shopping in china tours

8 days, 7 nights, 4 hotels, 21 members, 1 domestic flight and 1 province. the trip to yunnan province in china covering 3 cities- kunming, da li and li jiang is finally over.

i am rejuvenated from all the fresh air i inhaled and the glorious natural wonders seen in the eternal spring cities. and not to mention 'cleansed' internally from my vomit and purging as soon as i reached home.

ok this time around, i am going to update the posts according to themes. let me get rid of the annoying theme of shopping in china with tour groups. i hate them but one can't avoid them in china. you are brought to pre-selected destinations promoting chinese goods and you are caged in a room to listen to them promoting their products.

so here are the places i went to:

silk shop selling silk blankets, duvet and pillow cases. our group was the first that arrived at the shop that morning and we got more discount when we compared with the second group. the second group was also a malaysian group and some of the tour members were from bidor as well. the designs are much more modern and the products more user-friendly this time around.

kun ming flower market. ok one can wander around here but there are so many salesladies and it is like walking in a maze. and before reaching the flower section, you have to pass rows and rows of local edible products like coffee, biscuits and sweets. there are also medicine and decorative products. dizzy. psst....i was not supposed to take photos in the market.

bao shu tang. you get a complimentary foot massage and feet soaked in herbal broth while the salesperson demonstrates the products they sell. the company is famous for its cream to treat scalding and plaster for sore muscle pains. almost everyone in the group bought something...me too.
chinese medicine wholesale market. it is quite an eye-opening experience here learning about all sorts of medicine they have. i finally get to see saffron flowers and learn some of its benefits. well, there is no one to hassle you here....this is one place where the local tour guide does not get commission i think.

pu er tea. it is really cheap here but i din get any since we have a few pieces of old tea at home. am going to make good use of the tea and use the tips learnt from the session here. try this tea...i personally think it is better than green tea and this tea also won't make you lose any sleep. in fact, you will sleep even better at night.

street peddlars everywhere selling their tribes' wares.

stones anyone??? da li stones are famous for their natural lines and colours.

natural spirulina. cheap for those who are already taking it.

well, there are many other places to shop of course besides these designated ones. the quiant stalls and shops at the ancient towns and those in the shopping area of kunming are paradise for shoppers. those big malls in kun ming do have plethora of international brands and their varieties are definitely more than what we have here in malaysia. if only their sales and import taxes are not that high.

so in the end...here are what i got:

silk blanket and pillow cases. kekeke....this is definitely a splurge but it is really worth it because it is oh so luxurious and the blanket feels like second skin on you. trust me...i am not exaggerating.
small notebooks as souvenirs.
herbal pack to soak the feet from bao shu tang. for mom and my feet since we have problems with our heels. hope it soothes the pain. many (not the sales persons of course) sang praises for the product so i gave it a try.

li ning badminton racket for someone since it is definitely cheaper there.

some dong guai, sweets, beef jerky, pastry and bai shou wu.

i also got myself a cool nike hoodie from their factory outlet store within the nike store itself in kunming.

ok that is all. will be busy for the next few days...so might not have time to post. the next post should be on food. you will definitely go hungry or nauseous seeing them depending on your appetite.