Day 4 Beijing/Taiyuan

As I write this entry (and the one prior), I am travelling in an express train to Taiyuan, where I will finally meet up with Hadley!!  We weren’t scheduled to meet our guide until 1PM, so we grabbed a taxi to the Pearl Market again – but this time we were armed with a knack for bargaining and a list!!  We hit the upper floors where the higher quality pearls are sold.  I made some purchases (those requested) including a gift for Hadley when she’s older.  The pearls are freshwater pearls, but we learned a little about the differences in quality, and stayed away from the lower quality stuff that we can buy cheap anywhere.  While not cultured sea pearls, the pearls I selected were quite nice with even shape and color.   They string the pearls right in front of you and you select a clasp.  They were VERY nice, and since it was still early, we had a very relaxing experience.

After purchasing our pearls we headed downstairs to the accessories – bags and shoes!!!  I’m not even going to disclose the damage we did there.  Again, what fun!!  Everything was SO cheap!!!   It was a good thing we had limited time to spend (and limited funds!!).   As it is, our bags are so heavy!!!  

We met our guide at the appointed time and headed off to Beijing West Railway Station, where we boarded a train to Taiyuan.  Did I mention that we are the only Caucasians on the train???  It doesn’t seem to matter … not to them or to us.  I truly adore the Chinese people.   They are never impatient with us, always polite, and appreciative of our desire to absorb and learn more about their culture.

Our provincial guide, Anna, met us at the Railway Station and took us to the 5-Star World Trade Hotel, where we checked into our room already equipped with a crib!! 

 

Tomorrow, we change money in the morning and meet Hadley in the afternoon ... so, my next post should go something like:  "The moment you've all been waiting for."