We went to the Beijing Zoo this morning mainly to see the giant pandas. The zoo wasn’t all that different from zoos I’ve been to in America, except some animals weren’t quite as separated. The zebras basically could walk right up to the barrier and eat animal crackers little kids were feeding them. The funniest part of the zoo was the American animals on display, like the squirrels and the raccoon.
We had lunch at a fast food-style Chinese place near the zoo, then went across the streets to brave the wholesale markets. Rachael and I spent all of our time in one huge, 5-story building that was nearly impossible to navigate, since the clothing stalls were packed so tightly. We had the most success on the floor with all the women’s clothing, where I had my first bartering experience. Though that one was hardly successful (I felt too sympathetic towards the vendor), I ended up having a lot of fun with my other purchases. I liked bartering here more than in the Wangfujing market because I felt like the quality of what we were buying was better than the tourist crap, so I was more willing to pay closer to the vendor’s prices. Some of the guys in our group, however, liked bartering at the Wangfujing market better because they had fun with bartering itself and cared less about the wares being bought. While we were shopping and bartering, the language barrier was actually useful – it was harder to feel guilty when offering a lower price, and Rachael and I could discuss our “next moves” for the prices without the vendor understanding. Overall, I walked away with a coat, dress, skirt, and two pairs of tights for less than 200 yuan total (or about 30 dollars, so I consider it a great deal). I don’t even want to shopping in the US anymore because I’ll never be able to get such low prices again.
When we got back to the hotel after shopping, I had a wonderful surprise – my luggage had finally arrived! After taking a shower and putting on new clothes, I felt so much cleaner and more excited to be in China. Rachael and I decided to venture out on our own for dinner, and ended up at a slightly more expensive stir-fry restaurant. I panicked a little bit when we had to order, because we really had no idea what we were ordering (we didn’t realize it was stir-fry until later). Fortunately, the waiter helped us vaguely understand what we were doing, and we ended up with a spicy duck-and-vegetables stir fry that was rather delicious.
Later that night, the entire group took taxis to Hou Hai, a Chinese nightlife area. There were tons of bars and shops around a lake, which was rather picturesque. I enjoyed looking at the variety of bars in the area, hearing all the different singers at the bars, and going to a tea shop in an alley near the area.