China - Day 24

Disclaimer, the spell checker did not work, and I did not have time to proofread this (not that I ever do).
Our last full day in QingDao. Today we went to a service in the morning, hung around in the hotel area for a little bit, and then went back to the pearl market.

The service this morning was good. We sang again for the people there. All of the services we have been to for the past weeks have been very good. None of us, the kids, had eaten breakfast, and we were all pretty hungry by the end. So, after the end of the service, we went in search of food, sort of.

For some reason, we decided to go back to the hotel. We have no food in the hotel, but we went back there anyway. I think we spent about a half an hour at the hotel. After everyone was done doing things, we started to go for food. Before we got a cab, however, we decided to take a look around at the little marina outside our hotel.

This was, according to the sign, the The Training Base of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Sailing Games. The place is almost deserted. Inside that area there is the little marina, and a high speed ferry. We walked around near the docks. We met a mom with two kids there. A 9 year old girl, and a 2 year old girl. Katherine got her picutre with them, and got to hold the little girl. She enjoyed that.

After spening some time there, we remembered that we were hungry, and got a cab to take us to the pearl market again. Our taxi driver ened up being a lying cheat, or rather, we were docile and unsuspecting. We ended up losing 50 qui by being pawned a fake 50 note. Yay! We are officially tourists! We've be given fake money. I guess it makes a good souvienir. Albeit, it was a rather expensive one. Anyway, we now know to check all money before we take it.

We did not actually find out the note was fake until later, when my mom tried to buy something with it. Anyway, after we arrived in the market area, we had lunch at the same place we had dinner last night. Then, we went inside the market mall place.

There were two groups amoung us. One was going to get more pearls, the other was going look at watches, pens, and belts. So, my mom and Katherine went back to the same lady as yesterday to get some more of one type of neclace that my mom liked. They spent almost their entire stay at the market trying to gt that all done.

My dad, Danny, and myself browsed around amoungest the shops. I wanted to get some namebrand watch there. Well, I could not resist. So, we ended up getting a "Rolex" there. We stopped at one shop there, and started looking at what he had. So, we brought out his two cases full of watches. He had all the namebrand watches there. Well, we were looking at some watches when Danny had to go to the bathroom. So, I was left there by myself.

I found a watch that I was interested in. And since I had been there with my dad, the guy brought out his caculator for the "you punch a number I punch a number" bargining. This was my first time actually bargining with some one. Anyway, his first offer was 180 for the watch. The easiest law with bargining is to offer 1/3 of the price at least, if not more, and then work your way to the middle point. So, I offered 50 for the watch. Of course, he didn't take that. I don't know what his next offer was, but to bring this to an end. I ened up getting the watch for 65. That was really too much, but oh well, it was decent I guess.

Well, my dad had to get one as well, and Danny wanted a watch too. So, they also got a watch. My dad got a different Rolex, and Danny got a chronograph watch. So, that was a succesful shopping outing. My dad also got some pens. In the final minutes of the place being open my mom also got a tea set.

The place closes at 6om. So, we walked around a littl bit after we got out of the mall market place. There were lots of fruit sellers, and we picked up some Yozeh, also know as a pomelo. Then we went into a sort of night market area in one building. It wasn't really a night market, becuase it closed at 7, but it was that type of place.

I actually tried a new food in that place. We were walking around past the shops, and one guy offered us some fish. This was not fish meat though, it was a whole fish that was cooked somehow. Anyway, you eat the thing just by popping it in your mouth. The fish are not big, just a few inches long, but still, eating it with the bones and all is not something I would normally do. It was fine though, it tasted like something from the sea, almost like seaweed. Anyway, that was the new food for the day.

Tomorrow we are going to be leaving at 1pm for Beijing. The ride is about 6 hours long, and so we will be getting in at around 7. We are going to be staying in Beijing for three days, and then flying to Hong Kong on Friday.
-Aaron


I took a few more photos of the market today. You can see them on the album online. There are a few others as well.
I am also starting the Chinglish pictures. Chinglish is just a Chinese take on English. So, I'm going to post a few pictures are the end of each post now.

At the Marina

From China Day 24

I think I only counted two sailboats in this marina. Most of the boats are powerboats and yatches.

From China Day 24

The entrance into the sea

From China Day 24

This is the outside of the mall market. The first and second floor, as well as the two basement levels, are where the market is.

From China Day 24

Watches

From China Day 24

Here is a slightly better shot of one of the ales in the market.

From China Day 24

The stall where my mom got her pearls

From China Day 24

This is the type of fish that I had.

From China Day 24

This was posted at the foot of a little rocky hill.

From Chinglish

Don't you think about going back in. You are done.

From Chinglish

At least it is not inapropriet parking

From Chinglish

In the Taipei Zoo.

From Chinglish