Well I lost my wedding band last Saturday (July 10th), at the beach no less. Somewhere in the sand. By the time I realized it was missing I had played sand soccer, sand volleyball, dug for clams and played with the kids with the sand toys. An area about the size of a football field. We all looked for it, but I think we knew it was futile and gave up after a few minutes.
The Hunt Begins
There has got to be a metal detector in a city of over 500,000 right? Even if it is China. One of the expats says he saw a couple at a second hand store somewhere around 1st Market. Okay, let's go. We wonder the streets around 1st Market asking for a "machine that finds metal". We can't find the word for "metal detector". We go to the fishing store - no luck. We hit a dozen appliance stores - nope. We try the tool supply and repair store and try our Chinese translation to empty stares. Then we place a coin on the floor and mime the activity and throw in a "beep" every time the imaginary machine passes over the coin on the floor. All the sudden, recognition and they are miming and beeping the coin as well. Great! Actually not so great.
With absolute certainty they explain that Sanya is a small place and there are zero metal detectors in Sanya. We inquire for possibilities and hope. They promise there are zero metal detectors in Sanya. Eight hours of searching and now back to square one, as they say.
Taobao and the TC-90
So this site is a bit like Ebay. As you can see for under $100 USD delivered you can get a Chinese metal detector. Of course that doesn't mean it will actually work or that I can actually use the thing. So it gets ordered and shipped - to Haikou! That is another city a couple hundred miles away and a two day delay. It happens to be the two days that Typoon Conson arrives and moves every grain of sand on the beach.
We put the TC-90 together and open the manual to figure out the different knobs and dials. The manual, the gauges and the knobs are all in Chinese. Oh well, trial and error I guess. So we get one of Lisa's platinum rings and a few coins and put them on the floor. We get a nice audible beep as we pass the TC-90 over the metal items and we are all smiles. Of course then we put the TC-90 just over the floor with no coins or rings and we get a nice audible beep as well. Hmmm. Well the whole building is concrete so probably rebar all through the floor?
Dialing in the TC-90
So we head outside to a nice grassy area. We put the three coins and the ring on the ground, we move the dials, spin the knobs and again we get a great audible noise. Of course we are getting the noise wherever we put the detector. Hmmm. Then we realize there is an underground parking garage underneath us. More concrete and rebar! So we move to a more desolate spot and after a few minutes we have the dials and knobs figured out and now we are ready to hunt.
Beach Spectacle
Imagine walking on a crowded Chinese beach with a strange device and being followed by 20 inquisitive locals. Every time the device beeps they all pause and look at me to see my next move. I pull out my (well Oscar's actually) trusty plastic toy shovel (a cool sand scooper was not included) and I dig and scan and dig and scan. Ahhh, a nice rusty old key! The murmurs from the crowd are all around me. I wonder "are they amazed?" and then I realize, "they think you are a complete idiot". But I am an entertaining idiot it seems as the crowd continues to watch my every move. Another beep, this time the prized treasure - a rusty old nail/bolt/screw! The crowd murmurs again and I seem to lose a few of my loyal following. Alas, very quickly another beep and a 1 RMB coin! I am now on my way to riches and surely local fame. The murmurs grow as does my following. I know have a rusty old key and a 1 RMB coin. So about 15 cents into recovering back my $100 dollar investment. Only about another 679 coins to go. Soon another 1 RMB coin. So I have doubled my take in a very short time! Keep a positive attitude I say as I rationalize my efforts.
The Volleyball Court
The Vball court is the likely scene of the "mishap" we suppose. So as I wonder a bit aimlessly and play with the dials and find a few scraps of metal, Lisa finally says "why don't you head to the volleyball court?"
Seems like a good idea, kind of wondering why I didn't get there myself. Oh well. I now have the experience and confidence I need to tackle the court. I scan the court methodically like a seasoned hobbyist. Beep and enough metal in an empty pack of cigarettes. Crowd seems impressed by this feat and now thinks the machine can also detect paper. A few pictures are taken of me. I bask in the sunshine and newfound fame. Another beep - a nail, beep - bottle cap. No applause, but I sense the warmth and empathy of the crowd. I finally reach my last row and head to the last corner. Beep - I dig and...shiny metal. Not possible. I scoop it into the shovel and sure enough a silver colored ring. A Chinese man looks at me and says in perfect English "Thank you so much, you found my ring". Might have worked but it was, by a small miracle, my wedding band. I yelled and hollered and ran back to Lisa and the kids. There were high fives, hugs, kisses and more photos.
So the moral to my story - I suppose "stay positive, say your prayers and don't give up even when the murmurs are all around!"
Mike, the metal detector and the found wedding band.
Adorable Josie playing while Daddy went ring hunting.
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