Qingwen, your hair's in my mouth!

Written on 28 May 2009 in Beijing, China

Living in this city of 21 million leaves one with no concept of personal space especially when riding the subway. No matter what time of day it is and on which day of the week it is, the subway is always packed.

This is a picture of the subway at peak hour (about 6:00 pm on a weekday). On this particular trip, I could smell everything from the shampoo of the lady in front of me to the b.o. of the man next to me. I found it rather amusing initially and had Kenneth take a few snaps of me with my cheeks pressed against the sliding doors. But at subsequent stations, people kept piling on and on and on … we were even more squished than sardines in a can. The amazing thing is that not one person thought to themselves “There's no way I am going to fit in this carriage” and just let the train pass. The next train will only be a 5 minute wait, afterall. Where there is a will, there is a way, I guess!

I ended up practically carrying my handbag on my head and I felt like screaming “Qingwen (excuse me), your hair's in my mouth!” Not so amusing anymore. Serves me right for finding it all amusing initially when others battle this daily.

Ripped off!!!

Written on 26 May 2009 in Beijing, China

This is a picture of the handbag I got ripped off on at the Silk Street Pearl Market. I needed a new bag as the old bag I brought on my travels is now giving way. The market is a great place for bargain hunters but beware … you may think you're smart but the vendors who do this day in and day out are even smarter! They even speak multiple languages – I even heard smatterings of accented Russian and Malay from vendors in this place!

You will soon realise that the market sells pearls only on one level. The remaining 5 levels or so sell everything imaginable – souvenirs, homewares, manchester, clothes, shoes, handbags, jewellery, toys, paintings, electronics, food...
This is also the place Westerners go to buy fake branded goods. There is even a big bold sign at the front of the relevant Chinese authority's guarantee of quality for the fakes. How amusing - that's China!

I ended up paying 150 yuan ($AUD 30) for this fake Dolce & Gabana bag (not that I am into the brand, I just liked the bag itself and am now wondering if there's a way to pull off the brand tag without ruining the bag ... I suffer from self-diagnosed 'Brand Embarassment Complex') bargained down from the vendor's starting price of 780 yuan! I realise now that the market value of the bag would have been 100 yuan and due to the economic crisis I could have gotten it down to perhaps 70 yuan (hmmm... perhaps I need to add superior bargaining skills in there somewhere as an added ingredient) because if I hadn't bought it, chances are it would not have been sold for a long long time!

Kenneth wanted to walk away when we offered 100 yuan and the vendor wouldn't accept. I vaguely recall hearing him say “C'mon, let's go!!” but I found myself in a hypnotised state after the vendor performed several swift sale tactics like burning the bag with a lighter and leaving it unscathed. My emotional attachment to the bag grew in that dark stall and I was overpowered. My initial resolve to spend only $AUD15 to AUD$20 waned when she started at 780 yuan. I started to think that what I was prepared to pay was totally unrealistic. After making the much to quick purchase, Kenneth spotted the exact same bag 2 stalls away and my heart sank when the starting price was placed at 150 yuan at this stall!

I was fuming on the subway when it hit me how much I'd been ripped off. Losing $AUD10 wasn't the issue. It's that horrible feeling of having been 'cheated', ripped off and outwitted! I was ranting and raving on the subway processing all that had happened to me. I knew people were looking at me but I didn't care. I'm the sort of person that needs to let it ALL out! I totally cheesed myself off when I realised I'd disappointed Kenneth by not trusting his judgment, ignoring and not listening to him. I also hadn't learnt my lesson from the time I purchased some punjabi outfits in India … it cheesed me off even more remembering that old incident … but that's another story …

Hopefully, the lesson has been well and truly learnt this time around!

Pearl's are a gal's 2nd best friend?

Written on 26 May 2009 in Beijing, China

We stunbled upon the Silk Street Pearl Market today. Most pearls in China are the freshwater variety, as the Chinese have perfected the art of cultivating pearls in mussels. Typically easier to produce that saltwater oyster pearls, freshwater pearls are often smaller and naturally less lustrous. But their abundance also means cheaper prices. The pearls come in a huge variety of shapes and colours. The freshwater variety is usually white with a slightly rosy undertone, but one can find a rainbow of hues. Greater lustre, or iridescence, typically increases the value.

Most vendors happily humour shoppers with a series of demonstrations of a pearl's authenticity – scraping it on glass to leave a mark, or nicking it with a blade to show unform colour. If making a purchase, you'd have to use your best judgment when trying to determine quality and value. A good tip is to realise that the world's best quality pearls are probably not for sale in a crowded market.

We didn't splash out as we're saving shopping for the last leg of our trip in Hong Kong. Backpacking is not conducive to shopping! However, we got a good buy purchasing 2 turquoise coloured pearl necklaces bargained down to 20 yuan for both! One is part of our 'thank you' gift to Melissa with whom we've been staying with in Beijing and the other was just Kenneth's little random gift to me because he could see how much my eyes twinkled when I held them up against my neck!