Dallying in Dalian

PS: Note to Beijing

Holland America 2 day Great Wall Tour $699 per person

Gates Hicks 2 day Great Wall Tour $170 per person

That should cover the balance of the silk comforters, the expensive Internet, and a couple of bananas.

9:00 AM We begin our last day in China, Dalian, a resort town looking like its architectural ancestor Russia. We only have equivalent of $58 between us and don’t want to get more so will be a small shopping day.

11:00 AM Took the free shuttle to the Friendship Store. (see below), but wanted to get to the inexpensive Internet café that was even written up in Frommer’s tour guide. We hopped in a taxi, and Kriss showed them the directions. We entered and there were about 40 computers, and they did actually have English keyboards. But when Kriss tried to purchase some time they couldn’t understand a word she said or motion she used. No prices listed anywhere. There were maybe 25 people in there playing games and watching Utube type videos so I suspected it was very cheap but if we couldn’t get the password to get on it still would help. A girl tried to help us but it seemed the worker wanted our passports, which were back on the ship. So she wouldn’t let us on. One nice guy couldn’t understand the words but at least understood the frustrated expressions on our faces, so he offered his keyboard to us on his time. I sat down to pull up our emails. I clicked on the address bar and typed in gmail, same design and background and bars were in Chinese characters. The guy then took the mouse and between the two of us were able to pick up our email. But using his time we were in a hurry and felt bad, not knowing what the price was. Kriss hadn’t checked her email for 2 days and had over 80 emails to sift through. (Note to Kriss family….please stop sending big files and group mailings the rest of this week until she gets home…it clogs the ship internet.)

“The Friendship Store” was interesting to say the least. . especially after the Market in Beijing. (We were hoping for touristy shop for postcards and magnets but not a one in sight. The store was 8 floors of the most expensive NAMEBRAND departments you could name or imagine. Truly each fancy name brand had a compartment by themselves, guessing 20 compartments per floor, and more employees /salesclerks per square foot than I’ve ever seen, even at McDonalds. The second polo shirt Kriss looked at was $350 US which was a warning of what was to come. We left Dad in his wheelchair by the escalator, and quickly did laps around the 8 floors, keeping our eyes straightforward but trying to check out the merchandise at the same time, just for the experience. You would think that with all the expensive diamonds, clothing and “Prada” bags, that this store could spend a few Yuen’s for toilet paper….but no. Still squatting and “BYOTP!”

1:00 Ed and Dad returned to ship to find a bathroom where Gpa didn’t have to squat.

2:00 PM We are back already and couldn’t even find one thing to spend out last Chinese Yuen’s on.

Kriss and I took one last trip out walking to the Harbor Square shops in hopes that there was somewhere to get postcards, magnets, and still hunting for souvenir’s for my children. (Visions of Caleb’s and Becca’s wedding gift from my Taiwan neighbor of red Chinese placemats and chopsticks keeps coming into view, only here it isn’t a joke.) We found another 6 floor scary building. We were about the only ones shopping there. A few very strange experiences: In front of one store of blue Ming type vases were 4 glass cases of broken dishes, all the blue and white type that my mother in law collected. But they were all broken and actually had a price listed on them. We saw many stores of Chinese dishes and vases and antiques of Buddha’s from small to larger than life size in gold, jade, wood. There was some nice antique Chinese furniture, if you like that sort of thing. As we made it to the 5 floor there was a darkened corner with 5 men sitting at the table playing cards and they motioned Kriss to come in and play…..that would be one way to get rid of our last Yuen’s. We both quickened our steps to get out of there. The last and top floor was less expensive things and we thought we might find something here, but there were the strangest smells that we both got sick to our stomachs, breathing through our mouths and Kriss was sure she was going to throw up. We both nearly ran down the 6 flights of stairs seeking the not so fresh air that was outside. We walked back to the ship to spend our last few hours in China back safe and sound on the ship, veranda, or reading our books (and writing to you) in the quiet of our room, knowing nobody was going to Honk at us.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, will be our last Sea Day, then Wednesday is Cheju City in South Korea. Stay tuned for more great adventures ahead.

Thinking and missing all of you at home. Each day we are here makes us feel more blessed than we ever knew possible. Being in China, where they are only allowed to have one child due to overpopulation has been a constant reminder of how thankful we are to live where we do. In our past week here in all our travels we might see just a handful of children in hours. Going back in our own lives we think…Rachel and Charise would have been our only children, but then we realize that Kriss and Pam and Ed would have never been, and even Dad/Gpa and Mom/Gma would have never been. How different all our lives would have been. Next Monday, upon our return to you, may be one of those times we really want to ‘kiss the ground we walk on. “