Beijing Pearl and Silk Markets (7,653 miles)

Today we hit the Silk and Pearl markets with Aji and Katie. The pearl market is just what it says it is, floors and floors of pearls. The silk market is a touch misleading. It is shop after shop of knock-offs: purses, shoes, jackets, jeans. You name it and its in there, or at least a cheap imitation. I hear Dolge Gabbana is all the rage this year! Both places are an experience of culture shock. Vendors call out as you walk by, some grab at your wrist and pull you into their nook if they manage to keep hold long enough. Pick something up and it is almost impossible to put it down again. People will continue to put it back in your hand. They would hold onto your arm and drag you from item to item until they found something you liked. The only thing that seemed to stop them was the statement: “You don't have what I want.” Anything thing less than that would encourage the aggressive sales pitch. Make the mistake of trying something on and then not buying and you really feel the lash of their tongue. Those ladies looked sweet, but could rip you apart in seconds. To make matters worse, everything was priced at 50-90% more than you needed to pay. Haggling was required. You had to start with an opening bid at 10% their asking price. We ended up paying about 20% of “retail” on most items. It was tiring.... But we found some bargins and brought home some hard fought souvenirs.