March 1, 2007

Walking the Streets of Chongqing
















































We had a fascinating journey today exploring the streets of the city. They are not wide but they are filled with people, small store fronts, dogs and opinions. The local people did not beleive we had Emma dressed warm enough and they politely (?) told us in Chinese. The variety of fruit and flowers was amazing. Rose buds were individually wrapped in netting to protect them before sale. Men carried bamboo poles and baskets - the baskets contained everything from boxes, bricks, food and gravel!









Small dogs were common - as pets - in they were in the food I did not know that. The variety of tiny store fronts was amazing. Everything was for sale, shoes could be fixed, clothes mended, motors repaired, etc. All on the sidewalk in front of the store which was often only 4 feet wide.

















The Chinese people are very sociable and enjoy community life - each night they gather, walk, talk, eat and play games. The lights of the common area (like Times Square) were brilliant. The numbers of people contantly moving was fascinating. There was no pushing, yelling, fighting or rough stuff.
















Countless thousands are on the street - many times using cell phones since land lines are too hard to install because of the terrain.














Electronic items are cheaper in the US. Buy there before you come (i.e. memory cards, cameras, etc). The DVDs are cheaper though but watch for the language on the DVD.














Truly these are a very special people, very hard working, skilled and community oriented

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