Shopping at the stationary market in Guangzhou is nothing
like Office Depot.
When you come to China (and you really need to come) you owe
it to yourself to get off the beaten path and away from the malls to the
Chinese markets. Each market has a
purpose. Yesterday we needed to buy some
file folders for Agape Adoptions. I know it sounds funny but apparently these
are special kinds of folders and are somewhat expensive in the states, so every
so often when Myriam is in town (2-3 times a year) she buys about a years’ worth of these folders
and has them boxed up and she brings them back to the states. What we purchased
is not important, how you buy It is.
The
street vendors expect you to haggle so they start very high, you start very low
and you hope to meet in the middle. The
second part of the dance is you are in the stationary market. Think Costco size building filled with a
cubical farm. Each cubical is a business
selling…wait for it…stationary products. If you cannot get the price you want
move 6ft. either direction. I must have seen a billion Pens one for every
Chinese person here and more left over for the tourists. Want a binder I know a place where you can
buy a million. How about a day
planner? Myriam got her folders we
loaded ourselves into an even shorter bus, this one had fold down jump seats,
and we were off to the electronics market.
Same scenario, Costco with Cubes.
They had cell phone cases that keep your phone afloat. If we purchased them we could have walked
home without getting a single toe wet.
We picked up five sets of “Beats” with very good sound, four Bluetooth
speakers (like the ones we see at home) a couple sets of earbuds and a few
other things and left for under $45.
Everyone was fat dumb and happy; maybe that is why they keep putting us
on shorter buses. Shopping this way is very efficient to ensure the largest
variety and best price. Not so good if
you need stationary, tea, seafood, and vegetables. Still if when you come to
China get off the beaten path and experience the markets. Then come home to
Fred Meyers, one stop shopping will take on a whle new meaning.
Lunch on the island again and this time Richard (one of Myriam’s
employees) was with us. He took us to this little restaurant where the meals
were still swimming in the tank out front.
We allowed him to order everything and of course it was great. We did more shopping in the local shops
buying tea sets T-shirts and bracelets.
Sophie has a million friends and I believe EVERYONE is getting something,
seriously this girl can shop. If she
spoke the language (everyone assumes she does) and took haggling lessons from
her mom, she would either be a boom or a bust to the Chinese economy only time
will tell. In China everyone must do their part and she is covering for those
on vacation.
We left the island and went back to the hotel. Chelsea finally said yes to the bathing suit
so off the family went to the pool. I
followed about 10 minutes later.
Chelsea’s first experience was a bit troubling as she fell into the kid’s
pool. It was only about 2 feet deep but
enough to shock the system. A few
minutes and she was splashing around and having a ball.
Dinner was at the Bridge and Cow restaurant, a great Tai
place that use to be on the island but has now moved downtown where all the
American families stay. We have met a
few of those American families here, even another family from Washington who
knows some of the same people we do. It
is a small world. Mady joined us for
dinner along with the other two families (the second is from Florida that we
have so much in common with it is freaky.) and we pretty much took over one
half of the restaurant. And the other half was empty. Each of the families had an American child
with them and all of the kids hit it off. I think it was partly because they
are kids and can find common ground so quickly (Are your parents as lame as
mine?) and because it was just nice to talk to someone your age (or close to
it) that gets exactly what you are saying.
It was a nice departure for the children.
Tomorrow we head out on safari. In this adventure we leave the seafood
swimming in the pool behind and we pick out our dinner free range style, it is going
to be awesome. There is supposedly a lot on the menu to choose from and you can
have up to three things, one for each course.
No I am kidding it is a safari nothing more. But you were thinking about it right? We know Chelsea loves animals and we decided
to do the safari over the zoo because taking down and animal in a cage is not
challenging…No, No, No, wait sorry. We heard the zoo was not so good and we
have zoos at home so the safari it is tomorrow.
It’s just a safari folks I promise.
I promise I will load photos of me, sorry, sorry, of Chelsea and the the others as soon as the planets align for a long enough period.
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