I don't typically have much patience for shopping, but I put forth my best effort today and went with our travel group to a shopping district, the name of which I cannot pronounce. I didn't see any other Westerners at this shopping center. Our guides said that it is a Chinese shopping center and not really a tourist site. I have never seen so many jewelry stores in one place before! Floors and floors of people selling pearls, jade and look-alikes. I don't think I could pick out a real piece of jade from plastic, so I was thankful that Rebecca and Miko were along for the ride.
Too many choices overwhelm me and I just end up walking from shop to shop with glazed eyes unable to score any fabulous finds. Dean gets overwhelmed, too. He spent the entire time walking the kids around and around the fountain in the center of the shopping center, feeding them to keep them happy.
As soon as I felt my eyes glazing over so I beelined to the jade counter where Miko was standing and blurted out my budget. Within two minutes I was headed back to Dean and the kids with two tiny pieces of jade tucked away in my backpack. Can somebody please point me to the plastic? Sheesh, that green stuff is expensive!
After 10 minutes in a silk dress shop and another 5 in a silk embroidery shop, I was ready to hit the road. We spent most of our time walking circles around the fountain and perspiring. If you're traveling soon to China and you're not sure you want to do the group shopping trips, I would encourage you to go, even if shopping just isn't your thing. It's fun to do stuff together and the people watching is unrivaled. Just be prepared to be watched yourself. I have found that people are not hesitant to approach with three or four companions and point and talk about us. I've tried not to be offended. It's hard sometimes. Since I can't understand what they're saying, I just give them the benefit of the doubt and consider that they've never seen an American with a Chinese baby before.
Our shopping adventure came to a close at 1:30. I am SO THANKFUL for air-conditioned buses!! Back at the hotel, we fell fast asleep - the whole lot of us - and completely skipped lunch. Some days you just need a long nap!
Everyone woke in good moods so we headed out to Pizza Hut for dinner. If I never see another pizza or McDouble it will be fine with me! We've been pretty adventurous with the food here, but there is one among us - TATE - that routinely requests Pizza Hut and McDonalds. He's not so adventurous. Our babies LOVE pizza, by the way. It's sure-fire way to bring out the smiles!
TRAVEL TIP FOR THOSE COMING TO CHINA SOON: The Pizza Hut in Guangzhou must not be used to large families. Every time we ask for a large pizza they look at us like we've got three heads or something. It takes a long time for a large pizza to come out of the kitchen. It probably makes more sense to order a few mediums instead of waiting on a large.
This trip has been amazing, and China is a great place to visit, but we are missing our kiddos back home something fierce. 11 days down. 6 days to go!!
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