And Not a Stranger in this Strange Land

The morning is beautiful here in Beijing. It rained last night, which has cleared the air, the sun is shining after yesterday's fog, and the sky is actually blue since the first day I arrived. The fog/smog whatever you want to call it has been bad. They say that about 1300 flights leave Beijing Airport every day. On Friday 5 flights left. OUCH! Let's pray the weather is going to be virtually clear for the rest of the week. I'd like to get out of here on Friday.

It's cooler this morning. I think members of my team will say that it is cold. But the cold comes from the wind mostly. Not from any real temperature change, though it is a little cooler.

I sleep later, try and catch a bit of the World Series but can't find it on ESPN as they promised yesterday. (Find out while I'm at lunch the Red Sox won.) Take my breakfast in the main restaurant to get some eggs this morning and then get ready for a day of shopping.

Don't have a lot I want to buy but a few things are in mind. Chopsticks. I've got to practice before heading this way again. And some traditional Chinese music . Some of it I like very much and need some CD's for slide show creation. And a gift or two. But I already have some gifts on order so some of that has been taken care of already.

Lana and Eric will take me to the Silk Market for shopping. The name change of the hotel has everyone confused. It was called the Marco Polo last time I was here. Now it is called the Grand Mercure Xidan. Both Lana and Eric have a little trouble finding it. But they make it and we're off to the subway for a 15 minute ride to the Silk Market.

Our first stop is at a CD store across the street from the Silk Market. Here is where I find the traditional music I want. We go through several CD's and I pick three. Total cost 60 RMB. $8.00. Listening to them while I write this, I'm very pleased with my purchase. This is nice music.

Lunch is next. We decide to hit the 'hot pot' restaurant we did last year when I was here. This is a good meal. Sort of a cross between fondue and beef stew. In essence they cook vegetables and meat at your table in a wok like pot placed on an electric burner there. Quite tasty. We have a mixture of beef and shrimp. Lana throws in the towel early and Eric and I feast on the meat there. Quite good.

Then to the Silk Market. I have a stamp made for Keaton with his name in Chinese characters. The picture today is the man carving the stamp for me. Have one made for me but they 'make it up' as there is no match for Jere in the book of names. (This may mean I'm not getting into heaven, huh?) Keaton will be born in the year of the pig. A good luck year from what they say.

We look for chopsticks but only find the flashy/showy kind. Nope. Not doing that. I need something I can actually use. Lana promises me a trip to the Sogo mall to find what I want. And my negotiations for toys fall far short of what I'm willing to pay so I walk away. One the way out I grab some Olympic souvenirs at the official Beijing 2008 store. I can buy it for half that out in front of the hotel but that is pirated stuff and since pirated software is a concern for our company I don't want to buy anything that I can see is pirated.

And at Silk Market I am not a stranger in this strange land. Every vendor seems to know me. "Friend. Want to buy some shirts?" "Friend, want to buy some shoes?" And so on. But they barely speak to my Chinese friends. I must have a lot of friends here. This is a place of negotiation. Everyone expects you to haggle over price. I've never been good at that kind of wheeling and dealing. Lana does my negotiation for me. We have fun negotiating with the engravers. We bust on the toy stall. But that is OK. It is a kind of fun place to visit and shop.

As we prepare to board the subway for the hotel Lana remembers a place I can buy toys. It is the Wantong Commodity Wholesale Market. As it is explained to me, the Wantong market is the Silk Market for the locals. She asks if I want to go now. I say sure.

So down into the subway. When we turn to go to the platform to catch the train Lana says "Oh my God" and from there on out the subway ride is an adventure. Packed in like sardines with attendants standing back an pushing people in to get them in the cars. We have to change trains once and getting in and out is an adventure. Eric is behind me saying "Go, go, go, go, go..." I think I force one woman off a train and it is not her stop. We vow we are taking a taxi back to the hotel.

But we find what I think will be the perfect toy for a little fellow I know and bail out of the market, find a cab, and then we're headed back to the hotel. My shopping is not over, but if I had to go home today, I could.

At the hotel I retire to the lounge on the 10th floor, have a couple of drinks, watch the sunset and read my book. A rather relaxing way to end the day. Back in the room I make some phone calls...Janie, Kyle, and Daddy. Then I do a little work, blog a bit, and head to bed.