October 1998

Fall Newsletter 1998

Roland Smith (Hayley) and Ron Lewyckyj (Amy) kept notes -- they provided this trip report and the detailed market analysis: 

The October trip, by serendipity rather than by design, found itself in the middle of two colourful holidays, one expressing the full flavour of Chinese culture and the other offering the familiar icons of a great Canadian tradition. On October 5th, the newly-formed families were given a real sampling of China, with tasty morsels of mooncake, of Mooncake Festival fame. The holiday, a celebration of long-told Chinese lore, brings relatives from afar together for feast, family and fun, not unlike the Canadian Thanksgiving, which was also celebrated during the two-week adoption trip. Although there was no turkey it was still an occasion for giving thanks for the wonderful bundles of joy so recently introduced. 

Of course, the little ones were the real centre-stage event! Shopping in Beijing can be a real blast-- if you know what the going prices are. The parents from the October trip went shopping several times, and with each outing, became more aware of the prices which you should be negotiating for items such as clothing, watches, ties and postcards. The prices in our chart can be achieved with a little patience and a friendly smile. Remember that 5 Yuan is about $1 Canadian.