Markets

Yesterday I went with grandad to both Alien Street Market, which has many signs in Russian and for a while enjoyed the attention of tourist and Russians who would go there to buy in bulk and take the goods to be sold back in their country. Today it is not so busy any more. The first time I'd even known of it was in the taxi guide book Amy got me. I was puzzled by the name and looked it up. In tourist guides these days it is Pearl Market and Silk Market which get all the publicity.

It was much nicer there - less crowded and the sellers are not as frantic or bothersome. Grandad and I got belts and he did his magic in talking down the price.

Then we went to Yaxiu Market which is in the trendy Sanlitun district, where there are bars and restaurants and the very architecturally bizarre Soho buildings. There is going to be another Soho in town and the boards that are up show images of a few cylindrical fat squat buildings, that are hollow in the centre, perhaps for a beautiful park. I can't wait until that is built.

Yaxiu is busier but still more pleasant than Silk Market.