Archive for the ‘Urumqi’ Category19 September 2013 Urumqi in September 2013 is not Urumqi in 2008. Everything +40%. The girl with the chargers has a shop of her own with a glass door, and a boy who carries her boxes. She remembered me: "Mama Talas!" and gave me the old price on the first order. The second order was the new price.
The cardboard prices in the market are now in Chinese, Uyghur and Russian only. They dropped English, nobody comes. The yuan is stronger and my margin is thinner. I need to sell more or travel less. I know what the doctor says. 7 February 2009 My January trip was a mistake. I went on the 20th, I arrived on the 22nd. The Chinese New Year is the 26th. By the 24th half of the market was closed, by the 26th ten days of nothing: shutters, red paper, small cars with the families. I sat in the hostel and ate dumplings the landlady brought. They were very good.
I came back with 20 kilos only. Never go in the last week of January, I wrote on my hand.
Also: Ruslan wrote on his blog that "the cheap Chinese battery packs swell". Ruslan, who do you think made yours? The ones you sell are from my girl. They do not swell. I test them. 14 November 2008 -12 in the morning. The market opens at ten and I am there at nine looking at the shutters, eating a hot nan from the Uyghur uncle with the cart. He gives me one extra every time I say "rakhmat" in his language. I know eleven words. Nine are food.
What I look for: the covers with the new shapes (this year everyone wants the slide phones), chargers from the same factory as last time (I know the girl who sells them, she knows my mother's name now), warm hats. I buy for 3 days, I pack for 1, I sleep for 2 hours.
 Er Dao Qiao market, early. Prices written on a cardboard in four languages. Hot tea at the Uyghur uncle's cart. 2 yuan. It is a good price. |