Weekend Report: Aug 22 - 24, 2008

Friday night was dinner at this hole in the wall local place, four tables in whole main dining area. Golden Fish is a rough translation of the name. Food was good. Spicy fish soup - not as bad as it sounds. Dinner consisted of beef with veggies, chicken with peanut and spicy peppers, green beans with onions, mushrooms and garlic, tofu and noodles with sweet spice glaze, rice and a couple other dishes. You can go to places like that and eat like kings for next to nothing. Dinner for 7 cost 345RMB which is less than $50. Amazingly, $14 of that was on Coke, if we all drank the hot tea it would have only been $36 for dinner for seven. Prior to dinner we walked the Fugimiao area for shopping for Dan (New Dan) to bring back to his family in Michigan.

Sat. Bill and I went to the bank, which took over an hour. It is not like American banks were you just stand in line. You take a number and wait. We were 30 numbers back and it took nearly an hour add time to get there and back. Once we got back home we took off again to go stroll through this gorgeous park which translates to White Egret Garden. It is close to our house and walking through it put us into a street market for locals, not tourist. Bill and I bought some odds and ends (hammer/nails)-$2, beads $12.50, an old kaleidoscope - $18, a couple house plants - $9 and two birds with all accessories -$21. You have to counter offer on everything. They see that you are western and jack up the prices. Sometimes I just pay it....Like the house plants - for that price I got two huge potted plants that flower. They are both health and unique. I know it is more than a local would pay but really, $9. I can buy a one half dead plant in a 2" peat pot for that at Wal-Mart, not a big nice plant in a clay pot.
The kaleidoscope started at 300RMB which is around $43. I thought it was cool and you can tell it older but not $43 cool. I got him down to 200 but still too high. We kept walking. I picked up the beads, they are some type of green stone hand carved with Buddha face on each side. He started out at 180 and I got down to 100. The birds I paid full asking price. As we are walking back through the market to catch a taxi, guy with kaleidoscope comes running up to us and dropped the price to 175, me-100, guy 160, me - 100, guy - 150, me - 125. Guy goes ok ok ok. Negotiations are funny that way. If they see you walk away - if they follow you down you know you got some leverage. I probably could have got him down to 100 but really 25rmb is $3, you feel crappy sometimes because by our standards - these people are poor.

The birds names are Tango and Cash. (1980's Kurt Russell/Sylvester Stallone buddy/cop movie.) I finally found what breed they are on the internet; both are Java Rice Sparrows/Finches. This is weird......they guy who has the website that I was finally able to match up their markings is in....wait for it.....wait for it.......NEW IBERIA, La. (my hometown for those of you that didn’t know) Really, he is talking about how when he was a little kid (70’s) his mom and him would go the TG & Y to shop and he would go back to the pet section and look at the Java Rice Birds. I am going how bizarre- MawMaw and I used to do the same thing, she’d shop and I would go to look at animals. From what I have read the breed was outlawed from importation in the 70's due to their ability to destroy rice fields. They like to eat the rice. New Iberia = Konrico Rice. I don't anticipate them living as long as I plan on being here and if they do I will give them to someone. They chirp off and on all day and I like the company.

Sat. night we were taken out to eat by some locals to a fancy shmancy place. It was beautiful with the koi ponds and lighting. The food however was not so good. There was a green bean dish that I really liked and a squash dish. I really could become a vegetarian here. Thank god for rice and fruit. The guys that invited us out to eat are great though. Mr. Hu and Sean. Mr. Hu works in restaurant supply and Sean works with the government I think. Bill met them at the 77 Club which is a great hang out with great music. The guys took Bill under their wing and have been very gracious to our family. It was a fun evening followed by drinks at the 77. Nice, good people.

Sunday all of us went out with the Garza family that lives upstairs. We went to a different street market. (Yes, I love it. I hate "mall shopping", street markets are a blast.) I haggled over a couple shirts. Finding stuff to fit me is a problem and you know we don't try on clothes. I didn't want to do that in the states in my nice air conditioned stores why would I do that here......no air conditioning, no amenities, no freaking way. If I pay for a shirt and it don't fit then my loss and Aye’s (the cleaning lady) family gain. Aye is going to be the best dressed residential technician china has ever seen.Bill was on a mission to find me yarn for knitting. I brought a bunch of needles and hooks but little yarn. Bill knew he had seen a yarn store or two in one area but damned if he could remember where it was exactly. So we spent six hours wondering in the general area on Sunday. We stopped for lunch of tenderloin and veggie rice for two was $5.00 - drank the tea. We found this underground clothing market that was four levels of clothes for the family and one level was nothing but shoes, glorious shoes. I will definitely be spending some time wondering through that during the week. Yes, ma'am. Then out of know where - WE FOUND THE YARN. I bought 8 balls which I know would have cost me at least $40 for $15. Then we found a fabric store that had this really neat fabric but I have no sewing machine. I played charades with the girl working there and she got that I liked it and wanted a skirt so she and I folded the material a couple different ways. Agreed and she went to a back room and made my skirt for me in about 20 minutes. BAM, new skirt for $20.