Beijing Dirt Market

Thanks.

Family,
Today our mission was the Dirt Market - a huge flea market like operation with everything from junk to exquisite. It was enormous! We could easily spend and enjoy days there. Bryce you would love all the very old stuff, impliments and tools and books and of course art of all kinds. Courtney, you would get stuck forever in the beads and jewelry. I took some pictures so you can get a feel for the scale of the thing. There are people from all over the world here buying. The merchants shout "Hello, Sir. Look at this! Look at this. If you make eye contact, you can forget a peaceful viewing. Sellers followed me and pulled on my shirt and pushed me back to their booth. The offer a price - you are then expected to offer yours and the negotiation begins. No one every offers the price they are willing to sell at. Those who can't speak any English - most of them - punch numbers in a hand held calculator and show the number to you. You say no. or if you have a little class you say "Tai qui le" - too expensive. Then the merchant hands you the calculator for you to make an offer. If you don't make an offer, they follow and push and try lower numbers until you either walk away or accept the last number. If you make an offer, the bargaining begins. They complain that the little woman in the household shop works so hard and how can you offer less and you say again "Tai qui le" or just "no." Our driver taught me in the car how to bargain. If one offers a piece of merchandise at 100 Yuen, you must say NO! with a very angry tone and chop the air with your hand and say 50 Yuen. And so on. After moaning and drama you agree on a price, the smiles come out all a round and the piece is handed over or packed with great care and you are now the best of friends.

In the Silk Market this afternoon, the sellers of shoes and handbags (I was looking for a suitcase or trunk large enough to hold an exquisite vase we bought today - and paid a porter to carry on his bicycle-truck for us ) pulled on my shirt and took the pen out of my pocket "Is this genuine?" "Hello, Sir!" Hello, Sir!" "You have lots of money - you need to buy more!" "Look at this!" "Look at this!". I was annoyed and so was Mark so we left and walked the streets and alleys near the hotel where locals were gathering in many small diners where merchants made barbecue or roast pork in a pita, noodle soups and soups made with things you don't want to hear about. Diner after diner in the alleys. We bought some grape juice in plastic bottles and came back to the hotel for quiet conversation in the lobby while we waited for Kaaren and Elaine to return from their shoppinig in the Silk Market.

We had dinner again with Elaine's friend and two little Chinese girls - Gail, Lydia and Adeline at a local restaurant that made dishes very interestingly and colorfully.

Kaaren is in bed and desperately needs a footrub so you know where my priorities lie...

Tomorrow LDS church in Beijing. More later.

love,

Dad