Margie wins the prize at taking the best children photos. Above is one of them from the Ming Tomb park.
First stop today was the Jade factory Tour. When you come to China using a tour package, I guarantee that you will be taken to at least 1 or 2 factory tours in each city. Since everything is made in China, you might as well see how it is being made, but keep a good grip on your credit cards and wallets cause you will see lots of things that will encourage you to part with your money. This is because factory tours ALWAYS end at the entrance of a large store. I would have thought that after 8 months here I would have become ‘jaded’ to the lure of this style of their Chinese Infomercials but no….. I STILL spend money in their factory shops. Basically my job was to go around with the girls and tell them if they will see that item in another city for a better price and help them bargain. Most people can bargain better than I but the GA girls were stuck with me. Margie and Linda were the winners here of buying the prettiest stuff.
After the jade store we went to the Ming Tombs where the 13 of the 15 or 16 Ming Emporers were buried. The first emperor, Zhu Di, selected the site for the tombs after sending his Feng Shui expert into the country to look for the perfect place for them to spend their afterlife.
After we went down and back up many flights of stairs to visit one of the tombs we needed a stretch. Luckily we had Margie with us. She made us do Yoga stretches to loosen up our tight muscles. I really will have to start taking Yoga when I get back. The hard part will be keeping my mouth shut during the sessions. After our stretches Margie and Laura bought their Chinese farmer hats. How embarrassing! At least they bargained for them and got a reasonable deal.
Cloisonne Factory Tour. Two in one day! Usually they will spread the factory tours out, but the guides must be doubling up before the Olympic crowds. Lunch was conveniently located on the second floor of the Cloisonné factory STORE. So we toured, ate and then shopped. I am sure I won the “purchased the most” award here. Next stop was the Great Wall….. That deserves its’ own blog.
