Lost in Guangzhou!-Part 3
“Done and dusted” . I ticked off the last item on my list. I had one leather ottoman, two cartons of battery powered table lamps, two cartons of unique table vases, three cartons of leather tissue boxes, one carton of pixie wigs and a few leather bags. Total spend? $1875. Not bad for a first timer I thought to myself.
I decided to take a ride to district three.I was curious to see what was in that area. I got off and began my window shopping. By the way, the Zebra crossing means nothing in Yiwu. Please check both sides of the streets for oncoming traffic if you happen to find yourself there.
It was interesting to see how all the traders didn’t care who or what colour you were. They were there to “ sell market” as we say in Nigerian parlance.
As I was walking down the aisle on the first floor , I got to a store that sold eyewear.Ah yes, I needed a replacement and I walked in. I said “Nihao”. The young sales rep responded with Good afternoon. What was that?
I said “ Oh you speak English?”. He said “yes”.
What a relief! He showed me around the store , helping me choose a pair of frames to fit my oblong face. He asked if I wanted to have the lens fitted. I said I would just buy and have them done back at home in Nigeria.
He said “ we can do for you now if you want,.like 30 minutes, ready. I was in awe. Back home you’d have to wait at least three days to have your lens fitted.
I said “ ok”
He walked to the next store and there it was - the almighty autorefractor.
I wondered if any of these men were qualified. Well they didn’t need to be! The machine did everything . Checked my eyes, got my prescription. That information was printed out . Lens cut and fitted into my frames all for less than $50! If that wasn’t bon marché, I don’t know what else was!
I walked out of there with a new pair of eyes and a swagger in my stride.My fellow four-eyed friends would understand!
When we got back that evening, we all decided to go to the night market. The night market had a “vibe”. So many stalls selling items you can only verify their authenticity in the dark ! But that’s not the one that got me- it was the FOOD!
I know Chinese cuisine is adventurous, I just didn’t know how adventurous until I walked past a food vendor who sold “point and kill “ seafood delicacy. One such was the large edible frog.
This was an uncomfortable surprise.
First of all, I had never seen a frog that big. Secondly, I couldn’t imagine eating one. Apparently, it’s a well sought after dish not only in China but some parts of Asia too. Now, if you think I tried this, I hate to disappoint you, I did not. At this point, I was craving McDonald's in Guangzhou. Raliyat on the other hand, had the octopus kebab. Her verdict? Tasted like chicken. Yeah right!
On the bright side of this dark night, I bought a Rolex for 500rmb (less than $100). How I expected this to be real was beyond me. The seller said it was from the factory. At that time, I believed I made a great bargain. Let's just say, I could never wear it. LOL!
After walking around for about an hour, we returned to the hotel to pack for our flight out to Guangzhou the next day. As I lay down on that semi hard mattress, my mind anticipated what Guangzhou would be like.