Shopping in China

So Carla and I went out for our first shopping trip in China. Just a regular Tuesday night that we thought would be fun to walk around the old town in the "touristy area." We started with a trip to the dumpling restaurant "Yang Yang's"... you know it is going to be good when you repeat the name. Actually, it was really good... and cheap (you guys know how I like cheap). We ended up ordering more food than even I could eat and it ended up costing us 31 RMB for the whole meal (about $4.50). Can't beat it.

We then took the advice of a German guy in one of the stores - that we should shop in another area because the ripped-off clothing we were looking at in this store was more expensive than in the shops 15 minutes away. How do you say no to a German guy? So off we went in search for ripped-off clothing cheaper than the $30 Diesel jeans we had just found. We had no idea where we were walking but we did hit a huge street packed with people shopping (things have trouble not being found in China... just llok for crowds). I mean, it was 7:30pm on a Tuesday... I guess that is prime time in China... actually no, I think every time of day is prime time in China.

Mission was accomplished. We did find Diesel jeans for $20...So Please Note: now you just have to believe chubby, blonde, slightly homosexual looking German guys that tell you to shop in other areas.

The knock-offs here are extrodinary. I mean you hear about it, but until you see it. I kind of thought that it would look equivalent to the dollar store stuff you buy in Canada... not even close. Several times I had to convince Carla that the stuff was just not real... not that you really care, but it looks that close.

At first you really feel like a kid in a candy store, but then you realize that there is no rush. every store you go in has these prices, at any point in the year. It is the beauty of China, and every major Brand's nightmare from North America.

Moral of the story. If you come to visit us. Save up your change... don't even leave out the pennies. You might be able to walk home with a Nike watch with the change in your pocket. I still don't know if it will work long enough to use on the plane ride back... but it sure looks good.