R.A.
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2011
- Messages
- 125
- Reaction score
- 0
I just got back from a 2 week visit to China, Traveled with my cousin who went to visit his daughter working a translater apprenticeship in Guangzhou. A multi-stop trip. Flew into Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Macau, Guangzhou, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong then home. I think I spent more time on a plane in the 2 weeks than I have all my life, And its the first time I have ever left the states.
Saw lots of interesting stuff, a trip of a lifetime, ate lots of good food (I had chinese for breakfast everyday and loved it.)
Naturally I wanted to buy a pipe while in China, specifically a rhamnus wood pipe. Well that didnt happen. Finding a pipe at all was a challenge to put it mildy. The launguage barrier being one issue cant read or speak Chinese so that made tracking down any shop selling pipes nearly impossible, Had internet access, google wasnt much help dead end leads what few I could find at all.
Even drew a picture of a bent billiard and got puzzling looks, Happened upon a Davidoff Shop but 500.00 for a pipe that really had nothing to do with China was not what I was looking for. Also in a hotel found a few Petersons but again not signifigant to the visit.
Ran across a few in Shanghai, but they were the same ones I can buy on ebay for 6.00 bucks a and there they wanted like 25.00 for them ! And besides I wanted a good quality pipe made in China, not bottom of the barrel.
Well I never did find a rhamnus wood pipe, I did finally chance upon some pipe in a shop in Beijing There were asking 100.00 to 150.00 bucks a piece! 700 to 1200 HKD roughly. No way was I going to pay that for a basket quality pipe. So I had decided the pipe acquisition was going to be a "no go". I would have to just come home empty handed.
Well my cousin didnt want to see that happen so he stepped in and haggled with the sales girl and I didn't come home empty handed I have 3 new pipes a Big-Ben, ZoBo and a Loophin which as we were told were all made in China. After the doing the math they cost around 65.00 each.
I told him that was too much for such pipes, His reply was that amout of money meant nothing to him he would rather pay it than spend anymore time looking for pipes, I felt bad but it was his choice I was content to walk away and look elsewhere.
So I got a pipe made in China while in China. It was a whole lot of effort not really what I was hoping for but I reckon it is much better than nothing, And I did manage to smoke one while in hotel in Guangzhou a pack of Captain Black in the blue pack... :roll:
Here is a pic of the pipes, the bent billard "Big-Ben" The Other bent is the ZoBo and the Cobra shape is the Loophin.
I will suck it up and go to eBay and get me a rhamnus wood pipe I reckon, it wasnt in the cards to get one on the visit.
And just in case I haven't whinned enough, I noticed a crack flaw in the neck of the shank of the Zobo when I laid it out to take the pic... Its good to be home :lol:
Saw lots of interesting stuff, a trip of a lifetime, ate lots of good food (I had chinese for breakfast everyday and loved it.)
Naturally I wanted to buy a pipe while in China, specifically a rhamnus wood pipe. Well that didnt happen. Finding a pipe at all was a challenge to put it mildy. The launguage barrier being one issue cant read or speak Chinese so that made tracking down any shop selling pipes nearly impossible, Had internet access, google wasnt much help dead end leads what few I could find at all.
Even drew a picture of a bent billiard and got puzzling looks, Happened upon a Davidoff Shop but 500.00 for a pipe that really had nothing to do with China was not what I was looking for. Also in a hotel found a few Petersons but again not signifigant to the visit.
Ran across a few in Shanghai, but they were the same ones I can buy on ebay for 6.00 bucks a and there they wanted like 25.00 for them ! And besides I wanted a good quality pipe made in China, not bottom of the barrel.
Well I never did find a rhamnus wood pipe, I did finally chance upon some pipe in a shop in Beijing There were asking 100.00 to 150.00 bucks a piece! 700 to 1200 HKD roughly. No way was I going to pay that for a basket quality pipe. So I had decided the pipe acquisition was going to be a "no go". I would have to just come home empty handed.
Well my cousin didnt want to see that happen so he stepped in and haggled with the sales girl and I didn't come home empty handed I have 3 new pipes a Big-Ben, ZoBo and a Loophin which as we were told were all made in China. After the doing the math they cost around 65.00 each.
I told him that was too much for such pipes, His reply was that amout of money meant nothing to him he would rather pay it than spend anymore time looking for pipes, I felt bad but it was his choice I was content to walk away and look elsewhere.
So I got a pipe made in China while in China. It was a whole lot of effort not really what I was hoping for but I reckon it is much better than nothing, And I did manage to smoke one while in hotel in Guangzhou a pack of Captain Black in the blue pack... :roll:
Here is a pic of the pipes, the bent billard "Big-Ben" The Other bent is the ZoBo and the Cobra shape is the Loophin.
I will suck it up and go to eBay and get me a rhamnus wood pipe I reckon, it wasnt in the cards to get one on the visit.
And just in case I haven't whinned enough, I noticed a crack flaw in the neck of the shank of the Zobo when I laid it out to take the pic... Its good to be home :lol:
