Day 13 – The Perfect Dumpling and Monkey Man

10/20/2009 04:47:00 PM Tully Mars

Our final day in China found us wanting to grab some of the many items we had bypassed earlier in the trip along with picking up a few gifts for friends and family. The China Town area seemed the best part of town to do the last day of shopping. We ended up sleeping in late with the maids knocking at our door wanting to clean our room at 8:25 followed almost immediately by a phone call from “the sisters”. We were suppose to call them at 8:00 to make meeting arrangements, but I did a great job of getting the blinds closed on our room so absolutely no light came thru the window. Opps!



We had a quick coffee and fruit platter breakfast in the downstairs lobby eatery while waiting for the girls to arrive at our hotel. Gigi and I had the same idea for lunch; our first visits to China Town we noticed this very long line of Chinese waiting for dumplings, so we figured if the locals are willing to wait in line for these things they must be good. We hit a couple of shops along the way and finally worked our way to the growing line. We must have waited 45-50 minutes in line for our turn at the window. Sean and I were the only ones interested in eating them so we split 48 one inch diameter dumplings filled with an unknown meatball for around $7 total and got completely stuffed. They were worth the long wait in line! Tricia tried one and said, “Well, they’re eatable but what’s the fuse?” I guess she was still having that uncontrollable urge.



We bargained and shopped the rest of the day away in China Town. All the girls ended up having either Sean or I help do the price negotiations on the stuff they purchased. The rule was simple, pick out what you want, discuss what you think it is worth, and then we would beat up the vendor to get it cheaper than what they wanted to pay. The one cardinal rule was, if either Sean or I thought it was a bad deal we had the authority to walk away. We usually got the price much lower than what the girls wanted to pay, sometimes as much as 1/3 of what they were willing to pay!


The bargaining was consistent with going to a used car dealership. Starting price is 4 or 5 times the final settling price and it was always fun getting to the final price. A couple times I walked from the deal to be scolded by Tricia saying she would pay “that price”; only to buy the very same knock off (cheap trinket) usually lower than the final price I tried earlier to settle on. Tricia has such a big heart she would pay the asking price less 10% or so because “they are so nice”. (Don’t tell her, but that’s why I love her so much – that big loving heart of hers.)



We had made plans to buy dinner for Joel and Junjun since all the family meals up to this point were paid by her family. Joel told us NOT to try and help pay for the bill with her family because it would be a show of disrespect. So we grudgingly abided the entire visit insisting on the final dinner with Joel and Junjun being our treat. They selected a local restaurant where we gathered for dinner.


Again grabbing two taxi’s, but with a better plan on how not to get separated we headed from China Town to the restaurant. Our taxi driver either had recently graduated from the NASCAR school for taxi’s or thought we were on the Amazing Race, because he was GOOD! The more we laughed at the cutting in and out of traffic with the accelerations matching those on an oval track, the faster and crazier his driving became. We literally screeched to a stop at the meeting spot (a KFC!) and we dumped out of the taxi a good 10 minutes ahead of the girls (it was only a 15 minute ride for us!) I broke the cardinal rule with Chinese taxi drivers and tipped the guy 5 Yuan or $0.80, knowing if Joel found out he would scold me – LOL.



While walking around the park next to the KFC we notice an old man with a monkey. If you dropped coins in his little bucket he would get the monkey to dance for you. It was his way of making a simple living with the tools that he had, so Sean and I dropped 2 Yuan in his can and got the show. One of the “sisters” saw it and did the same thing, except when she did it the monkey did not behave so the old man smacked it a couple times to get it to dance. This completely enraged her thinking it was cruelty to animals and walked away. It’s interesting how we can visit another country and because we are there as tourist these guys show up to carve out what we would consider a substandard living. At the same time we judge with prejudice the manner in which or the way they go about their lives. (Just a thought you can ponder on!)


We had a relaxing dinner with the newlyweds with more gifts being given to the sisters from Junjun’s mother and for both Shirley and Sandy (the sister’s mother and step-mother) back in the states. I’m sure they will be grateful for the very nice gifts, we just don’t know how we are going to get all this STUFF back to the states. Tricia purchased a large purse big enough to hide a full size tank inside, so I felt confident we could at least get Shirley’s and Jenny’s (the one missing sister) gifts back home along with our junk. It would just be heavy to carry! (I hope we don’t have any issues with Customs Declarations!)


Remember in China there is no PDA; well “the sisters” are a hugging family and they were not going to say goodbye without squeezing everyone including Junjun. She took it well, but you could see a little apprehension in her body language. It will be a complete culture shock for her when she comes to the states next year and she meets the entire “Adams Family” (as I so effectionately call them). They will literally squeeze the Chinese right out of this young girl – LOL. After saying our final goodbyes and distributing hugges all around, we grabbed another taxi to our hotel.


Stay tuned for some final thoughts and notes on our trip after we get settled back into our daily “American” lives and Tricia has gotten her fill of Mexican food – LOL!


Steaming dumplings - yummy!

Now look who's the emperior!

Chinese OSHA approved scaffolding - LOL

My dancer partner for one of the many performance artist at China Town (I saw her dancing around while a young lady was singing in the plaza, so I joined her.  Everyone around, including her and I, laughed as we dance a little jig to the Chinese song.  She never spoke a word to me, but she laughed and danced - what more did she need to say?)

The last dinner with Junjun before we headed home.
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1 Response
  1. Mis Book writer Says:
    October 23, 2009 at 6:47 AM

    Don't you mean 'like emperis' not emporor!


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