Day 17

In the morning before we left, the landlord came over to our apartment and brought us a new toilet seat and heater. Unfortunately, according to the land lord we got ripped off by the real estate agency. As the middle man they took an unreasonable amount of the rent pay. After the landlord left, Carmen and the four of us headed over to IKEA to look around and have lunch. I bought a coat hanger. After a quick stop back at the apartment, we headed on down to the pearl market. Karma, Mike and I took the bus and the girls drove in Carmen’s car. On the way to the pearl market we realized that it had already closed so we headed to the silk market. We looked around for a bit. As a walked around the market as a white foreigner, I was treated like a celebrity. I was everyone's friend, and the primary target of sale pitches. Like Africa, rightly or wrongly, this is how the majority of the world view whites. One of the first places I walked by I made the comment quietly to Mike that the clothes looked obviously fake. I certainly wasn't quiet enough. As I walked away the store owner yelled out to me protesting that everything was original. This is just a glimpse into the extensive effort and pride of those who sell in the markets. I did get to practice my bartering skills on a few small gifts. From the silk market the Karma, Carmen and the four of us headed out for dinner. Dinner was great! I think this has been one of my favorite places so far. Back at the flat I worked on Mandarin and responded to some emails. I was greatly encouraged to receive emails from my brothers and sisters in Zambia. Another day in Beijing