Sunday25thMarch07

After walking for miles over the last few days, the only thing that was keeping us from sleeping till next week, was the thought that we would be missing out on something. However, after careful consultation of our map guides, there was really anything left that was standing out. And then it happened. A small stroke of genius. (even if I do say so myself) The jade market. None of us had been yet, all of us wanted to go, and I most definitely did. So after turning to my good friend google and battling with the multiple translations of pinyin spelling (don't even get me started) off we went. It was so cool. It was situated under a freeway overpass, it took up one side and a flower market and handicapped market on the other. Oh, I loved it. I walked in to a mass of stalls filling my field of vision with jade, gold, diamonds, coral and wood, carvings, jewelery,beads, pots, and everything shiny. We took a systematic approach, down one side and up the next. I got (what I thought was) half way down one side of a row when suddenly it opened up to be twice as long. I went a little further, and it did it again. Stall after stall after stall of all things interesting and wonderful. We met some fascinating people, one couple in particular who made all they're own jade jewelery and were so lovely and helpful. After spending a good few hours there, and making a serious mental note to come back with my friend who knows about rocks, we headed to the flower market. It was pretty cool too, but it didn't quite match up to the jade for me. It, similarly, seemed to go on forever, but was a lot wider with higher roofs to accommodate the various plant life (which somehow included fully grown trees...)
After the markets we headed back to the hotel, I packed up my stuff and my parents and I parted ways (again) for another three months. They don't leave till tuesday, but I must back to uni.
I just realised half way through the day, that I forgot to sign out of dorms, in fact I wasn't even sure I had told my roommates I was going since they were asleep when I saw them last, so I was mildly dreading the arrival back. Needless to say, I did some seriously sneaky moves to try and avoid the scary ex-police woman hall matron on the way back in. Crisis averted, for now.