Day 14: Pearl Shopping

Today we went out and checked out some of the shops and markets around Beijing.  Greg was planning on having a meeting today, but the other person got stuck in Hong Kong, so we had extra time.  Our first stop was Walmart.  Yes, Walmart.  Though we were actually dropped off a few blocks away, as the Chinese address we wrote down was apparently inaccurate.  We finally did get there, and we spent a while just looking around and seeing how different everything was.  The entire store was underground, so they have moving walkways, much like the airports, except they were built at an incline so people could take carts on them.  The clothing, electronics, and other non-food areas were fairly normal, but the grocery was pretty crazy.  All of the fresh foods had attendants around to help pick, slice, and dice.  All of the meats were on display, with red meats sitting open on display, waiting to be cut, while sea food was either alive in tanks or on display.

Meat for sale in Walmart

Seafood

After seeing Walmart, we headed further in to Beijing to the Pearl Market.  This mall/market sells all sorts of things, but it is known for the extremely low cost pearls sold on the third floor.  They are able to sell at such prices because they are natural, harvested pearls, not cultured pearls.  This means that the pearls are not perfectly round, but fit into some quality category based on their level of perfection.  Greg and I were given missions by the family back home, so we had to endure the tiring process of selecting and haggling for jewelry.  We had to choose pearl size, color, quality, bracelet/necklace length, clasp types, and other ornaments.  Finally, after walking away several times and bargaining hard, I got three bracelets and one necklace for approximately US$38.

Getting some pearl jewelry.

And some more…

Shopping in the rest of the market was quite enjoyable and funny.  The girls selling stuff would constantly try to entice you to buy something, promising their “best price” and “price just for you.”  They would offer outrageous prices, and it was fun to just mess with them and offer ridiculously low prices.  They would also grab you by the arm and show you their products, which was quite funny.  We were looking at possibly getting some t-shirts, but none particularly stuck out to us.  I did find a nice purse for my mom, which I wasn’t going to get, but I think she will really like it, and Greg talked me into it.  It is probably a knock-off, but it is still really nice for such a low price.

We also got a new purse for my mom.

When we had fully explored the pearl market, we went to a modern shopping street in downtown Beijing.  This street had very high-end stores, and many western brands.  Much like in Hong Kong, we walked into buildings and found ourselves in malls.  We could also walk toward the next block and find traditional markets.  We didn’t stay too long, so we grabbed a snack to hold us over until dinner and headed back to the hotel.  Back at the hotel, we got a phone call that our laundry was ready.  The laundry lady came to our hotel, and had all of our laundry, perfectly clean and nicely wrapped in plastic.  We were very pleased and impressed.

Our clothes made it!

This evening, Greg and I went to dinner with a couple of Greg’s business partners, Michael and Odett.  The restaurant we went to is called “Summer Winter Spring Fall”, or “Spring Summer Autumn Winter”, or something like that.  The name is in Chinese only, so I only know what Odett told me.  Odett ordered everything for us, and it was very good.  Everything was based on a soup boiling in the center of the table.  Different things were then thrown in, boiled, and then scooped out and eaten.  We had shrimp, thinly sliced beef, and a fish, which was brought to us beforehand kicking, so we could be sure it was fresh.  All of it was very good, particularly the sauce we dipped it in.  When we finished eating, I found out that was just the first course, and more was to come.  Next, we put in some vegetables, and then afterwards we had noodles, which went very well with the sauce.  Finally, we were finished, and I was definitely glad I got to go, for the food was very good.  The restaurant is within the walking distance of our hotel, so Odett kindly showed us how to order what we had again, in case we decide to come back.

Our table at the restaurant, with Michael on the left and Odett on the right.

Tomorrow I am going to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, two of the biggest sights in Beijing.  Greg has meetings, though, so I will have to go alone.