Beijing Hotels
Amyfisher's travel blogs:
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Wednesday
Entry 15 of 20 | show all | print this entry |
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Today we figured that we deserved a sleep-in, so we ate breakfast at 9:30. Surprisingly, none of us were aching too badly on our legs. We had a leisurely breakfast before going back to the hotel. Dad was still on the hunt for that Underground City,
so he, Laura and Craig went on mission impossible. They saw a rickshaw and he took the four of them to the gate of the Underground City. The seats were tight, so Dad and Craig were smooshed together, and Laura and James were on their laps. The poor biker.
At least we found where to go for tomorrow! The rest of us made our own way to Yong'anli, where the Pearl market is. This is our favourite market. We spent about 3 hours there, shopping. Laura and I were on a mission to buy some things for me, as I hadn't bought anything at the last three markets that we've been to. We shopped from stall to stall, and we all had our own kidnapping stories where a shopkeeper held us, and wouldn't let us go. It's surprising, though how many 'friends' we made. "You my friend, I give you good price!" was the main line used, although "you are so beautiful," got a fair run, too! Shopping with Laura is fun. Sick of hearing the frequently used phrase, "you killing me!" she would say "you killing me" in their accent when they asked for a high price. Laura was a mean bargainer, too. She had her price and held it, and they would always come down. Dad, though, was the worst. He said that you hadn't done well until they were bleeding. He would bargain for ages, and not go 1 yuan higher than his set price. We re-visited our friend, the ski jacket salesman,
who didn't even bother bargaining with dad. She just said 'you know the price,' reffering to out last visit with her, the price that we got them for. Dad got a ski jacket for when he mows the lawns...
We had a photo with our friend, and went to the train station. We didn't have time for lunch. The trip via train was about 50 mins. It's a long time standing up. There are hardly any seats on the train, so you are more than likely not to get one. Someone once told me that in Shanghai, there is 2 peak times; from 8 - 9 and then from 4 - 5, but in Beijing, there is just one peak time; from 8 -8, and this proved true and there was as many people on the train mid-afternoon as there was early in the morning. Our feet, nearly breaking off from standing for 7 hours, were happy when we reached the hotel. We wanted to go to the local market, though, so we had to hustle to get there before closing time. The local market does not bargain very well, though. It was slightly embarrassing to try and bargain, then the salesman being the one who does not budge on the set price. You would go to walk away (the clever ploy which makes most salespeople say 'ok, you're price') and they would not care. Yes, you read right, no yelling down the corridor, or chasing after you and pulling you back. At first, it was relaxing not to be inundated with overbearing shopkeepers trying to get us to 'have a look', but then it was annoying to have to pay their price on everything. You felt defeated although you hadn't done anything.
The day finished with dinner at the restaurant Rebecca and Sammy took us to last week. The food was hot and good, and I was speaking fluent Chinese to the waitress, who could not speak a word of English. It felt really satisfying to speak so quickly and understand everything.
Latest Comments (2)
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You Speak Chinese??? (reply)
Mar 26, 2008 21:28 EST by robynne
Sounds like your Mandarin is really coming together Amy. Are the shopkeepers impressed??? I am. How is Craig and the other girls Chinese coming along?? I don't suppose James is doing very well on the Chinese front!
I am looking forward to hearing what the Underground City is like. Have fun stay cool
Love Aunty Robynne
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Mel loves to barter also (reply)
Mar 26, 2008 09:28 EST by katemel
Hi. You do put so much detail into your blog - it really is great reading. Mel often runs out of steam and i have to finish hers. We try to read yours each night but by the time the laptop would go from my room to Val and Keiths then on to Nana and Pas room, theres not much time left - that is if i want to go to bed at a decent hour!!!!!!!!!!! Mel loves to barter as well. She says an incredibly lo... show all
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