Pedicabs and Valentine's Day

This blog has two main purposes: to warn people against taking pedicabs in China and to enlighten people on how Valentine's Day works in South Korea.

First, I will start with pedicabs. Pedicabs are similar to cycle rickshaws in India. Basically, the driver pedals the bike while we sit on an attached bench/carriage. Karmen and I spent our first night in China near the Beijing airport. The following morning we took a taxi into downtown Beijing. The taxi was supposed to drop us off at our hotel, however, he did not seem to know the exact address, only the general area. So we were dropped off with our luggage... unsure where we were in a big, unfamiliar city. Thankfully we found some locals who spoke English and guided us in the right direction. As we got closer, there were pedicab drivers trying to convince us to use their services. Eventually, we (mostly I) decided we should try and see if they knew where our hotel was. They did and when we asked the price they told us it would be 3 yuan. So we agreed...

Here is what followed. A different pedicab driver showed up and they decided in Chinese that he would take us. They also were trying to convince us to take to separate pedicabs, so as to distribute  the weight. We obviously declined, it was challenging enough being lost together in Beijing. He ended up going through several side streets and took what felt like quite a scenic route. At first he was friendly and asked where we were from, but by the end, he continuously commented on how tired he was and how hard he was working. Eventually he stopped in a back alley around the corner from our hotel. He then pulled out a card that had 'other prices' on it. He said we owed him 300 yuan (100 times the agreed upon price). We refused his price and offered to pay up to 20 yuan, which was still a lot more than the original price. He refused the 'small amount' and got quite aggressive. He let Karmen pass but physically kept me from passing for a good couple minutes, insisting I pay up 'his price'. I finally got past him and we made it to the hotel, a little shaken up. The moral of the story is: pedicabs are almost always scams and I should learn to listen to my wife's cautious perceptions!

For Valentine's Day, Karmen spoiled me by preparing a delicious chocolate fondue and giving me a long, relaxing back rub. You may think I was a horrible husband for letting my wife do all the work planning...

However, Valentine's Day in Korea is uniquely different from how it is celebrated in Canada. On February 14th, the woman is supposed to spoil her man with chocolates etc. Then on March 14th, which is called 'White Day', it is the man's turn to spoil the woman in his life with chocolate etc. Then on April 14th, Koreans partake in 'Black Day', where single people, who were not able to participate in Valentine's or White Day, go out and eat a special food consisting of noodles and black bean sauce (this is often seen as a way of mourning their singleness). Koreans also have other special days that take place, always on the 14th of every month. Some of these days include: Kiss Day, Silver Day, Movie Day and Wine Day. This may be a little over the top, but interesting nonetheless. Just thought I would take this chance to educate you!