Day Five - Friday, April 19, 2013

Friday was basically another off day.  Mr. Li just asked us to hang out at the hotel room in the afternoon in case he needed anything while he went back to the notary office and police station for some of our business. We got up, got ready, did our Skype thing back home, ate breakfast and walked around the block for awhile in the morning.  We didn't want to go far since we needed to be in the room for the afternoon.  This whole area is so crazy full of shops.  You can walk any direction and see store after store.  When you look down any side streets as you walk it is full of more and more stores.

We walked a different way this morning and went down a street full of pets.  There were turtles, fish, hamsters and more!  There are all of these aquariums just sitting out on the sidewalks, and then the stores are filled with the same.  I don't know how they do it, but every night they pull all of the tanks back in.  I love angel fish and discus, and they have tons of them here.  I have always thought the discus fish are the prettiest freshwater fish.  It is often hard to find a pet store with them, and quarter size discus are like $25 at home, and the big ones can be $50 - $100.  Here they had all sizes and they were only like the equivalent of $8 - $15 USD.  I couldn't believe it.  I'm pretty sure carrying one on the plane would be difficult though :(

Mr. Li called later in the afternoon and said everything was good, so we were basically free for the night.  He gave us a contact for a local laundry service that would be cheaper than the hotel, so we called them and had our clothes picked up.  After that, we went out walking a new way.  We ran into some more McDonald's, and another KFC and Pizza Hut.  We ate at Pizza Hut again.  Heidi had a steak and Elora wanted spaghetti.  Maybe she just thought it would be her usual noodles, but she kept pointing at it so we let her get it.  She didn't like it at all.  Heidi said it tasted like Chef Boyardee.  I didn't try it.  I ordered a large Pepsi, and it wound up being a whole pitcher and three glasses with ice and lemon.  :)

On the way back we made a few more purchases.  We decided we may need one more bag to take souvenirs back in, so we bought Elora a bag she can wheel around to help on the way back.  We weren't really certain if we wanted to buy it or not, but the lady in the store really wanted to make a sale and haggled with us on the price.  Our ability to communicate in stores is always poor, so the store people generally get out a calculator and type the price they are willing to take for something.  All of these kinds of things seemed strange at first, but we are starting to get used to it.

We are starting to get used to a lot of things around here.  We really need to get home, though, because Elora is starting to think we really live in a hotel.  She is starting to master all of the elevator buttons and the room key, and even powering up the room with the room key.  We are looking forward to getting home with the rest of the family, and seeing Elora figure things out in her real home.  :)

Notice our hotel at the end of the street.

I love this picture.  It looks like a noodle commercial or something.

I hope she can see the TV all right.  She apparently likes Lord of the Rings.

What kind of McDonald's is this?  LOL

Mom is telling her, "Pick one."