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<\/a><\/p>\nThe green light tells you what stop you are at and a red blinking light shows the upcoming stop.\u00a0 We were able to get on the right line, transfer, and get off the train in a breeze.<\/p>\n
Qianmen! They had a beautiful gate and lots of flowers around. Although the shops were modern like Haagen Dazs and H&M, the whole street looked like it was preserved from the past.<\/p>\n Rafannah and I explored the street but we ended up walking down a little alley to see all the trinkets a local vendor was selling. I successfully asked how much some sandals were (victory 1). I don’t know why but we continued down this alley to a very pleasant surprise. This alley connected to a parallel street which was filled with only local vendors!<\/p>\n They sold traditional shoes, little Chinese toys, trinkets, and jewelry. We found whole shops where everything was 10 kuai (less than $2.00). Even though she didn’t buy the pair of shoes, I helped my roommate haggle the price down (victory 2). We saw lots of\u00a0\u65d7\u888d (qipao), which is the traditional Chinese dress. We explored shops that only sold silk and shops that only sold knockoffs.<\/p>\n Using my Chinese, I bought a much needed water bottle which has a built in tea strainer! (victory 3). I can now boil water in my dorm and drink it without having to buy plastic water bottles.<\/p>\n After walking for about 3 hours, Rafannah and I were worn out. We found a busy looking restaurant (a good sign that the food is not only good but safe to eat) and ordered lunch in Chinese (victory 4).\u00a0 The Chinese eat family style.\u00a0 Instead of everyone ordering their own meal and only eating their meal, the Chinese order 2-4 plates (depends on how many people are eating) and everyone shares the food.\u00a0 You can try as much or as little as you please.\u00a0 My favorite part is the fact that all Chinese restaurants I’ve been to so far have pictures of every single dish.\u00a0 So although I haven’t mastered the names of all the foods I like, it is easy to tell what you are ordering! Neat, huh?<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n