big trouble in little china.

NINJA! i cannot resist these SDG knockoffs, even if they are knockoffs! bargained her for 7rmb.

i have a thing for all things BIG and small.

IKEA clocks

Shanghai IKEA-what a nightmare on weekends.

on my stroll to IKEA

Cao Xi Park

Cao Xi park entrance

Cao Xi park

Dog grooming outdoors. such a well behaved doggie!

Cao Xi Park

on Saturday, my language partner wanted to shop at IKEA. although i had no interest, b/c i've already been to a million IKEAs in the states and also knew how crowded it would be on a weekend in SH (shopping areas in SH on weekends are always a nightmare), i agreed to go with her. she said also there were shops nearby. so i took the subway and exiteftd and with my ZERO sense of direction, called sarah the moment i got off the subway. North or South? North. so i proceeded to stroll up Cao Xi Rd. i walked past Cao Xi Park, peered in through the gate, snapped some shots, saw a lady grooming her dog right in the middle of the sidewalk and marvelled at how the weather was cooling down--Finally. good god, it's September! as i was crossing the street, a man who looked like a business man asked me where IKEA was, so i pointed him in the general direction. after we both crossed the street, he asked me if i was also going to IKEA. i said yes. then he started asking if i lived around here, the purpose of my visit to IKEA, general conversation stuff. then he started trying to get me to go join something or buy something at the company he works for. it sounded like some beauty products company. his company was having some expo down the street. i usually nod when i have no idea what people are saying, and i did a lot of that. i also smile too. he gave me his card and a flyer, neither of which i could read and we went our separate ways. then i saw sarah and we entered IKEA. ugh..what a nightmare! crowded, hot, swarming with screaming adults and children. IKEA was clearly a lounge hang out spot, where people and children were sitting, sleeping, chatting on their model sofas and chairs, with no real intention of buying anything. we looked for an item sarah wanted but b/c of the wrong color, she didn't buy it, but i ended up buying it! it was a laptop support item, where u can sit on sofas and place the laptop on the support which is on ur lap. pretty spiffy. after going all the way to the top, then back to the bottom, we got in a ridiculously long line, purchased my stuff, then left. we crossed the street and entered a building full of clothing and make up boutique stores. i bargained and got a new knockoff SDG, a water bottle, and conditioner. sarah got a new shirt. i liked some of the styles of clothing there, but they really did not have my size. and some of it was pricy. there were 2 floors of all those shops. i guess cross stitches are real in cuz there were tons of shops where they sold completed cross stitches for 80 rmb or the raw materials for 5 rmb. see, if i could stitch worth a damn, i would totally get to stitching on some of their cool oriental designs, but i can't, so i walked on by. we spent a few hours there, then went home.

so when i was almost home, this man approached me. he looked also like some sort of business man, with a laptop bag, well dressed, clean shaven. he told me he was supposed to meet a friend up the street but never made it. he was from Nanjing and needed money to take a bus or something there. he apparently did not have his wallet. i thought, well that was plausible. then this lady, his accomplice, comes up and adds to their sob story. someone stole their wallet, if i could just give them money, they will pay me back tomorrow so long as i leave them my cell number and address. she asked where i was from. i said i was a tourist from the US so i do not have an address. i proceeded to take my wallet out to give them some money. i handed him a 20 then his entire face changed into a mean mean person. he got angry and said we need 80 bucks. i'm like i don't have that much cash, u should ask someone else. he said, it's not that much money! she chimed in, it costs more than that to get back to Nanjing, surely you understand. i said, i don't have that much money b/c i need my money too. he gave me a dirty look, grunted loudly, DID NOT say thank you, and they both walked away. he pocketed the money quickly too. i of course figured out it was a scam probably after the man demanded 80 bucks. i know, i shoulda known right when he started w his sob story, or when anyone asks for money, but i'm a softie. at that point, i figured it was too late to ask for the $$ back. so anyways, here is yet another chinese dirty scam trick. i asked dave to put it on the shanghai expat forum so others can beware. silly me, i know most would not have fallen for it, but from now on, no more falling for sob stories and if anyone asks me for money, i have to say no. dave was saying i should have offered to call the police since the lady said their wallet was stolen. i did not think of that. i guess there was big trouble in little china!