Shopping Fever

Thursday, December 11, was our free day, although it turned out to be anything except "free". We had no scheduled tours and were on our own. Jim and I decided to spring for a Western breakfast, but while I enjoyed the bacon and fresh fruit, it wasn't worth the extra expense. Then, we and some students went to see Mao's body under glass at his Memorial Hall. There was a long, continuous, reverential line.

The rest of the day we went shopping at both Silk Street and the Pearl Market. These are multiple level stores that sell almost everything - especially name-brand knock-offs. I have a tendency to "love bargains" in the first place, and when you can bargain items down to 10 percent of what the sellers originally asked, the hunt is on. Jim called it "a fever."

I bought some bags, pearls, and a Chinese silk jacket. Jim bought some silk ties and two pairs of pants. I'm ready to go back again, but thankfully, I am out of both time and money. (Connie)