rule that will keep the whole thing working for you: when you use up any of these items, always replenish your stash. You may well find yourself banking on that secret hundred to get you home after a late-night or, worse, banking on that tissue being available when a bout of food poisoning hits you while waiting for the subway. If they aren’t there, you’ll be forced to get really creative, and sometimes that costs you a lot more money or a sock.
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Soooo true!! I used to always keep secret hundreds in my wallet for those spur-of-the-moment purchases, and one somewhere away from my wallet in case of wallet-theft. Although the two times I’ve had my wallet stolen I didn’t have a stash and relied instead on the generosity of friends to see me through…
And a good sock is a precious thing.
I so wish I’d had a blog like this before I went to Beijing. Luckily Fel was able to fill me on the toilet details – but not about the secret 100 – that was all you! Congrats on a great blog – it’s like hearing you speak!