Market Days

A few posts back I referred a bit to how "western" shops (aka American/European) are not very common here in China. Most of the big cities including Beijing and Shanghai have a few western malls which are decked out with stores such as Coach, BCBG, Uniqlo, Addidas, Steve Madden, Esprit, but most of the shopping is very different. Most "shops" are typically little storefront rooms with a small array of dresses, skirts, shirts, and other various articles, but there are not multiple sizes of each item and usually there is only one. (So, good luck finding something that you 1. like 2. fits and 3. is of decent quality...) Although I haven't shopped around in these stores very often, they are still interesting to look in and browse.

Here is a great shot of some of the stores around the corner from our apartment.

On the other hand, the large multiple-floored markets are a lot of fun to shop in. They have everything from shoes to luggage to pearls and jewels to Chinese fans and kites. It is also funny because shopping at the markets is a lot like shopping at a garage sale when it comes to prices. The idea is to Bargain and BARGAIN HARD! Most of the time the salesperson will give you a ridiculous price to start off with when the actual price is only about 1/5 of what they are asking for. It is pretty fun to bargain but it does get exhausting after about an hour of shopping. I love it because the shopping is even interesting enough for Mike to enjoy! :) One of my favorite purchases here so far was a really cute little "LeSportSac" purse (I say "LeSportSac" but I am about 99% positive that it is a rip-off) that the vendor wanted 580 quai for! That is about $90! I was so proud of myself that I was able to talk her down to 30 quai or about $4.50. It is about as addicting as bidding for an item on Ebay! We've gotten some other really great stuff at these markets like "Tom's" and "Vans" shoes for Mike and a pair of "Crocs" for me.


One thing that I haven't gotten used to yet is shopping at the outdoor food markets. Michael and I stumbled across one and I couldn't believe my eyes! There was so much to look at, so many people shouting and bargaining and so many smells all in one little street market. Here is a little clip and some pictures to give you an idea. I don't think I am ever going to get used to this. I think I will just continue to shop at the "grocery store" near our apartment...

Vendors selling meat at each stall. Now just imagine this place in 95 degree heat in the middle of the day... Not very appetizing...
Fish for sale as well as FROG LEGS (front center)
Turtles for soup, anyone?

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures: Week 2

Okay people, I am a little behind here because of some camera issues, but I'm back on track! Week 2 in Beijing consisted of some really great shots! I hope you enjoy! Week 3 and 4 to follow VERY soon!

Monday - Yummy rose/mango tea overlooking the Hutongs

Tuesday - Another "great" smog shot. This was definitely one of the worst smog days here so far.
Wednesday - Ghost Street and all the pretty lanterns. Such a great place for dinner!
Thursday - Koi pond. So many cute little fishies

Friday - Turtles at the market... No, these are not meant to be bought as pets :( The poor little one on the bottom looks like he is pleading with me!
Saturday - This is a common sight. Lots of Chinese men and even women set up game tables and play all night long.
Sunday - Yummy Dinner!! Finally!! It has taken us quite awhile to find great food that we love here. These little buns are A-mazing.

Beihai Park

With Michael working a 9 to 5 job at an architecture firm, I get a lot of time to explore part of Beijing. On this particular occasion I decided to take the bus (which has become my major form of transportation) to Beihai park. It is not very far away and it is beautiful. The day that I went was not on a particularly pretty day (more smog! YUCK!) but the park itself was wonderful.

This is called Jade Island and it is in the middle of Beihai Park. It has this huge Gadoba that sit on the center of the island. There are also many other various buildings on the island as well as caves.
One of the many gates that you walk through while in the park. This was one of my favorites.I spent a few hours just sitting on the benches, exploring the grounds and taking in this wonderful little paradise smack dab in the middle of Beijing. It is wonderful to know that such a beautiful park exists here.

4th of July = Fatburger in China

Since we didn't get to celebrate the 4th of July in the states with all of our fellow Americans, we did the next best thing... We rounded up two more Americans, a Chinese guy, a Croatian, and even a Brit for some dinner at Fatburger.

Unfortunately, for our British friend Johnnie, he didn't know us Americans were celebrating our Independence from England until we all met up, but he was a good sport none-the-less.

Sorry, we didn't get pics of our friends, other than Allie!

BEIJING 2008!

Okay, okay... maybe we are about 3 years too late for the Olympics here in Beijing, but I thought it was pretty interesting to see where all of the action took place back in the summer of 2008.

It is especially interesting because the area called "Olympic Green" is anything but green, and it is absolutely empty save tourists and vendors selling trinkets.

I was amazed by how huge the area is and how it is so lifeless in a way. Here are some of the pictures we took while we were there. :)

The Bird's Nest. Check out all of that nasty smog! It is disgusting!

Yet another group of Chinese people who want to take a picture with Mike. Maybe we should start charging them... :)

The Watercube. It is really cool and apparently it has water slides in it now! We're hoping to go sometime if it is not too expensive.

You can hardly see the news tower through all that smog!

Well, we may have missed seeing the Beijing Olympics, but it was pretty cool to see some of the amazing architecture built for the occasion close up and not just on TV. It's just too bad that these structures were so lively and amazing 3 years ago, and now they are lifeless. :( Makes a person kinda sad.

Weekly Wrap-up In Pictures

So, I mentioned before that I wanted to keep a record of our trip in pictures that I would take daily. I thought it would be an interesting idea to take a picture of SOMETHING everyday and I definitely have not run out of fun and amazing things to take pictures of. It has been a pretty fun project so far and I can't wait to continue with this.

My super simple rules are:
1. At least 1 picture everyday
2. It has to be something that I probably wouldn't normally see back in the states.

So, here is my first Weekly Wrap-up in Pictures. P.S. I can't believe I have already been here for an entire week!!!

Saturday -
Our hotel, the Beijing Hutong Furon Hotel. Notice the girl in the bottom left corner wearing her influenza mask. This is pretty common here. Also note how grey the sky is in ALL of the pictures. The smog is terrible here. It really is a rare sight to see the sun on a blue sky day. I haven't even seen one yet.
Sunday -
a typical Hutong in Beijing. These are alleys with entrances to courtyard houses. Unfortunately, they are so old and rundown that most of them are literally falling apart. This hutong was right around the corner from our hotel room.
Monday -
Just a random goose walking around in front of a restaurant. I assumed that they we advertising that's evenings dinner course...
Tuesday -
Market window promoting their American soft drink choices. Which by the way, only cost about 40cents each.
Wednesday -
Lunch, including my Liver and Onion Cheetos, Strawberry milk that had weird little yogurt bits in it and chocolate cookies that tasted like fish. YUCK!!
Thursday -
The Apple Store at the Village Mall. Once again, notice the smog. This was taken at about 2:30 in the afternoon.Friday -
Michael enjoying some really delicious churros with ice cream and chocolate syrup
Well, hope you are starting to sense what life is like for us here. :)

Name that Product...

So here is a little game I would like to call "Name That Product!" (cue cheesy game show tune...) IT is actually really exciting to see American products here! Unfortunately, they do not always taste the same as they did in the states, for example, I had no idea that the Cheeto's I had bought were Liver and Onion flavor until after I ate my first cheeto... :(

What I would like to do is post some American products that are sold here in China and see if anyone can guess what they actually are. Some are MUCH easier than others. So, for my first installment of Name That Product" I would like to post what Mike and I ate for breakfast this morning. Good luck!

P.S. These are the backs of two separate boxes. The fronts were just way too easy! :)