5 floors of cheap stuff

We ventured out today by ourselves for the first time. After a slow relaxing start to the morning, we caught the subway ($0.50 each per ride) to the shopping area Gabe recommended. We managed to get off at the right stop and even walk in the correct direction. We stopped half way to eat the mystery snacks we had purchased from the Kiss And Bake bakery...one turned out to be walnut fruit cake and the other (more surprisingly) was a bun filled with tuna and corn.

We refueled again with an icecream before entering the 5 stories of stuff. The top level was a food court, then everything else on the lower levels from suitcases to ceramics, handbags to Armani jackets. We spent a few hours wandering around, but in the end our only purchase was two pairs of CK boxer shorts for me. Luckily Gabe had told me roughly how much I should pay since their starting price was 180RMB and the price I got down to was 17.5RMB ($3). Everything else, though cheap, was the same stuff you can get in Melbourne. Admittedly it was cheaper ($12 for jeans, $5 for shirts), but there wasn't anything really interesting, funky or unusual.

We eventually left, a little disappointed and hassled, and strolled back to the subway. At least the cityscape had a beautiful blue sky backdrop (cleared of pollution by the previous evening's strong winds).