Janie's Silk Market Quest - Beijing Day 3

Today we all took a little extra time getting out of the sack and a more leisurely breakfast. Afterward we departed via Taxi to the Silk Market to meet up with a friend Janie knows here in Beijing. One thing we learned about the Chinese was how they are serious about honor and saving face. Our driver was confused (as we were) and we ended up at the wrong silk market (yes there are several in town). So we figured out the barrier in communication and found Missy waiting in front. The driver did not charge us for the additional distance and time. Like our driver to the Great Wall he was with very poor broken English, very polite, and helpful to us.

This is where Janie's single focus came to bear as her sharp negotiating skills were brought to bear on the shop tenders. Never have any of us been called sir, madam, touched, grabbed, told we were pretty or handsome so many times for so long. After getting our bearings and splitting up we started the quest to make a few purchases (secrets of course). The haggling and the lines the shop tenders have to keep you on the hook were something to write a book about. I would love to see the person who trained all them on technique. You knew you were close to the bottom when they would start to get irratated. Starting low was the name and you knew quickly if you started a little to high. Even then the deals are out of this world. The bargaining was serioua stuff.

After multiple hours of haggling we all stopped for a breather at a pizza spot. Yes, pizza in China that was pretty darn good. Especially with a well earned beer. After our break it was decided Janie would stay longer to soak up the atmosphere and do more damage with the RMB (Chinese currency) she carried. David and Lisa went after one last bargin as Jeff the pack horse hauled the purchases out front to wait in the parking lot.

After a return to the hotel via the subway (so clean), David and Lisa ventured out to the Lama Temple, where they saw the worlds largest indor Budha - 18 meters above ground height - it was a working Budhist monestary too, and there were budhas everywhere you turned. Jeff decided to rest and wait for the silk market queen to return. Janie made it back to the hotel after a few taxi attempts and quite a bit of rush hour traffic. Yes, she had a few new bags of goodies. David and Lisa made it back (after taxi, subway, and walking - wow) in time for a quick trip to the bathroom and then off to the restaurant.

Dinner was at the Laoshe Tea House (famous) for some more chinese food followed by a traditional chinese theatre. The dinner was excellent with some chinese enterainment. A four girl ensemble playing chinese instruments. Then a puppet screen show that was very traditional. We got our fill and laughs even before the main show. This is where President Bush Sr. stopped on his famous trip to China (bronze statue and lots of pictures). The trip to the men's room after dinner was interesting with the toilet being a hole in the floor. Yes, they do things a little different over here. The ladies have already experienced that in several places we have been.

Then we headed up to the 3rd floor and found ourselves in the front row for a "show". We sat next to two chinese men who helped us a bit with the tea and snacks brought to the table. We finally got one of those sticks we saw at the markets that we thought was candy. It turned out to be candy crab apples on a stick that where dipped in a sugar glaze. David tried a cube of something and made a face that was priceless. The show itself was vaudvillian in nature with a lot of chinese. Comedians where the humor was lost on us, make up for the opera portion was amazing and one girl juggled with her feet a big vase, two girls and a table. Most impressive. The show ended with martial art demonstration mixed with artful dance. Too say the least we had a lot of questions, but entertained to the max.
During the show Lisa was asked to tie a knot on a string for the magician. David was called up on stage and tied to a young lady, who behind a curtain removed the kamono they put on him after she had been tied up with her hands behind her neck. Even David wasn't sure how they performed the trick. We think the chinese audience got a few extra laughs with David's looks of I know no chinese. Jeff and Lisa got to test some steel bars the martial arts team used to break over one young man's head. Oh my! In the taxi ride home, Janie blurts out it must have been that cheap chinese steel crap. I hope our driver knew no English!

We made our way home via a taxi based on a small map and a little finger pointing. Amazing what you can accomplish despite the language barriers.....but then again it can be a moment of frustration and you simply have to find another route.