On Our Own

Saturday, January 23, 2010

We feel rested this morning and think we have our days and nights sorted out.
We’ll retrace a lot of the same steps with took with Shannon on Thursday, aiming to buy some groceries and get a feel for the area.

At the little store outside the apartment complex we pick up a few things. There is a young girl in the store who wants to practice her English and she helps the clerk find the things we want.

We bring our purchases back to the apartment, up the 73 steps bundled in heavy outdoor clothing. We’re hot and feel like we have lead feet by the time we reach the top.

Out at the curb again we hail a taxi. The fare to the shopping center is 8 RMB, or about $1.20.

We hear drums as we near downtown and head toward the sound once we’re there.
Downtown is busy. The atmosphere quickens your pulse.

China is noisy. People shout, loudspeakers blare. Music blasts from storefronts. Men argue, women scold, sirens shrill. Boys set off little fireworks. But children laugh.

We find the drums, about 10 of them, each three feet in diameter. It’s an all-woman band, with three women per drum. They’re all dressed in red costumes. The sound is powerful and exciting.

We’re in front of New Mart so we go inside to look around. I buy a pair of gray boots to wear in Harbin and some earmuffs. Bernie does the bargaining, but I don’t think he’s getting the best possible price, so I vow to give it at try as soon as possible.

We get lunch from Subway and sit at a table beside two women and a child who is eating a hot dog and some ice cream. She’s at first, but then begins to laugh with us. And who said Chinese people are short? Her mother tells us she’s three, the tallest three-year-old I think I’ve ever seen.

On the lower level, we shop for meat at Trust Mart, choosing something we know, pork cutlets.

It’s mid-afternoon. Despite a good night’s rest we’re tired.

We’re glad we have groceries and won’t have to go out tonight for dinner.

Into another taxi. Already I love the availability and cheapness of taxis here.

At the apartment, I sink onto the couch. Bernie wants to cook tonight: pork cutlets in orange sauce, broccoli, and rice. Suits me.