“You can’t do that,” the travel agent said in something approaching shocked disbelief. “You can’t just wander around China on your own, with no guide, no tour group, and no reservations. And especially with no knowledge of and Chinese language.” And all the other agents we spoke to said the same. But my brother Paul and I did it anyway!
We used a system of cue cards, or flash cards. One of the women where we work is fluent in Chinese and helped us make up cards for every linguistic need that we could foresee.
First we listed all the places we wanted to go. Our friend then wrote each place name on a single 3×5 file card in beautiful Chinese script. Beneath that she wrote it phonetically in Roman alphabet and below that the English translation. On other cards she wrote, “We Want Tickets To”, “How Much” and “Please Write it Down” We figured we could approach ticket counters all over China, first showing them the “We Want Tickets To”, then the card for where we wanted to go. Find out how much and off we would go. For taxis we could show the driver, Please take us to the “Train Station”,” Bus Station” or “Airport” The system was simple and foolproof. Well we hoped!
One Week Later……….. I bet this son of a bitch is trying to get into my pack. I take it off setting it on the ground. Sure enough the zipper is half open at the top. I look over at the guy “hey pal what the hell you think you’re doing”? He doesn’t have a clue of what I’m saying but knows I’m mad. But instead of backing down he reaches over and slaps me across the face. Standing up, I’m going to thump this guy. But my bro is saying “be cool, you know these guys carry those hook knives under there coat”. I am getting madder and madder, people have been trying to pick our pockets all over the city and now this. I stand up and tell Paul were going but when I go to pay for the ka-bobs the cook wants 5 times the usual price! I get out what we normally pay, shove it the guys hand, give him the finger three inches from his face and yell “Fuck You!” and we turn and walk off. We are only a couple hundred feet away and I hear one of them coming. I’m pissed and my adrenalin is on a hard boil “Paul hold my pack” and just after I slip it to him the guy grabs my shoulder and spins me around. I ended up throwing the best left jab right hand combination in my life (I had been boxing at least five days a week since 1982) I felt the right I threw clear up in my shoulder as it drove threw his face, His head snapped back, legs collapse and when he fell his head hit the ground hard. Sounded like someone had dropped a Watermelon!
Did he get back up? Did his friends show up to fight? Want to read the complete story? Someday it will be in my book!
Master Traveler 
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