Thursday, March 24, 2011

Some Pictures...

In China, it is not an easy thing to (B plus log) since it they are (B plus locked)! Anyway, I am doing my blogging through my friend Myra, who is being very kind to help me out. This is my attempt to post photos through emailing my blog. We will see how it works.

Here are a few photos of our travels so far. There is much to photograph here, but sometimes hard to know when I am being intrusive. Some of the merchants at the fish market didn’t want their products on camera. Do I seriously look like I am from the Ministry of Health?

We went to an overwhelming market today. Picture a football field, underground, broken up into stalls, full of clothes, shoes and masses of people attempting to get a bargain. Then picture Ernst trying to land a pair of rip-off Vans or Converse in a country of little feet. They want you to try on before they tell you the price, and they act like they will magically produce the size you need, but then seem so surprised you don’t want to buy the pair that would require a removal of your toes. We walked out with our toes, but no shoes.
A literal fight broke out at this market between two shops, arguing over a customer. We walked to another area of the football field/store. Not the kind of place you want to be in when a stampede breaks out.
I much more enjoyed the little neighborhood market near here, really fun to explore in there. And Ernst was glad I was happy with my purchase of some cute chip clips shaped like fruit. I am a cheap date.
The only weird thing was something Angelina called the numbing pepper. A cross between a caper, a clove, a chili pepper and novacaine! Whoever first tasted that and decided it was food was nuts. Probably could kill fleas, should not be in food. Brad loves them. Blecch! There are some things that were just not meant to be consumed. Numbing peppers is now on my Top Ten List of foods I don't like. Brad loves them. We ate a really large amount of dumplings for lunch. So far, I just love the food, or have I said that already?

Our hosts have an appointment tonight, so we are chilling out and doing laundry. We go to the Great Wall tomorrow with some friends of friends of friends from South Africa. Hope this beautiful weather holds, we had blue skies today, and not so cold. Except for the boots I lugged here, my clothes have been a good choice. Mr Last Minute Packer could have done a little better, and now he has purchased a crazy Soviet style hat with ear flaps. Like Elmer Fudd only more Fuddy.