Local Shopping with Guide

Monday we get a pass on Lina's TB test results, so she is all set.  Then we went shopping in a mall and along the streets near our hotel.  It is a different experience in the open street markets.  The food is out in the open.  People are washing dishes at the fast food restaurants right on the sidewalk.  A man was sitting on the ground of the alley cutting his raw fish for dinner on a wooden block.  A little girl saw us and ran back to her parents store.  Matt said she was probably saying, "There are strange people coming and they are taking captives!"

Pet Market where locals can buy a family pet.  This is just outside our hotel.

We had some tea in the corner of a silk shop with the owner, Mrs. Tang, who is famous for her embroidery and her school for embroidery in the Henan Province.  She gave us a book/magazine about herself.  She also gave us a traditional medical treatment kit to remove impurities from your body.  Poor Simon was the volunteer to receive this treatment.  It gave him a HUGE bruise on each arm!  I told him he would have to wear long sleeves tomorrow;  he agreed that it isn't the best treatment during the summer months because of the marks it leaves on your body.  She gave Simon his own kit, because she said he was fighting a cold and he verified that she was right.  So anyone interested?  We'll let you try it when we get home!

She did try it on Matt for just a moment.  It was amazing to watch the suction power of this instrument!

After souvenir shopping, Lina and MaMa hit a dress shop.  Lina was so into finding a dress that she liked.  The lady even gave Lina 3 necklaces for her to share with MaMa and Jie Jie.