Beijing bus trip ( above)
US Embassy
Beijing building
Beijing building
Beijing building
Beijing wide street
Beijing Pearl Factory
Pearl bracelet being assembled
Lunch was great
In front of Pearl Factory
Tailor at work
Tailor at work
Tailor still at work
Massage
Masaage
A toast while are feet are being cleaned
Brother and Sister
Together
No peeking at Lenny's feet
We are with Philip and Astri. They live in a very modern
apartment here in Beijing. You can see some pictures of it and views from their
unit on our blog . They are really doing quite well here. Phil speaks well for
only a few months. He can have long conversations. Astri is also doing well and
gets around town now.
Right now, I am sitting in their living room looking out onto their beautiful courtyard.
Lenny is walking to the hospital armed with Phil's extra cellphone (for visitors) and an
electronic translator that we brought for them but have had fun using ourselves. With it,
he can ask questions and ask for directions easily. I am eager to hear that he got there
as it is a 20 minute walk. Astri is having her Chinese lesson (her tutor comes to her),
(ayee) is cleaning the apartment and Phil is at work.
Beijing is a shock to us. In Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia we saw third world
things.The big cities were OK but not like the USA. Here in Beijing we see a
large modern city. Most people drive cars and there are a small number ride bikes.There
are very few motor bikes ( the government will not issue many permits for them).
In the other three countries we saw just the reverse. I can see by the buildings
and the cars that China is a powerhouse and will continue to grow and prosper.
We will know a little more about the rest of China after our tour.
We spent the day with Astri shopping. There are very big complexes that
sell specific items.It is great to be with someone who can direct us to to the
right places to go and help to bargain for the best price. This is truly an art
here. Yesterday we went to an eye glass place called Glass City.
There must have had 100 + shops selling and fitting glasses. We each ordered glasses
there. Today we went to a pearl and jewelery complex. With Astri's help we
did a lot of haggaling. She is getting very good at it. Since we were buying three pairs
of glasses, we were even able to get a better price. We all got transition lenses and Len
and I got darkening when in the sun. In the States, we recently had a quote from our
opthmologist for $500.00 more per pair!
I am almost at a loss to describe our experience today. It was the most fun we have ever
had shopping and we bought more things in this one day for ourselves than we have ever
done before. Our first stop was at the Pearl Market. As with Glass City, this is a huge
multi-level complex with what seemed like a thousand shops selling pearls. You can buy
everything here from fakes to the highest quality and the higher the floor, the better
the quality. We went up to the 6th floor where Astri has purchased pearls for herself
of a very good quality. Lenny wants me to buy everything in site but I did buy a strand of
pearls that they then made into a two strand bracelet with a beautiful gold safety lock. We
also bought several small whimsical necklaces for me and a few friends. Astri did the
bargaining. It was terrific.
Astri and Phil had bought me a beautiful silk kimono when they first visited China last
year and for those of you who were with us on New Year's Eve, that is what I wore. I wanted to
find another one like it. Just as we were approaching this section of the market, about four
bus loads of tourists arrived. The market got very crowded with people. Lenny found a kimono
that he really liked and when we asked the price, the woman said it was 850 yuan which is about
$125.00 US. I thought that Astri was going to faint. I then said, "too much" and she dropped the
price by half. Astri then said that she lived in Beijing and that she knows that she can purchase these
for about 40 yuan which is about $7.00 US and believe it or not, when the bargaining was all done, that
is exactly what I paid. It was truly astounding.
When Lenny is shopping, he always heads straight for the toy section and of course, he
made a few fun purchases for the kids.
On our way out, I also found the Pandora beads that I was looking for. Lenny and I
spent about a half an hour sorting through all the beads and constructing a necklace for me
and of course, we bought some for our precious little girls. Phil then met us at the market
and then we all went to lunch at
a well known local restaurant where we had three terrific dishes to share - all for about
$15.00 US which they thought was a little expensive.
Back at there apartment a tailor came and measured us for suits,
jackets, pants, dresses etc. He will come back in a day with a mock up for a
fitting. The three things we will order will be here when we come back to
Beijing in two weeks. If we needed them sooner we could have had them in two to
three days. Phil had his second fitting for a gorgeous suit and he is also having
a shirt and several tiesmade. Astri is looking for fabric to have an outfit made
that she can wear to the wedding they are going to in June in the States.
It is hard to believe that the day for the four of us was not over as Astri and Phil usually
go to bed quite early but they wanted to treat us to a foot massage at a spa that they have
been going to. I just don't know how to describe it. We arrived at the spa at 9:30 p.m. and
were taken to a beautiful room with four recliners (this is a far cry from our first foot
massage we had in Thailand for $6.00 US pp and certainly so differrent than the body
massaage we had on the beach in Phuket for $11.00 pp.
Once seated, someone brought us a menu so we could order drinks and dinner.I ordered tea and
the rest had wonderful fruit or vegetable drinks such as pear or carrot drink. We also ordered
rice and noodle dishes for dinner.Once we had our drinks, four young men appeared and started
our foot massages - so here's how it went. Our feet were soaked in hot water with rose petals
in it. Then we moved to a small bench where they massaged our back, neck, scalp. Then we returned
to our lounges and our dinner was brought out. When we finished our dinner, the guys returned
and then for one glorious hour they worked on our feet and legs all the way up to our thighs.
Lenny has finally figured out that this is a glorious treat and he settled in to
enjoy it. At the end, the lights were lowered and we were wiped down with very hot towels and
then it was all over. I wasn't sure that my legs would be able to carry me back to the apartment,
I was feeling so relaxed.
We continue sightseeing and shopping in the morning looking for handbags. We are glad that
we will have Astri with us to do our bargaining although I think we are getting the hang of it.
There is really no way for a tourist,however, to get the price that she can get for us.
Well it is after midnight here and Len is getting his monthly blood study done in
the morning and need to get some rest.
Our friends from Atlanta come here Friday night and we will start the third
phase of our wonderful trip - a two week tour of China.
We have been keeping track of flights and beds throughout our trip. We are rating
our acommodations at Astri and Phil's a five star plus and this
is bed 11 for us. Sweet dreams to all of you.
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