Joe Louis educates himself
“Hello, Sir!” I ignore the call.
“Hello!” Still not responding.
“G’day mate!” Nice try, but I’m not Australian.
“Excuse me!”
I plod through the crowded subway ignoring all requests for my attention. I feel like a bit of a jerk, but then again these people are invading my personal space. I respect their hustle, but I don’t owe them anything.
I avoid all eye contact and surface in Tiananmen Square facing a giant Mao portrait. Yep, I think I’m in the right spot. I start following the crowd North towards the Forbidden City. For a place with a prohibitive moniker, it is quite open to tourists.
“Excuse me.”
“No thank you, I say with a smile.” I prefer to be polite.
As I near the gate I adopt the approach of preemptively waving off solicitors. Today I’m not in the market for tour guide services. Instead I load up the saved Wikipedia page on my phone and jog my memory with images of The Last Emperor, the movie from the 80’s that took place here. I can only remember a vague picture of a bald, foreign child. Oh well, it’s a good thing the Internet has a better memory.
Beijing, China
Wikiversity
Wikipedia has a wealth of information about most, if not all, tourist sites. Just read the website beforehand, or better yet, save the page for offline reading on your phone and follow along in real time.
Cost: Free
See no evil, hear no evil
Many places will have audio guides for rent. These can be hit or miss. For instance, the Killing Fields in Cambodia has an excellent guide with an eloquent and poignant speaker. On the other hand, I didn’t bother much with the guide at Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, preferring to take the view in on its own.
Cost: Usually a few dollars
Show me the way
The most informative method of learning is to a hire a local guide. In major areas such as Beijing’s Forbidden City, people will offer their services before you are anywhere near the city. Make sure you choose a guide with good language skills and a clear voice. Sometimes you can also get a student discount.
Cost: Highest but feel free to negotiate
Don’t mind me
If you are willing to be a bit sneaky, you can subtly latch onto a different tour group. This is best if the group is large and it isn’t obvious you aren’t following along. You will have to endure the other people though, like the old man at The Summer Palace in Beijing continually complaining about stairs.
Cost: Free
We don’t need no education
You can always just wing it. Read the signs that are posted. Places like art museums often have free public cicerones at set times during the day.
Cost: Free
