20 June 2010 China Update
It's sunny, warm and very pleasant here today. Since having a mid-week holiday, and knowing that I'll be flying out tomorrow evening to go to France, we didn't want to do anything big, so we have rested and relaxed!
Yesterday, my big deal was going to get my hair cut. One of the tough things about moving is you have to get new hair care, new doctors, new dentists...all of the personal care items. So far, I haven't needed the Doctor, and I still plan on using a US dentist on trips back...but I had to get a new hair dresser. Around the corner from the hotel, there is a hair place, so I decided to go..with Rod's prodding! I went in, they greeted me, told me the price (68 Yuan...about $10.00) for a wash, cut and style. I said OK, and this young man (looked like he couldn't have been over 14 to me!) took me back to was my hair. The room was filled full of recliner spa type chairs with hair bowls attached. I laid back, and he got my hair wet, shampooed it and gave me about a 15 minute scalp and neck message..I thought I had died and gone to heaven! I came out of my trance and went to get my hair cut by another older man. I'm guessing the young guy is an apprentice because he watched the entire time as the other man cut my hair. Neither one spoke english...so I had to show how much I wanted off with my fingers...I'm not exactly thrilled with the look, but, one thing about hair...it will grow out! Not really great...but here's a picture anyway!
Today, we went to the flea market and looked around and ended up buying several decorative items to put in the apartment. Rod made friends a few weeks ago with a young girl who speaks english and he bought a nice piece of petrified wood from her...there is a forest of petrified wood in her home town and she brings it to Shenyang to sell at the flea market. We also bought from another guy a bronze cloisonné bowl and a "singing bowl". The cloisonne bowl looks old, but I'm not sure it is...I really don't trust anything to be authentic...I'm sure they see the foreigners coming from a mile away and see $$ in their pockets. It's amazing how much they will start off asking..and how much you can actually buy for. The singing bowl is common here..you hit it and it reverberates like a bell, then you rub it on the edge with a wooden stick and it will really reverberate and get a lot of harmonics going to "sing".
"Daisy" (her english name) and her mother in front of their flea market store with a few pieces of petrified wood on the table in the background
Bronze cloisonne bowl with dragon handles, a piece of petrified wood and the singing bowl.
A ceramic figurine of a baby human riding a baby dragon, and a cloisonné pot. This pot is not old, but I liked it!
I'm not sure any of this stuff will end up in my decorating scheme in the US when we return..but I figure we'll be here for awhile, so we might as well have something interesting in our apartment!
I"m not sure what I'll do for updates for the next month and a half...it's possible, nothing...it's possible something. It depends on whether or not I'll take my computer. For those of you on FB, I'll see you there for sure...for those not on FB...it could be mid August before my next note.
Thank you all for your emails...keep us in your prayers as we travel.
Sarah
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