The boys and I walk down to the subway station and take a straight shot to Qienmen Street shopping. First we are walking up the main drag, a wide street with trolley tracks in the road. Many bathrooms. We go in a few stores, but I’m not really seeing what I’m looking for.
Ah, a break in the alley to the side streets where the real shopping is. And first thing we see is Haw on a stick! I knew if I was to find it anywhere it would be here. 2 of us get the haw, 2 strawberries. 10 yuan a stick! 5 years ago they were 3-5 yuan each.
We go into several 10 yuan stores, think dollar store, but it’s more like $1.65. Aidan got a giant colorful slinky, I got a few hair clips(I’ve been waiting to buy them in China), they each ended up with a spinner. Ethan is good at being the interpreter, we haggled and I feel won.
Aidan really wanted rear wheels for your shoes, they told us 85 yuan for 1. How many you want to buy. None really, but gee I have 3 kids, so 3. She tells me 180 for 3. No. 160. No. 120. No. 100. No. I want them for 90. Ok. Sometimes you just gotta think what are you willing to pay for them. I didn’t want them, so I was only willing to throw away $5 each and hopefully they break in the next 3 weeks. Plus sometimes you get a better deal if you buy more.
We also found meat on a stick. Not at any street vendor cart anymore, but form a restaurant with a walk up window. 12 yuan each! 5 years ago 5-6 yuan each. Maybe the price of rat meat went up? We ended with another haw on a stick because I don’t know if I’ll find them again. Knowing we are going to come back here to get another one before we leave and do some more shopping. The boys enjoyed it.
After we went home and told our tales of the best haggle we went out for dinner. Big steamy bowls of wontons in a steamy little restaurant on a steamy day. Uggh, I feel like a slug.
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