WOW! I love Beijing! I could live here. It's a great city! I'm really going to miss it when I leave tomorrow.
So it's been an eventful day already, and it's only 3:30. Woody arranged for an intern at the office to take me around town today. So Ginger (Great name) met me at the hotel at 9:00. We headed off first to the Silk Market, or as I like to call it, Silk City! It was really close to the hotel. We took a taxi there and I worked on my Chinese. Ginger said I'm getting good with words. I just can't do any sentences. The taxi driver loved my attempts. He was excited that I could say things. He started just rambling on in Mandarin, I said, "Duiy" (Correct)
So we get to the silk market...I'm excited to use my finally honed bargaining skills! This is the big dance, the place where it all comes together.
We walk in the front door...it's like you left the minors for the Show. BAM!!!! Everyone attacks you at once! They're waving watches, scarves, coach bags, ties, trinkets and almost anything else you can imagine! It's insane! I must have heard the following 150 times each...no kidding: Hello, English boy, want silk, want bag, come here.
So now you have to negotiate for pricing on everything. That's the fun part! I catch myself negotiating for things I don't even want. I just love the dickering. It's great! The best is using a line I was taught by Sarah D. They always start out by showing you a price on the calculator, then they give you a discount...now here's where you use the saying...and you have to put some soul into it! TI GWEI LA! (That means, That's to much!) I really try to spice it up. I make a disgusted face, act like I've been insulted, and turn to walk away....all before I've even countered! It's great! I'm addicted! I can't get enough!
***I'm not going to say what I bought because they are gifts for when I get back home, from here on out the things I buy are widgets.
So I go to the first booth to look at widgets. She says, "Come into the store."....um, what store, this is maybe half a booth?
So I go "In the store", she starts showing me her stuff. I decide that I want to buy what she has. She shows me the price on the calculator
"TI GWEI LA!" I start to leave, she says, "Hello, OK, better price". Now we're talking turkey! So we go back and forth for a while. I finally get the price I want. (One thing that is hard to remember is how cheap the money is. They might try to up your offer by ten RMB. It's hard to remember that it's only 1.50....maybe?) So some times I am hard balling for no reason....but it's still fun!
The second vendor was my favorite! She spoke really good English! I was looking through her widgets and found some I liked. We started the negotiations...
"TI GWEI LA!" I've got my nose scrunched up, faining disbelief! (Really it's so much fun, did I mention that already?)
She says, "Ok,Ok, better offer" she lowers her price again.
"TI GWEI LA!!!!!" Now I'm walking away from her booth. She comes chasing after me and grabs my hand.
Now she has a whine to her voice, "OK, Come back, we negotiating, I want give good price!" So I walk back over, I'm now cracking up, I think I've got her to her breaking point. She makes another offer. This time I just say no. So she says, "OK, fine your price!"
Now I have her where I want her. I was negotiating for one. Now I ask, "How much for 5?" She shows me a price.
"TI GWEI LA!" So we start another round of negotiating. Now she is really whining.
"You bargain to good, to much discount."
I answer, "America has economic crisis! No more free bees!" She finally give in and gives me what I want....So much fun!
So we did this at the Silk Market and the Pearl Market! Good times!
I also went to the Buddhist temple today. I would have never known it was here, except I saw a cool looking building heading out of Beijing on our way to Tainjin. I had asked Woody what it was, he told me...so I wanted to go! I'm glad I did!
This place was so cool! It was incredible! Even better it wasn't jam packed with tourists, so you could really take your time. It is the oldest Buddhist temple in Northern China. It's relatively new compared to a lot of the other stuff. I think it was build in the 1500's? Maybe older? Not positive, but it was GREAT! Unfortunately you aren't allowed to take pictures in the temples, so you can only take pictures from the outside. Plus, everyone in there is mostly there for worship, so they get a little testy when you snap a pick.
Like any good American, I fained dumb and was able to snap a few pictures inside. But, honestly, I didn't even get any of the really good ones! It's hard to explain! It was well worth the trip! Everything is original and massively huge. One of the Buddha's is at least two stories high, maybe three. He was sweet! I couldn't have taken a picture of him if I wanted. There was no good angle for a picture in this temple! It was impressive though! Amazing actually!
Last but not least!.........I found them! After the Temple and Silk City, we went to lunch. Ginger didn't have any recommendations, so we jumped in a cab from the hotel and were talking as we pulled out. I had Ginger ask the driver if he had a good place around here. He immediately stops the car in front of a restaurant within 100 yards of the hotel...just on a side street.
The building looks weird? It has pictures of Mickey Mouse, some kind of Chinese warrior, and a panda bear....all on the sign. I could maybe see Mickey and the Panda working together...but how does the warrior guy fit in? So I'm starting to think we should move on.
Then I look at the entrance to the restaurant....all the doorman are CHINESE MIDGETS!!!!!!! I quick open the door as Ginger is still talking to the Cabbie, "This will do!" There were at least five...very strange.
I rush over to the midgets! This has to be a first for them! Two of them look up and say, "Whoa!"
I said, "Ni Hao", in a deep voice. Then I just stood there with my arms folded, next to them. It's great! I think they were half afraid I'd eat them, and half excited!
Of course I don't have my camera because I had put it back in the hotel before we went to the market. (It's just impossible to predict what you are going to find here!)
I have no idea what the purpose of the midgets was? But they were sweet...and it was obvious that the restaurant was trying to capture some kind of theme. I have no idea...sometimes you just have to go along...it makes sense to someone.
So I give each of the little fellas a high five. They liked that. Then I held my hand up over my head and said, "High five?"
One guy got it right away, he takes three steps back and races at me and jumps at the last second to try to give me five. (I lowered my hand so that he made it) Then everyone wants a shot! I did this for a few minutes, first midgets I've seen in China...kind of seems like an oxymoron. Then we went inside to eat.
The food was ok, now what I would consider typical Chinese food. I have also instituted a rule. No more fish or seafood. It's disgusting, they have no idea how to cook it. Everything looks like slop and it smells bad. So I tell everyone I'm with, no seafood.
Here are a few pics from today.
Who new Buddha was a Guitar Hero junkie?
One of the Temple Towers
The Olympic Pool. This building was sweet! It's amazing to see at night. The big stadium wasn't as cool, and it doesn't light up real well.
Mao after dark! Love this guy!
Me and a Monk, keepin it real. He doesn't look happy, but he was glad to meet the Panda.
Tienemen Square at night.
This is where the Rockwell office is in Beijing. It's directly across the street from the hotel. You just walk in a tunnel under the street. It pops out the other side.
This is the hotel. The Beijing International. The one that American Presidents stay at is just down the road. It's a tough spot to take pictures though. 
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