我爱夜市！！

Yesterday evening I purchased the first two seasons of The Walking Dead (with all of the extra footage and whatnot) for all of 15元. With an exchange rate of 1元 = 0.159569 USD, I bought this DVD set for about $2.40. Now you too know the greatness of the 夜市，or night market. Between the hours of 7 and 10 PM, parts of certain streets and empty lots are filled with vendors selling a plethora of tasty treats and fairly priced treasures. If you see something you like, but think it’s tad too expensive you can always try and bargain down the price, or just walk down a few stalls because you’ll likely find an identical trinket on another table. The night market we visited was on a specific street, and it is by far the largest one in downtown Kaifeng. The street is named 书店街，or Bookseller’s Street. It’s a bit like the historic part of Kaifeng. The buildings on the street have been restored and repainted to resemble their original structures, and it was where everyone would go to purchase their books and utensils in a younger China. Because it’s one of the main tourist attractions in Kaifeng, it quickly became the largest night market in the city. The vendors arrive around sundown and simply set up shop right in front of the store fronts, crowding the street. I’ve definitely gotten used to inevitable jostling and shoving that comes from being swallowed by a crowd in China. Rarely am I startled when the scooters (and often cars trying to squeeze into the narrow streets) honk at us to get out of the way. Th night market is one my favorite things about the city thus far–simply strolling around the street, looking at the clothes and food and nick-knacks while making Chinese friends and laughing along with them when they can’t understand my broken Chinese  just seems utterly unreal. On the taxi ride home I can’t wipe the I-still-can’t-believe-I’m-in-China grin off of my face. I really feel like I’m a part of the city now. Be sure to check back in a week or so because the Chrysanthemum Festival is coming, and the city is going to be COVERED in flowers, so I plan to take many pictures. Enjoy the ones I took of the market yesterday evening! 慢走。