Xiushui Market, bargains and anecdotes

We spent the best part of our last 3 days in Xiushui market - a covered building with 5 floors full of stalls selling everything from shoes, to silk PJ's, to Louis Vuitton bags to Custo shirts to North Face Ski gear & luggage...the list is endless. Most everything is a knock-off and the law of the land is "haggle, haggle, haggle!"....so we did! Maica has become the world's best negotiator. She had a whole system going, with some very funny set phrases she soon realised did the trick to get her silk robes reduced from 1800 RMB (180 euros) down to 125 RMB (12.5 euros!!!) Incredible. I have to say the fact that my bag was packed to the rim and that I am traveling for 3 months was a shopping buzz killer, otherwise I would've ended up with half the market packed in various suitcases. This is the only place we could actually make ourselves understood. We shopped to the anxious cries of sales girls, most under 18, enticing you to their stall via comments such as "Hola amiga, balato balato for you amiga. You very sexy amiga...very nice". Ha!!! I got my butt felt up by various women on various occasions and Maica had a girl literally pulling her top up to take a good look at her boobs!!! It was pretty funny. They were soo cute and they spoke so many different languages that one couldn't help but feel comfy around them.

The Chinese are the most industrious people I have ever known. They work non stop all day, every day. And EVERYONE works...men AND women, unlike some other countries I've visited. I believe there must be at least one restaurant and one clothing shop for every 5 people in this city. You're spoiled for choice. The fun starts when you land yourself in a place where the staff not only speak ONLY Mandarin, but where the menu is all Chinese characters. Take the mandarin phrase book out, attempt to pronounce and see what happens: usually, a look of "what on earth did you just say?". However, the Chinese people we've come across are REALLY patient and very eager to help. So eventually, you end up getting more or less what you thought you'd asked for ... well most times.

So, here are some anecdotes about things that have surprised us. Aside from how friendly and hard working they are, the Chinese love to advertise everything in large, colourful banners, and always have red lanterns outside their stores/restaurants, without exception. They drive like mad and the car is king, so even if you are on a bike and it's your turn to cross, beware of the left turn drivers who ignore their light completely. We did find however that it was OK to drive against traffic on the bike lane. Nobody says anything, not even the police. Little kids are super cute. We did find some of them with a rather peculiar attire: a pant outfit that had a slit right up the butt. I wonder whether it is to allow them to pee more comfortably? I don't see a lot of diapers around here and this is, after all, a more natural and eco-friendly way to potty train. Public toilets ... ah, the public toilets!! Hey, at least they're everywhere, especially in the 'hutongs' or traditional neighbourhoods, so we gathered it was because there were none within the households. Your average toilet is a squat toilet; not much of a surprise after my trip to India 2 years ago. And, I've been told squatting is the body's natural way of , ahem, 'releasing' , if you know what I mean, so all good. We taped a hilarious video one night when Maica got stuck in one of these. Anyway, thanks to the sage advice of my Mother and my friend Heather, the wet wipes have come with me everywhere. Whereas in India at least there was a faucet handy, here, there is just the hole... looking straight at ya! Wipes: I cannot think of a better invention for the modern day traveler! I went to the Temple of Heaven Park today and saw a choir of Chinese men and women singing traditional song in the middle of the afternoon on a very cold but sunny November day. They were surrounded by 50+ men and women playing chess, cards and other board games. There was a whole section beside one of the paths that recommended healthy lifestyle through a series of large banners spanning about 500m length. I don't read Chinese but the pictures were quite telling. Eat healthy, cut down on wine & cigarettes, run or walk daily, etc. We also get to see staff in restaurants and other places doing jumping jacks on the side walk, early in the morning and dressed with their uniforms. At the end of the day, the staff eat from the restaurant leftovers. We were privy to one such event in Datong. They all brought their tin pots and chopsticks out, gathered en masse around a huge table and picked from their favourite dish.

Anyway, my taxi is here to take me to the airport. I fly out to Kunming tonight and will be staying at the Camellia Hotel: Mom: here's the number> +86 0871 316 3000 Many kisses to all. Will write more soon.