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Published: August 20th 2019
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We had a day off today, as we worked all weekend and had a travel day yesterday. We are worth it! Breakfast was not a patch on the other places we’ve been to, but there is no danger of starving and I found some kind of bread and butter pudding which was delicious.
We decided to get a cab to the Mixc shopping centre we’d seen from the taxi yesterday. I had spotted Calvin Klein, so we thought it would be a good bet. The map said over an hour’s walk, which neither of us were feeling like in 35 degrees and high humidity. The hotel called us a cab, a lady driver who definitely took the scenic route but the fare was less than £2 so not the end of the world! We did knock on the window for her to stop as soon as we saw it or she would have carried on.
It was really nice inside, clean, cool, practically deserted. Mainly the shops were well-known chains, the Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Miss Sixty. It’s hard to see prices. Only the sale items were labelled and the rest you have to ask for. We bought some things
in a household shop and in Uniqlo, although it probably would have been cheaper in the UK. The bookshops were very pretty, with lovely stationery and stuff for children. We had coffee in Starbucks as it was literally the only option, 2 tall lattes, £9.11! Wowzers! More then at home. There was no menu at this one so the girls fetched Larry, the guy with 3 words of English. There is always someone with 3 words of English!
After making our way up through the levels we got to the 6th where there were restaurants and a food court at the end. This was easy in that all the food was on display wrapped in plastic. Not so easy as when we made up our minds and tried to pay they didn’t take cash. There is a cashier at the entrance who you pay and get a rechargeable card. I’ve never encountered this before. We needed 60RMB on ours, then we went back and handed it over. We both had a plate of 3 kinds of duck and chicken, rice and greens and soup for £3.50. It was good but I struggle with the way they chop everything up
so there are little bits of bone to negotiate round. Leslie takes it in his stride. It was super clean. Too clean, in fact, as the cleaner was coming round with a machine which left the floor wet and I slipped and went down bang on one knee.
There was a fantastic children’s play area where you buy tokens and get your kid addicted to slot machines from a very early age, and it had a huge soft play area, a sandpit with disconcertingly dark coloured sand and the biggest ball pond ever. I asked if I could take a photo of the girls working there and they got all giggly and hid. There is also an ice rink where some really small children were twirling around very professionally. It’s the kind of place where children would ask to go to for the day, an all round experience. I’m sure it’s out of reach for a lot of Chinese but it was really impressive and we liked it a lot. A place calle Mommi’s Cafe had the most gorgeous little items in it, some of which I bought.
There were toilets on each floor, the women’s were all
squatties. As I came out of a cubicle a little girl was trying the doors to look for one with toilet paper and her grandmother was in crouch position in the first one as you came in with the door wide open. I shot past but they do not seem to worry about it at all. I’m thankful they have doors to use if you want to!
When we were done we asked the information desk where we could get a taxi (with the help of google) and went out to a bus stop where we could see some others trying. There were a lot of the green coloured cabs but they all went past full, or didn’t like the look of us. So we went round the corner and eventually managed, but it took 20 minutes or so. There were a lot of buses but we didn’t know which number to get. Taxis are not easy to get hold of as we can’t get the apps they use here.
After a bit of chill time, when I was woken out of a doze by a ring at my door and the daily free tiny cakes and carton
of milk, we went out to try to find the Night Market marked on our tourist map, theoretically 2 streets up. It was not there, but we did find a park with senior aerobics again. It is everywhere, each group with their own uniform. Watching the little toddlers copying was so cute, but when they spotted us they were open mouthed. The people are surprised to see us but smile back so readily if you make the first move, and were again keen for us to join in. We strolled a bit further and went into a very local supermarket to buy beer. There are no bars here, only restaurants, and even the hotel only has the expensive executive club. There were different kinds of Oreos in small packs of 2 and some chickens feet, individually wrapped, so I got one of each but at the till it was clear they are sold by weight and you have to do that yourself, so we gave up on that one for another time. We are learning something new every day.
On the way back there was a children’s clothes shop with THE most inappropriate slogan ever. It was for a
7 or 8 year old. Big Pecker’s Club. MBMBERS ONIF! Decided our dear little Arthur Stanley did not need it in his wardrobe.
Another knock at the door in the hotel and this time it was a bowl of cold peanut soup in a pot with a Buddha on the top. Quite nice, not too sweet.
Tomorrow is an early start as we are being picked up for work at 8am. It isn’t far, eat a small mountain (hill) we can see from the hotel.
It was a really good day. So many people tried to help us.
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