Day 4 in Beijing

This was a day to play.

Tu picked the assembled group up, and she took us to the Hong Quao market. I bought cloisonné Christmas ornaments, two sets of dark pearls, and other trinkets. John wanted to spend a lot of time in the (very smelly) fish market on the second floor. I was a horrible barterer. But as I did the math, I knew I was getting a tremendous deal anyway.

After the market, it was a crazy taxi ride to the location for a lunch of Beijing Duck. Turns out this is one of the most famous Beijing Duck restaurants in Beijing. Lots of pictures of dignitaries from the world over on the wall, including President Nixon.

John loved the duck. I loved the tofu!

Then we walked. I stumbled upon The Silk and Cotton Store, on what I would learn later was Wangfujing Street. I was in my element and in heaven. I looked, I bought, I had a great time! The silk was so inexpensive — $7 dollars a meter. The same silk would have cost me $40 dollars a yard in Minnesota. I didn’t bother to bargain — why look a gift horse in the mouth.

We walked and wandered back to the hotel. It was a perfect, sunny, warm (for December) day. Our bellies and hands were full. We were in China, just two days from meeting our daughters.

Later that evening, John and I found a wonderful restaurant on the 4th floor of our hotel that specialized in “snacks” — the Beijing version of Dim Sum. It was so good that we wished we had found it days before.

The food had been so wonderful in Beijing — I was certain that I had gained 10 lbs since arriving!