Learning the system

Shopping at the markets in Beijing can be both frustrating and very exciting. I remember years ago when I was in Mexico and how much I enjoyed haggling with the vendors at the shops. In China, it’s a whole lot worse than down south of the border. Grabbing, yelling and being ganged up on by 10 girls at the same time can be overwhelming even if you are just walking though an isle. However, to be honest, I enjoy it. I think its fun to see how much or little you can buy an item for. I think practically everyone who works for Getty Images now owns a “watch.” Most of the vendors can speak English very well and love using certain terms – impossible, I going to kill you, cheaper, buy for your wife, buy for your mother, it’s real no fake.
So far I have bought some knickknacks and some gifts for Toni and my family. I’m only a week in so the shopping might get a little out of control if I keep going back to the markets. I went last night with Brandon, Patrick and Chambers. Patrick bought a whole new wardrobe, Chambers bought a little of everything including a really nice hand painted picture and Brandon almost grabbed a pair of Jordan’s but decided against it. Me, just a Wenger bag to bring some stuff back home in, which was good.
The most interesting thing in the markets is actually having a conversation with the vendors. They all moved to Beijing to work in the shops and only get to go home for one month a year (the Chinese New Year.) They work seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. but all seem somewhat happy. Maybe its because they don’t know any better. I met one guy who spoke five different languages (English, Mandarin, Korean, Italian and Spanish.)