China Update #10

(From Jay)

Thank God for a beautiful warm sunny day! Today was an off day...nothing to do but kill time. We had heard stories about a crazy market area about a 10 minute walk to the north, so we decided to be adventurous and leave the island and head out into Guangzhou to hang out with some locals.

After crossing the busy highway and canal on a series of pedestrian bridges, we made our way into a long market. Compared to the island, the market felt more like being in Beijing or the province. It was busy...lots of people wheeling and dealing their merchandise. Except the merchandise was all sorts of weird food products...like tree fungus, seahorses, and varieties of bugs and beetles. It smelled horrible, we were very uncomfortable, and quickly moved on to see what else we could see.

Friends on the island told us that after experiencing the market, we needed to continue to work our way north and east and we would come upon a shopping street and a large town square. We wandered thru the most interesting streets we have ever walked. Little store fronts, no larger than a 10x10 square...one after the next...people everywhere..all kinds of strange things being sold..including dogs, cats, rabbits, snakes, fish and turtles...all types, shapes and sizes...and even old tiger paws...

We then rolled from an old fashioned Chinese Hutong Market type street to something picturesque of Times Square in New York City, with tons of modern shops and restaurants. We ate at McDonalds and walked around the mall which consisted of rows and rows of shops that were more like 10x10 booths. We haggled some shoes for Camille down to 25 Yuan (about $3 USD), and Annie took note of the nail prices for a manicure/pedicure of 10 and 25 Yuan...about $5 USD for both combined...which Annie said was a bargain.

We carefully made it back to the island and the hotel in one piece. Tomorrow, we head to the US Consulate appointment. Please pray that all of our paperwork goes smoothly!