Simple Pleasures

Today the sky is bright, though overcast. Yesterday afternoon was in an odd sort of permanent twilight, probably a combination of smog and clouds. The temperatures are rising and we don't need heavy winter wear much. This past weekend, we did go to one of the many 'copy markets' here in Shanghai and buy some warmer coats, partly because of the spring sales and also because we are going to Beijing for the weekend. Beijing is supposed to be cold. Keep in mind we are now thin-skinned southerners who have gotten accustomed to the mild Atlanta, Georgia winters so that 'cold' takes on a different meaning than our childhoods in Minnesota and upstate New York. 50 degrees is cold. 60 degrees is chilly. Lower 70's also might require a light sweater.

A dollar can go a long ways here in China. At the copy market, we bought 4 coats (2 winter, 2 light jackets), 3 men's dress shirts, and 5 ties all for around 120 US dollars. Not bad. We returned to the market we had seen the other day when we out for lunch with our Chinese teacher's friend. The alley next to the metro station was full of vendors as was the street next to it. People were selling the usual purses, watches, and DVDs. Places like this are excellent for just people watching. If you are intent on buying things other than DVDs and CDs, you're probably better off at a place like the copy market we had been to earlier. We got back on the metro and went to People's Square. We ended up in a park near the People's Square park with the Shanghai Museum. This park had a mini amusement park with a carousel and a few other rides, including bumper cars. For 5 RMB (about 60 cents, US) a person, we had to do it. I took a short video of the bumper cars. It appeared that the people in the cars were carefully trying not to hit each other. That changed once we got into the ring.
That was a lot of fun; the best 5 RMB we've spent.