While coming back to Shanghai on this latest banking errand, I saved a bundle of money by flying to a neighboring airport in Hangzhou and taking the high-speed bullet trains. In theory these trains only take an hour.
I should have known better. As of last time I tried to take a train from Hangzhou to Shanghai it was a disaster, and this time wasn't looking any better. The place was packed with people buying tickets, but wouldn't you know it, scalpers showed up and offered to sell for trains leaving very soon.
The new system is a real name system where your passport details are printed on the train ticket. Actually you can use 21 forms of ID, including a Chinese drivers license, which for me has proved most useful.
The new system is supposed to stop scalpers, but somehow, not surprisingly, they are back out in full swing. I was astonished to see them pull it off, but having lived in the grim mainland for so long, I'm no longer surprised by anything nor do I question any longer how people can find ways to break the rules. It's in their nature.
So the touts approach me, and I take a look at them to at least get a feeling I can trust these guys. I mostly don't so they must have been good. The offer is a first class ticket for 230 RMB. Screw it. 2nd class. They want 150 RMB, twice the ticket price. No way, I yell out 100 RMB, and start hoofing it. They yell at me to come back with 120 RMB which is a good deal considering the train leaves in 10 minutes. But I make a show that it seems like a terrible deal. That settles the deal, it is sold.
Then they ask for my passport and start haggling amongst each other as to how much commission each one gets! Shit, well, too late to back out of it, as we already negotiated. Number one rule about bargaining in China, it's incredibly offensive to not buy something after you negotiate the price, especially in this context.
Making haste, the key player returns with the passport and train ticket with he details printed on it in no time flat. Then she tells me to hurry my ass over to the departure hall.
As to how this happened, I am clueless as to the details. But surely they must have some inside contact working the ticket sales. There's no other way to explain it, based on the fact that my passport number got printed on the ticket. Corruption at its finest, and a key reason that the scalping problem will never go away in a million years.
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