Shopping

I went to bed, listening to my ipod. Eventually I fell asleep.
Wednesday
I woke up when daylight crept between the curtains. I did not feel like getting up. So I tapped. After awhile, there was a tapping at the door. Michele said they were going to breakfast in five minutes. I washed up and got dressed. Chris stayed in bed. I went down to the dining room. The family was there, and another couple. I got a plate of food. This time, boiled eggs were on the buffet. I sat with the others and we had a little chitchat, but not like usual. On the way back to our rooms, we stopped to get our passes for the excursion. I got Chris' pass. We also signed up for the tour of the wheelhouse. I signed both of us, figuring he could handle that. When I got back, I asked Chris if he wanted a banana, but he said no. I also asked about the pass and the wheelhouse and he said yes. He got up to get ready, and found my fanny pack behind his duffle bag. I went searching for James, our tour guide. I told him Chris was coming along and that he found my fanny pack. It was embarrassing to admit that both Michele and I missed it when searching the room, but I had to tell him as soon as possible. While looking for him, I passed the tailor shop. No one was around, so I got two pieces of fabric from the trash. When I got to the room, I picked up my tablet and discovered we had internet. So I deleted a lot of e-mail. Then I sat at the laptop to start typing up today's post.

At 8 Michele knocked on our door to say they were going down for the excursion. I put everything I thought I needed in my fanny pack. Then we went down to the first deck. We walked through the first deck of another ship (double parked again) and onto the dock. We walked past a few trinket stands, then onto the floating planks that led to shore. Some Chinese ladies were washing their clothes in the river. I hurried to keep up with the group. We turned on our receivers so we could hear the guide. James (our guide) passed the microphone and scepter to another guide. (The scepter is a stick with a paddle on top that shows a large letter D for our group.) She talked to us about the temple and it's restoration as we walked past many stands selling colorful goods. I wished I had brought money. It was a long walk to the temple and we kept stopping to let other groups go ahead. Then we came to a suspension bridge that was for foot traffic. I felt a little unstable but I made it across without being traumatized. Then we slowly made our way long the dike toward the 9 story temple. We were told there was only one way up and one way down. So once you start walking up the 99 steps, you can't turn back. Up to this point I had had two bouts of light stomach cramps. And now I was having a third one. I wanted to see the temple, but did not want to risk getting sick in a narrow stairway with nowhere to go. So I told Chris and Michele that I was going back to the other side of the bridge. Cecily and Al had already turned around so I thought they would be there. I found a bathroom on the other side of the bridge and took advantage. Then I walked back through the stands to the ship. People kept calling me over to look at their wares. The items were pretty, and pretty much the same from person to person. I kept telling the owners that my money was on the ship. When I admired an article, they would put it in a bag and pantomime going back to the ship with me. I had to wave them off.

But I was keeping track of the prices. Near the road to the ship, I looked at some tablerunners. She had a very nice red one that I really liked. I told her I had no money and would come back. But she didn't want me to leave. A passing Indian woman told me to just walk away. So I did, and talked to her for awhile. She said to offer them 1/3 and leave if they did not accept. I guess she is used to haggling. I walked back to the ship, got my wallet from the safe, and went back out. I haggled very nicely with a few people, buying scarves and a t-shirt. The phrase “It's cheaper over there” works too. I found the lady again and offered her even less than last time. She eventually took it. I also got a indigo table cloth that I think might make a nice quilt. I ran into Cassie and Dyveen buying mangos. They said it cost less for them than it would for me. Yup. Just like back home. There's the Korean price and the American price. They hurried back to the ship and I continued looking. But at 10:15 I decided to go back since the ship was supposed to leave t 10:30. I expected to see Chris and Michele coming back from the temple. I ran back, not wanting to hold up the ship. But I ran into others from our group. Chris was standing at the pass box, waiting for me. He had both our passes. He had gotten back earlier and been looking for me. I don't know how we missed each other.
Anyway, we came back to the room. Michele came over to use the tablet. I washed my nightgown in the sink and hung it up to dry. I went upstairs to chat with the doctor about Chinese medicine. He said a consultation was 320 yuan. I didn't have that much. But we had a short conversation. I came back to the room and I typed up as many events of the day as I could before lunch. Then we went down to the dining room. Chris went back to get my red long-sleeved shirt that I wear like a jacket.

I did not order anything from the menu. I went to the salad bar which was crowded. For today, they had the usual offerings, plus some local Chinese favorites: pig tail, pig ear, chicken feet, and jellyfish salad. I had some of each, but the chicken feet were gone when I got there. Most of our table ordered the onion soup with their meal. I remembered the maitre d saying it had wheat in it, so I didn't. But then he came by just as I finished all but the pig tail. He said he had ordered a gluten-free onion soup for me. Then I remembered that he had said he was going to do that. I thanked him. He brought me the soup and a chicken foot. The soup was good and the chicken foot was like the pig tail, mostly fat and cartilage.
After lunch, we went back to the room. Michele came over to use the tablet while I typed more of my day. Then we had to meet near the stairs for the wheelhouse tour.