We were feeling adventurous this particular morning, so we took a walk outside. I believe we ended up in an open market that happened to be in a poorer section of Changsha. People were selling vegetables, fish, meat and fruits. Sadly, the people were selling their food next to heaping piles of garbage. Apparently this is where garbage is taken in the city of Changsha. Because of all the people, the garbage is piled up high. 

Many of the buildings in this area were older and looked as if they were going to fall apart. Unlike in the United States where older building are either kept up for years or renovated, the older buildings in China are torn down to make way for new buildings. They do not have the time or the money to renovate the older buildings. Interestingly, while we were visiting this market, there were many police officers patrolling the streets. We would find out later that many of the individuals selling items in this area were not "licensed" to sell on the streets. Thus, there was a lot of running people as the police passed through. In addition, it appeared as if there was a riot going on as many people were protesting the tearing down of their buildings. I suppose gentrification exists in China as well. 

Later, we went on a shopping spree with some friends. One of my favorite places was a "hole in the wall" type place which sold pretty much anything and everything you could think of for a cheap price. One of my favorite stores included a small shop that sold "office supplies." The pencils and pens in China are so crafty looking and much easier/better to use than the utensils here in the United States. The pens are such fine tip pens. Quite wonderful to write with. After perusing multiple stores, it was time to eat dinner. This was my first experience of "Dim Sum." Dim Sum is a pretty famous eating concept in China and elsewhere I suppose. Instead of ordering one plate of food, you order many little plates to sample different delicacies. The experience was awesome. There were tons of waiters pulling around carts of tiny dishes. Whenever you wanted a dish, you simply nodded your head and that tiny dish became yours to try. I ate stinky tofu, noodle bowls, squishy donuts in honey sugar and biscuits. The experience itself was great. However, the many spices did not settle well in my stomach. A large stomachache would occur that night. Afterwards, we listened to a tradtional Chinese opera. In addition, I bought a tradition Chinese "Chi Pao." Trying on those different dresses was a lot of fun. 

I would say this day was busy, but incredibly successful. We headed back on a very crowded bus with all our bags and went to sleep.