Shopping madness - our 2nd day in Guangzhou

Our second day in Guangzhou is coming to an end. We are trying to enjoy this time - just the two of us (I don't remember last time we had a twosome getaway!), and do things that we might not feel up to with a three year old in tow. We heard about the wholesale markets here in town, so we asked the receptionist to write down some addresses for us to go to. We took a taxi to get there, and we're so glad we did. If you are looking for a bit of a thrill, go for a taxi ride. It's cheap (2 - 3 Dollars at the most), and it's fun! The traffic is totally crazy, with cars and buses and bicycles weaving in and out of traffic with no rhyme or reason, except for getting to their destination FAST! I felt safe though, and the cars really don't look banged up, which I would have expected with that type of traffic. The funny thing was, when it was time to pay the Taxi driver, it cost 8 RMB ($1), and Mike tried to find the right bills. The guy watched intently, and must have gotten a little impatient, so he took the bills out of Mike's hands, pulled out a 10 RMB bill and said, waving it in the air, "Okay? okay?" We were told that you don't tip a Taxi driver, so we laughed about him getting himself a little tip...
The first place we went was just a huge shopping area with hundreds of little stores and tiny little malls. Not sure that I would consider it a whole sale market, but there were definitely a lot of shopping opportunities. It was very crowded and hot, but some stores had air conditioning which was a nice little break. Lots of clothing, luggage, tons of shoes and many street vendors and food booths. I wanted to take a picture of one, but they would not let me - they had selections of Octopus on a stick, chickenfeet on a stick and other equally yummy things. I'm sure you get the mental picture *ggg*.
There are also several McDonalds and KFC's and a Papa John's that we saw. We went to a grocery store that had a large variety of foods, lots of dried fruit and nuts and dried "whatevers". If I would know that my stomach could handle it, I would have gotten some (well, maybe not the "whatevers...). There are lots of western brands available, so if you are travelling to China, don't worry if you forget something. Chances are, you'll find it here too. What we did not see was any fresh produce or frozen items (except some ice cream, so I don't know where people buy that.
We took another taxi to the second area that had been written down for us, and it was pretty similar, but had more individual stores and some nice clothing stores. I bought a cute skirt, and I'm feeling very chinese right now (yep, I'm wearing it!). There were people on the street that are trying to sell you something (usually fake watches, purses or Computers). They will follow you and talk and talk and talk and try to get you to come to the store they are advertising for. Wow, and they are super persistent! I just didn't know if I felt more annoyed or guilty for being rude and ignoring them.
The sheer number of people on the streets is mind boggling: Many teenagers and young adults, some CUTE little babies, but hardly any kids or older people. It is just packed wherever you turn. At the same time there is a smoothness to the flow, and smiles wherever you look. People appear to be at ease in the midst of the crazyness.
The bargaining is another thing that is pretty foreign to us. The way it works, is that if you want to know the price of an item, you ask, and they will type in on a calculator. You can then type what you want to pay, and so you go back and forth until you reach an agreement (or not). We bought a suitcase because I'm sure we'll have more things to bring home than we packed to come here, and after the deal was made, we shook hands, and off we went. Definitely an interesting experience.

Right now we're back at the hotel, Mike is reading and I'm bloggin', and soon we will head out to eat dinner. We just got a call from Grace, our guide, that we will have to leave the hotel shortly after seven in the morning to catch our flight to Changsha. We're getting closer, Nina! We have definitely enjoyed ourselves here, but now we're ready to go. At the same time, getting her is such a blur in my mind: I don't know what to expect, I don't know how our first meeting is going to be. I'm trying to picture it, and I can't. This is a very strange feeling. Mike compares it to the time before Nico (our oldest) was born, and we wanted to be parents, but didn't know what it was going to be like. I feel very much the same way now.
In less than two days, this little girl will slip into our lives, our family and our hearts, and we will all be changed forever. I pray for a lot of grace - for all of us. We need it to embrace her and love her unconditionally, and she needs it so she can grieve and begin to heal at the same time. She is so special to us, and we don't even know her yet. But God does, and that is enough - for now.

Here are some pictures of our day:

the Chinese money /Chinesisches Geld

One of the shopping areas we went to / Einkaufsviertel

This guy was in a bird costume, playing some sort of instrument. ? Ein farbenfroher Vogel....

In front of a Mc Donald's pillar - on top it said "I'm lovin' it" - sorry, the picture is a bit blurry/ Vor dem McDonald's

Chinese traffic - a still picture just does not do it justice, though!/ Chinesischer Verkehr, als Foto leider nicht so eindruecklich


****Deutsche Version: www.chinagirlswitzerland.blogspot.com Titel: 2. Tag****